Joe Smith

[Shaun Hayes]

Scott Fybush wrote:
>In this particular instance, I think the question at issue isn't whether or 
>not Joe Smith worked at >WMEX in the fifties at all - we've all pretty much 
>agreed that he did - but merely whether or not >he started his career 
>there.
>
>On that count, there's plenty of room for fuzz. As Donna very astutely 
>observes, memories fade >over the years and can be twisted by many outside 
>factors. Nobody but us geeks remembers >WVDA these days, but WMEX is a 
>"name brand" classic Boston radio station...so 40 years out, if it's >WMEX 
>that sticks in the memory and not WVDA, is that all that surprising?

Actually, the "name brand" here is Joe Smith who was the top R&R DJ in 
Boston during his
WVDA years.

There are artifacts from the period that could help
settle the issue.  I once saw a Joe Smith pin-back
button in the Record Exchange in Salem, MA and I have the remains of a Joe 
Smith
Record Bargain coupon book.  Both are clearly labeled WVDA and have that 
early-days look
that would precede WMEX entry into Top Forty.

Given the role of small stations in popularizing R&R it seems strange to 
deny
the label "classic Boston radio station" to outlets like WVDA, WCOP, and 
WHIL.
Those last two issued weekly surveys for years that were distribued to
record stores throughout Greater Boston; something that late-comer WMEX
never did.

BTW, at WMEX Smith did only an evening show, never an afternoon shift.

Why isn't there a Boston Museum of Broadcasting to collect research into
Boston radio history and its historical artifacts?  Determining where a 
major
figure like Joe Smith was at a given time just shouldn't be this hard.