I’ve been looking for an aircheck from this era for years, and now we have one! Today’s 100.3 WHEB is an FM-only Classic Rocker, just your average run-of-the-mill rock oldies station with the same boring titles played over and over. But, back in ‘79, it was THE station to listen to while tanning at Hampton Beach during the Summer.
Known as “The Star Station”, this was a not-quite top 40 station with a generous dose of Oldies. From what I remember this was an AM/FM simulcast with AM 750 leaving the air at night (or dropping to some rediculously low power) to protect WSB Atlanta. This aircheck was apparently recorded at night because it’s the FM side (with it’s own jingles). Back in the day, we all listened to the AM side of this simulcast on the beach, flipping back and forth between WHEB and WRKO Boston.
The AM side went dark sometime in the 80s – surely there’s someone out there who knows the exact history of this station. Seems to me the FM flipped to AOR about the time they turned in the AM license.
The radio landscape at the NH coastline has changed substantially since this aircheck was recorded, but if you wanna go back to before it all went to FM, listen to this… it’s sure to bring back some good memories, even if this is a WINTER aircheck!
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Steve
I’m sending you the old WHEB logo. it is included with a couple of other ones on the file. Look for an e-mail from Wayne Thorne.
Wayne
Great stuff! A station and format all but forgotten about. Of course, the AOR format continues to live on WHEB-FM and is very surccessful.
But, I do miss the Top 40ish/AC delivered format. I heard some great talk and conversation wrapped around music back then (late 70’s) with Bill McDermitt, Berjeron, Bob Stuart, and of course, one could wake up with Ted Garland.
Thanks,
John
I’m not sure WHEB-AM actually turned in their AM license…I worked there briefly around 1989 or so with Scott Hooper when the AM side was doing a home-brewed nostalgia format with Sinatra, Bennett, Big Bands, Ella, etc. Wayne…if you have an old WHEB logo image (preferably as a .TIFF file), would you email it to me as well? I retired from radio broadcasting in 2002 and I’m trying to collect old logos of stations where I worked during my 34-year career. Thanks!
WHEB 100.3 is now owned by Clear Channel Radio (who owns about everything except for a few stations on the seacoast.) WHEB is a rock station now (in the AM its Greg and the Morning Buzz..which is similcast with its sister station in Manchester as two others.) The rest of the day is usually voicetracked (with a cool show called “Local Licks” featuring local bands across the seacoast, Maine and Mass. Hosted by JR.)
WHEB shares the facility with WERZ(top 40) WQSO(oldies) WUBB(KISS 95.3) and a couple of AM stations (which are broadcast from the Manchester NH station.) WHEB went from the Star Station to “Hit Rock Radio” in 1983 and never looked back. They have been pulling decient numbers since then (the AM show is in syndication now and doing great.)
Here is a piece of trivia….WHEB is where TV emcee Tom Burgeron got his start. So it does have some stars that made it big!
Norm is now working in Boston at WODS, I believe.
Thanks for directing me to this clip, Darryl! It’s fun to hear the Star Station from a faraway moment in time. The clip is slightly wobbly and runs a little slow, but — whoever put up the clip — thanks for the memory!
Norm
Oh one more thing…a few updates on spellings: my name is spelled Thibeault. I worked with my friends Bill McDermod, who came on at midnight. Tom Bergeron, whom I worked with at WHAV (now the River WXRV), took over my 7 to Midnight airshift in 1980, when I opened a recording studio on Congress Street known as Reelization.
Norm
Hi Norm,
I’ll never forget Tom Begeron’s song “Marty Feldman Eyes” (to the music of “Betty Davis Eyes”) that you produced for him at your reelization studio. I still have the audio tape of the night it was played on WHEB for the first time, with you joining Tom in the studio.
Bob
Hey, Norm.
Considering that you were at WHAV (and I assume this is during their legendary — and somehow very commonly overlooked — “Look To Us” days), is there ANY WAY you can make any airchecks from WHAV available to at least be heard.
Not much is known about this station, and it would seem, just as well, that a lot of its history is deliberately being erased and/or forgotten. The “Look To Us” jingle package is probably the best-known classic jingle package in the history of INDEPENDENT radio. Don’t you think it would be a major event to hear what the jocks sounded like alongside these jingles, ESPECIALLY knowing that Tom Bergeron was actually one of those jocks at this small, but powerful station? (Just finding out this factoid the way I did 7 years ago was one hell of an astonishment for me.)
If this is at all possible, PLEASE see what you can do.
Until then, take good care.
D.L. CHANDELL
Music & Entertainment Analyst and Historian,
DLC IndustryWatch
Brings back great memories of Pease AFB as well/What ever happen to Duncan Dewar????
Duncan is a PD over in Dover NH at WBYY FM (The Bay.) He used to do an afternoon show, but I haven’t heard him on the air lately. I guess he is too busy running the show. Hey Norm…glad you enjoyed this “blast from the past.” I wish someone could find some old air checks of Tom Burgeron (he was incredibly funny on that shift!)
WHEB AM 750 started out back in 1932 as a Christian station owned by the Portsmouth Advent Christian Church. It was the pet project of the church’s minister, whose name, I think, was Rev. Harold Wilson. By the 1940s it was a commercial station, and later on it came under the ownership of Norman Knight (Knight Quality Radio), who also owned WGIR, WEIM in Fitchburg, WSAR in Fall River, and a few other stations that he bought and sold over time, including WSRS-FM in Worcester (former WTAG-FM; ironically, Knight later bought WTAG AM too).
I used to listen to WHEB when I was a kid in the ’60s. It had a “beautiful music” format, was an NBC affiliate, and, as you said, went off the air at sunset every day to protect WSB down in Atlanta. The FM station was playing rock by the late ’60s.
Wow! This is a very cool blast from the past. Not only hearing Norm’s voice again and station promos, but the songs that WHEB was playing then. I grew up with WHEB in the 70s and 80s. I remember Norm and Duncan Dewer and Tom Bergeron. I was a 7th grader when me and my little girlfriends dropped in on Tom in studio to meet him and give him a present. He was insanely gracious and even put us on the air. I’ll never forget it.
My husband’s father used to play live country music on WHEB back in the 1930s. He was with a band called the Sanford Troubadours. I’d like to hear from anyone who remembers this band or knew any of the members.
Anyway the group played to open the Youth Hour on WHEB. They also played for local dances.