Re: WAQY ("Wacky 102") (was.....Re: WPLM and etc.)

[nuhuc@juno.com (Rick Kelly)]

On Fri, 1 Jan 1999 22:40:21 -0800 (PST) "Peter Q. George"
<radiojunkie1@yahoo.com> writes:

>     From what I recall, having lived in Western Mass. in the late
>1970's, Wacky/102's audio was crunched to the max.  They were
>automated until the Spring of 1977,

Actually January 1, 1977 was the exact date.

>when the "The All New Wacky/102" went with live assisted Top-40.

Wasn't live assist.  The autoamation existed for a short time all nights
for a while after they went live, but not very long.

>The jocks did not have the ability to adjust the levels at all. The
automation did all >of that.

Untrue.  We ran the board live.

>It wasn't until a couple of years later when the automation was ditched
>completely.

The automation was used for overnights only for a brief time... the
automation system was used for the 5000 watt sister station, WIXY
exclusively.
 
>WAQY's ratings soared when they went live in '77.

It was actually a disappointment, over all.  The demographics were not
what they were while automated.  The automation format was more oldies
based, after we went live, more Top 40.  During the heyday, we had huge
teen numbers, but problems with adults.

>I hated their jingle package.

We too.  It was a horrble, cheap sounding (Gwin Sound, or something)
package.

>But, with formidable WTIC-FM ("96/Ticks",
>at the time) breathing down their throats, WAQY dumped Top-40 and 
>went AOR in 1980.

I'll have to check the dates on my airchecks, but I thought it was '81
they went AOR.

>Today, they still are AOR with "Rock/102".  Their 
>signal from Provin Mountain (at the WWLP/22 tower) in Agawam, MA is
superb. 
>I still get them today here, South of Boston.

It was amazing, when I first got there in '77, they were 27,000 watts,
all horizontal polarization.  There were some pretty significant signal
problems in Hartford in cars.   It wasn't until two or three years later
that we went circular... 17,000 I believe. 


Rick Kelly















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