famous Jim Sands

[Eli Polonsky]

To: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org> 
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:01:45 -0500 
Subject: Re: famous Jim Sands 

Donna Halper wrote:
>Someone asked about Carl DeSuze-- he is of course deceased.  
>But somebody else asked me about Jim Sands and I had no idea.  
>I lost track of him a few years back, but I used to love his 
>oldies show.  Is he still with us?

Jim Sands last on-air work that I know of was WODS about
six or seven years ago, doing weekend evenings and other 
occasional fill-ins. He did (a portion of) their former 
"Saturday Night Request Party" show for a time, and also
a Sunday night '50s/early '60s pre-Beatles era specialty
show called the "Doo-Wop Diner". He had been on WODS doing
various weekend and fill-in shifts since the early '90s.

For a short time about eight or nine years ago, "Doo-Wop 
Diner" followed "Little Walter's Time Machine", giving
WODS eight hours of vintage pre-Beatles oldies on Sunday
nights presented by two of the areas most knowledgeable 
and well-known DJ's for music of that era. The days were
numbered for music of that era on WODS by then, though.

I heard that Jim decided to leave WODS, and retired from 
radio at the time after about forty years in the business. 
Perhaps he may have anticipated, if not have been told in 
advance, that the era of music that he specialized in was 
to be phased out of WODS's programming, and therefore his 
"Doo-Wop" diner show as well. Little Walter hung in there 
a little longer until he was unceremoniously bounced out. 

As far as I know, Jim is still with us. I haven't heard or
seen anything indicating otherwise. I briefly met him when
I was working at Greater Media's 1150 WMEX incarnation in
1988. He was hired to do afternoon drive for the last year 
of their oldies format.

EP