Rock Radio Scrapbook

Airchecks: 1975

Talent: DAVID MARSDEN & JIM BAUER
Station: CHUM-FM Toronto
Date: February, 1975
Time: 3:37

A secret pleasure of many a radio junkie is hearing deejays sign off at the end of their shifts. Even better is when the deejay signing off banters with the one about to begin his or hers.

On this aircheck, Jim Bauer drops in early to say goodbye to David Marsden, who is finishing his final shift at CHUM-FM. It's one of those special moments that is so lacking in today's overly-formatted, personality-challenged radio.

Hear David Marsden and Jim Bauer here.

(The Rob Phillips Collection)

Talent: JERRY FARRELL
Station: WGR Buffalo, N.Y.
Date: April, 1975
Time: 8:31

(Jerry Farrell in 1961/Courtesy William Snyder)

During the week, he worked for the New York State Power Authority. But on the weekend, Jerry Farrell entertained on the radio, in the 1970s at WKBW and WGR.

Nothing was "formatted" with Farrell - he was about as "free-form" as an AM Top 40 deejay could be. "The Wonderful World of Jerry Farrell" was an example of what can happen when you let a deejay just be himself.

Farrell also spent time at WJJL in his hometown of Niagara Falls, N.Y. Born Jeremiah D. Farrell in 1930, he served for four years with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean conflict. He went on to become public relations director at New York State's Power Authority Power Vista.

Farrell died of a heart attack September 15, 1977 in Lewiston, N.Y. He was 47.

Enjoy Jerry Farrell on WGR here.

(The William Snyder Collection)

Talent: JACK ARMSTRONG
Station: WHYI Miami
Date: April, 1975
Time: 3:42

As the story goes, when Jack Armstrong was working his first shift at WHYI-FM he realized he didn't know the call letters! Armstrong only knew of the station as Y-100, but needed the calls to make a top-of-the-hour legal ID. So he looked it up in a phone book.

Urban legend? Maybe. But it's a good story about one of top 40 radio's greatest jocks.

Enjoy Jack Armstrong on WHYI here.

(Scrapbook archives)

Talent: J.J. JEFFREY
Station: WLS Chicago
Date: May 3, 1975
Time: 26:30

The call letters of Chicago's WLS officially stood for World's Largest Store. But they could have almost stood for World's Largest Signal.

At 50,000 watts nondirectional in America's heartland, WLS had a massive signal. It was heard in at least 40 states, Canada, and reception reports have even come from Europe! WLS jocks sometimes got phone calls from listeners in Los Angeles requesting songs. It was a "superstation" before the term was invented.

WLS officially went on the air April 12, 1924, essentially as a service to farmers (its slogan was "Bringing the World to the Farm". ) It got its call letters World's Largest Store from its original owners, the retailer Sears Roebuck. The station was sold in 1928 to Prairie Farmer Magazine, which continued the focus on country music and farm programming until 1960 with shows like National Barn Dance.

In 1960, WLS switched to rock 'n' roll, with an on-air staff featuring the legendary Dick Biondi. Many great jocks worked at WLS over the years, including Art Roberts, Larry Lujack, John Landecker, Yvonne Daniels, Charlie Van Dyke, Jeff Davis, Fred Winston, Clark Weber and Tommy Edwards, to name but a few.

By the 1980s talk shows were introduced to the lineup, and the station switched fully to a news-talk format in 1989. WLS has continued as a major news-talk station.

Hear J.J. Jeffrey on WLS here.

(The Don Shuttleworth Collection)

For more on WLS, visit Scott Childers' wonderful WLS History Page.

Talent: SHANE
Station: WGR Buffalo, N.Y.
Year: May 12, 1975
Time: 7:27

You either loved him or hated him. With Shane, there was no in-between. The controversial, outspoken evening personality at WKBW and then WGR in the 1970s and '80s certainly had his share of detractors. But he also got the ratings, and that's all that counts in radio.

Shane arrived in the Buffalo big time in 1973 when he grabbed the evening shift at WKBW, replacing the ill-fated Janitor. But two years later, it was off to WGR and a lengthy stint as the 6-10 p.m. man. And while many could detect more than a trace of ego in his presentation, there was another side to Shane - he cared deeply about his audience and his community.

At last word Shane - who once ran for Buffalo city council under his real name Ron Gibson - was out of radio and living in Virginia.

Hear Shane here.

(The Bill Dulmage Collection)

Talent: CAPTAIN WHAMMO (JIM CHANNELL)
Station: WDHF Chicago
Date: 1975
Time: 11:42

Just about anything went at the height of Top 40 radio. Nothing was too loud, too fast, or too outlandish. If it rocked, it usually worked.

Pushing those limits in the 1970s was Jim "Captain Whammo" Channell. Heard on this aircheck on Chicago's WDHF, the man was a powerhouse of energy. How he kept this up for a entire four-hour airshift is anyone's guess.

Channell later moved into Christian radio, where he's enjoyed a long and successful career. But in 1975 - he was a Top 40 rocker!

Enjoy Captain Whammo on WDHF here.

Jim Channell talks about his career here.

(The Jim Channell Collection)

Note: Jim Channell welcomes your e-mails here. If you would like a free demo of Jim's "Classic Christian Gold" please e-mail here or phone at 239-774-0662.

Talent: DON PERRY
Station: WTLB Utica, N.Y.
Date: June 3, 1975
Time: 5:06

WTLB in Utica, N.Y., was one of Central New York's great rockers for years. Among Toronto radio alumni to work there was former CKFH midday man Dan O'Neil. It is to our lasting regret that we let an aircheck of O'Neil from 1972 slip out of our hands several years ago! No matter, we have the powerful pipes of Don Perry to entertain you.

To enjoy Don Perry, click here.

(Scrapbook archives)

Talent: YVONNE DANIELS
Station: WLS Chicago
Date: July 12, 1975 (Upgraded 8-29-10)
Time: 20:50

She was the "First Lady of Chicago Radio," with a powerful voice that boomed throughout much of the U.S. and Canada via the clear channel signal of Chicago's WLS. She was also a pioneer, a woman on the air at a major top 40 radio station when women weren't nearly as commonplace as on the air as they are now. And there was another barrier to break - she was African-American. Daniels rose above it all to become of the legendary deejays of the Top 40 era, making her fame at the Big 89. She was there in the overnight slot from 1973 to 1982 as the first female jock on WLS and the first to work full-time on Chicago AM radio.

After Daniels left WLS, she jocked at Chicago stations WVON, WGCI and "Smooth Jazz" WNUA. Prior to WLS - from 1964 to 1973 - she hosted "Daniels Den" on WSDM Chicago, the nation's first all-female station (she was the only jock there who used her own name on the air.) Before WSDM, Daniels was at Chicago stations WNYR and WCFL after starting her career in her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., and working for a time as jazz singer (her father was jazz singer/dancer Billy Daniels.)

Daniels died of breast cancer in 1991 at the age of 53. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. A street in Chicago - Yvonne Daniels Way - is named after her.

Daniels is in fine form on this aircheck. And check out the heavy spot load - Daniels even does two live reads in a row! There's even a contest - keep in mind this is the all-night show.

Hear Yvonne Daniels here.

(The Don Shuttleworth Collection)

Talent: SCOTT CARPENTER
Station: CHUM Toronto
Date: August, 1975
Time: 12:44

Nostalgia was in following the release of "American Graffiti" in 1973, and CHUM responded with "Canadian Graffiti." The '50s and '60s music - along with the great music of the era - came alive every Sunday night from 9 p.m, to midnight.

Scott Carpenter normally hosted the show. Enjoy "The Boogieman" with Canadian Graffiti here.

(The Joe Evelius Collection)

For more classic CHUM airchecks, visit The CHUM Archives

Subject: JACK DENNETT TRIBUTE
Station: CFRB Toronto
Date: August 27, 1975
Time: 33:42

"I believe in news truth, news decency and integrity." - Jack Dennett

On Canada's authoritative news voice, he was the voice of authority.

For a-quarter century, Jack Dennett held down one of Canadian radio's most coveted posts, the 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. newscasts on Toronto's CFRB. His broadcasts always began with "Hunter's Horn" - the first few bars of "A Hunting We Will Go" played by a hunting horn - which he had inherited from Jim Hunter, who did the broadcast until his death in 1949. Near the end of his life, surveys showed Dennett had 406,000 listeners on his twice-daily newscast, which he wrote himself. Dennett never missed a scheduled newscast and worked up until about a month before his death on August 27, 1975, of cancer, at the age of 59.

Dennett arrived at CFRB in 1943 from CKRC Winnipeg, and originally did the 11 p.m. newscast on CFRB. He started in radio in the early '30s at the age of 15 as an office boy at CFAC Calgary. Dennett's big break came May 30, 1932 - his 16th birthday - when an announcer didn't show up and he got to fill in.

By 1935, Dennett was doing hockey interviews and in 1945 became part of the Hot Stove League NHL radio show from Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. He joined the TV version of the Hot Stove League in 1952 and continued with both the radio and TV broadcasts of the show until 1962, when he continued with the TV broadcast only. Just days before his death, Dennett was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Dennett interviewed every Canadian prime minister from R.B. Bennett to Pierre Trudeau. A lifelong admirer of Winston Churchill, he considered one of his best broadcasts to be a half-hour memorial tribute on Churchill in 1965. The broadcast was made into a record and distributed in Ontario schools.

CFRB presented the following tribute to Dennett within hours of his passing. Narrated by CFRB newsman Torben Wittrup, it contains the voices of Wally Crouter, Gordon Sinclair, Bob Hesketh, Foster Hewitt, Conn Smythe, Jim Coleman, Pierre Berton, former Ontario premier Bill Davis, among others, and of course Dennett himself.

We're pleased to present CFRB's tribute to Jack Dennett here.

(The Bill Dulmage Collection)

Talent: LARRY MICHAELS
Station: CJIC Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Date: September 17, 1975
Time: 12:45

CJIC billed itself as "All Good Music - All the Time" in 1975 and followed through with an interesting adult contemporary-oldies mix.

Larry Michaels was the midday jock at the time. You can hear him and sample mid-'70s CJIC here.

(The Don Shuttleworth Collection)

Talent: JOHN ZACHERLE
Station: WPLJ New York
Date: September 18-19, 1975
Time: 11:05

Best known for his work as a TV horror show host, John Zacherle was also one of the leading album rock jocks in the early years of the genre. Zacherle arrived at New York's WNEW-FM in 1967 when the station began its legendary progressive rock format. Zacherle also did the album format at Philadelphia stations WDAS-FM and WMMR. Most of his time in progressive rock radio was spent at New York's WPLJ, where he spun the discs from 1970-1978.

Long before his album rock days, Zacherle was a Philadelphia TV legend. He hosted an enormously popular late-night horror show on Philadelphia's WCAU-TV in the 1950s. Called "Shock Theatre", Zacherle appeared as the ghoulish figure "Roland" in the show that was shown on Philadelphia's Channel 10 in 1957 and 1958. The show moved to New York's WABC-TV in 1959, and later to WOR-TV in New York. In 1963 and 1964, he took his act to New York's WPIX-TV. After that ended, he hosted what a spooky version of "American Bandstand" - sort of a "Transylvania Bandstand" on New Jersey's WNJU from 1965 to 1967.

Zacherle was also a recording artist, making the Top 10 nationally in 1958 with the novelty classic "Dinner With Drac." Supposedly, it was Dick Clark who gave him the nickname "The Cool Ghoul."

Zacherle returned to TV in the 1980s, playing a wizard on CBS-TV's "Captain Kangaroo". He also did a few TV shows that reprised his Roland character. In 1984, he began hosting an annual Halloween show at New York's WCBS-FM. The show moved to WXRK New York after 1992. He was still going strong in 2007, hosting a Halloween night show at WCBS-FM at the age of 88!

Hear John Zacherle on WPLJ in 1975 here.

(Scrapbook archives)

Talent: JACK ARMSTRONG
Station: KDKA Pittsburgh
Date: October 12, 1975
Time: 2:13

It's Jack Armstrong as you've never heard him before.

Armstrong toned down his act considerably for a stint at heritage station KDKA in the mid-1970s.

Enjoy a considerably subdued Jack Armstrong at KDKA here.

(Scrapbook archives)

Subject: 'KB COMPOSITE
Station: WKBW Buffalo, N.Y.
Date: December, 1975
Time: 7:27

A 1982 WKBW nighttime coverage map, courtesy Bill Dulmage. For a closer look, click here.

WKBW (now known as WWKB) has been known almost as much for its incredible signal as its great programming. One of the most powerful of the North American 50,000-watt blowtorches, the Buffalo, N.Y., station at 1520kc has been heard as far away as Sweden, Italy, Morocco, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and many points in between.

Not surprisingly, the station came in almost like a local in Quebec City, where contributor John McGrath was taping in December, 1975. McGrath talks about listening to 'KB radio and other Top 40 stations in Quebec City...

"Growing up in Quebec City, there wasn't a whole lot of choice for top 40 radio. There was CFLS, a French-language rocker, but in English, after CFOM went off the air (in 1975), there was no music station. So I cruised the dial and picked up all kinds of neat stuff, but one of my favourites, and one of the most powerful signals, was the mighty 'KB from Buffalo. I listened all the time. It came in stronger than the Montreal stations did. As a voice-over actor now (www.johnsvoice.com) reading commercials, station promos and IDs and lending my voice to cartoons, I must say I got a lot of my early influences from the fabulous on-air talent at WKBW."

On this aircheck, you'll hear the voices of Beverley ('KB's first female jock), Jim Quinn, Super Shannon and Hank Nevins. Also, there's a commercial with Dan Neaverth. At that time, 'KB's schedule included Neaverth in mornings, George Hamberger in middays, Jon Summers in afternoon drive, Jim Quinn and Super Shannon in the evening, Beverley all night and Hank Nevins weekends.

Enjoy 'KB - as recorded in Quebec City - here.

(The John McGrath Collection)

Talent: SUPER SHANNON and BEVERLEY
Station: WKBW Buffalo, N.Y.
Date: December, 1975
Time: 6:12

From Hound Dog Lorenz to Jackson Armstrong to John Otto, WKBW had a rich legacy of nighttime personalities.

"The Hound" was the first to play rock 'n' roll in the evening at 'KB, but he was gone by the time the station became a 24-hour Top 40 outlet on July 4, 1958. Tom Shannon took over the evening slot, which throughout the '50s and '60s was filled by such names as Dick Biondi, Ted Hackett, Joey Reynolds, Jefferson Kaye, Bud Ballou, Sandy Beach and Tim Kelly.

By 1971, Jackson Armstrong was screaming his lungs out every night for 'KB listeners. Other 'KB nighttime jocks in the '70s included Bob McCrae, Shane, Don Berns, Jim Quinn, Super Shannon, Jay Fredericks, Al Bandiero and Craig Matthews. The '80s saw the arrival in evenings of Chuck Lakefield and later, talk shows with John Otto and Bruce Williams (via NBC Talknet). 'KB dropped live-assist music programming in 1988, reviving it in 2003 with a voice-tracked Armstrong back in evenings.

Enjoy Super Shannon from December, 1975 here.

(The John McGrath Collection)

Visit John at...

www.johnsvoice.com

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