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.

Life's little ironies ...

This is one of those "Holy coincidence, Batman!" moments.

The guy in the photo at left is Jerry DelColliano, with whom I worked at an FM station in Philadelphia in the early 1970's.  He was the PD, I was the Peon.  Jerry went on to found the radio trade Inside Radio, sold it to Clear Channel, worked out his noncompete teaching in LA and started up Inside Music Media.

We've kept in touch off and on over the years.

The monument next to him is on Long Beach Island in NJ and commemorates the massacre of one  of my ancestors a few years back. Captain Steelman would be my Great +++ Uncle.  The family came to the US in the late 1600's and settled on the Jersey Shore; my Mother was an Atlantic City Steelman.  Her Father, Granville, was a big muckety-muck in AC and burned up the family money traveling the world with his second wife after he retired.

Haven't been to LBI in many years, but as I remember, the monument is not too far away from a venerable old lighthouse.

Jerry also went to college with my old boss from KIX104 here, but we don't talk about Shelly Davis very much.