Ships' bells

[DonKelley@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/8/2005 11:15:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, "Robert F. Sutherland" <madprof@ix.netcom.com> writes:

>My memory is incomplete,    I recall WOCB 1240 West Yarmouth
>having a distinctive TOH announcement, 1960's thru early 80's.
>I believe it included ship's bells, but could have been a foghorn.
>
>Does anybody else recall WOCB & remember what sound for sure?
>
>WOCB became WSOX about 1984, then WUOK thru 1996, then WBUR (really!)
>

>Bob / MadProf. 
>
Some of that is accurate, some is not.  I worked at WOCB from 1977-1980 when Sconnix owned the stations.  WOCB-AM (1240) was a full-service AC and did not use a bell bouoy or foghorn on the ID.  The ID was a quick weather/time talkup to NBC News on the hour.  

WOCB-FM (95.1) was Beautiful Music and was called W95 for about a year and briefly had a ship's horn on the ID.

The AM call letters were never WSOX, but the FM calls were.  WOCB-FM became WSOX in 1978 because we were a Red Sox network affiliate. The following year the decision was made to put the ball games on the AM (duh), but the WSOX calls remained on the FM. This was very confusing to listeners looking for the ball game.  The explanation in 1979 was that WSOX actually stood for "The Sounds Of Excellence."  In the early 80's Sconnix sold the station to the Sillerman-Morrow group and the FM calls became WRZE ("Breezy 95").  After that I lost track.

The WRZE call letters, by the way, reappeared in the Cape Cod market in the 90's on 96.3, The Rose (CHR).