Re: WABC air console

["Roger Kirk" <rogerkirk@mail.ttlc.net>]

SteveOrdinetz wrote:
>Maybe Roger Kirk can answer this one... when did WRKO 
>start using carts for music?  I'd thought as early as 
>'68 or so, but I've come across some airchecks from 
>as recent as 1971 where they were definitely playing 
>vinyl (skips, scratches, cue burn, etc).  

When I joined WRKO in summer of '70, they were still
using records on the air for currents and hitbounds.
B-side grooves were marked with a white china marker 
to avoid airplay.  There were two wire racks of current 
45's - on-air and backup.  They were rotated weekly.  
All oldies were on cart.  Currents were put on cart if:
- -> They had no copy of the record. (e.g. it was a 
  <whisper> "WRKO Exclusive" on reel-to-reel.)
- -> They only had one copy of the record. 
- -> All but one of the styrene copies were cue-burned.
- -> The air version was edited by WRKO's Ace Editing Team.

Paul Power - if you're lurking, can you add to this?

By 1972, the playlist included a sizeable amount of Album
Cuts and whether old or current, they were all on cart. I 
left in early 1973 and some time later, they went all cart.

FYI: WRKO re-wound and re-furbished their own carts.  A 
little chore for the techs when production was all done.

Roger Kirk
rogerkirk@ttlc.net

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