Re: NYTimes article on John R. Gambling

[mwaters@mail.wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

>Dan Strassberg wrote:
>Although Rambling with Gambling was hosted by three
>generations of John Gamblings--John B, John A, and John
>R--at least four generations appeared on the program
>(could be five if John R has a son John who has
>appeared).

        I don't know if the newest son had appeared on the show. But, when
I finally heard a report on WCBS (AM) last evening, after the reporter's
piece ran, the anchor, Harley Carnes (sp?), ad libbed something that I have
not seen reported anywhere else. He said that he happened to have talked
with John R. Gambling only recently and that Mr. Gambling had said he had
hopes that his son, also named John, might someday take over the show. Mr.
Carnes did it better. It was rather poignant.

        I am intrigued by what Mr. Gambling will do now, as well as about
what WOR will do now. The way radio has changed, even in the #1 market,
there seem to be limited possibilities for him. Time will tell. He really
was the last show in NY that more or less resembled the old-time morning
shows, although, of course, he had stopped playing music. IMO, you can make
a general analogy that the last vestige of that sort of show on a major
station in Boston ended when Dave Maynard retired from WBZ. And it ain't
coming back.

        I made a point of listening to Joey Reynolds on WOR from midnight
to 1, which is not run nationally so he does local stuff. He talked for
around 15 minutes at least about Gambling and the radio station. He said,
essentially, that he was sad about Gambling, but radio is a tough business,
show business, and anyone who has enjoyed success in it also knows what can
happen on the down side. He talked quite a bit about how even though
Buckley did this, it's a good family-owned company, and the station is
fortunate to have good people on the staff and is a healthy, friendly place
to work. Reynolds said he has worked for Buckley at three stations (WDRC
being one of the others, I know), and he gives the company credit for being
better than most, and, in this case specifically, for at least being pretty
straightforward about why they let Gambling go. He acknowledged, with his
sense of humor, that, in essence, something surprising like that made him
start glancing over his shoulder a little about his own job.

        This morning, I listened a little to the newsguy who is filling on
the WOR morning show (forget name). I didn't hear him mention Gambling
directly, but I only had it on for a little while. He did make a reference
to the phone lines still being all jammed up, which obviously was a
reference to jammed up with complaining calls about Gambling.