wcop 400 million dollar sound

[Doug Drown]

I never knew there was an historical tie between WGI and WCOP.  Guess I'll
have to check out Donna's archives on Boston radio history.   -Doug

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan.Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
To: "Doug Drown" <revdoug1@verizon.net>; "bernard boehm"
<bernie0217@rcn.com>; <boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 4:26 PM
Subject: Re: wcop 400 million dollar sound


> Many, many small manufacturing companies--few of which still exist,
> started radio stations in the '20s WBBM, for instance, stood for
> <something that began with B--can't remember> Battery Manufacturing.
> Donna is sure to jump in with AmRad (American Radio?) which built
> electronic products of the day, including radio receivers. AmRad
> started her all-time-favorite station, WGI Medford Hillside, which
> eventually became WCOP and since then has had more calls than any
> other Boston-area station. At the moment, it is WTTT. WGI is where
> Donna's all-time-favorite radio engineer, Eunice Randall, was Chief
> Engineer (and also did some air work). And we can't leave out RCA,
> which owned NBC, which in turn owned the legal-maximum complement of
> radio stations, WEAF (and until 1943, WJZ), WRC, WMAQ, KOA, KPO, and
> WJAS. In Rochester, Stromberg-Carlson owned WHAM. That's just a
> smattering. I think several Chicago AMs besides WBBM were named after
> the manufacturing companies that started them. Indeed, I think WSBC
> also stood for a company that manufactured batteries--might have been
> Standard Battery Company, although I'm not sure that the S stood for
> Standard.
>
> -----
> Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
> eFax 1-707-215-6367
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Doug Drown" <revdoug1@verizon.net>
> To: "bernard boehm" <bernie0217@rcn.com>;
> <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 5:06 PM
> Subject: Re: wcop 400 million dollar sound
>
>
> > 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
> >
>