When you think of Top 40 radio, what stations normally come to mind? What personalities? Here’s an aircheck which is really a composite look at WABC – Musicradio 77, probably the most popular top 40 station in the history of AM radio.
An original recording from Matt over at Big Apple Airchecks, this spans a four day period. In order, you’ll hear the following personalities in this 45 minute scoped recording:
Chuck Leonard
Bob Cruz
Harry Harrison
Ron Lundy
Dan Ingram
Johnny Donovan
The name of this aircheck is “Still Number One” – that’s the name Matt gave it and we’re keeping the name here on Airchexx. I think it’s most appropriate, since at the time, while WXLO (99X) was giving WABC a run for it’s money, WKTU had not yet hit the New York airwaves, and WABC still had the number one overall ratings all to themselves. The end was still four years away, but for much of this airstaff, the end of their time on WABC was only about a year down the road (see the “Massacre of 1979″), as FM competition would create near-panic with the ABC brass.
Listen now to this long recording, made at the very height of the Disco era, and compare that with other WABC airchecks we have featured here.
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This is one of my favorite composites, and other than taking some hiss out it during the conversion from cassette to digital, I kept all the other AM “noise” in it, just to keep it authentic. He’s not listed above, but the composite ends with George Micheal. This is a great piece of radio history!
this is absolutely classic! Thanks to Matt and to Airchexx.com for sharing this with the masses. My favorite part is when Ron Lundn, immitating Wolfman jack, says to Dan Ingram “You know I paterned my life after you” to which Dan replies “Is your name Cruz?” This is a not-so-subtle dig at WABC dj Bob Cruz who tried to sound so much like Dan Ingram that he actually got Ingram’s afternoon slot when they moved Ingram to mornings after the massacre of 1979. I do have one very small thing to point out. Whomever transferred this tape to digital format did not turn off his/her system sounds first. because of this, you can hear the clicking sound that windows makes when the person doing the transfer clicks on something with the mouse. this is most audible about 16:30 into the recording when Ingram is doing the live read of the Huffman Kooz commercial. Again, this is a minute detail at best. this composite is amazing, and a big reason why this site is such a pleasure to visit and enjoy.
Actually, the mouse clicking can be heard about 28:50 into the recording, not 16:30 as I wrote earlier. Either way, an amazing aircheck.
Matt, this is indeed a great piece of radio history. the AM noise only adds to the historic nature of the recording. Another person who is not mentioned above, but who is also heard on the aircheck is Steve O’Brien. He can be heard filling in for George Michael right after Johnny Donovan. I don’t know about you, but this composite already has me pumped up for Rewound 2008!
I have to ask about the WABC farm report? What is it, and when and why did it air. When I think of New YOrk City, I don’t think of farms.