wcop 400 million dollar sound

[Doug Drown]

History trivia time:  Your mentioning Plough's ownership of WCOP (which I
remember: "A Radio Service of Plough, Incorporated") has made me wonder what
other major manufacturing companies used to own broadcasting stations but
have gotten out of the business.  GE exited in the '80s but went back in;
Westinghouse evolved into CBS; Avco/Crosley owned WLW.  Does anyone know of
any others?  I know Plough was a pharmaceutical company, but I'm using the
term "manufacturing" broadly.

-Doug

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bernard boehm" <bernie0217@rcn.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 1:25 PM
Subject: wcop 400 million dollar sound


attorney ross's comments about the 1962 format change for wcop brought back
a flood of memories.
The so called "400 million dollar sound" was thought up at the Plough radio
home office in Memphis. It was supposedly based on the theory that retail
music sales were going into albums..therefore a radio station should be
playing those album cuts..
However after a prolonged diet of "flying down to rio" by kai winding,
someone must have finally realized no one was listening to their music.
The highlight of the fiasco came when the execs. from Memphis came to boston
to instruct the staff on how to run the format and to give then a taste of
the 400 million dollar sound..
After the first bland number was played from the podium at the old Bradford
hotel, my old friend ..now the late Dick Brown yelled "wha tussi"...(the
title of the current Orlons hit record)..the silence was deafening..


thanks for the memories,

Bernard Lawrence Boehm  aka  Bill Lawrence   wbz, weei, wfea, worl, wcop,
wtbs