Re: Bruce Bradley

[Kevin Vahey <webway@channel1.com>]

Being on this list does bring back brain cells that I thought were lost
long ago...as now we are going back 30-35  YEARS.....anyhow

The WBZ remotes came about (Donna correct me if I am wrong) from events
that happened in the winter of 1964 when in the early stages of The
Beatles, the station set up shop in the WBZ lobby. The station had been
doing Christmas remotes from Raymonds for the Salvation Army 700 fund.
Because of the crowds generated at Soldires Field Road, that summer they
set up shop in Revere Beach and then moved to Paragon Park. I recall being
told that the reason for the move was two-fold, to get a "cleaner looking
crowd in Hull than you would in Revere, and to make it easier for the
talent to get there. 

Remember in the mid 60's WBZ did have a turf battle inside 128 wih WMEX (a
station that almost never did a regular remote) and WMEX and Arnie
Ginsburg had a big weekend following at the old Surf in Nantasket. I'm
sure that was also a reason for he switch. 

Bruce in reality was probably the top 5 most listened to DJ's east of the
Missisippi as outside of Bruce Murrow at WABC and whomever was at WLS back
then WBZ had a huge following ouside New England. It has been said that
Bruce was #1 in BALTIMORE in those years.

1967 changed everything wih the advent of WRKO....WMEX became a nothing
player and WBZ started to drift. FM was starting to pick up steam in the
burbs and with college students in town, and WBZ couldn't decide if it
waned to be a Boston station or a New England one (it chose the
latter)...and then when it shifted into a more MOR format, they found that
WHDH had skewed itself more for a younger audience. Then WHDH started
running perhaps the most succesful promotion in the history of Boston
radio...Cash Call.

BZ then tried to use sports (Bruins-Celtics) and Calling All Sports to
hold down the for, but the station kept drifting. They didn't want to make
the plunge into all news fearing hey would lose the rest of New England
(and it was doubtful they could have beaten WEEI in the city) so they
tried to emulate KDKA.

Given all that, it is no wonder Bruce became bitter, and both his personal
annd professional life suffered. I remember hearing him on KMOX in the
80's, and was shocked that he was doing talk annd doing it well.

Bruce was a Boston Radio Legend.....seriously do you think anybody will be
talkig about any present radio people 35 years from now?

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