Comments on: The Massacre of 1979 on 77 WABC New York | 1979 (54:10) http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979 Where Classic Radio Lives Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:15:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bob Nagengast http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979/comment-page-1#comment-17620 Bob Nagengast Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:20:51 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=78#comment-17620 AM Drive was NOT Ingram's forte. Way too erudite at that hour. Like a good soldier, he sounded almost resigned to having to say "good morning" with any sincerity. To make matters worse, Al Brady replaced Ingram in afternoon drive with the late Bob Cruz, a great jock (and later voice of ABC News), but an Ingram sound-a-like clone. Like listeners wouldn't notice something was awry at the once invincible Big Apple hit machine. And how cheesy is the Ingram drop-in promo reminding each of the jocks (as if he's talking to them live) about his move to AM Drive. AM Drive was NOT Ingram’s forte. Way too erudite at that hour. Like a good soldier, he sounded almost resigned to having to say “good morning” with any sincerity. To make matters worse, Al Brady replaced Ingram in afternoon drive with the late Bob Cruz, a great jock (and later voice of ABC News), but an Ingram sound-a-like clone. Like listeners wouldn’t notice something was awry at the once invincible Big Apple hit machine. And how cheesy is the Ingram drop-in promo reminding each of the jocks (as if he’s talking to them live) about his move to AM Drive.

]]> By: Steve West http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979/comment-page-1#comment-16818 Steve West Mon, 11 May 2009 13:21:07 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=78#comment-16818 I always thought that WABC was wrong to head in an AC direction in the first place in 1980. They should/could have taken the approach that sister station WLS did in Chicago and gone in a rock direction. AM music wasn't and shouldn't have been dead in 1980, it was too early. I maintain that had not management of most of the big AM rockers not been scared to death at that time, they could have squeezed 5-8 more years out of the format. As for the transmitter... it wasn't the Gates 50k that ruined the signal, but rather a number of things. First, in the 80s, FCC rulemakers decided that most daytimers should be able to broadcast 24/7, and the ones just outside WABC's 750 mile protected contour (meaning there couldn't be another station transmitting at night within 750 miles) were permitted to stay on. Previous to that, 'clear channel' meant just that... there were only two stations on 770 - WABC, and KOB (now KKOB) out in New Mexico. This had the effect of creating interference at the fringes of WABC's nighttime signal where there wasn't any. Then, as the 80s went on, more and more computers came online... and the noise floor began to rise substantially (even computer/electronic noise is propagated by skywave). In the 90s, the FCC reduced the bandwidth that AM stations transmit (the total 'envelope' of frequencies that the AM carrier occupies) to 9khz, thus severely reducing the sound quality, coupled with receiver manufacturers consistently sacrificing the audio characteristics of AM/FM radios to enhance the FM portion. Then, finally, along comes IBOC, or HD Radio as it's known... add in all the digital hash on two adjacent channels, and you now have an AM band that's virtually unlistenable. Were it not for all the factors I just mentioned, music could have survived on AM just fine. AM stereo sounded better than FM, but you had to have a receiver... which is a different discussion altogether.... I always thought that WABC was wrong to head in an AC direction in the first place in 1980. They should/could have taken the approach that sister station WLS did in Chicago and gone in a rock direction. AM music wasn’t and shouldn’t have been dead in 1980, it was too early. I maintain that had not management of most of the big AM rockers not been scared to death at that time, they could have squeezed 5-8 more years out of the format.

As for the transmitter… it wasn’t the Gates 50k that ruined the signal, but rather a number of things. First, in the 80s, FCC rulemakers decided that most daytimers should be able to broadcast 24/7, and the ones just outside WABC’s 750 mile protected contour (meaning there couldn’t be another station transmitting at night within 750 miles) were permitted to stay on. Previous to that, ‘clear channel’ meant just that… there were only two stations on 770 – WABC, and KOB (now KKOB) out in New Mexico. This had the effect of creating interference at the fringes of WABC’s nighttime signal where there wasn’t any. Then, as the 80s went on, more and more computers came online… and the noise floor began to rise substantially (even computer/electronic noise is propagated by skywave). In the 90s, the FCC reduced the bandwidth that AM stations transmit (the total ‘envelope’ of frequencies that the AM carrier occupies) to 9khz, thus severely reducing the sound quality, coupled with receiver manufacturers consistently sacrificing the audio characteristics of AM/FM radios to enhance the FM portion. Then, finally, along comes IBOC, or HD Radio as it’s known… add in all the digital hash on two adjacent channels, and you now have an AM band that’s virtually unlistenable.

Were it not for all the factors I just mentioned, music could have survived on AM just fine. AM stereo sounded better than FM, but you had to have a receiver… which is a different discussion altogether….

]]> By: megacycler http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979/comment-page-1#comment-16814 megacycler Sun, 10 May 2009 20:56:38 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=78#comment-16814 Has anyone noticed that, despite the aircheck dated in early December, 1979 there is not a single Christmas song played. Ah, the days when radio stations didn't go all Christmas after Halloween! Has anyone noticed that, despite the aircheck dated in early December, 1979 there is not a single Christmas song played. Ah, the days when radio stations didn’t go all Christmas after Halloween!

]]> By: Michael Rouse http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979/comment-page-1#comment-16808 Michael Rouse Sun, 10 May 2009 03:29:24 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=78#comment-16808 77's biggest mistake was going to talk, and the runner up mistake was going to a Gates transmitter which made the station sound like garbage and cut their range considerably. 77’s biggest mistake was going to talk, and the runner up mistake was going to a Gates transmitter which made the station sound like garbage and cut their range considerably.

]]> By: Brady Castleberry http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979/comment-page-1#comment-15361 Brady Castleberry Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:07:26 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=78#comment-15361 They can call it a massacre, but I think WABC has a very good, ubeat music presentation here. Plenty of great hits and chart toppers on this air check. Big Dan, Ron Lundy, Howard Hoffman and the rest of the gang give their typical lively, ab libbed preforances, something that is greatly missing from today's radio land scape. They can call it a massacre, but I think WABC has a very good, ubeat music presentation here. Plenty of great hits and chart toppers on this air check. Big Dan, Ron Lundy, Howard Hoffman and the rest of the gang give their typical lively, ab libbed preforances, something that is greatly missing from today’s radio land scape.

]]> By: Travis Sparks http://airchexx.com/markets/new-york/the-massacre-of-1979-on-77-wabc-new-york-1979/comment-page-1#comment-2990 Travis Sparks Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:08:43 +0000 http://airchexx.com/?p=78#comment-2990 Actually, Hoffman was shifted to overnights, where he stayed for about a year more. Actually, Hoffman was shifted to overnights, where he stayed for about a year more.

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