RE: Globe on John Garabedian

["Paul Hopfgarten" <paul@03038.com>]

I was one of those people more probably listenting to the "later days" of
WMEX, I remember when they were the "X-15 Air Force". 1973? (Don't remember
the exact time frame)

Paul Hopfgarten
East Derry NH 03041
paul@03038.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
> [mailto:owner-boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org]On Behalf Of
> SteveOrdinetz
> Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 11:25 AM
> To: Joseph Pappalardo
> Cc: BRI
> Subject: Re: Globe on John Garabedian
>
>
>   Joseph Pappalardo wrote:
> >Here's what I read into the John H beating RKO story.  (I'm just
> speculating
> >on some possible scenarios.)
> >
> >Dick Summer is PD of WMEX....He makes it into a 'touchy feely'
> >station...gab, gab, gab..and the station starts to go into the toilet.
> >
> >John H becomes PD and plays the HITS...and the station bounces back.
> >
> >Now, as an aside, people always look to that year and that book as an
> >indicator that 'MEX musta been doing some GREAT programming.  Maybe...but
> >something inside wonders if WRKO was doing some HORRIBLE
> programming at that
> >time in order for MEX to make some inroads.
> >
> >You can have a great team...and a great product.....but usually
> you need the
> >other guy to drop the ball and give you an opportunity to show yourself.
>
> And WRKO obliged.  As I recall, they removed their hitline and really
> tightened the playlist and presentation around that time.  The
> music scene
> was changing in 1971, WBCN was beginning to be a factor and John H.
> realized that there was a lot of good stuff out there that wasn't getting
> played on AM.  Bill Drake had a fairly heavy hand in WRKO's
> programming and
> Mel Phillips didn't have much freedom to adapt to a changing
> market.  WMEX
> took advantage of that.  Dunno what happened politically, but
> around Labor
> Day '71 WRKO made a lot of changes...some for the better, some not (imho,
> both stations went a bit overboard with AOR-ish stuff).  No telling where
> things would have gone had Mac not died.  WRKO remained very rock-leaning
> for a couple years, but sometime in 1973 rather quickly dumped
> most of that
> stuff along with PD Scotty Brink.  Have heard a couple explanations...one
> was that ratings weren't very good with the rock-ish format, another was
> that corporate management put their foot down and insisted on a more
> traditional Top 40 format.
>
> Gotta admit, WMEX was pretty lame with Dick Summer as PD.  Thought he was
> great as a jock when he was on WBZ, but as PD he just didn't get it.  I
> think there was another PD between Dick S. and John at WMEX though...the
> "Human Thing" was gone by early '70, don't think John H became PD until
> sometime in 1971.
>