WKFY, WJIB, old British pop, etc.

[Mark Connelly]

I think that moving WJIB to Lexington would require it to run substantially more power to cover Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston.  In the day, you have to be concerned with first-adjacent interference to WJTO-ME (730) though maybe since Bob owns WJTO, he can nullify that issue (... but what happens if he sells it?).  I don't know if there is still any requirement to protect long-silent WHEB-NH (750) on the upper adjacent.  On the daytime front, signal towards Chicopee, MA (730) and Huntington, NY (740) would also have to be held down.


The night protection of CFZM Toronto should be feasible with two towers phased to produce a cardioid pattern.  Less clear would be if there is any issue with 740 CHCM located in Marystown, Newfoundland.  Chances are that even a 5 kW night operation beaming east / southeast out of Lexington would have less impact on CHCM than the interference they are already getting from CFZM, somewhat more distant but 50 kW.


On the British early '60s music subject, several stations in eastern MA were on the bandwagon circa 1961-1962, a couple of years before the British Invasion formally kicked off with Beatles tunes on most Boston and New York stations during the '63 Christmas shopping season (shortly after the JFK assassination).


Generally "Telstar", "Stranger On the Shore", "I Remember You" (1962) and "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry" (1963) were big pre-Beatles hits from the UK.


Additionally WORC Worcester was playing the likes of Cliff Richard, Helen Shapiro, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Matt Monro, Shadows / Jet Harris & Tony Meehan, and other British entertainers as far back as '61.  I think that one of their DJ's had the idea that a British Invasion was on the horizon and had records sent over.


Helen Shapiro was 14 when she had her first big three UK hits in 1961: "Don't Treat Me Like a Child" (#3), "You Don't Know" (#1), and "Walkin' Back to Happiness" (#1).  She was truly a "schoolgirl superstar" at least on her side of the Atlantic.  The songs were played here in Boston, as well as her early 1962 song "Tell Me What He Said".  Helen's later jazz and gospel singing is also great.  Some words of adulation by a long-time fan, a lady in Australia named Alison Halls, is well worth a read.  See <http://aearwaker.tripod.com/Alison.html>.  Once a "Shaps" fan, always one.


If WKFY plays Helen, or for that matter, any other good pre-1964 British material, that would please me immensely.  I would put up with their somewhat choppy signal, just as I put up with less than stellar reception of WJIB and WJTO.


If a station provides desirable content, whether music or talk, I can put up with substandard signal quality to a point.


Mark Connelly
South Yarmouth, MA


-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Nelson <raccoonradio@gmail.com>
To: Kevin Vahey <kvahey@gmail.com>
Cc: Jibguy <Jibguy@aol.com>; Boston Radio Group <boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org>; Mark Connelly <markwa1ion@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, Aug 30, 2013 10:24 am
Subject: Re: WKFY


Regarding Helen Shapiro, I know a volunteer DJ in the UK named Terry Askew who is on "hospital radio", a network of stations for patients, and he does oldies countdowns. He played Shapiro on a recent show with hits of '62, along with such things as Jimmie Rodgers "English Country Garden", some novelty songs that hit only in England, and so on (this was on a podcast). Interesting stuff...Shapiro was only about 14 or 15 when she had her hits, and in 1963 she had The Beatles opening up for her tour of Britain.



On Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 4:30 AM, Kevin Vahey <kvahey@gmail.com> wrote:

Bob

Given the ridiculous rent you are paying at 443 Concord Ave, have you
considered moving the transmitter to the old WCOP ( now WWDJ ) site in
Lexington? (is that even feasible?)

I live in Inman Sq ( facing east ) and I have to turn receiver around to
null Toronto.




On Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 3:27 AM, <Jibguy@aol.com> wrote:

>
> In a message dated 8/29/2013 11:19:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> m_carney@yahoo.com writes:
>
> I have  only recently become acquainted with Helen Shapiro's music in the
> last year  (along with Matt Monro and Kathy Kirby). It is too bad there's
> not
> a place for  that kind of music on radio today.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------
> WJIB and WJTO play LOTS of Matt Monro's music....   and an  occasional
> Shapiro song when egged on by a certain Cape Codder!    :-)
>
> ---jibguy
>