In 1982, as WABC New York’s run as a music station was coming to an end, ABC Radio laid plans for a then-new idea for a music network. This network was a complete Top-40 format, complete with major market deejays, jingles, promotions and sales. It even had a number of actual stations lined up to carry the format.
Had this actually launched, there’s no telling how that might have affected ‘local’ radio. Remember, this was 1982, a full 14 years before Telcom ’96 pulled the rug out of localism and competitive programming.
The full story of “SuperRadio” is on the web for those who want to search for it. There’s probably an aircheck of it somewhere… Full Disclosure: We received this on a tape back in 2003 which contained a number of other airchecks from around the United States. The time is right to post this so that everyone can hear just what the former WABC jocks were up to as that station moved to talk radio.
While Ron Lundy and Bob Dayton were listed as jocks, Dan Ingram was certainly the highlight of the format – and it was Big Dan who did this 14+ minute demo, featuring jingles of a number of different stations all included in one big aircheck!
SuperRadio was abruptly cancelled just prior to it’s actual launch. Its said that the staff was completely unaware that the service was not meeting its sales deadlines and was completely shocked when they heard the news.
Listen now, to a format that was decades ahead of its time, and sounds better (in my opinion) than any network format that came after it up to present.
Super Radio failed because they focused on finding affiliates in only the Top 50 markets. ABC couldn’t secure affiliates it all 50 markets so they scrapped the project.
Meanwhile Satellite Music Network focused on finding affiliates in smaller markets where there was a demand for a round a clock programming service. They succeeded.
This is, at least content wise, a great sounding demo. Automated formats always sounded better in theory than practice though, with cue tones that misfired and regular occurrences of dead air mingled with production elements running a muck (jingles and spots firing at the same time).
Still, I remember Rick Sklar talking enthusiastically about the start of Super Radio. I’m sorry it never launched.
Dan, how do I turn into your show while I don’t know the third item on the list on the “Leave a Reply”.
Dan, how do I turn into your show while I don’t know the third item on the list on the “Leave a Reply”. And how do I listen to old Bob Dylan tapes and interviews along with Lenny Bruce, Neal Cassidy, that genre? rs.
WQSR in Baltimore was going to be an affiliate of the service and changed their call letters in anticipation. The SR in WQSR obviously stood for Super Radio.
I worked at K92 in Roanoke VA in 1982, and as a newer on air person overnite… I had more energy than Dan Ingram here. I liked Dan when he was on WABC, as I had heard him on visits to my relatives near NYC in the 70’s. K92 as a whole was more energized than this format sounds. Dan sounds almost a little drunk. My K92 aircheck later got me a 7p to 12 mid airshift and morning comedy writer job for Chucky Boo Boo Baron..(friend of Jay Thomas) at WJAX FM Jacksonville, FL. This Superadio sounds like what they called MOR (middle of the road) …. Dan also sounds a bit like SNL’s Norm Macdonald? I think his name was… who used to do the news..
Wait… Chucky Boo Boo Baron was a real person???
Yes he was and still Is a real person. He lives in Athens, GA last I heard. Why did you think Boo Baron wasn’t real? James Brown gave Boo his airname. He worked at a James Brown station in Augusta, GA back in the late 60’s I think.
If someone else had done the demo I think more affiliates would have wanted the service. Dan sounded drunk. Why wasn’t Paul Barsky or Jay Thomas on a demo. They should have put a sample of all of the jocks on the demo. That’s what killed Superadio. Sklar didn’t have the balls to tell Dan Ingram he sounded bad on the demo.
I say this admitting I only made it through the first four minutes but I didn’t hear them hitting us with any contests or promotions in this demo.
A national radio network could have been giving away cars and cash and stuff. And if they did maybe Dan would have had something to talk about other than song tie-ins.
Imaging could have been more than just jingles that say different call letters.
Great idea, at totally the right time, but man did they screw up the execution. Super sad.
Zrock did this better later.
Pretty awful demo, sounds like a former DJ’s home hobby station or a college AM…cheesh