WPLM AM & FM

[Paul B. Currier]

Hi Mark.....and so am I.....

I was a long time long ago listener to WPLM (We Play Lovely Music) also.
During the Gary Collard times they were not a format station as far as I
could determine.  Steven Horatio Coleman on Sunday Mornings was my favorite
listen of the week on 'PLM.  I think these folks and their comtemporaries
were playing what they wanted to play within guidelines as they were able to
and did enjoy and converse quite intelligently about their music.  The
station floundered after Jack and became more contemporary but did hire -
name escapes me but I can picture his face (someone will fill in the gap) -
a long time Boston radio-tv personality for midnights which was a truly
excellent show.  But he and the crew much to my dismay were canned for the
tapes or whatever of the smooth jazz society - now gone for whatever
listenable schlock.  It's not offensive and has some good music sprinkled in
among whatever the format is.

Ed Perry of WATD 95.9 Marshfield is still doing live and interesting radio -
the man is a pro and dedicated to real radio.  The station features real
live DJ's, news, info, etc. and is a gem of this and probably any area.

Paul of Cape Cod


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Springer" <mark.springer@gmail.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@rolinin.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 3:38 AM
Subject: WPLM AM & FM


> I'm new to the list...
> Grew up in Plymouth lsitening to WPLM ("We Play Lousy Music") which
> back in the 60's and 70's was owned by Jack Campbell and had a format
> best described as adult easy listening...lots of big bands, smooth
> stuff that drove us kids crazy.
> I remember morning guy Gary Collard, listened to him for years and
> finally one day when I was old enough and adventurous enough to make
> the journey from Manomet to "Marconi Hill" on Rte. 3 to visit the
> station I looked through the big studio window and was shcoked as heck
> that the man looked nothing like the voice, LOL.
> I eventually developed the usual "kid interested in radio"
> relationship with the station that allowed me almost free run of the
> place (the transmitter room seemed off limits cuz the Chief seemed so
> scary!
> WPLM FM ran a subcarrier- the Campbell Music Service- which had a lot
> of big clients including the Boston Edison Nuclear Group offices.
> I ran the "board" at Plymouth Town Meeting several times (what a
> classic that thing was, like 3 pots, binding posts for the phone line,
> and a separate transistor radio to monitor it on.
> I also worked one Christmas season running the "Edaville tapes"-
> Edaville Railroad was a CMS client and I guess they had a separate
> Subcarrier because I would stop one of the big decks and play a few
> Christmas songs to mix it up, the restart the deck.
> Oh yeah- one morning I woke up and turned onthe radio and WPLM was
> playing Smoke on the Water or something...I freaked out and called and
> the younger, hipper engineer told me they were doing some station
> upgrapdes and forgot the transmitter was on. That was hilarious.
> A few of us in Plymouth-Carver High School started a "Radio Club" and
> got some weekly airtime (72 or 73) for a show called "Getting to Know
> Us". About that time some kids down on the Cape had a similar deal on
> the fm station in Hyannis (I think).
> I would be happy to share more reminiscences about WPLM with anyone
> interested. I was also a big WMEX listener (I hated WRKO!) and every
> night when John H or Bud Ballou (depending on when sunset was) would
> say "Goodbye Cape Cod" as they phased, I would tune in WKBW which just
> poured in!
> de WL7BCT, Mark in Bethel, Alaska
>