Re: Standards...WXKS-AM, WNEW, WQEW

["Dan Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

I think that part of the reason that WQEW sounds sterile to you is that the
Times is apparently enforcing its roughly 60-year-old rule against jingles.
(The rule began on what was then WQXR AM and is now WQEW.) Some of the
things that made the old WNEW (AM) in its heyday sound so good were the
"bouncing-beep" news signature, the "Double-yew--enny double-yew...eelevun
three oh in Noo Yawk" theme (with and without lyrics), and the program
themes for the Make-Believe Ballroom and Milkman's Matinee. The themes were
recorded by name artists. Can't recall who did the MMM theme, but the MBB
theme (I believe the second of two that the program had over its years of
existence) was recorded by Glenn Miller and the Modernaires. In those
years, you couldn't find bigger-name talent than that. The record is now a
collectors' item. I think that one of the artists who recorded the
signature was Julius LaRosa, who for many years did an air shift at
WNEW--maybe even hosted MBB.

Unfortunately, for reasons that are not entirely clear to me, when the
Times took over WNEW (AM)'s nostalgia format, the paper could not or would
not acquire WNEW (AM)'s intellectual property. When I was last in New York,
much of that WNEW memorabilia was being used (probably without permission)
by WJUX, the Fort Lee NJ "translator" of a Monticello NY FM that broadcasts
an adult standards format to portions of the New York City market. In that
respect, WJUX sounded more like WNEW than WQEW did. Some WNEW personalities
were at each station. I think that Les Davis, who currently does WQEW's
Saturday night "Jazz Straight Ahead," is the only air personality who has
worked at WNEW, WJUX, and WQEW.

Ex-WNEW personalities Ted Brown and Mike Preeley were at WVNJ 1160 in
Oakland NJ, which also does adult standards and serves Northern NJ,
Westchester, and Rockland Counties. Then Brown suffered a stroke, and I
don't know whether he ever returned to the air.

- ----------
> From: BUMP MARTIN <LJNF40D@prodigy.com>
> To: boston-radio-interest@khavrinen.lcs.mit.edu
> Subject: Standards...WXKS-AM, WNEW, WQEW
> Date: Saturday, September 19, 1998 3:44 PM
> 
> BTW..>Speaking of standards.....does anyone agree that WQEW doesn't
> sound anywhere near as good as WNEW did...?    WQEW sounds sterile. 
> WNEW did a good job of showcasing the music in glitz....be it
> personalities....hokey jingles...or program names....like the Make-
> Believe Ballroom"...or "Milkmans Matinee".  
> 
> WQEW sounds like a 90's AC programmer...programming standards... 

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