MusicRadio 77 WABC Returns! | December 3, 2005
It may only be one day a week, but MusicRadio 77 is BACK! Saturday nights from 6 to 10pm, WABC is now back to its roots as MusicRadio 77.
Saturday night, December 3 2005 was the beginning. After 23 years, the format is back, and gang, it’s like WABC picked up where they left off in May 1982.
Courtesy of Matt at Big Apple Airchecks, we have audio of all four hours! Due to copyright restrictions, we had to edit out the music and commercials, but everything else is there! The jingles, airchecks from Dan Ingram & Cousin Bruce, an interview with the Beach Boys, lots of phone calls and that great ECHO! All done by Mark Simone, a legendary New York area DJ, and for the last 6 years, a weekend talk show host on WABC.
This was a great show! Brought back so many memories! While we don’t plan on posting future shows, at least not unless there’s something really special, this first one is of historic purportions, so here it is!
Click here for Part 1Visitors, if you heard the show (and even if you just wished you heard it) we’d love to read your comments!
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I thought Mark Simone did a sensational job. It was a tough 2-way street for anyone: the musicradio77 message board led the way for WABC, and of course, WABC’s picks was leading the way for posters on the message board.
I myself listenened all 4 hours, 6-10, nonstop with headphones on. After having listened to WABC for 4 straight hours for the first time since Memoriial Day (”Rewound”), any guess how may stars (out of 4) I would award Mark and WABC?
I only heard bits and pieces, but I did manage to record the entire show, and plan on listening to it at some point in my life! Congratulations to Mark Simone and WABC for a job well done, and let’s hope it’s successful enough to expand to more hours!
A good start. I hope phone calls are cut back for a music show.
I hope Mark listens to a half hour (scoped) of The Time Machine-WNBC for a place to start and grow from.
He did a good job on time his intros to songs.
He did a good job at a lot of things.
I have high hopes for the future of oldies on WABC.
Steven Green
Hello
I wonder if the audio stream from WABC has the show? I know that RIAA and AFRTA have in the past restricted such online content. Thanks
I did get to listen to the aircheck of the 12/3 show and thought it was wonderful. I think in the future Mark will talk less about old WABC as by then people will understand what the history is about. It’ll take time to iron things out but it will happen at WABC. I went so far to advise Mark to syndicate the show if all goes well.
Thanks
Ken
What a surprize… had no idea!! I’ve been waiting for this to happen for years.
Based on the success of “REWIND” the move to a dedicated weekend slot
makes perfect sense. I knew (being there at the bitter end) that it was the end
of something more than just another radio station. It was the end of an era. Sort of a “end of the innocence” thing. I did the last regular show that
Sunday night the 9th of May, and was a guest in the studio with Dan and Ron the next morning. The year and a half that I worked at WABC was such a priviledge. But hosting that Sunday night was surreal!! It was all crashing down!! The stations legacy has always loomed large, now it bears fruit!!
Great move ABC.
Welcome back.
Peter Bush
WEBE108 Afternoons
Peter,
We’re honored! Glad you’re here. Sure wish we could get some other WABC alumn to join us here!
So the question has to be asked… When did you realize that WABC was going to go talk? You say you were there for the last year and a half, was there an indication at the beginning of your tenure that MusicRadio 77 was close to cashing in?
Steve Green…. you know, there’s a bit of irony involved when you bring up the Time Machine. WNBC tried it, with great success (one might argue that it was the best Oldies show ever aired) in 1987 up till the end in 1988, but it was intended as a simple re-creation of WABC. Now, we sit here suggesting that Mark Simone listen to the WNBC Time Machine to get him acclimated to a resurrected WABC!??? Trust me, Mark really has the best teacher there is in Johnny Donovan, and with anyone who once worked at MusicRadio 77, and there are plenty, in fact plenty who’ve contacted me about this website. On the other hand, if he or anyone wants to, just go to the New York portion of this site and scroll down for the Time Machine in two parts.
Also, I kinda made a small faux-pas in the description of this presentation. Mark Simone did indeed work at WNEW-AM, with guys like William B. Williams, etc…. although I coulda sworn I heard him on 102.7 a few times. No matter, what a great job he did Saturday!
Steve:
It was well known a year in advance the the tide was shifting.
Operations director at the time Jay Clark, had come from talker WTIC
in Hartford. Alan Colmes overnight, sports talk with Art Rust Jr….etc made it painfully clear.
PB
FANTASTIC! They don’t call him Marvelous Mark for nothing.
4 hours of the best Saturday Night Oldies Anywhere!.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Saturdaynightoldiesshow
I also loved WNBC. But my fave was Janet from Another Planet. She played lots of bubblegum music you don’t hear too often.
Know it’s been said before, but Mark Simone (and Saturday Night Oldies) just keeps getting better and better. Enough said.
Totally…totally…the best radio show on the planet.
Purple Heart for Phil Boyce, Tim McCarthy and Mark Simone?
I know McDonald’s coined the phrase (please don’t Sue me), but Mark Simone and the Oldies show–I’m lovin’ it!
It has a really nice mix of songs, jingles and he’s funny when he does interviews. My family tries to listen every Saturday.
Mark said the ratings went through the roof–and beat JACK (formerly WCBS-FM). Good! I’m glad.
People are listening all around the country on air and on the Internet. In fact Mark reads on air countries that people are listening in from! Welcome back Musicradio77. You’ve been gone tooooo long!
Hey, this is great!
I want to thank you for bringing back my favorite music of all time. Mark Simone and WABC, you are the greatest!
Whoever put this up. Thank you!
I love Mark Simone’s oldies show. I listen every Saturday night on WABC. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Big Dan Ingram should be proud of the work you’ve done here!
To whom it may concern:
please adjust part 3 of the sat night oldies tape..it cuts off in the middle during allen sniffen interview.
Thanks
Let noone fool you. This Saturday Night Oldies program is here to stay. Thank you.