Thursday, October 15, 2009

We get letters ...

This one's from former KLOU/KMOX/CBS-FM WonderJock Mike McCann, referring to an aircheck linked on the right side:

Mike, It's ex-KLOU/KMOXer Mike McCann. Where did find that sensational 1975 scope of WMID? Just amazing! THAT was the WMID I wished I worked for -- but didn't. Did I ever tell you the story of my time there? In a nutshell, I got hired to be the morning jock in March 1978 -- for a big $160 a week.

The station, battered in the ratings by FM rockers WAYV and WMGM, had recently changed to a low-key hybrid of Bob Pittman's WNBC and WPLJ-style "tight AOR." No jingles, toned down announcing... far from the old Jersey Giant days.

That's the format i worked my first year there. In March of '79, after "the Big G" left to go work for Caesars casino, the station after a weird two-week experiment in disco (that's the same time WABC panicked), went to a heavily dayparted A/C format that worked ratings-wise. I enjoyed that a heck of a lot more, even though we still didn't use jingles... it was a friendly adult Top 40, typical of those stations that tried to grow up a bit with their old audience.

Anyway, hearing WMID in all its glory was a blast. I first heard that amazing sound on Jones Beach, New York, where WMID used to come in really strong. Never got to A.C. until I got hired there, but the station certainly had a reputation, especially among DJs trying to work our way to the bigtime in the Northeast.

Hearing Gary do his Ingram thing and Andy Volvo mimic George Michael's delivery was a blast -- I worked with Andy as well during my year and a half at 1340 Atlantic City.

Thanks for rekindling some great memories.

Anderson says:  I had the good fortune of working at WMID from the Fall of 1971 through the Spring of 1972, in their Jersey Giant Days.  Got there just after I got out of the Army and did news and production and weekends.  Quite a time. Stumbled on from there to Jerry DelColliano's WIFI in Philly and then on to a brilliant programming and production career that eventually landed me doing this dumb website in St. Louis.