New York
Cousin Bruce Morrow, 77 WABC New York | June, 1965
… maybe it’ll be YOUR name on our big station this coming week! Wouldn’t that be nice? Audio Player below notes Curator’s Notes: I think one of the best things about doing this website all these years is being able to go way back to a time before many of our visitors even began listening to the radio. This really is quite a learning experience for all of us. At the risk of stating the obvious, Brucie is talking so fast if you don’t listen very carefully at times, you miss what he’s saying. He is so animated here, it almost breaks the flow of WABC’s Top 40 format. Almost. This is controlled chaos at its best. Sure, there’s time, temp, weather forecast, and EEEEEE here and there and a commercial between each and every record. But at this ...
Harry Harrison, MusicRadio 77 WABC New York | August 9, 1979
Monday morning, Harry Harrison on WABC Audio player below notes. Curator’s Notes Harry Harrison (WMCA/WABC/WCBS-FM) is the featured personality on this particular Monday morning, during a typical sounding day on the old MusicRadio 77 WABC! Sent in by our Contributor, Alan Fletcher, way back in 2005, this recording was featured on WABC Rewound, Memorial Day 2005. I’ve edited out the extra voice work done by Johnny Donovan, so that this is presented as it sounded in 1979. WABC fans will note the date. The “New York Massacre” happened on December 21 and at that time, the whole sound of WABC would change. That event was the beginning of the end for the 77 as a music station, in the opinion of many fans and experts. For now though, the “Great S...
Broadway Bill Lee, 97.1 WQHT New York | May, 1989
“You might’s well write it down, the station that’s heard all over town… Please scroll down to read an important message Curator’s Notes: The Airchexx archives are still chocked full of goodies given to us in years past! Contributor Andy Bologovsky sent this one way back when I lived in Tennessee on CD. A pretty good quality recording of “Hot 97” in its dance-oriented phase at the end of the 80s! The one thing Bill Lee is noted for most of all is being able to rhyme to nearly anything, any occasion, any artist… you name it. He ‘hits the post’ every time, too! I’ve left in the commercials and the station promos so that the listener captures the moment… the Spring of 1989. Where were you when you heard this stuff on the ...
Dan Ingram, WCBS-FM 101.1 New York | June 30, 2002; 1-3 PM
Please scroll below the player and read an important message Honestly now… what do I write about the world’s best disc jockey that hasn’t already been said? He’s the greatest ever. Period. Listen to this nicely scoped aircheck and you’ll hear why. Furthermore, if you want to laugh, really belly laugh, Dan Ingram‘s one-liners are REALLY funny on this particular day! The honored group of the day is people who have kooky fantasies! Don’t ask, just listen! Word of the day: Conglutenate. And of course Ingram has at least half a dozen different definitions (probably only one of which is listed in Webster’s Dictionary). Ingram is so funny this day that you can actually hear his engineer laughing in the background! This is where I stop talking and th...
Dan Ingram, MusicRadio 77 WABC New York | August 31, 1971; 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Curator’s Original Notes: Dan Ingram is up to his typical antics here on an early 70s Summer day in the Big Apple. Listen for lots of full-length commercials with their own theme songs, like Coca-Cola, Canada Dry Ginger Ale “Tastes Like Us”, in fact, this must have been the height of an era when people like Dick Van Dyke were spokespersons for many of the products we take for granted even today! How about these rarities: Ballentine Beer (voiced by Ernie Anderson, we think), Simonize Vista “shines the dulls away” On this recording, today is survey day, and Big Dan is telling the song positions, but playing the songs out of order, ahead of Cousin’ Bruce Morrow’s show. This is during the “Most Music” era at WABC, and the jingles and slogan...
103.5 WAPP Lake Success/New York | January 3, 1983
Curator’s Original Notes: One recording we didn’t post when Matt over at Big Apple Airchecks sent us a bunch in ’07 was this aircheck of AOR station WAPP. Now, WAPP, for a time, was a great rock station after having changed formats from WTFM Beautiful Music sometime in 1982. By 1983 it was time for a change, and while this is essentially still a hard rock station in January of that year, it would flip to CHR a few months later. Darryl Hall & John Oates sounds conspicuously out of place sandwiched in between Jethro Tull and Journey, but it’s certainly a sign of things to come – Best example of this kind of change might have been 94.5 WCOZ Boston, which after ditching the “Kick Ass Rock n Roll” hard Rock format from John Sebastian, found itself l...
Bob Shannon, WCBS-FM 101.1 New York | October 17, 2011
Just a short recording of Shannon's Afternoon Drive program
Composite, 98.7 WXLO New York | 1976
“Ok, folks… everybody… take off your clothes and LETS GO!“ Curator’s Notes: This is a FUN aircheck! No reverb, the tape was a bit muddy especially the first few minutes, but you’ll laugh through much of this six minutes of RKO General heaven! Be sure to listen carefully, because this literally FLIES by! I’m a bit confused as to the exact date. This sounds very much like 1976 by the music, but it could be early 1977, based upon the air staff. Someone out there knows. Click the following links to hear more from the 99X Jocks! Heard in order: Glenn Morgan Terry Nelson Steve “Smokin'” Weed Paulie Bobby Messina Dick Sloan This aircheck brought to you courtesy of the Big Apple Airchecks Collection – without which we’d have a subst...
Chuck Leonard, 77 WABC New York | November 2, 1975
“WABC New York, All you Need to Win! Curator’s Notes: You’ll note right off that election day is coming up. Even if there wasn’t a label on the source recording, we would have known that the date of this broadcast was 11/2/75. Chuck Leonard did Sundays, along with his night shift in 1975 and he clearly says it’s morning. Further, what you don’t hear is the part of this aircheck which aired during Rewound 2005, where Johnny Donovan actually announces the date of Chuck’s broadcast. A few other ‘notables’… The WABC game is in full swing and we hear a few liners and promos for it voiced by Dan Ingram. Chuck Leonard even takes a winner over the phone for all to hear about mid-way through this. There’s an interesting network promo...
Dan Ingram, 77 WABC New York | June, 1980
The Honored Group of the Day is folks who cry at weddings… Curator’s Notes: At this point in the evolution of MusicRadio 77 WABC, Dan Ingram had been doing mornings for about a year. He’s quite comfortable here in June, 1980, although not quite as good as his former afternoon show was. Here at this point in the year, the format is still straight up Top 40. Lots of disco music was still being played and the station is still very upbeat. A few months later… boring AC would arrive, along with the ultimate demise of the station just under two years from this recording. You’ll like this. Promise!
Jim Collins & “The Time Machine”, 66 WNBC New York | November 29, 1987
Date of Recording: 11.29.1987 Station: 660 WNBC New York (W2XY/WBAY/WEAF/WRCA/WNBC) Format: Full-Service Gold-Based Adult Contemporary Branding: “Sixty-Six W NNNNNNNN BC“ Featured Air Personality: Jim Collins (WPGC/WNBC/others) Contributor: Frank Davis Total Time: 22:22 (Telescoped) Airchexx Entry: 1,542 WNBC Burnin’ up in a heatwave of hot STEAMING Rock N Roll!… Curator’s Notes: Pre-dated in the New York area ONLY by 101.1 WCBS-FM, this was simply the best Oldies show on the air at that time. The whole idea was to re-create the 1960s sound of 77 WABC, and, right down to the PAMS jingle re-sings, this show accomplished that goal! Most of you will probably agree. These Oldies really SOUND better in Mono, anyway!
Dan Ingram on “Channel 77” WABC New York (January 25/March 22, 1966)
Station: 770 WABC (WJZ) New York (Wikipedia) (WABC Website) (WABC Tribute Website) Format: Top 40 Branded: “The All-Americans” Ownership: The American Broadcasting Company Featured Air Personality: Dan Ingram (Wikipedia) (Dan Ingram interview with Allan Sniffen at Musicradio77.com) Contributor: Big Apple Airchecks Total Time: 10:26 Curator’s Notes: This aircheck is a bit confusing. Actually three different ‘checks on one tape, this starts with the beginning of the famous New York City blackout – Dan Ingram mentioning the electricity ‘slowing down’. Really just a clip, before it moves on to January 25, and then March 22 of 1968. Notice the majority of this recording lacks WABC’s reverb. Most likely either recorded directly off the board or fro...
