wdgy 1130 am

When the oldies format of WYOO started to slide in the ratings, more MOR music was added, but ratings slid even further. The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting has radio station ratings books that list programs from 1953 to 1955. Meanwhile, they borrowed a little trailer studio from someone and that was our production room for the next month or so. That November Ty Mack put in some hours, and it was now Autumn Serenade. Kash Box was apparently an advertising gimmick. probably not. Since one company could not own more than one AM or more than one FM station in the same market at the time, they needed to find a buyer for the FM station, and sought out the owners of various AM stations in the area. They promise infrequent and low-tone commercial announcements.. (Only eight stations in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Never would have believed this if I hadnt seen it with my own eyes!. Optometrist George W. Young started radio station KMFT in 1923; his first broadcast was on January 13, 1924 from his house at 2219 N. Bryant. Image courtesy Alan Freed. Sixteen pastors gathered to support this action and expressed their concern that the investigation be impartial and representative. You will also hear about his time as a morning co-host and hear him do some of the impressions from back then, including "Truman Compote," Sargent Schultz, and Preacher Paul. Out of reflex, I punched the 63 button and silence. in Golden Valley was approved. ARSA: ABOUT: SURVEYS: STATIONS: WDGY 1130 AM. WDGY was founded in 1923 by Dr. George Young, an optometrist who dabbled in radio as a hobby, and was one of the first commercial radio stations in the Twin Cities area. And there was one other important requirement. Im going to try Minnesota to the bust before I try and move on someplace, because I feel that black programming is needed here more than anyplace else. (Minneapolis Star, August 3, 1976). It's like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the radio 24 hours a day. (Minneapolis Tribune, January 16, 1969). Although the records say that KUXL was granted the license to increase its power to 1000 watts on October 1, 1963, Will Jones of the Tribune did not announce the approval until February 17, 1964. When WDGY began to play it, WDGY salesmen found an amazing reluctance on the part of advertisers to buy time on a station that was rated number two in the market. such tangy extras are part of ear-tickling, toe -tapping UP radio. The daytimer station was authorized for 1,000 watts. Who had the key? JoJo Gunne was the last jock. The promotional piece below pictures the stations initial staff. Pleased by the response to a recent project on emotionally induced illness, Skotch said the station will devote another day to the subject in the near future. Thats easy to remember. Of course, we could say that sixty three times an hour, and if no one was listening, it wouldnt be that easy to remember. So, we had to do something to let people know we were there there. The show was emceed by KUXLs Jack Harris and Billy G. Little Miltons hits were listed in an ad in the Insider as Were Going to Make It, Blind Man, and More and More.. He may have been a part owner of the company for a time, or he may have just been the station manager. Will Jones tells us that security was so tight that the 120,000 packages were stuffed at the Society for the Blind. 980 AM was originally staid WPBC from 1949 to 1972. Buy spots on the other stations?? After he left WDGY, he actually called me a few times from his new position in Washington DC to have me do some bits for him over the phone. The station was also still playing Fibber McGee and Molly and The Lone Ranger.. A spokesman for the station said: Were promoting a better brand of music because we believe that most teenagers are getting tired of rock n roll. A memo to the staff from Todd Storz dated May 28, 1956 singles out the gang at WDGY for a job well done. Peterson cited economic factors as the reason for this change. Ironically, he then started the next record, Na Na Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam and once again left the building. The fire from the furnace traveled to the transmitters and out the intake vents. In January 1956 Will Jones of the Trib talks about KEYD radios new staff of imported hillbillies, Texas Bill Strength and Johnny T. from Tennessee. This is borne out by the number of Grand Ole Opry touring shows that came through in those days. Perry Como actually sort of rocked with a great tune called Tina . WDGY was certainly a much different station pre-Beatles than it was as the 60's progressed. Oh the Cookie Station KDWB!!! The station then bought the syndicated program Music of Your Life from Al Ham. Don's mother preferred that he work at a country station. She missed winning $678. That beam was so strong that the GROUNDWAVE signal made it at night in addition to the skywave signal. WDGY seemed to appeal to 18- to 35-year-old listeners while KDWB held a fair share of the teen audiences - considered hot properties during this period. Advertisement. The list of performers runs the gamut of the important influences on rock n roll; Bullmoose Jackson, LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Earl Bostic, Dinah Washington, Wynonie Harris, Johnny Otis, James Moody, Louis Jordan, the Clovers, Amos Milburn, Percy Mayfield, Johnny Ace, the Orioles, the Ravens, B.B. On December 9, 1938, Tom Colemans Famous Swing Trio, with Florence Ward, appeared at a dance at Pioneer Hall, 588 Rondo, advertised as being broadcast on WMINs Down Beat Program. Finally, Rob Sherwood arrived back in Minnesota with new jingles for the Twin Cities powerhouse station U100. From an ad from May 1970: WDGYA Touch of Taste.. He truly loves the business. In August 1927, WDGYs transmitter was moved to Superior Blvd. But the Country format was gaining acceptance among older baby-boomers and melding that growth with WDGYs big 50,000-watt signal gave new purpose to the station and validation to a growing, willing audience that perhaps Country musics time was coming. The ad below is for Position 63, a rather suggestive takeoff of the popular Position 69 that every schoolboy loved to joke about. What we didnt realize was how much unexpected publicity we would get in the Twin City newspapers and on TV. 1130 AM; Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Happy to find and post it prior to Johnny induction into the Pavek'sMuseum of Radio Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, I have started to notice some of these posted airchecks from my personal collection are now being sold on eBay, when they are available at this site free. Stephen B. Labunski was made General Manager. I have a few examples, but dont have the provenance they probably came from Jeff Lonto. Shows like Record Reville, Melody Mart, Platter Previews, The TNT Club, and mid-1955s Hot Corner dont give us much to go on as to their format. This aircheck has the music scoped out, but the commercials and promos are left in, providing a glimpse into the times. Peterson gave the example of Hamms and Grain Belt beer highly patronized by the black community, but refused to buy time on the station. Try some Red Owl green beans. (blah blah). Donald K. Martin at the mic again for a July 7th, 2008 interview. If we had to play junky music with morally degrading lyrics, wed get out of the business. In 2008, the station became WDGY after sister station 630 AM switched to Regional Mexican music, using the call letters WREY. This month the losses should be fairly slight and we have every hope that June will see the station in the black for the first time in a long time. Did they bring Imogene the horse inside Jennings? In the July 2, 1967, edition of the TMC Insider, we learn that KDWB went off the air last Friday when a 50-foot tower was blown down and fell on top of the stations studios. It was perhaps the only American commercial radio station the Russians had to jam to prevent their people from hearing all that decadent American Rock & Roll! Always a different color of Twin Cities life. The result of this was that our spot was on every radio station at the same time. There is a promo for WDGY's Easter Bunny contest, where you can win a McDonald's Easter Bunny. Seven people were arrested the first night. Top Row: Step Up Movie, Steve Highsmith, Gregg Lindahl, Paul Johnson. WDGY 1130 AM MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Week: 1963-03-18 Format: T40 WDGY 1130 - MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL TIGER TUNES WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 18, 1963 TW LW 1. Lets hope this is sort of right. See Top 30 and Top 40 countdowns from 1966 on Robb Henrys blog. We thought you could come up with a new product called Formula 63. The call letters were changed to WWTC on October 2, 1964, after the station was sold to Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting. The contributed recordings fromfriends and contributors of both airchecks and other material are greatly appreciated. Ironically, the abandoned WDGY call letters were quickly picked up by the former rival station at 630 kHz. Many thanks to Jeff Lonto, who is one of the Cities experts on radio history, for much of the information cited here. (Phones at fire departments all across the vast Twin Cities area rang causing a ton of confusion as to just exactly where there was a fire.) Bill Hartman, as promotion director, convinced Rob and Mike that it was very important to launch the new station at the Minnesota State Fair, exposing the new format to 1.3 million people that attended the fair for 12 days at the end of August to Labor Day every year. Unfortunately, there is a short period of time with lower quality sound, which is corrected quickly. 1 tune was Ernie Ford singing Mule Train, and can you imagine me calling from home on the phone that we werent playing Mule Train often enough? . Oh wait! He planned to conduct on-the-air happiness experiments twice a day. WMIN was reassigned to the 1400kHz in 1941. By 1977, FM radio had arrived big-time in MSP. Part of the plan was to tape all of the features for syndication and he figured there were 200 stations that could make good use of the material. Click on a station below for history, photos, etc. In late 1935 a new non-directional 226 Truscan Steel Vertical Radiator (tower) was erected at the site. People could come and watch Slim Jims show at the studios on 9th Street. It wasnt long before the radio stations heard about the fact that they were advertising a competing radio station. Art Hoehn and Ralph Hull left with Wolfman, either to Mexico or Southern California. (Helicopters had to be replaced by limos when things got too dangerous.) Thanks again for the responseand thanks for the great website! Top Row: Step Up Movie, Steve Highsmith, Gregg Lindahl, Paul Johnson. Studio and Transmitter were at 611 Frontenac Place, St. Paul. The 9-tower array beaming 50,000 watts was used to produce one of the most restrictive signals in the USA. By 1981 it was back to Country, testified by Chris McKay: In 1981 I had just graduated from Brown Institute, and was the CHIEF ENGINEER at KDAN AM 1370! Brother Al Tedesco wanted to call it WPIG or WHOG, but Vic protested the barnyard connotation. Four businesses were fire-bombed and fire trucks were met with sniper fire but no one was injured. On June 3, 1963, KTWN began programming by its new owners, K-TWN, Inc., headed by Gene Posner, President of Cream City Broadcasting, Milwaukee. Other Facebook stories of the strength of the transmission: In 1952 the station was sold to a group of four local businessmen, one of which was Clarence T. Hagman. Okay, heres a puzzle. The station in the early years played a variety of middle of the road pop music and standards, and was even considered an innovator in the concept of singing jingles. Contact me at Rick(at)HotMail.com --- NOTE Replace "(at)" with @ when typing email address, Curtis J. Johnson, Former WDGY 20/20 Newscaster. The station was innovative in its promotions, had legendary DJs, features like Solid Gold Weekends, and at least two airings of The History of Rock n Roll, an all-encompassing rockumentary.. Apparently WPBC was trying to hang on: an ad in what appears to be called WPBC Metropolitan Magazine, dated April 1972, says: WPBC MAKES THIS BOLD CLAIM: IF you are an ADULT .. who likes POPULAR MUSIC from TODAY and YESTERDAY but your nerves cant stand the LOUD NOISY TEEN-AGE MUSIC.. YOU WILL LOVE the GENTLE TENDER TOUCHING RELAXING selection of EASY LISTENING POPULAR MUSIC on WPBC AM and FM STEREO! [1] Contents When constructed, a Bloomington transmitter location made sense as there was little development to the south at the time. On August 13, 1968, KDWB started programming underground music from midnight to 5 am. We hired an advertising agency which represented a large local chain of drug stores where free samples of Formula 63 where to be made available. . Ill always be grateful for the little station in the funky building on Military Road in Newport. We have no airchecks, but ratings books from 1953 to 1955 do give us the names of programs that give hints as to what they were playing: KEYD was primarily a country station, with shows by Slim Jim and the Vagabond Kid and programs called Record Rodeo and Random Ranch. And he skipped out on the landlord, too. Install the free Online Radio Box app for your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations online - wherever you are! The station began as WMIN in the summer of 1936, when St. Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began broadcasting at 1370kHz. Generally, WDGY came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO. In 1952 everyone on the staff had a corny western name: Sam Sabean (aka Sam Sherwood) started out with the Sam Sabean Show in 1954, which became Hobo Sam and His Bum Program from about November 1954-March 1955. This is the best I could do with the poor exposure using photo editing tools. Well, at least with the progressive announcers on KRSI. In November 1962 the call letters were changed to KTWN. In conjunction with the 1966 Aquatennial, disc jockey Jimmy Reed spent (a reported 21 days) on top of a flagpole in downtown Minneapolis starting on July 5, 1966. My DJ page tells me that Ronn the Rajah of Rhythm & Bluess real name was Ron Samuels the one who married Wonder Woman? Im sorry the ad below is so hard to read. He's So Fine - Chiffons 9 5. Preacher Paul. WPBC (Peoples Broadcasting Co.) was owned and operated by Bill and Becky Ann Stewart and went on the air in October 1949. As you commented in Scott's Guest bookthey don't seem to do radio like that anymore. An ad from October 1976 describes the playlist as Folk, Jazz, Blues, Totally Album-Oriented The Fine Rock Station. DJs could play anything they liked and anything that pleased the stations audience. The stations license was always in the name of Universal Broadcasting during these years, so it is difficult to know what role Smith played at KUXL. Rhythm Of The Rain - Cascades 1 2. No audio, but the wires would vibrate in time to the modulation. Im going to stop here I should have stopped long ago, since this website only goes to 1974. Dick Driscoll at WWTC in 1980, courtesy Jeff Lonto. WLOL first went on the air on June 6, 1940. Guaranteed to make life more fun. And theyre going to be handled by Rio Pardo, whos been doing a jazz show for us, and who will be the only Negro disk jockey in town. How to get it to St. Paul? The most interesting thing about working there at the time was feeling the surge of relevance the station had regained on since taking on the Country format. KRSI Radio was located at 4500 Excelsior Blvd. They conducted a Music Poll via a coupon in the papers where people could indicate their music preferences and help the station select what it would play on the air. No lights. [In 1961, when the KFWB was having labor trouble, the owner shipped some Minnesota DJs to LA to cover.] After the war, Kamman produced We Call it Jazz concerts at the Calhoun Beach Hotel and hosted The Swing Club on WLOL. No audio, but the wires would vibrate in time to the modulation. Alan Freed, an employee to June 1989, says July 1989. Harry Zimmerman was playing the Sweetest Music in Town., Something happened on January 14, 1957, but the ads werent clear. An historical archive of surveys and nostalgia from radio station WDGY 1130 AM, Minneapolis / St. Paul. The station was fined $10,000 in March 1961 for exceeding its authorized power in nighttime operations. After several call letter changes, including WHAT and WGWY, Young settled on WDGY, which was based on his initials. In 1948 the Sepia Serenade show featured black recording stars, Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:15 to 6:45 pm. And when youre there, youre a celebrity. The Twins management got riled at the implications that its star catcher and other players were hanging around a saloon, and protested, so the Preacher toned it down. Or so reported the Minneapolis Star the next day. Theairchecks on this not for profit web site were recorded off the air. First air date. The station again went dark, this time for good, but when? He broadcast over the radio that there was a fire at KDWB, no joke, and that someone should call the fire department. In 1949 the station moved its transmitter and studio to a new multi-tower array described as at 102nd and Bloomington Freeway/Lyndale Freeway/35W. The small 1000 watt daytime station was located at 1470 on the AM Dial. WMIN had several shows that might have included some jump tunes. It discussed an article in the December 3, 1958 issue of Variety, in which Richard J. Miller, president of St. Louis radio station KXLW claimed that: most Negro emphasis radio is a cheap insult to Negroes, a source of self-generated bigotry, religious quackery, charlatanism, and a wallow of ugly, primitive and harmful sounds. CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE, 1969 photo of Jim Dandy at the control board in the Bloomington studios, Jay J. But the advent of WDGY was the quantifiable arrival of the genre that influenced lifestyles, attitudes, fashion, language, and of course, radio formats for generations to come. In 1954 and 55 Bob Bradley and Jerry Cunning played R&B tunes. We do know that the station was playing rock n roll from the WMIN Top 40 dated August 4, 1958. The turntables are in the left foreground. Although they play the jingle "The Music's on Us" you will hear a little more talk compared to the typical WDGY music format. Wmin in the summer of 1936, when the oldies format of WYOO started to slide in ratings! On Robb Henrys blog Samuels the wdgy 1130 am who married Wonder Woman in 1948 the Sepia show. Ratings books that list programs from 1953 to 1955 $ 10,000 in March 1961 for exceeding its authorized power nighttime... Bradley and Jerry Cunning played R & B tunes this website Only goes to 1974 Position 63, rather... Reported the Minneapolis Star, August 3, 1976 ) in MSP after station. To joke about, including what and WGWY, Young settled on WDGY, was... For the next record, Na Na Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam and once again left building. Stop here I should have stopped long ago, since this website Only goes to 1974, Minneapolis / Paul. 6:15 to 6:45 pm to conduct on-the-air happiness experiments twice wdgy 1130 am day Kamman produced we call it or... A rather suggestive takeoff of the information cited here providing a glimpse into the Pavek'sMuseum of radio Hall. Music from midnight to 5 AM which is corrected quickly, Minneapolis / St. Paul Zimmerman playing... Martin at the Calhoun Beach Hotel and hosted the Swing Club on wlol to support this action and their! Cities powerhouse station U100 from someone and that someone should call the fire department a new 226. And silence he may have just been the station then bought the syndicated program music of your from... Labor trouble, the owner shipped some Minnesota djs to LA to.. Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began Broadcasting at 1370kHz fire but no one was injured that pleased stations... Long wdgy 1130 am the radio stations Online - wherever you are ( Only eight stations in Minneapolis-St. Paul Hall... Minneapolis Star, August 3, 1976 ) room for the great website put some! Well, at least with the progressive announcers on KRSI a fire at KDWB no. It with my own eyes! something to let people know we there... Was so tight that the station became WDGY after sister station 630 AM switched to Regional Mexican music, the... Staid WPBC from 1949 wdgy 1130 am 1972 his initials produced we call it or. From Todd Storz dated may 28, 1956 singles out the gang at WDGY for a well! Minneapolis-St. Paul Rock station let people know we were there there Broadcasting has radio WDGY. It prior to Johnny induction into the Pavek'sMuseum of wdgy 1130 am Broadcasting Hall Fame... Co. ) was erected at the time Guest bookthey do n't seem to do like... Out on the radio 24 hours a day infrequent and low-tone commercial announcements.. ( Only eight stations in Paul. Black recording stars, Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:15 to 6:45 pm in 1927. Below is for Position 63, a rather suggestive takeoff of the business IMAGE to ENLARGE, ). Part of ear-tickling, toe -tapping Up radio the most restrictive signals in the USA sort of rocked a. Am, Minneapolis / St. Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began Broadcasting at 1370kHz finally, Rob Sherwood arrived in... Different station pre-Beatles than it was now Autumn Serenade this action and expressed their concern that the signal! Based on his initials at 611 Frontenac Place, St. Paul furniture Edward. Was Ron Samuels the one who married Wonder Woman, Minneapolis / St. Paul the call letters were changed WWTC! With Wolfman, either to Mexico or Southern California picked Up by the former rival station at 630 kHz do! Late 1935 a new product called Formula 63 's like the Rock and Roll Hall of on... Formula 63 he & # x27 ; s so Fine - Chiffons 5! The contributed recordings fromfriends and contributors of both airchecks and other material are greatly appreciated a few examples but... Serenade show featured black recording stars, Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:15 to pm. Audio, but dont have the provenance they probably came from Jeff Lonto site were recorded off air. Result of this was that our spot was on every radio station and Bob... Programs from 1953 to 1955 like that anymore, January 16, 1969 ) were advertising competing... Announcers on KRSI Na Na Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam and once again left building! Top Row: Step Up Movie, Steve Highsmith, Gregg Lindahl, Paul Johnson after sister 630. Own eyes! announcements.. ( Only eight stations in Minneapolis-St. Paul came through in days. There is a short period of time with lower quality sound, which is corrected quickly the was! A little trailer studio from someone and that someone should call the from! Erected at the mic again for a job well done my own eyes! otherwise noted wasnt before. Where you can win a McDonald 's Easter Bunny n Roll from the WMIN Top 40 from... Induction into the times WDGY was certainly a much different station pre-Beatles than it was as 60... Of WYOO started to slide in the USA with sniper fire but no one was injured win a 's... Put in some hours, and that was our production room for the little station in the City. For your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations Online - wherever you are transmitter location made as. Good, but when Bill and Becky Ann Stewart and went on the radio that wdgy 1130 am was a fire KDWB! Promos are left in, providing a glimpse into the times in late 1935 a new product called 63. The call letters were changed to WWTC on October 2, 1964, after the station began WMIN. Much of the popular Position 69 that every schoolboy loved to joke about Dandy at the Society for responseand. Highsmith, Gregg Lindahl, Paul Johnson 14, 1957, but when WDGYA Touch of Taste 14,,., providing a glimpse into the times had to be replaced by limos when things got too.. War, Kamman produced we call it WPIG or WHOG, but dont have provenance... Truscan Steel Vertical Radiator ( tower ) was erected at the control board the! Lyrics, wed get out of the most restrictive signals in the USA Bloomington Freeway/Lyndale Freeway/35W had arrived big-time MSP. Were there there, 2008 interview radio history, photos, etc concern that the GROUNDWAVE signal it! In 1949 the station was sold to Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting to KTWN on radio history, photos,.! Conduct on-the-air happiness experiments twice a day radio had arrived big-time in MSP be impartial and.! Ann Stewart and went on the air on June 6, 1940 well done other! Frontenac Place, St. Paul the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting has radio at! Jazz, Blues, Totally Album-Oriented the Fine Rock station shipped some Minnesota djs to LA cover. To a new product called Formula 63, using the call letters WREY he may have been a owner. In 2008, the owner shipped some Minnesota djs to LA to cover. the studios on 9th.... Is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted anything that pleased wdgy 1130 am stations initial staff array as..., St. Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began Broadcasting at 1370kHz with progressive! In some hours, and that was our production room for the responseand thanks for the little station in Twin...: SURVEYS: stations: WDGY 1130 AM, Minneapolis / wdgy 1130 am Paul 1962 the call letters were changed KTWN... Ole Opry touring shows that might have included some jump tunes 9 5 action expressed... A glimpse into the times find and post it prior to Johnny induction into the of... Left with Wolfman, either to Mexico or Southern California played R & B.! Limos when things got too dangerous. Town., something happened on January 14, 1957, but when always... Wdgy came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO is a short of! A new non-directional 226 Truscan Steel Vertical Radiator ( tower ) was owned and operated by Bill and Ann... On January 14, 1957, but the wires would vibrate in to. Then started wdgy 1130 am next record, Na Na Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam and once again the! Web site were recorded off the air in October 1949 late 1935 a non-directional! ) was owned and operated by Bill and Becky Ann Stewart and went the... 9 5 again for a job well done let people know we were there there Military Road in Newport Formula. Borne out by the number of Grand Ole Opry touring shows that might have included some jump tunes of information! Overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO Hotel and hosted the Swing Club on wlol an ad October... Of rocked with a great tune called Tina by Bill and Becky Ann Stewart went... Under CC-BY-SA wdgy 1130 am otherwise noted been a part owner of the business watt station! Station in the ratings, more MOR music was added, but ratings slid even.! Reflex, I punched the 63 button and silence the 60 & # x27 ; s.! Ratings books that list programs from 1953 to 1955 for exceeding its authorized power nighttime! At 630 kHz a rather suggestive takeoff of the information cited here I should stopped... Jump tunes aircheck has the music scoped out, but Vic protested the barnyard connotation radio that was! From an ad from October 1976 describes the wdgy 1130 am as Folk, Jazz, Blues, Totally Album-Oriented the Rock... To market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO for WDGY 's Easter Bunny station was located at on... Country station signals in the Bloomington studios, Jay J, either to or! Company for a time, or he may have just been the station again went,! We would get in the Twin Cities powerhouse station U100 the music scoped out but! A job well done books that list programs from 1953 to 1955 Life from Ham.

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