The Terry Knight Show on WEAM 1390 Arlington VA | January 1964
August 12, 2007 
36 Comments
Here’s one that will make you go WOW!… Terry Knight on WEAM!
Thanks to comments from those who were there, we can post some corrections and updates.
WEAM was 5,000 watts 24/7, whereas it’s competitor, WPGC was 10,000 watts. But WPGC was daytime only.
John Guntner (below) writes: Terry Knight was Jack Fisher renamed by station manager Harry Averill. Jack apparently lives in Roanoake, VA, and you can read up on is whereabouts at the WROV tribute site, http://www.wrovhistory.com/ Read more comments about WEAM below.
Apparently pulled right off the master reel, this comes to you in stunning audio quality for such an old aircheck. Runs about 5 minutes.
How i miss WEAM radio. I grew up in Alexandria Virginia and WEAM radio was the one. I well remember the Jack Alex and Terry Knight show. Radio today, at least for me, has lost the flare of exiciting radio of the 50′s and 60′s. Many years ago i bought the full set of different radio shows on LP albums starting with 1956 to 1964. Like to have a CD of WEAM radio. Thanks for you site.
In Our Lords Service
John
Yes, at Fairfax City Town Hall, Live Band The Aristocrats and Jack Alex
Yes, Jack Alex dance at Glen Echo Amusement Park with The Aristocrats! Outdoor concert!
Live at The Rocket Room – Rock and Roll Band The Aristocrats!
Yep been there played that, Skeeter Boswell, Vaughn Howard, Roger Easterling, Keith Edwards! The Aristocrats
I went to Yorktown with you guys. Probably knew Keith Edwards best. We double dated for the senior prom. I heard that he passed away. What has happened to the rest of you guys? “Skeeter Boswell, Vaughn Howard, Roger Easterling, Keith Edwards”
John, ditto for me. I lived in Alexandria from 1961 thru1964. Taylor Run Pkwy. near the Masonic Memorial. attended Frances Hammond High. WEAM and WPGC ruled.
WEAM was indeed a great station. There is also an aircheck of WEAM on ReelRadio. I was stationed in D.C. in 1964-1966, and we listened to WEAM all the time. Thanks to Airchexx for a great aircheck!
Richard
The WEAM “1964″ aircheck is interesting. However some correction is in order. First, this recording is from January 1965, not 1964. The “flea-powered” reference is not in order. The station operated with 5,000 watts day and night on two direectional patterns and placed city grade daytime over all of DC and most of the suburbs. Nights the lobe shot over DC as well and placed city grade over most of the city, with a null to the north. it was not 1,000 watts!
Agree with Rob Norton. I lived in Silver Spring “back in the day” and listened to WEAM….especially at night. I was gone by ’65, but listened from about ’57 to fall of ’62 when I went away to college. Back then, WPGC, WDON, and WAVA (780) were all great DAYTIME stations. At night it was WINX, WEAM and WCAO in Baltimore plus WABC, WKBW and WLS from out of town.
WEAM’s 4 towers were just inside Fairfax County about a quarter mile west of where Powhattan drive crosses the line from Arlington. While we weren’t in the absolute null, the night time WEAM signal wasn’t too good where we lived. Someone mentioned a “whistle.” Yeah! Maybe they were off frequency a bit??
But what the heck, these were the golden AM days! EVERYTHING sounded good on the old ’59 Ford radio!!
Great! Love to hear these old tapes!! Anyone have any Jack Fisher on WEAM? He was there in ’64…
Again, Thanks!
WEAM interviews Klaatu (Carpenter) in The Day the Earth Stood Still
Was this the same Terry Knight who worked in Detroit later this same year?
WEAM was the only AM station in DC in the 60s that ran all night. Good sounds!
I just loved WEAM , I tuned it it from about 1958 till it went off. Tuned in WPGC,WINX, and WHMC as well, but liked WEAM the best as they played more hits. I lived in Bethesda/Chevey Chase, the station came in ok ther but I remember it had a wissel is the back ground, but this was the old AM days so it did not matter vary much. Would like a cupple houres of the old radio broadcast, it would be nice to lissen to. Thank you for this web sit, it meant so much to me.
Bob
I loved WEAM, tuned in around 1958 and till they went off the air. Loved Jack Allex, Terry Knight, Russ Wheeler ETC. Boy, do I remember The “Rocket Room” Add.
This web site just took me back to better times, lived in Bethesda/Chevey Chase at the time. THANK YOU for this nice Site.
Bob
Remember WEAM very well. Listened to it starting in the mid – late 50′s (even recall the “listen to the NEW WEAM contest”). The best jocks from that era in DC were Bob Rickman (RnB Special) & Don Dillard (played great rockabilly & RnR) from WDON. Of Course JA the DJ & Harv Moore from WPGC were great for the more top 40 pop sounds. Also dug the RnB dj’s like Rockin’ Robin in Baltimore, Hopalong in Annapolis & Moon Man & Al Bell in DC. Plus many fond memories of the Rocket Room, Rands, Benny’s, Hayloft & definitely the Howard Theater.
At last, someone who remembers Bob Rickman besides me. After he was drafted into the Army in the mid-50′s, Jay Perry (Perri) pretty much took over as the better known DJ at Weam. I recall Rickman emceeing a number of sock hops in Arlington. His siter was two years behind me at Swanson Jr. High. I don’t believe he ever had a career in radio but it would be interesting to know what did happen to him.
Hi,
I am trying to find out about my father. I believe he was general manager of WEAM sometime late 1950′s to mid 1960′s. His name was Kenneth Wood. I still have some of his 45 records that were radio station copies. If anyone can help me with this I would appreciate this. Thank you
I was a WEAM D.J. from 1961 to 1965. My “station name” was Doug Vanderbilt. I remember Ken Wood well. Responsible for the distinctive WEAM sound which included lots of reverb. Your dad was always in motion, walking around the station and chain-smoking. His P.D. was Mark Holiday (real name, John Michaels), who taught me a lot about production and news delivery. There was no news department; the jocks were “rip and read” right off the news printer. Ken left around 1964 to buy a station in Richmond; Mark Holiday went with him. I ended up at WPGC as Sales Manager, then G.M. Started buying my own stations in 1981; live now in Salisbury, MD. The “WEAM Team” identifier that came along after Ken left was never as exciting as the original sound of WEAM from the late fifties into about ’64.
I remember your Dad’s name being on some old documents and paperwork around WEAM when I worked there — but he was long gone by my time. I was associated with the station starting in 1975 and was chief engineer from 1978 to 1984.
Kevin Strom.
Hi, I have a Weam aircheck from January 1, 1968 ,with johnny Rouge, Will trade you for a Wpgc aircheck, Unscoped please, Thanks,
Terry Knight was Jack Fisher renamed by station manager Harry Averill. Why Averill decided to do this is unknown but he did it. Jack Fisher was a well known and well liked dj at WEAM. As a teenager Jack was one of the kids who danced every afternoon on American Bandstand. Jack had been one of the four djs from Washington Top 40 stations who emceed the FIRST Beatles concert in Washington in 1964.
Jack and Harry Averill did not see eye to eye on this or anything else and Jack was fired in early 1964. Jack landed at a very successful top 40 station WROV in Roanoke were he stayed until about 1971. Jack left WROV to work in advertising in Roanoke and then came back to WROV from 1981 until 1991. He is now retired.
I grew up within sight of the 4 WEAM towers and used to ride my bike there before I was old enough to drive. I got involved with various of the djs while still in Jr High. I always like Jack Fisher the best. I dragged equipment and took money at the door for many sock hops and battles of the bands for a number of years. After high school I had to choose between radio and news photography and chose photography. But I have fond memories of WEAM and Top 40 AM radio.
I knew Jack when he worked with the advertising agency handling McDonald’s. Anyone know how I can cotact Jack?
I understand he lives in Roanoke. There is a very good website for WROV where Jack worked for years http://www.wrovhistory.com/ which may be useful. The station is gone but they still have reunions.
Isn’t that Barry Richards doing the Rocket Room ads? I know he worked on WEAM for a while as well as many other stations in the DC area. One of the all time great DJS ever. Check out the new Barry Richards website for some great stuff.
First of all, you’d think that with the corrections to the header that have been mentioned here, it would be corrected! Oh well…
Jack Fisher was told to change his name to “Terry Knight” before he left in about September of ’64 to go to WROV. It is definitely true that he and Harry A. did not see eye to eye. Not many did!
This “Terry Knight” was someone else.
WEAM’s studios were at their transmitter location on Crimmins Lane.
A book could be easily written about WEAM!
This aircheck gives me goose bumps! I lived in No. VA. in the 60′s and remember Bob Parkinson on WEAM. I remember him congratulating the new Miss Washington DC, Diana Batts before he married her and we all know Diane Parkinson from The Price is Right! Would love to know Bob’s whereabouts now.
Russ Wheeler is actually Richard Sher who later teamed with Oprah Winfrey on People are Talking in Baltimore on WJZ TV.
I believe Jack Alix passed away a few years ago in Richmond, VA.
I lived in Annandale in mid-50s, remember WEAM and Bob Rickman well. (Kid listening under the covers with a transistor kit radio, could hear WHBQ in Memphis too.)
Small world, I was back in DC stationed at Arlington Hall in 1969 and somehow wound up escorting that year’s Miss Universe to a US Olympics benefit hosted by Bob and Diana Parkinson.
It is my recollection that WEAM was ten thousand watts in those days, not one thousand.
WEAM was 5,000 watts, WPGC-AM was 10,000 watts but it was daytime only.
Boy! do I remember Jack Alex. I played in a band “The new Del-Phonics” and he hosted many of our events. I have nothing but good memories of those times……….
Anyone remember The Aristocrats? A very popular band in the DC area from 1963 to 1967? A great band. Only Roger and Vaughan are known to be left. The others either passed away or went away. God’s blessing to the late Maria LoBianco……a great friend of The Aristocrats. We all loved you Maria. I’m sure you are enjoying Heaven.
I recall The “Aristocrats” Quite well, with “Skeeter Bozwell” R.I.P. He and I also played in a band called “The Penny Arcade”. Those were really good times.
Joe, I was just reminiscing about the New Delphonics and Skeeter Boswell, too. Only to read that he passed a few years ago. I’ve also wondered what became of J.B. Alden or Bobby Sorber. Don’t know if you kept up with either of them or not. There aren’t a lot of us left anymore…
Hey Carl, I rmemeber you! Bobby lives in Front Royal and J B is in Bristel va, I think. You can reach both on Facebook. I’ve sent both messages but no feedback yet. I’m in touch with Corey and Wayne both via facebook. I’m sure they would like to hear from you. How have you been? Are you still playing music?
Thanks, Joe. No, not playing anymore but I spent many years having a blast doing great r&r with friends. So glad to hear that Bobby’s still around, so many of the Northern Virginia music crowd is gone now, Skeeter, Keith Edwards, Steve Croson, etc. Can you drop me a line at cw.zitzmann@gmail.com so we could pursue this a bit? And please share my address with Bobby, especially.
Thanks for remembering us Joe. Skeeter was our lead guitarist and friend. He went on to play lead for The Steve Miller Band and session lead for the likes of Smokey Robinson plus several others. He, Roge, and I hooked back up about a year before his death. We wanted to put a band together again. Never happened. Old fabulous guitar playing “Skeet” found out he had cancer in July and passed on in September. I spoke with him several times before his death via phone (I am in Colorado) and respect both the man he became and the musician he always was.
Through most of high school I played in a McLean-based band, the Crypt Kickers and was in awe of The Aristocrats whenever I could see you play. Eventually I became a good friend to Keith Edwards and played for a brief spell with Skeeter in a R&B/Soul band we called U.S. Male. After heading off to Photography school in California I lost touch with both and only learned of their passing recently. I hate like hell that I didn’t have the opportunity to say “thanks and goodby” to both these beautiful souls, so I’m trying to catch up with as many of the Old Timers as I can before it’s too late.