Comments on: Mike Stone, WFIF "The Spirit of America" Milford CT | March, 1976 http://airchexx.com/markets/new-haven/mike-stone-wfif-the-spirit-of-america-milford-ct-march-1976 Where Classic Radio Lives Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:17:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: John E. Douglas http://airchexx.com/markets/new-haven/mike-stone-wfif-the-spirit-of-america-milford-ct-march-1976/comment-page-1#comment-17192 John E. Douglas Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:34 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=1365#comment-17192 Fresh out of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting I was the vacation relief and production person, just rare rookie talent then, but Cliff (Willie B.)took a likeing to me, he was a great sounding jock long before he hit the bigs. Like they say, it was a station held together with bailing wire, actually if you've ever seen those "half" a mobile homes going down the highway, that was 15FIF... placed on top of an 8 foot high basement which was the studios. But Randy had it set up like a pro shop, huge format clock on the wall that you could read from 10 feet away, liner cards that kept us within striking distance of WAVZ and WCDQ the other T-40 outlet. Willie and the other jocks were the icing on the cake. Fresh out of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting I was the vacation relief and production person, just rare rookie talent then, but Cliff (Willie B.)took a likeing to me, he was a great sounding jock long before he hit the bigs. Like they say, it was a station held together with bailing wire, actually if you’ve ever seen those “half” a mobile homes going down the highway, that was 15FIF… placed on top of an 8 foot high basement which was the studios. But Randy had it set up like a pro shop, huge format clock on the wall that you could read from 10 feet away, liner cards that kept us within striking distance of WAVZ and WCDQ the other T-40 outlet. Willie and the other jocks were the icing on the cake.

]]> By: Willie... http://airchexx.com/markets/new-haven/mike-stone-wfif-the-spirit-of-america-milford-ct-march-1976/comment-page-1#comment-17049 Willie... Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:17:44 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=1365#comment-17049 This is a fascinating glimpse of WFIF's long past! I worked there from 1987-2007. (I was downsized in Aug of 2007.) The station still is, and has been, owned by Bill Blount since 1982. The studio & offices all in one building, right there with the transmitter, at the end of Kay Ave. It's all still there today. In 1996, we made some MAJOR upgrades... namely, a brand new transmitter and Orban Optimod processor. I served as the Chief Engineer for the station for over a decade, and was fully involved in all of it's major updates. I was also the morning announcer for most of my tenure. I'll never forget the night we replaced "Ol' Bessie" the transmitter... during that time, I was the EVENING announcer, so I had just finished my shift, then we started tearing stuff apart and rewiring things. We finished right around midnight, so I was able to go on the air (legally) for equipment testing purposes. I went down into the studio, slapped on the cans, and opened the mic. "This is WFIF, Milford, testing... MAN, THIS THING SOUNDS GOOD!!!" full 5kw, right on the air! LOL! I wonder if anyone heard it? Anyway, I played a song and tweaked the processing a little, gave another station ID, shut down, thanked my helpers, locked up, and called it a night! :) Talk about making the station sound FANTASTIC?? That new transmitter & processor were, truly, a night-and-day improvement! It was about a year after that, that we moved the main studio upstairs and installed an AudioVault automation system. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to build it and set it all up. Compared to the old downstairs studio, the new one was absolutely AWESOME! :) (Still is.) Thanks for the memories. I miss WFIF and my "family" there. This is a fascinating glimpse of WFIF’s long past! I worked there from 1987-2007. (I was downsized in Aug of 2007.) The station still is, and has been, owned by Bill Blount since 1982. The studio & offices all in one building, right there with the transmitter, at the end of Kay Ave. It’s all still there today.

In 1996, we made some MAJOR upgrades… namely, a brand new transmitter and Orban Optimod processor. I served as the Chief Engineer for the station for over a decade, and was fully involved in all of it’s major updates. I was also the morning announcer for most of my tenure.

I’ll never forget the night we replaced “Ol’ Bessie” the transmitter… during that time, I was the EVENING announcer, so I had just finished my shift, then we started tearing stuff apart and rewiring things. We finished right around midnight, so I was able to go on the air (legally) for equipment testing purposes.

I went down into the studio, slapped on the cans, and opened the mic.

“This is WFIF, Milford, testing… MAN, THIS THING SOUNDS GOOD!!!” full 5kw, right on the air! LOL! I wonder if anyone heard it? Anyway, I played a song and tweaked the processing a little, gave another station ID, shut down, thanked my helpers, locked up, and called it a night! :)

Talk about making the station sound FANTASTIC?? That new transmitter & processor were, truly, a night-and-day improvement!

It was about a year after that, that we moved the main studio upstairs and installed an AudioVault automation system. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to build it and set it all up. Compared to the old downstairs studio, the new one was absolutely AWESOME! :) (Still is.)

Thanks for the memories.

I miss WFIF and my “family” there.

]]> By: Randy West http://airchexx.com/markets/new-haven/mike-stone-wfif-the-spirit-of-america-milford-ct-march-1976/comment-page-1#comment-16719 Randy West Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:38:18 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=1365#comment-16719 Good golly, Miss Molly! While Pete always sounded like a million bucks, doing it for about minimum wage at a $2 station with 50 cent equipment was an amazing feat. I couldn't be prouder than when you, Willie B., Bob Rivers (yes, that Bob Rivers) and some of the other pros who graced our air made us sound so close to legit bigtime radio. Thanks for the great work, thanks for the lifetime friendship, and thanks to airchexx.com! Good golly, Miss Molly! While Pete always sounded like a million bucks, doing it for about minimum wage at a $2 station with 50 cent equipment was an amazing feat. I couldn’t be prouder than when you, Willie B., Bob Rivers (yes, that Bob Rivers) and some of the other pros who graced our air made us sound so close to legit bigtime radio. Thanks for the great work, thanks for the lifetime friendship, and thanks to airchexx.com!

]]> By: smokin willie b goode http://airchexx.com/markets/new-haven/mike-stone-wfif-the-spirit-of-america-milford-ct-march-1976/comment-page-1#comment-16717 smokin willie b goode Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:21:40 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=1365#comment-16717 HAVING ALSO GRADUATED FROM THE WAKE AND BAKE SCHOOL OF RADIO I TOTALLY AGREE WITH PETE SALANT....ITS GREAT TO GET STONED IN THE MORNING.....WHAT A GREAT AIRCHECK.MIKE STONE ON 15/FIF...PETE SOUNDED GREAT AND THE AUDIO WAS LIKE NOTHING I EVER HEARD ON WFIF.....LEAVE IT TO RANDY AND PETE TO RIG IT UP TO SOUND AMAZING.IT WAS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH BOTH OF THOSE GUYS.WHEN IT CAME TO RADIO,AUDIO,PROCESSING ETC NOBODY DID IT BETTER...COMPARE THE REAL AUDIO OF CLIFF KENYON TO THE DOCTORED UP AUDIO OF MIKE STONE AND YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY...THE SOUND OF AMERICA LIKE IT NEVER SOUNDED BEFORE OR AFTER.........THANKS AGAIN TO STEVE WEST FOR POSTING THIS ABSOLUTE CLASSIC AIRCHECK....GNARLY/SMOKIN/TRUCKIN.. HAVING ALSO GRADUATED FROM THE WAKE AND BAKE SCHOOL OF RADIO I TOTALLY AGREE WITH PETE SALANT….ITS GREAT TO GET STONED IN THE MORNING…..WHAT A GREAT AIRCHECK.MIKE STONE ON 15/FIF…PETE SOUNDED GREAT AND THE AUDIO WAS LIKE NOTHING I EVER HEARD ON WFIF…..LEAVE IT TO RANDY AND PETE TO RIG IT UP TO SOUND AMAZING.IT WAS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH BOTH OF THOSE GUYS.WHEN IT CAME TO RADIO,AUDIO,PROCESSING ETC NOBODY DID IT BETTER…COMPARE THE REAL AUDIO OF CLIFF KENYON TO THE DOCTORED UP AUDIO OF MIKE STONE AND YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY…THE SOUND OF AMERICA LIKE IT NEVER SOUNDED BEFORE OR AFTER………THANKS AGAIN TO STEVE WEST FOR POSTING THIS ABSOLUTE CLASSIC AIRCHECK….GNARLY/SMOKIN/TRUCKIN..

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