Re: Dead FM Technologies

["David W. Harris" <dwh@totalnetnh.net>]

Larry Weil wrote of WNYC-FM's Harry Maynard:

> I believe that he also was the publisher of the short-lived
> "FM Guide".
>
I have several issues of FM Guide from 1974 and 1975 and I don't see his
name listed in them.  However, my collection covers only Vol. 13 No. 1
through Vol. 14 No. 9 so he may have been involved in the publication at
some other point.

The cover story in Vol. 13 No. 3 (March 1975) is on 4-channel sound.
For scholarly purposes, I'll quote a bit from the article:
"Since the dawn of quadraphonic sound, audio manufacturers have
progressed from more than a dozen system to three--QS, CD-4 and SQ.  QS
and SQ are matrix systems which encode four channels of source material
to two which, on reproduction, are decoded to the original four.  CD-4
is a phonograph record which can store four channel of discrete
information, i.e., four channel handled without conversion to two...."

"More than one thousand albums and tapes currently comprise the recorded
quadraphonic repertoire.  While the FCC thrashes out a standard for
discrete broadcasting, more and more FM stations are transmitting matrix
material.  Some broadcasters schedule as little as one-half hour of
four-channel programming per week while others program totally in
'quad'."

Howard Glazer asked:

> Did any stations up this way go quadraphonic in the late '70s?
>
FM Guide's program listings in early 1974 list only WWEL-FM (107.9
Medford) with a half-hour of beautiful music in quad weekdays at 8 p.m.
and weekends at 2 p.m.  May 1975 listings add the following to WWEL-FM's
daily half-hour:
WDCS (97.9 Portland) The Quadraphonic Hour, Fridays at 8 p.m.
WBLM (107.5 Lewiston-Auburn) The King Biscuit Flower Hour, 2nd and last
Sundays of the month at 9 p.m.
WBCN (104.1 Boston) The King Biscuit Flower Hour, 2nd and last Sundays
of the month at 10 p.m.
(in case you're wondering, WBCN aired King Biscuit and BBC Presents on
alternate weeks)

I'm missing the July 1975 issue, but beginning with August 1975 listings
all WBCN's programming is listed as quad, even public affairs shows like
Third World Report and You Don't Say, even Little Walter's Time Machine
on Sundays at midnight.