Date of Recording: 1966 (Exact Date Unknown)
Station: 1270 WXYZ Detroit, Michigan, USA
Format: Motown/Soul
Station Slogan: “Channel 1270“; “The Super Hit Sound”
Featured Air Talent: Lee Alan (sp?)
Contributor: Jim Hampton
Date of Posting: 09.27.2017
Total Time: 12:35
Airchexx Entry: 1,518
This the Horn! Lee Alan who is wonderful for you!
Curator’s Notes:
This audio came directly off the studio skimmer reel. Notice the distorted and flat EQ response in Lee Alan’s mic. I’d say his voice sounds HORRIBLE in this recording, and one must wonder what it sounded like after AM limiting and processing for air. Someone didn’t watch his board levels!!
Other than the obvious mic distortion, the rest of this is pretty clear. It sounds to my trained ears that WXYZ is playing mainly 45 rpm records, with perhaps some of the music on carts. You can hear the distortion that comes with too many plays, as the needle will wear a record out over time… which is why when we played records at my first station, the MD kept multiple copies of the same song, so that if one became either too cue burned or the whole record started sounding bad, it got replaced.
A few positives – the commercials and other elements including those GREAT PAMS “Fun Vibrations” custom WXYZ re-sings are loud and clear! And it’s those elements that highlight the historic nature of this broadcast (nothing sensational, just the commercials) which turn an otherwise bland aircheck into serious ear candy.
And remember, in 1966, across the river in Canada, CKLW was blasting out 50,000 watts of Motown to the entire Eastern Seaboard every night… and all the way to Buffalo NY during the day!
I hope you enjoy listening to this slice of 1966 radio gold, as much as Jim Hampton enjoyed donating it to our archives!
Nice clip! AM radio was so much fun then.
This aircheck is from election day, November 3, 1964, not 1966. Enjoy your channel very much!!!
Lee is a hoot. He sounds like it’s his 1st time on the air with the “format” and hasn’t found his stride yet. Much like an old school MOR or Beautiful Music “announcer” trying to be a rock & roll disk jockey. It’s apparent that he didn’t have his headphone volume loud enough, or he would have certainly heard the distortion from pegging the vu meter, instead of keeping it below the red……….a thing many of us also learned the hard way.
I don’t think this is from 1966- Johnson Goldwater election was in Nov.1964 –
Do me a favor – type in Lee Alan on the internet, read related info, then tell me if you think he is a hoot. Thanks!!g