Al Kennedy

[Ted Larsen]

I worked doing morning news at 'MEX in 1971 for Dick Richmond, right after 
Mac died, and a GM named Art Simmers. They were quite a pair. I never heard 
of Simmers again.

But I digress. We still didn't have much of a signal (or audience) around 
Beantown, but I got regular calls from Newfoundland, New Brunswick & PEI. 
Funny, never on the coverage map

Dick Syatt was my intern. They were too cheap to have a news audio service 
or outside reporter, so we rolled tape on 'EEI and stole actualities. We 
never got caught because everyone else had them.

Occasionally some would have a touch of AM static and heterodyning behind 
then (In case you forget ( 
http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=19939 )

Management thought it was a brilliant money saver and had been doing it long 
before I was there. DON"T BLAME ME!

Fun times, silly times.

1972 was better. I went to 'BZ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@gmail.com>
To: "Dan.Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>; "Doug Drown" 
<revdoug1@myfairpoint.net>; <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>; 
"SteveOrdinetz" <hykker@wildblue.net>
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 10:32 AM
Subject: Re: Al Kennedy


> Dan
>
> Mac Richmond was very much alive when they made the jump to 50K and he
> died in October of 1971.
>
> A big part of the problem was the new subway that was built in the
> late 60's and the office complex that followed.
>
> On 5/14/10, Dan.Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net> wrote:
>> I would scarcely stake my life on it, especially now that two people
>> have pegged the power increase as having taken place during the summer
>> of 1968, but I still think that you've got the wrong year. I worked in
>> Framingham from November '68 until July or August (I'm not certain
>> about the month) '72. I can remember driving down Route 126 in Wayland
>> on my way to work listening to the big baritone voice of TJ Martin
>> (yes, Grace Metalius's lover from Peyton Place) doing AM drive as WMEX
>> tested its new day signal. In Wayland, it was somewhat of an
>> improvement over the old 5 kW, but it still wasn't great--especially
>> during critical hours. I had read that the increase was in the works
>> and I had listened for quite a while in anticipation of it and to get
>> a frame of reference on the signal for comparison before the new
>> DA-D/Tx were switched on. Anyhow, my recollection is that this took
>> place just as I was about to give notice on my job in Framingham,
>> which is how I placed the increase in '72. I suppose that it's
>> possible that it was in '68, but it would have had to be later than
>> October, because I left my previous job in Waltham on October 31 1968
>> and then immediately started on my new job in Framingham. (I am
>> positive about the dates; 10/31/'68 was the last day of the Waltham
>> company's fiscal year.)
>>
>> -----
>> Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
>> eFax 1-707-215-6367
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <revdoug1@myfairpoint.net>
>> To: "=?utf-8?b??=" <kvahey@gmail.com>; "=?utf-8?b??="
>> <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>; "=?utf-8?b??="
>> <revdoug1@myfairpoint.net>
>> Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 9:37 AM
>> Subject: Re: Al Kennedy
>>
>>
>>>I neglected to mention that outing was in the summer of 1968.   -Doug
>>>
>>>
>>> Quoting revdoug1@myfairpoint.net:
>>>> When I was a junior in high school, we had a one-day summer outing
>>>> at Crane's
>>>> Beach in Ipswich.  WMEX was doing 50kw at that time, and I (who
>>>> always carried
>>>> my trusty GE portable radio with me) was in seventh heaven.
>>>> Living out near
>>>> Fitchburg, I could never get the station.  -D.D.
>>>>
>>>> Quoting Kevin Vahey <kvahey@gmail.com>:
>>>> > WMEX starting testing 50K daytime in the summer of 68. I remember
>>>> > Ron
>>>> > (Polcari) Robin telling Mac that the signal in Manchester was
>>>> > worse.
>>>> > Mac just wanted 50K on the rate cards and coverage maps he sent
>>>> > out.
>>>> > WRKO blindsided Mac as he just assumed he would hold his own as
>>>> > he did
>>>> > with WBZ.
>>>> > On 5/14/10, SteveOrdinetz <hykker@wildblue.net> wrote:
>>>> > > On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 8:06 PM, Dan.Strassberg
>>>> > > <dan.strassberg@att.net>wrote:
>>>> > >
>>>> > >> WMEX was owned and managed by people who pinched pennies until
>>>> > >> Lincoln
>>>> > >> howled in pain. The station had antiquated equipment and
>>>> > >> generally
>>>> > >> lousy facilities (and this time, I am not referring just to
>>>> > >> the
>>>> > >> signal, although that was terrible until the daytime power
>>>> > >> increase of
>>>> > >> 1972).
>>>> > >
>>>> > >
>>>> > > Not sure of the exact chronology of WMEX's power increase, but
>>>> ISTR mentions
>>>> > > of being 50,000W as early as 1969.  I have several music
>>>> > > surveys
>>>> from 1971
>>>> > > that refer to the station as a "50,000 W Hitmaker".
>>>> >
>>>> > --
>>>> > Sent from my mobile device
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
> -- 
> Sent from my mobile device
>
>