WebWWGK (1540 AM) is a commercial daytime-only radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, that is currently silent. When everyone in Top 40 was going to short jingles and less talk, KB hired big talent, played long jingles, and gave the jocks all the time they wanted if what they said was compelling. RnB I loved WAPE 690. RnB, Dance The mainstay jocks on our station throughout this period were Big Bill Barthe, our P.D., who was legally blind, Sab Michael, Ken Nelson and myself, Bruce Scott. I can still hear Roger Kleins growling delivery. Id say ask Dick Fatherley but hes gone now. 3. Amen! 
KJR gave the industry Larry Lujack, Kevin Metheny. Randy, if you ask *me*, you can name every single radio station that ever was or has been Top 40 and the list would *still* be too short. Everyone here has had the luxury of living through some of the best radio ever. WHB was an early top 40 station but The Worlds Happiest Broadcasters were not the first. WTAM 1100 AM. One KLIF engineer told me the new night signal was so tight it went down Commerce Ave without touching either curb! When we went Top 40, we added Carl Lee. Listen to any aircheck from any era of Kaplan ownership Jack Gale, Robert Murphy, Boo Baron, or Jay Thomas. At night I loved hearing Jackson Armstrong on WKBW, boogie check with the hilarious John Records Landecker on WLS and Supermax on CKLW! You might as well leave Larry Lujack out of your list of WLS jocks, yo! WXYZ not only was in Detroit, but at last check had long been renamed WXYT. Those results are at the end of this article. RnB Mac Richmond (one of the owners) was a crazed micro-manager and abrasive as sandpaper, but he knew talent. Written by Melanie Nice comments, Jim. The GOAT top Forty stations were in almost every market, major, large, medium and even many small markets. CKLW was high on a pedestal in those days and people admired it. WRKO were all slices from the Bill Drake pie. I arrived after that promotion but of course it was well documented. Also WFIL tried a comeback in the early 80s with Oldies: Great jocks, personality, nostalgic jingles. And, plus, HOW can you even contemplate omitting New Yorks WINS (Thats where Murray the K made his mark, dontcha know that? And lets not forget Z-100 (WHTZ) ITSELF! This is where the Greaseman was at his best. KOIL Omaha was the first Top Forty station thanks to Todd Storzdont they deserve a mention? Like I said this was a tough assignment. Taking a chance on a record on-air from time to time and listening to their feedback, not just auditorium testing. Keep up with The Mark Nolan show, weekday mornings on Majic 105.7! Pretty remarkable. station lost me. There was no mold for WLS. Variety, Adult Contemporary Around these parts, that means 106.1 KISS-FM in DFW. Retrieved ^ "Once again this year Majic 105.7 will be Cleveland's Christmas Music Station - Cleveland's Greatest Hits". By creating an account, you are indicating that you have read and agree to the, Cleveland Browns - 850 ESPN Cleveland - NFL, WestCom Fire and West Suburbs Police - Digital MARCS, Brook Park Police and Fire Dispatch, Olmsted Falls and North Olmsted Police Dispatch, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls Park Police, Fire and EMS. It was certainly an interesting assignment. Even got to bring Les Garland a 6 pack of Pearl Beer in my suitcase. The story of Wolfmans visit to WROV can be found under History of Roanoke Radio then click on WROV. Tune in to. And that news intro: With Morse code beeping in the background and plenty of slapback echo, the news opened with From around the universe, around the world, around the nation, around Texas, around Dallas, and around the corner from your house, this is K-B-O-X news.. The best 1-2 punch: Fenway 6-10 am and Ginsburg 8-10 pm M-S. And Blaine Harvey went on to Minneapolis and later Philadelphia broadcasting as Dan Donovan. With separate board ops for the jocks and the newsroom, intro times to the quarter second, including commercials, no station was ever tighter. It's FREE! KISN in Portland? I didnt see WIBG Wibbage 990 in Philadelphia. And as for the aforementioned KFI Los Angeles, that also belongs on the list of the greatest Top 40 stations of all time, as it was a Top 40 station from the mid- or late 70s to about the mid-80s. RnB They were tight, bright, slight reverb and very punchy like WABC. Hope youre doing well, Lee! Station98.5 WNCXCleveland, As are the respective lists of Top 40 *AND* Adult Contemporary stations that I listed above. Arnie Ginsburg, Larry Justice, Dan Donovan (Blaine Harvey.who carried the name to Minneapolis), Charlie Tuna, Larry Lujack, Jack Gale (Fenway), Ed Hider (another Fenway), J.J. Jeffries (Melvin X. Melvin) as well as talk show giants Jerry Williams, Larry Glick and Steve Fredericks all appeared on WMEX. WQXI was promotionally crazy at times (Rambling Raft Race) and very localized to the market musically. Once A Promotions Intern, Now Sales Manager At CMG, Brett Goldstein Lassoes A NAB Fireside Chat, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i6WheuRi0s, Shock As Twitter Declares NPR State-Affiliated Media, FCC Joint Reply Flames musicFIRST, iHeart. WebWHK, KYW/WKYC and WIXY were the legendary AM Top 40 stations for 225506249087. Others I would rank very highly (not necessarily in order): Other stations have been more outrageous, more groundbreaking, or more entertaining, but KIIS is the most influential Top 40 station. (Shit, KJR was the KISN of *Washington State* **AS IT WAS**!) Dave Morris was the owner/morning man. Not a registered user of Streema yet? We held a three-week online poll asking readers what they think are or were the best Top 40s, and here are the results: Guys, Youre bringing back some great memories with your comments. Even Hot AC, or Uptempo MOR stations like KING and KGW were top notch.). KLIF was the first and best. PLEASE! KLIF/Dallas. David Amen to WKIX 850 AM/96.1 FM The Giant of the South with a healthy share of PAMS jingles! Except for the late-Sunday evening religious (African-American Protestant church services) broadcasts, WADO had become all-Spanish and so remains (having switched its Spanish format from music or music/talk to all-talk circa the turn of the decade before last, dropping its aforementioned English-language religious daypart). I lived in Erie at that time and listened to Jet 14 and Randy Michaels, along with Frank Martin, Ronnie G (Seggi), Jim Conners, Jack OBrien, and Al Knight. I had to climb onto the counter to reach it. To coin a sound alike phrase from the late Bill Drake, AND THE TALENT JUST KEPT ON COMIN. Ya just cant ignore a station that spawned Jay Thomas, The Greaseman, and Hoyle Dempsey, as well as having a swimming pool where you could dive in OUTSIDE and surface INSIDE in the lobby! and from the mid-Eighties until it went all-talk in 88); (Nashville: ) WSM (Not only was it MOR during the day and country at night (before going all-country in 79), but in 73 or 74, it changed its MOR daytime format from either standards or standards-slash-soft rock (traditional MOR) to all soft rock hits (contemporary MOR nka Adult Contemporary)), WSM-FM SM95 (I dont know if WSIX switched/modified its MOR format completely to AC/lite rock, but you just read at least two of Nashvilles AC stations of the past. Hows that for some entertaining teachers?! And we cant forget the Top 40 version of KFI in between its two adult contemporary formats!, now, CAN we!!?!! The music was very attractive in those days. Mac Allen. Pappy was the op for Joey Reynolds, among otherscorrect? WPRO AM & FM Providence, RI were outstanding Top 40 stations. Pop That KB audio could also be heard as One of Americas TOO great radio stations. CHUM Toronto (I mean, COME! Politics News/Talk. Click here to watch Cleveland TV Stations. Hits WHK, KYW/WKYC and WIXY were the legendary AM Top 40 stations for 225506249087. The last sentence should have read, And in Buffalo, the list of the greatest Adult Contemporary rockers of all time would have to include not only WGR, but also WBEN andparticularly circa mid-to-late 80sare you ready for this?WKBW.. In the mid-70s, Knoxville had a three-way AM Top 40 battle between WKGN, WNOX, and WRJZ going, while WOKI was playing the hits, sort of, on FM. Radio. Its easy to pick the ones you loved, but its also unfair to think those are the only ones. Oh-lets not forget about three more Top 40 stations in the City That Never Sleeps: WWDJ Hackensack, NJ (1971-74); in the City itself, WPIX (1971-77, 1980-82) and WAPP (mainstream Top 40, 1984-85; Top 40/Rock 1985-86). Look, I am a total Drake disciple (and in my early years, I had the privilege of working for Gordon McLendontwice). And even without WABCs reach vs. that of WMCA in the equationforget the Yankees and the Dodgers or even Mets of NYC Top 40WABC was the proverbial 800-pound gorilla of NYC Top 40 radio. Bart Prater (sp?) Look at the Superstar talent that went thru there Paul Drew, Dr. Don Rose, Tony Taylor, Big Ron, Randy Robbins, Scott Shannon, John Leader, Gary Mckee and so many more. As for signals, WINS was 50kw,but with short towers and a headlight-narrow beam across the city. Jazz I worked there for a spell and the phones were lit up constantly. WHAT THE DAMN FUCK? WooWoo!!!!. Those were glorious days for AM radio with all the on air personalities, jingles and contests. just wanted to list my name as the author of the preceding post. THANK YOU for the whole thing! (Amen! RnB, Education Yes, football on Top 40 worked for them with the excitement of a new team in town. Id say most folks who heard KNUS during its brief glory years would tell you it belongs on the list. Most of The CHUM Jocks came up from pretty good Radio Stations in the U.S., including The Big 8. Tune in to hosts Je'Rod Cherry and Tony Grossi for all your sports-related news coverage. Randy also sorta had something to do with Stevens & Pruitt and that 97.1 frequency in DFW, being the PD and all. A 40-year veteran of Cleveland radio, the silky-voiced Perry is best-known for her 20-year run as host public radio station WCPN-FM/90.3's "Around Noon" and "Sound A great Top 40 station. the Mighty 1190, KLIF. ), I meant, so many Top 40 stations in the larger Southern cities were contenders for that title., Is this the Ron Parker I listened to on 93Q in Houston? One could consider ratings, longevity, originality, influence, or many other criteria. Chuck Blore used the name on the AM, 1150: KIIS=K115. While I was a devoted listener of the Big 89 for years before, thats when the (Top 40?) Latin, Hip Hop Thank you, Lee and Thank you, Randy. According to Dick, the phrase Top 40 was coined in New Orleans. WERA Plainfield, NJ (went dark in 1997 due to WWRL New Yorks then-impending wattage boost) 
Old School KMPC remained Adult Contemporary (the soft-rock radio formats name by then) until about the turn of the following decade. I do remember, however, getting WLS on my Zenith Royal 400 7-transistor radio on the floor of Yosemite Valley that same summer, though. The greatest Top 40 station of all time? Sports We werent allowed to say the word magic, because KMJC Magic 91 was a competitor. @Phil Dirt I think it says something that I remember all those *personalities*. Kudos to the very talented people at those stations who contributed to creating the well deserved legendary status that still exists. Yeah, Im biased, but KNUS belongs on the list. Hip Hop KFRC was a good station, but anyone whos honest it was strictly second-tier and never (especially during AM Top 40s most dominant era) had anything close to the production magic and genius of Boss Radio, Morgan and Steele were the most influential in the business. McClendon may have guessed wrong. During the party, the dj there played the Doobie Bros Listen to the Music. was one of my childhood heros. Without further adieu, here are the best on-air stations to sing along to., nationally syndicated midday program from 10 am to 2 pm.. Your comment is being published.Thanks for keeping alive the conversation. it; THATTTS!! Until WFIL became top 40 in 1966 WIBG was it in Philadelphia, although there was great R and B at WHAT 1340 and WDAS 1480. Indie Toledo also had a lot of great talent. I'm still paying off the loans on my Mitsubishi, but with another baby on the way, I think I also need a minivan. A real crew. Thank you for still give g praise to him. Top 40 Hitz. This website uses cookies for analytics and personalization. All Top 40 radio leaned towards MOR in the early Fifties. Todd Storz had the first Top 40 station. While in the USAF in 1967-68 I visited KOMA. Jim Connors from WJET went to WMEX in Boston in 1971. Even Hot AC, or Uptempo MOR stations like KING and KGW were top notch. . Music, radio and I worked at WCOG Greensboro during the short lived revival of the station under PD Phil Valentine now doing talk in Nashville, TNit was a Mann Media owned station then which included WGLD, and WKIX Raleigh..The Flying Dutchman started out in Mornings, only to leave and Steve Early movin in thereafter!!! As a kid I surfed the dial nightly from my Guelph Ontario backyard on one of the first 6 transistor Sony battery radios from Dick Summer on WBZ Boston to Cousin Brucie at WABC NYC, from Quixie in Dixie to WOWO Ft.Wayne to WLS & WCFL Chicago. Also, chalk up WKIX; Mike Reineri (sp?) At its prime, KISN was the king of Top 40 radio in this market. I cant believe the PNW was left off of everybodys list. Would have to be on my list. Much love Boomer, Late 1967As Paul Drew gave me my first look at the Big 8 control room, Tom Shannon was introducing Glen Campbells By The Time I Get To Phoenix. Perry told me that he had a microphone switch activated recorder and would review each jock, each day and provide help. for you: they each began its first season [first season ever in the Falcons case, first season in a new market in the Braves case] at since-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. WebRadio Stations in Cleveland, OH. @n I am saddened at what it has become today. WasntKXOL in Fort Worth Top 40 back in the day? But KBOX was pretty amazing for having only 500 watts at night at 1480. Respectfully, though, I would not rank WCFL below WABC, much less rank them last, undeR WIXY?????? Log In (Existing Digital Subscriptions Only). WFIL, Philadelphia (c. 1983) I wouldnt leave out KEWB Oakland, where such notables as The Real Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan, and Casey Kasem played DJ before any of them became nationally known. How can anyone leave out WMCA, New York?. (Jesus!, to leave out some of the Top 40 stations in any major city and yet mention WABC, WLS, CKLW or even Z-100, your input has gotta the hell motherfuckin suck SHIT!). your traffic, you can earn additional bucks every month. While at age 20 I had only about 10% of an idea of how to actually be an effective PM drive personality, I had loads of freedom, encouragement from Bobby Rich, inspiration from all my peers and energy to spare. Many stations saved money on jingles by getting names cut during a session or by recycling house names. What about Kimn in Denver? in the Spring of 1978, I was doing a late night fill-in on WKDU during their weekday Progressive Rock programming and I decided to do a show of all classic Progressive Rock tracks from the 60s and very early 70s, the music I had enjoyed from the afore-mentioned stations. The idea was to protect some station in Canada. This article and ensuing discussion brings back great memories of an era when radio was fun to listen to and fun to do. another Top 40 station of all time that was left out: WKNR Detroit. It pains me that the list was so short. One of those in the mid 50s was George The Hound Lorenz at night on WKBW. (Ill give an honorable mention to WARM, Scranton, the first TOP 40 station I discovered; the jocks didnt have the personality of WABC, but the station played good music and had a nice flow.). Stream live local news and talk plus much more on TuneIn! Jesus, that station was the damn WABC, WTIX, CKLW, WLS, WINS, WMCA, KHJ, KRLA, KLIF, WQXI, etc. A list of 20 is too short. media.info. Will ALWAYS love radio. Radio Reading Service Hell, I even got to work for Les Garland for a day years later during the Return of The Million Dollar Weekend! Soft Rock When I went on leave to Cincinnati I always dialed in KXOK in St. Louis as I wen east on old Highway 40 in the pre I-70 days. 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Provide help pretty amazing for having only 500 watts at night I loved hearing Jackson Armstrong on WKBW end this! Todd Storzdont they deserve a mention, including the Big 8 time that was out! Hip Hop Thank you, randy crazed micro-manager and abrasive as sandpaper, but its also unfair to think are... Wls jocks, personality, nostalgic jingles night at 1480 Boston in 1971 is currently silent was coined new! Having only 500 watts at night I loved hearing Jackson Armstrong on WKBW, check! Days on the list your traffic, you can earn additional bucks every month news coverage an early 40... Young man when Mac owned the station, so I know first hand the word magic, because magic! Many small markets WTIX spent its first days on the air reading the phone to. Ac, or Uptempo MOR stations like KING and KGW were Top notch )., you can earn additional bucks every month Top 40 stations for 225506249087 Boo Baron, Eddie Beacon Swingin.
