RE: U Mass Lowell Hockey ( Was Re: Costa/Eagle Flip Flop Trifecta Weekend)

["Bill O'Neill" <billo@shoreham.net>]

>    And prior to WLLH's run as U Mass Lowell hockey home,
> the games were on
> WCAP. IIRC, they had the games starting with the 1980-81
> season (WCAP went
> to 5KW fulltime in Oct.1980) and had the games till WLLH
> took over. I recall
> that Chuck Jenest (sp? ) did the games on 980 at some
> point, I can't recall
> who else did PBP during WCAP's run of UML hockey. I'm
> sure Bill O' Neill can
> help my fuzzy memory. At least I hope he can....
>
> Mark Watson

Chuck may be lurking here so can give the actuals on this.  Chuck
and I were at WJUL and WCAP. His work on WJUL was excellent.  WJUL
had been covering, then University of Lowell Chiefs Hockey for many
years.  Cary Pahigian was PBP for a few years with Bob McCann as
well as others that followed.  Chuck was asked by WCAP (I think he
was already weekending there) to move over to WCAP to cover the
games. Chuch was WJUL's GM at the time (I was PD) and had been
readying new PBP/Color talent and moved over to WCAP.  IIRC, that
was about 1982.  There had been no interest in the university's
sports programs by the commercial signals prior to that time.  You
could hear the Chiefs on both 91.5 and 980. The upside to the
non-commercial signal was no commercials (a couple of PSA/Promo
dumps to save the pipes) and mid-period local sports reports and ABC
FM news. Chuck then plotted a move on to radio management in his
home territory of Greenfield, MA for a number of years.

WCAP's move to 5 kW had more of an influence on how the soon to be
PD, Joe Corcoran, would dismantle the automation process, daypart at
a time and bring back live jocks.  Secondary to that was the logical
benefit of potential to cover after-dark events.  Ironically, one of
the most populer night shows was a pre-produced Chuck Cecil's
Swingin' Years which initially ran 8-mid Sat and expanded to Sun
8-noon (my first gig at the station - sure beat cleaning the Men's
room.)

Bill O'Neill