Station: 98.1 WCAU-FM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Featured Air Personality: Paul Barsky
Aircheck Entry: 1,433
“Something’s different this morning. Pretzels and Brew…”
Comments:
Raise your hand if you remember “Barsky in the Morning”? In Philly or Chicago? Yes, Paul Barsky was on the old WCAU-FM and was so successful that ABC Chicago noticed and offered him a job at WLS-FM.. although at that point, the station became straight ahead CHR as WYTZ “Z-95”. Barsky really was a consummate professional. Even dabbled in station ownership for a while. Other stations Barsky was heard on include WAXC Rochester, KRBE Houston and WYSP Philadelphia.
Note the almost overpowering reverb 98 Now was running in 1984. It wouldn’t last much longer as the station was destined to become Oldies WOGL, but it was great in its early/mid-80s heyday.
Man, i wish Barsky could work for WOSL A.K.A. Cincy’s Old School 100.3 he would be perfect as a program director & a morning dj!
Sounds like he was in the bottom of a canyon.
This was such a fun, high energy format!! I loved all the jingles….this package in particular. 98 had great sounding DJs, who really knew how to deliver this fast, uptempo radio style. I can’t help but think 98 would’ve lasted longer, if it played more variety. I miss this station!! Please post more
Where is Barsky now?!?! I want to introduce him to Boston, where I live now. I miss those Philadelphia mornings.
Barsky is very underrated in the history of personality radio. Most of his career was in Philly radio, but if he was on in NY or L.A., he would have been mentioned in the same conversation as Shannon, Stern , Imus and Dees. He most recently was doing a comedy News-Talk show in Miami I believe. From what I heard he was in a bad car accident that took him away from his show. I googled him and found a bunch of his Talk show audio at PaulBarsky.com. Hilarious stuff. He sounds completely different today ( actually better) than he did on this air check from 32 years ago. One of the most talented personalities ever.
Love the Howard Cosell bit! The type of stuff you couldn’t get away with in today’s overly-politically correct climate. I’ve heard other Barsky airchecks from WCAU-FM, but never with the creative freedom heard here.
This is a good air check given the era ( the early 80’s). But Barsky had much more creative control during his days at Y-100 in and WMMR in Philly in the 90’s and early 2000’s. His work then was so much better, very, very funny and entertaining stuff.
I grew up with this station… Just the greatest CHR ever!…. They flipped to oldies in 1987… think it was September… I think I was depressed… but then again.. I’m a radio geek… I refused to listen to Eagle 106 (competition)… Then I wound up working at Q-102 in the early 90s and was part of the team that put that station down! It was a good day.. I was in the on-air studio the when Eagle flipped to Smooth Jazz…
“Greatest CHR station ever!”…I couldn’t agree with you more.
I had a friend who began attending West Chester University in 1983. That year, I visited him from Providence over Columbus Day weekend and that was the first time I heard WCAU-FM. I was blown away by the DJs and the Hot Hits format…jingles everywhere!! I loved the station so much, I had him send me a cassette tape every month…wish I still had them today!