changes in 50s radio-- some possible answers

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

Okay, I did some checking in my collection of QSL cards and old newspaper
clippings and discovered the following:

1.  It was asked when exactly did WVDA change calls to WEZE.  A QSL card I
have from late fall 1957 announces that WVDA is now known as WEZE (the QSL
card is still a WVDA card, and the new name is written up top, with WVDA
crossed out...).  I believe the official date of the change was 2 December 57.

2.  The WBZ network affiliation changes went like this:  on 15 June 1942,
WBZ had become an afilliate of NBC Red, whilst WHDH briefly got to be an
affiliate of NBC Blue on that same date.   

In March of 1956, Variety announced rumours of WBZ dropping the NBC network
and going to a more pop music intensive approach.  It had just hired Alan
Dary and Norm Prescott, and was in the midst of creating what would be
known as the "Live Five" (no network stuff-- all live d.j.'s) by 1957.  By
April of 1956, Bob and Ray's 5-6 pm show was replaced, and while I can't
find the clipping that announced the official date, the clippings I have
indicate that NBC was dropped in the late fall of 1956 -- after the last of
the "Live Five" was hired. 

(According to the March 1956 Variety article, the spring of 1956 was a very
transitional time in Boston radio, as some stations added rock while others
resisted. WEEI had briefly tried playing pop music, but the listeners
complained so vehemently that the station returned to its traditional M-O-R
"easy listening" approach with live talent and a 9 piece studio orchestra...) 

A note of TV trivia-- 1956 was when Rex Trailer's popular kids' TV show,
Boomtown, debuted (27 April 1956, to be exact) on Channel 4.  WGBH had gone
on the air one year earlier-- 2 May 1955.

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V3 #413
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