Subject: Voice-over Flubs

[Dan.Strassberg]

I think by the early 60s, Bill Marlowe, who had done Music from Studio
X in the evenings on WNAC, had moved on to WHN in New York (along with
Norm Tulin from WORL, who became Norm Stevens at WHN).
The--probably--7:00PM-to-midnight slot on WNAC was occupied by
Jonathan Schwartz (now on XM, I believe), who is a GREAT raconteur and
who played the kind of music I've always like the most--American
popular standards. He had a really good show but as you might imagine,
I don't think it drew much of an audience. If anyone knows the date of
a Sonny Liston fight (a title fight, I believe) that took place
someplace in Maine (NOT Portland or Bangor--maybe Lewiston),
Schwartz's show on WNAC lasted until one day after that fight.
Schwartz took the night off to go to Maine and see the fight and then
came back and did one more show--his last one--on WNAC.

AM drive on WNAC was occupied by Roy (Leonard--previously of WHDH and
subsequently of WGN), Jim (Dixon--best known, I believe, for his later
work at WCOP), and Gus (Saunders--of the cooking show, first, I
believe, at WNAC and later at WRYT/WROL). The three-man morning show
had a great sound and the three hosts were literate and congenial,
although Roy Leonard always amazed me when he expressed his personal
tastes in things like home decor--he was partial to the combination of
maroon and orange! My late wife and I enjoyed the show (we were
newlyweds then) but thought that although Leonard might have had good
taste in music, he certainly could not have had good taste in home
decor.

Another program that was on WNAC in that era--in PM drive--was Listen!
a talk program (though perhaps not telephone talk) with Haywood
Vincent. GREAT pipes and excellent delivery--sort of in the Paul
Harvey style! And I think the successor to Jonathan Schwartz in the
evenings was a short-lived telephone talk show hosted by a guy named
Vince (I think) Gale. Gale, whose prior gig was, IIRC, in Washington
DC, also had great pipes but he managed to create a call-in show that
probably wasn't rivaled in Boston for its sleep-inducing qualities
until the arrival of Tom Finneran. Remember that our expectation for
call-in shows had been set by Jerry Williams and Paul Benzaquin, who
did compelling radio.

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don A" <donald_astelle@yahoo.com>
To: <kvahey@comcast.net>; "Donna Halper" <dlh@donnahalper.com>
Cc: "Eli Polonsky" <elipolo@earthlink.net>; "Dan.Strassberg"
<dan.strassberg@att.net>; "Todd Glickman" <radio88@radio88.net>;
<boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: Subject: Voice-over Flubs


>
>> I have no memory of what WNAC was doing overnight
>> if anything.
>
> It's interesting...with all the memories people share about radio
> stations that made impressions on them at one time or another....I
> have rarely (if ever) recall hearing someone share their memories of
> WNAC.  Was there ever any compelling programming on WNAC?
>
> Have you found the same thing?
>
> I mean, what WAS WNAC doing in the early 60's before it became WRKO?
>
> Apparently nothing to write home about!
>
> ;-)
>
>