WCCM-FM/WCGY "The Rock Garden"

["Peter Q. George" <radiojunkie1@yahoo.com>]

     WCCM-FM, like many smaller FM stations of the time, affiliated
with a daytimer AM operations, stayed on the air until 10:00 pm....
basically because they HAD TO, due to FCC rules and regs.  That was/is
the minimum schedule for any commercial FM station.  Curt Gowdy ran
WCCM AM and FM pretty "low budget".  The FM did not even get a decent
signal until they HAD to, in 1973.  WCCM-FM had a pitiful minimum
Class B (horizontally polarized) 5,000 watt signal with an antenna
located atop 33 Franklin St. in Lawrence.  The height of the antenna
(studio) site was located quite below the average terrain surrounding
Greater Lawrence. To keep their protected contours, which were hardly
being used to their maximum, they had to build a MAXIMUM facility
(50,000 watts).  In comes the AM stick in North Andover.  They side
mounted the new FM bays on the AM stick, a few miles out of Downtown
Lawrence, just off the Interstate.  WCCM-FM fired up the new 50,000
watt signal in July, 1973.  It CRANKED, even in the South Shore area. 
More importantly, it now had the signal to crack into Downtown Boston
($$$$$$$$).  They simply simulcast WCCM/800 until sunset and provided
separate programming on the FM until 10:00 pm. The FM evening
programming was different than the simulcast.  It was rather good,
more contemporary and LOCAL.  I only wished it was in stereo and
stayed on after 10:00 pm. Even in Randolph (45 miles away), it cranked
! I liked it.
     Curt Gowdy Broadcasting realized that shutting down a 50,000 watt
FM signal at 10:00 pm in the 6th largest radio market in the country
wouldn't look good for future growth, so "the big guy" put in the
$$$$$ to convert WCCM-FM to stereo and separated the programming for
keeps. So in April, 1974, WCGY (W-Curt-GowdY) debuted with TM's
"Stereo Rock", a pre-recorded automated format (from Dallas) that was
very predictable.... ALWAYS 2 currents/2 gold hits.  I am sure you
remember the format.....

(voice over) "The Stones- "Miss You" and before THAT             
"Kiss You All Over"-Exile........."
(jingle) - "Ninety-four !!!! (bling-bling-BLING !)                
W-C-G-Y !!!!!"
(oldies) "Silence is Golden"- Tremeloes
         "Brandy"- Looking Glass
(voice over) "You're with the "Rock Garden", 24 hours a              
day..... WCGY....FM/94"
COMMERCIALS, jingle and the next cycle of music.

     "Stereo Rock" was a popular format for many FM stations around
the country.  I heard the same format and voiceover talent on
WGFM/99.5, "Rock 99" (now WRVE) in Schenectady, NY in 1977 and heard
it on an FM station on e-skip from "K-land !" in 1978.  A good friend
of mine (Sam Brown) ran the format at WKFM/104.7 in Fulton (Syracuse),
NY in the late 70's.

     What memories !  The nice thing about WCGY was the signal.  I
could listen to stereo rock and roll from Randolph to the Lakes Region
of New Hampshire and never lose it.  Back in 1974, that was no easy
chore.

73,


Peter Q. George (K1XRB) 
Whitman, Masschusetts                              



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Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
33 Stetson Street, Apt. 2
Whitman, Massachusetts 02382

radiojunkie1@yahoo.com
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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #226
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