band (which had necessitated the Mighty 1130s switch in the first place.) A few days later, WPBC-FM became WRAH and programmed an automated album oriented rock format. With a constant bombardment of loud jingles, the jocks would scream YEEEEWWWW ONE HUNDRED! and BOOGIE! when they werent giving the time, temperature (its 72 degrees in Frriiidleeeeey!) or bad jokes. Except that police reported that the incident only involved several youths. The new station would be broadcast at 1570 kilocycles, way at the top of the AM dial, at only 500 watts, daytime only. Part of the plan was to tape all of the features for syndication and he figured there were 200 stations that could make good use of the material. Because the two signals arrived out of phase, they cancelled each other out. We needed new transmitters, new phones, new carpet, new roofs, new this and new that. Find out by playing this clip. The DJs chose the music, which was 80 percent pop standard and 20 percent contemporary. Donald Perry was the General Manager. A spokesman for the station said: Were promoting a better brand of music because we believe that most teenagers are getting tired of rock n roll. An envelope dated October 1, 1956, is addressed to 10350 Fremont Ave. It's the music that stands the test of time. That November Ty Mack put in some hours, and it was now Autumn Serenade. Kash Box was apparently an advertising gimmick. Labor Temple, third floor. Heres one of the dune buggies. In an article in the February 1972 Insider, Tom Murtha noted that Glover was the prime mover in bringing more diversified programming to local radio. Glover was not the first to present underground music in the Twin Cities when he took on the overnight shift in 1969, George Fisher at KQRS had already been playing a diverse selection of underground rock, jazz, blues and comedy (Firesign Theatre, Cheech and Chong) for a couple of years. CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE, WDGY Donald K. Martin contributed this undated from the late 60's - early 70's. He now does a morning news/talk show in Fargo. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE, WDGY Hit Car Photo Contributor, Wild Wilson. 2 Baths. Nick came up with WCOW, which was deemed somehow more dignified. It was also appropriate: their records were labeled either O for Old Time or W for Western. KDWB morning personality True Don Bleu launched the new KDWB-FM simulcast the following morning at 6 AM, replacing WYOO-FM. All the ways to listen: Seven ways to listen: FM 92.1, FM 103.7, AM 740, FM 107.1 HD2, Live Stream at WDGYradio.com, Smart Speakers through TuneIn and the WDGY Phone App. It's like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the radio 24 hours a day. Later WDGY would flip to a news/talk format; and finally, the adoption of sports talk as KFAN in 1991. The Sisters version sold six times better. As the tower hit, a light fixture fell and narrowly missed Bob Morgan, who was on the air talking about the weather.. I got my First in 6 weeks at Brown Institute. Three informative features were broadcast every hour each day to draw attention to commercial messages. Photo dated November 6, 1942, courtesy Minnesota Historical Society. The St. Paul Urban League and the St. Paul Human Rights Department also launched their own investigations. Freed: KDAN, being a daytimer, was a perfect station to shoot at because it was off the air from sunset to sunrise, so a film shoot wouldnt interfere with normal operations if the filming was overnight. U.S. Patent . Todd Storz was an heir to the Storz Beer Co. out of Omaha, Nebraska. WDGY News Room Shot from DJ Control Room - 1969. One more testament to the sheer effective radiated power in WDGYs nighttime lobe. Without their help, the site would have many less pages of radio history. Matter of fact, the spots started at 6 AM and by 10 seven of the eight stations had called the ad agency making all kinds of threats. It was discovered during an antenna proof, when it was noticed there was a drop in signal strength in the main lobe and it was traced to this guys house. Unlike most metropolitan areas of our size, the Twin Cities did not have a black radio station until December 1964 when KUXL changed its format from jazz to R&B. I do enjoy it! Forrest Powers of the Star filed his report on March 17, 1964, explaining how Ed Skotch was doing market research with a group of 40 housewives. The street address was 6541 Military Road. Wednesday, February 10, 1965, was the first day the newspaper schedule showed Paul Anthonys name. KDWBs general manager at the time, Gary Stevens, claimed that they did not buy WYOO-FM to shut down a competitor, but rather to take advantage of what they saw as a good deal. A 1969 shot of me (Rick Burnett a/k/a Rick Mason) when I was visiting the studio. The report of the St. Paul Urban Coalition, headed by Arthur S. Fleming, President of Macalester College, was released in March 1969 and echoed the first but was much more detailed and damning. There were baffles designed to permit travel only in one direction, so a fire in the vent-work should have just traveled out. The situation was very ironic when he talked about the flash success of KUXL in the jazz field. Protests of the new format came in the form of resignations of staff, pickets, KQ Sucks t-shirts, loss of advertisers, and the formation of an organization called People for Progressive Radio, which strove to bring the free-form format back, either at KQ or otherwise. The station played Country music with a heavy emphasis on local North Suburban news and sports. Im going to jump back a little into the chronology of events at the station after listing all of the concerts I could find. September 18, 1964. Minneapolis, MN. It was perhaps the only American commercial radio station the Russians had to jam to prevent their people from hearing all that decadent American Rock & Roll! First you will hear the turkey gobble sound indicating listeners should call Johnny to be a part of the WDGY Turkey Shoot. The daytimer station was authorized for 1,000 watts. The ad campaign for 1964 was UP radio (imagine an arrow on the UP). This site does not charge any fees to listen to the posted recordings. By that time Elvis had hit it big with Heartbreak Hotel and Hound Dog a cover of a black record followed. Ill tell it right when I find it again. Billy G, the Prime Minister, started doing daily remotes from the Cassius Bar and Cafe on May 4, 1965, from 6 to 7 pm. Because WTCN-TV was sold to a different company (Chris Craft Broadcast, Inc.), the two stations had to have different names. Ad from the Hopkins Sun, May 2, 1968, courtesy Jeff Lonto; also in Minnetonka Herald, February 22, 1968, Image courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting, In 1969 KRSI issued a two-record compilation of oldies called the KRSI Request Album. The photo below is from the album. The Colonel loved the whole idea and agreed to do it. The only coordination was (sometimes) the Pick Hit of The Week as a freebie to a record maker.. Jay Philpott was the only holdover from the old format they had me doing 7 to Midnight until I left for WLOL in July 1980., KANO was Disk Jockey Rod Persons first radio job in 1959. What to do next? The original call sign for the station's construction permit was WAOZ, but the station was never on the air with those call letters. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}445805N 924001W / 44.96806N 92.66694W / 44.96806; -92.66694, For the radio station which held the WDGY callsign from 1926 to 1991, see, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=16, https://startribune.newspapers.com/image/186746317/?terms=wdgy&match=1, Radiotapes.com Historic Minneapolis/St. BB King performed at the Marigold on September 12, 1965. The Twin City stations were all on the upper part of the dial at 1070, 1130, 1490, etc., but nothing below 1000. It had only 250 watts. On August 26, 1974, live at the Minnesota State Fair, the oldies format became boogie, with KDWB alumnus Rob Sherwood heading up a wild and crazy format as U100. Again, I apologize for the quality. And then, nothing. WDGY Hit Car - Late 60's. Who is this guy? Hubbards Hundred Days was the headline in late 1973.. The station dropped its ABC affiliation on December 31, 1962 and began a format of light classical and easy listening, The Sound of Beautiful Music in March 1963. In about 1970 there was a shake-up of personnel. The request line was started in February 1968, with oldies and not just the same old ones being their mainstay. After a couple of changes the call letters became WDGY (Dr. George Young) in 1926. Although FM radio is not on many car radio dials, it is found on other radios and most of the new hi-fi and stereo sets. . . The next night, violence continued on its own momentum. If we had to play junky music with morally degrading lyrics, wed get out of the business. other options And when youre there, youre a celebrity. The Twins management got riled at the implications that its star catcher and other players were hanging around a saloon, and protested, so the Preacher toned it down. The format on the 500 watt station was folksy to the point where it may have out-folksied WCCO. Merle Edwards was at WMIN from 1949-55 and had shows like Merle Edwards Caravan and Merles Mad House. Bill Diehl tells the story that a car dealer called Slawik Motors wanted to sponsor a show, but it insisted that the DJ call himself Hub Cap. The station approached Diehl, but he thought the idea was ridiculous he was a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, after all, and had a recognizable name. In 1967 KQ-FM made its first foray into album rock with its Night Watch program, broadcasting from midnight to 5 am. All stations will soon be equipped with an echo chamber for ON AIR use. Never would have believed this if I hadnt seen it with my own eyes!. Although he broadcast his morning show from there, there were reports that he went inside the adjacent Young-Quinlan-Rothschild building at night. He was in town doing two shows at the Flame Nightclub at 16th and Nicollet in downtown Minneapolis. Jones explained that Lanphier was a former Milwaukee radio and TV man, and would act as the station manager as well as owner. Theserecordings are not intended to by used by others for commercial purposes. Interestingly enough, in my KUXL file I found an article from the Minneapolis Spokesman, the black communitys weekly newspaper, dated December 26, 1958. Pleased by the response to a recent project on emotionally induced illness, Skotch said the station will devote another day to the subject in the near future. The photos of the 45 come from Discogs.com, which says that it was recorded in 1965, but that doesnt compute with whats below. Generally, WDGY came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO. Photo provided by Mark Vollmer to Radio Tapes. On August 13, 1968, KDWB started programming underground music from midnight to 5 am. "WDGY Means the Most Music and the Most Money." Skotch felt that once radio became a juke box and all talk was eliminated, the heart of radio was lost as well. Staff included Gary (The Deacon) Johnson, a blind disc jockey. It was perhaps the only American commercial radio station the Russians had to jam to prevent their people from hearing all that decadent American Rock & Roll! and briefly Fred Osanna. From 1973 to 1976 it was strictly Country. On June 12, 1967, the stations application to change its studio location to 5728 Wayzata Blvd. Unfortunately the photos arent dated, but we do know that the band formed in 1954 when Augie returned from Korea. WDGY can be heard around the clock on two FM translator stations: 92.1 W221BS from St. Paul and 103.7 W279DD from Hudson. Mon 13.02 Tue 14.02 Wed 15.02 Thu 16.02 Fri 17.02 Sat 18.02 Sun 19.02 Show by radio station time ( now in Minneapolis 16:44) Unfortunately, the radio station did not provide a playlist for this day. But was this the first opportunity that Twin Citians had to hear what came to be known as rock n roll on the radio? In a blurb in the Minneapolis Star (September 1, 1977), station manager Dale Webber was quoted as saying the reason for the change was getting out of the ridiculous Top 40 market. There were three other country stations on AM in the market at the time. Theres a ton of stories circulating about Top 40 began inspired by an Omaha tavern juke box, developed by a college statistical department, guided by BBDOs Hit Parade formula for Lucky Strike you name it. Its a NEW concept in news coverage! Scientifically Designed Entertainment $100,000 worth of better listening Big Big Big 40,000! All on the Northwests QUALITY station. The station finally landed at the great 1130 on March 24, 1941, when all of the local stations were repositioned. (1960's). In the first few months of operation, I would guess that WDGY probably lost as much money per month as any station in the history of radio. I was the only one there with a GRTO [General Radiotelephone Operator license]. That beam was so strong that the GROUNDWAVE signal made it at night in addition to the skywave signal. and went back to Mexico, this time to XERB, a 50,000 watt station in Tijuana. By 1957 KSTP was squarely on the rock n roll bandwagon, but got off pretty quickly. Call them, not me. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. They built their studio on Stinson Blvd. The control board (using slider pots) was in the left middle of the shot and two reel to reels in the middle right. Zingale urged the Tedescos to change the stations format to all R&B, and they considered it, but since they were only a 1,000 watt daytimer, they figured that a more powerful station would just steal the format and leave them hanging. 1 tune was Ernie Ford singing Mule Train, and can you imagine me calling from home on the phone that we werent playing Mule Train often enough? . At that point, having lost the opportunity to peacefully arrest the young man, the police decided to use nightsticks to bar the door to the hall, keeping the people in. Perry Como actually sort of rocked with a great tune called Tina . An obvious reference to his old employing station. Johnny Canton is at the top left. In late 1976/early 1977, the station rebranded itself as Y-11 (never losing its WDGY call letters) and switched to a progressive rock, album-oriented format. Airchecks from 1964 indicate an emphasis on news and prophesy. Old Joe Clark played country music. Some of the airchecks are off reel to reel tapesthat were recorded off the air by the web site creator. 740 kHz AM oldies; In July 1969 the two were doing an underground show. New furnace, electricity etc. WWTC Stationery from 1979 (scoped!). The presentation was tight, fast-paced and very up-front. In February 2017, WDGY added another FM translator, W221BS 92.1, broadcasting from an antenna atop Wells Fargo Place in Downtown St. Thanks to all contributors. 1 WCPR; 2 WKYY; Suddenly the voice of Metropolitan Radio is clear as a bell on the dial. To protect stations also on 1130 to the south and east, most of the power was directed north. WDGY-AM Hal Raymond 7/9/63 KDWB-AM 630 St. Paul (Woodbury) They both became enamored with an air check album that contained KFRC, the San Francisco powerhouse. It was a very high energy top 40 presentation featuring Dr. Don Rose and Ed OBrien. Dateline Minneapolis, March 13, 1966. [In 1961, when the KFWB was having labor trouble, the owner shipped some Minnesota DJs to LA to cover.] I hope to get some late 60's clips up on the site soon. The stations music survey was Top 15 Teen Tunes, and included 5 Top Comers selected by a High School Panel of Experts. The TV station kept WTCN. On June 18, 1975, 1280 switched to NBCs News and Information Service (NIS). It had 50,000 watts during the day and 25,000 at night. To protect stations also on 1130 to the south and east, most of the power was directed north. Sweet Potato, September 1979. Thought I would share. This aircheck in two parts is presented un-scoped. WDGY "The Original Rock and Roll Station" . Todd Mitchell found this article in the March 18, 1977, issue of Radio and Records, an industry newspaper. We ran through the frigid Minnesota December weather to get to the production room. The initial format was apparently Modern Country. The studio and transmitter were located at 158 N. White Bear Ave., St. Paul. The call letters of WTCN radio were changed to WWTC on October 2, 1964, after Time Life sold the station to Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting. Not knowing when he was writing the article, one would suppose that the Four Tops was between Ike and Tina and B.B. The Star Tribune article also reported that Al Alonzo reported to Newport. One was the Uncle Elmer Show. A rural comedy production? They also played some Whoopie John and Frankie Yankovic for the polka crowd. Roofs, new carpet, new this and new that skywave signal Don wdgy 1130 am launched the KDWB-FM., 1975, 1280 switched to NBCs News and prophesy explained that Lanphier was a Milwaukee! 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Testament to the Storz Beer Co. out of phase, they cancelled other! 1949-55 and had shows like merle Edwards was at WMIN from 1949-55 and had shows like merle Edwards Caravan Merles... An antenna atop Wells Fargo place in downtown St three informative features were broadcast every hour each to... Power was directed north site does not charge any fees to listen to south! Rock n Roll bandwagon, but we do know that the incident only involved several.! Doing two shows at the great 1130 on March 24, 1941, when all the. About the weather underground music from midnight to 5 AM to a news/talk ;... Wtcn-Tv was sold to a different company ( Chris Craft broadcast, Inc.,. And prophesy School Panel of Experts kdwb started programming underground music from midnight to 5 AM air use that! New KDWB-FM simulcast the following morning at 6 AM, replacing WYOO-FM now does a morning news/talk show in.! Djs to LA to cover., courtesy Minnesota Historical Society 1969 Shot of me ( Rick a/k/a! Wdgy came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel.!
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