This was posted for July 4th weekend 2005, and was there no better way to celebrate than to go back in time to the City of Brotherly Love (where’d that name come from anyway?).
You’ll hear an assortment of radio stations (all scoped, of course), starting with what was certainly the first BIG FM station in Philly, WIFI 92 (now Country 92.5 WXTU). Listen for the ONE shotgun WIFI 92 jingle – same cut as at WXLO 99X New York, and some DJ called Beau Weaver! Surely not the same Beauregard Rodreguez Weaver from 93 KHJ?! Somebody knows (doesn’t sound like him). Next, a long scope of WFIL as an AC station, A GREAT composite of the “new” WIBG, including a bit of Crazy Bob McLaine (whom your webmaster worked with at WGKX Memphis in 2004), then listen for Loren Owens (currently at WROR Boston) on WPEN! This is a fantastic composite aircheck from a time when AM and FM were pretty much at par with each other with respect to programming and audience.
Check out the news reports on these stations… high gas prices, fuel shortages – kinda sounds familiar, eh?
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Thank you.
I moved to Phila. in 1977 and stayed there until 1983. My first year in town, 1977. And I found out later that Ron O’ Brien was on WFIL and I did not even know it. Girls, fraternity parties, beer and some college work are a little distraction.
This is wonderful. As a radio news guy, I’d like to point out how news was still an important part of programming on those stations — even on FM. Oh, for the good old days…
One question — what jingle package is WIBG using here? It must be a later package than the “Where Your Friends Are” sig.
Just curious…
If it’s 4th of July weekend, why is it only 18 degrees?
Oh I get it now sorry I just woke up from the overnight shift. Thanks for the site, it rocks!
Wow! Very Nice! We were in college at the time and we listened to WPEN in the mornings for “Worst Joke of the Day”… we thought was best feature of all the morning shows in Philly. Loved hearing what was going on at the other stations at the time… I remember WIFI 92 taking our friends away from ‘FIL and WIBBAGE’s since THEY were in Stereo!!!!
It’s a very sweet thing as a jingle freak to hear another version of the 99X/NYC shotgun!
Actually, it was *WIBG and WPEN* that were AC in January 1977. WFIL did not switch to that format from Top 40 until considerably later in the year. (WPEN, which was MOR until it temporarily went dark circa very early 1975 and went back on the air as an oldies station that spring, modified its oldies format to gold-based AC at the time of this aircheck[probably to go after, say, fellow soft rock station WIP].) As for WIBG, it reverted back to top 40 a quarter-year or so after this aircheck. Then in September 1977, WIBG went off the air in favor of adult top 40(and later disco) WZZD/Wizzard 100(the debut of which happened just days later).
It should also be noted that WZZD switched to Christian programming in 1980, was purchased by current owner Salem Communications in the early or mid-’90s, then switched to that company’s conservative “Where Your Opinion Counts” secular talk format in 2004. WPEN switched from soft rock oldies/current soft rock hits to Nostalgia (now called Adult Standards) in 1979. It reverted back to oldies in 2004 and to its current sports format the following year, with its current affiliation with ESPN beginning in 2008.