The importance of local talk radio

[Dan.Strassberg]

I remember WORL in the summer of '56 with a lineup that consisted of
Gregg Finn in AM drive (with 15 minutes taken out from 6:15 to 6:30
for the Rosary with Cardinal Cushing), Stan Richards (9:00AM to noon),
Norm Tulin (noon to 2:00PM), and Dave Maynard (2:00PM to 6:00PM or
sign-off at sunset.) In the summer, newsguy Hank Elliott did a music
show from 6:00PM to sign-off. I would not call WORL a top-40, though;
I think it was what was then known as an MOR.

I don't remember who took over PM drive after Maynard left for WBZ.
The AM-drive newsguy was Len Libman (later known as Len Lawrence on
the old WEEI 590, WMEX, and others). I believe that while Len worked
at WORL he was a student at BU and his classes were just a short walk
from the radio station in Kenmore Square.

I still remember the theme songs of several of the DJ programs:
"You'll
be sure to wind up smilin'/if it's nine-five-oh your dialin'/You're
gonna love it we know/when you're lis'nin' to the Stan Richards show"
and "No foolin',/no foolin',/get ready to hear/Norm Tulin." Years
later, after Norm had moved in to WHN in New York, I worked with an HR
guy named Barry Tulin at Honeywell in Framingham (on Old Connecticut
Path). Turned out that Barry was Norm's cousin.

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

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross.com>
To: "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@gmail.com>
Cc: "Boston Radio Group" <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 10:48 PM
Subject: Re: The importance of local talk radio


> On 23 Nov 2008 at 20:42, Kevin Vahey wrote:
>
>> I was told years ago by Dick Booth (Donna is he still on
>> planet?)that
>> WLLH-FM and the success of WORL going Top 40 made RKO General take
>> the
>> plunge with WRKO-FM which then paved the way for WNAC to flip to
>> WRKO.
>
> As I recall, the FCC's new rule requiring separate programs on AM-FM
> combos caused RKO General to try top-40 music on WRKO-FM.  They did
> this automated think called "Arcomatic," which was probably the
> cheapest thing they could get for the hours that they had to have
> separate programs.  Its ratings success apparently was a big
> surprise
> to them and stimulated the AM flip.
>
>> WLLH-FM (simulcast) sounded to this 15 year old as good as WMEX.
>> Summer of 65 WORL also sounded good and broke new music quicker
>> than
>> WMEX or WBZ. I don't know if Ken Carter owned WORL yet but as soon
>> as
>> WRK0 came along they became WRYT.
>
> I never heard WORL as a top-40 station.  I think the only time I
> ever
> listened to them was somewhat earlier, when they had a children's
> program on Sunday morning, just after Children's Playhouse on WHDH.
>
> After WCOP flipped from top-40 in the summer of 1962, I generally
> relied on WKBR-FM from Manchester, simulcasting the AM, for top-40
> music in the evening.  WBZ was doing talk shows and WMEX reception
> in
> Bedford (Mass) was pretty bad.  I suppose I might have tried for
> WPTR
> or WKBW, but since I had an FM radio, I went with WKBR because it
> had
> a better and more reliable signal.
>
> -- 
> A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
> 92 State Street, Suite 700                   Fax 617.507.7856
> Boston, MA 02109-2004                    http://www.attorneyross.com
>
>