He promised: One day it may be modern, the next day flavor of blues. Because WTCN-TV was sold to a different company (Chris Craft Broadcast, Inc.), the two stations had to have different names. The daytimer station was authorized for 1,000 watts. $755,000 Last Sold Price. This one, courtesy Sam Sabean, is entitled Hobo Sam and His Bum Program. This is borne out by the number of Grand Ole Opry touring shows that came through in those days. Although they play the jingle "The Music's on Us" you will hear a little more talk compared to the typical WDGY music format. Since KDWB did not cover the area as well as WDGY, that was the station my uncle listened to continuously. Scripts saved all these years by DJ John Evans list songs such as: WLOL had lots of shows with tantalizing names, such as Top Tunes, Roys Record Shop, Todays Hits, Top Ten, Hit Parade, and Off the Record. (Minneapolis Star, March 14, 1966). WDGY-AM 1130 Sign-Off, 1970 - YouTube This sign-off announcement from a radio station in Minneapolis (now News/Talk KTCN) is one of many audio files preserved at:http://www.radiotapes.comNo. As a promotional gimmick, Skotch planned to distribute 100,000 happiness charts, which supposedly predicts the days when a person will feel cheerful or grumpy. Jeff Lonto says that they became a middle-of-the-road music station for years, also carrying NBC news and NBCs Monitor on weekends. Image courtesy Jeff Lonto, Adult Standards, February 1980 to 1982. Im guessing that KAAYs Beaker Street was influential here. The stations request to change the location of the studio to 5730 Duluth Street in Golden Valley was approved on October 14, 1969. One letter to the editor mourned the Death of Jazz, praised Herb Schoenbaum and Leigh Kamman, who gave much to the betterment of good music in the Twin Cities, and directed particular admiration to Paul Franklyn, who flew the jazz banner through the wildest change of station ownership and programming this city has ever seen. (Minneapolis Star, December 28, 1964). In 1976, U of M student Gregg Lindahl joined for summer employment as music director. In January 1971 the station started to gradually move away from the oldies and gradually more toward album cuts. The control board, counters, carts, walls, microphone, everything. At about 9:30 pm, someone with a shotgun wounded three police officers who, with about 20 others, were trying to break up a crowd of about 200 who had gathered at the site of a firebombing. He had to play the #1 song every hour, and the others at will. KS95 was beginning to take hold. Original staff consisted of Rob Sherwood, Jeff MotherRobins, Benny Blore (Bill Hartman) Jerry Brook, U.S. The entire concept, advertising and promotion was headed and created by Mike Siegelman, Rob Sherwood, and Bill Hartman. But in Minneapolis-St. Paul a good part of the year was snowbound and it was really hard to see the billboards through all that sleet. Two of them, a married couple, were from Minneapolis, and they had a loaded submachine gun in the trunk of their car and a .45 pistol under the seat. In April 1929 the frequency apparently became 1180. WTCN Radios history goes back to September 1934, and even further back if you count its predecessors, but Ill just start with the 1950s. In his usual wry style, Irv describes how KRSIs General Manager, John Enoch, was testing Control Unit Model 901, which generated automated programming. The mother of all remotes was when several people from the station took over the Ebony Lounge, which was located in St. Paul over Roadbuddys Barbeque. Front row: Susan Bradley and John Pete (KRSI). Also, a fun fact is that in October 1964, wide-eyed George Murphy (something you cant see on radio) became Dino Day and began hosting A Date With Dino on Channel 9 TV. In 1956 or 57 Zingale went to New York as an account executive and, with two others, bought a White Plains radio station. This venerable station was around for a long time, and occasionally tried on new names, including: This page, like this website, sticks to pre-1975, and tries to focus on popular music. WDGY News Room Shot from DJ Control Room - 1969. Feb 28, 2023. Some of the airchecks are off reel to reel tapesthat were recorded off the air by the web site creator. Additionally, the recordings can be used byvision impaired visitorsto get an audio perspective of radio history. Over the next few days, the cleaning and repairing continued. But the Country format was gaining acceptance among older baby-boomers and melding that growth with WDGYs big 50,000-watt signal gave new purpose to the station and validation to a growing, willing audience that perhaps Country musics time was coming. In 1962 WDGY broadcast the Vikings games. WMIN was still resisting the rock n roll bandwagon in January 1957, when it was playing Easy Listening. We have no airchecks, but ratings books from 1953 to 1955 do give us the names of programs that give hints as to what they were playing: KEYD was primarily a country station, with shows by Slim Jim and the Vagabond Kid and programs called Record Rodeo and Random Ranch. Notice the Catman poster on the upper wall. Alonzo himself was to do the afternoon drive. It was Helm that people petitioned to have on the station more than anything, after trying him out on a trial basis starting in the middle of 1972. KDWB went on the air on September 16, 1959, as a top 40 station. . The stations schedule wasnt printed in the Tribune until December 10, 1961. Coast to Coast AM is overnight talk radio with daytime ratings. They would play gospel, and they would play Rhythm and Blues. Both Will Jones (Tribune, November 2, 1965) and Preacher Paul (Twin City a Go Go, Holiday 1965) wrote about the place, and how they installed 14 of the finest foxes youd ever want to see, a sound system thatll knock the buckle right off your belt, some of those sweet, gone, pine-toppin KUXL sounds, and crowds of out-a-sight swingers. 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. Try it yourself. We hope you will enjoy our first birthday edition YESTERHITS FROM YESTERDAY and join us in listening to the second year of Much More Music on 1130 Radio WDGY. The station played four categories of Country: Drake-Chenaults sales manager explained that if a station tried to duplicate the format live, youd have to get supertalented country jocks, a top-notch country producer and all the other things. 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. Preacher Paul is no preacher. Paul Magazine, August 1978, courtesy Jeff Lonto. In September/October 1957 it announced new programming, with more music, more news, more often. By October it was a big-time rock n roll station, at least until that December, with DJs Rog Kent, Don Hawkins and Harry Zimmerman. 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. Merle announced me when I called in, and gave me five seconds of dead air to start my home recorder at 78 rpm. Rock Around the Clock was recorded in 1954 and became big news in 1955. The purpose of this site is to provide radio history and intendedfor purposes of archival preservation and research.Windows Media Player works well to play these MP3 files, and depending on your internet settings, will start streaming the file once the link is clicked, Some files are large and may take time to open. From politics, current events, science and the arts, Hes still sick of The Wayward Wind., As for where the lists came from, Ramsburg explains, Juke box operators depended on Cash Box, which was a few weeks faster with sales figures than Billboard. The new station would be broadcast at 1570 kilocycles, way at the top of the AM dial, at only 500 watts, daytime only. John Fine was also part of this tight social group. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE, WDGY Hit Car Photo Contributor, Wild Wilson. Another January 1957 ad said If You Dig Rhythm N Blues Mitchells the Most! Or when Bill Bennett 2-6 cuts in on Nancy Wilsons HOW GLAD I AM to tell her about THE BOY FROM IMPANEMA. An envelope dated October 1, 1956, is addressed to 10350 Fremont Ave. (Minneapolis Daily Herald, August 8, 1962). Jimmy was good friends with Tac Hammer, who was working at request radio KRSI at the time and also a former KDWB-AM jock. In 1973-75 Chuck Knapp and Charlie Bush in the morning, Machine Gun Kelly and others livened things up. November 1966s In-Beat magazine included an interview with the stations new DJ and Program Manager, Ray Moss. September 18, 1964. Jack Thayer had started his career here, from 1942-1951. All stations will soon be equipped with an echo chamber for ON AIR use. 1130 WDGY. Other Facebook stories of the strength of the transmission: In 1952 the station was sold to a group of four local businessmen, one of which was Clarence T. Hagman. Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society. Rock. Hed also done some research in music therapy, and planned to play records for what they did for the listener. Mid 60's photo of WDGY's Johnny Dollar on the back of a Honda being driven by a constest winner. All stations will soon be equipped with an echo chamber for ON AIR use. The only coordination was (sometimes) the Pick Hit of The Week as a freebie to a record maker.. In late 1935 a new non-directional 226 Truscan Steel Vertical Radiator (tower) was erected at the site. There were other ways for Twin Citians to hear pre-WDGY rock n roll, of course: Records from Melodee Record Shop in Downtown Minneapolis, movies like Blackboard Jungle, and live performances of pop, jazz, and country acts. A couple years back I brought you Serutan, the product guaranteed to cure what ails you. She missed winning $678. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE. And, as we all know, anything that is natures own is good for what ails you. This is Jim Dandy's (Jim Evarts) second time at WDGY-AM. It had hope to start broadcasting a week ago but was held up by equipment delays. Kamman went to New York, but fortunately returned to present this gift to the Twin Cities. The fire department didnt want us beginning the clean up until the inspector could make sure the building was safe to enter. And it is impossible to do a newspaper search on Bob Smith. He did continue to make Wolfman tapes in the Golden Valley studio and ship them to Mexico. Also my parents listened to WDGY in the mid to late 50's and on the long drive to the lake as well. Owned and operated by WRPX. Merle introduced me when I called in, and gave me five seconds of dead air to start my home recorder at 78 rpm.. Bottom Row: Dan Halyburton, Larry E. Cummins, Jimmy Reed. From there he went on to be Milkman Sam until about 1956. Charlie playfully talked to Don about a glee club and does the Weatherball Weather, sponsored by North Western National Bank.."May We Help You Today." In contrast to WCCO and KSTP, WPBC carried no network programming, and were live and local all day. 1936 ad below courtesy Jeff Lonto. I hope you have some audio clean up program. 1951 Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society. Bad luck was cited, as it was the Twin Cities 13th radio station, and Lanphier pointed out that if you added up 1570 it came to 13. Rick B. 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