Guessing here on the exact year of this aircheck, here’s an interesting look at a station which, were it not for all the Country music, would simply be a great MOR station. If one of our listeners can nail down an exact date, I’ll edit this post appropriately.
Notables: You’ll hear a newscast at 6pm with Dianne Kepley (where did she go from here?), a 98-MZQ Editorial with GM Mike Cohen (when was the last time you heard a station do that?) called “What’s Bugging Us?”, and a full length classic commercial for the Bank of Maryland. Hearing “We’re the Bank” sung over and over becomes irritating but, it’s only a one-minute spot!
One thing of note to our listeners. Second song into this aircheck, the song is garbled and unreadable… don’t quit listening – it was the cart machine at WMZQ not our aircheck which went haywire… or as Jim Randall says, ‘it’s the Italian version…’
Naturally, this is a scoped presentation – but that’s, perhaps, a good thing… many of these old Country songs weren’t too notable, except for Larry Gatlin and the one from George Jones & Tammy Wynette. This is PRE Urban Cowboy Country radio, and surprisingly enough, WMZQ used a Top 40 sounding jock who sounded very much like KHJ’s Charlie Tuna – only two octaves lower!
Diane Kepley was at WTOP-AM/FM (and later just FM) until 2007. I hear that she is on the AP Radio Network now these days.
This Jim Randall sounds a whole lot like the same Jim Randall heard on WIIN 970 in Atlanta in the early 70’s. I wouldn’t swear to it however. Maybe someone out there can confirm it.
Karl
During Diane Kepley’s newscast is the story about Bert Lance’s resignation from the Carter administration that had occured that day. That date would be September 21st, 1977.