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WHBQ 1976-1980

To this day, I love John Long's work. This website is just another great example!
 
Great Stuff!!!....God.......I feel so old. What happened to that kind of radio? Ohhhh.....for the good ole days.
 
littlebigradio said:
Great Stuff!!!....God.......I feel so old. What happened to that kind of radio? Ohhhh.....for the good ole days.
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Amen to the last 2 posts.

The "You are The Reason" imaging was THE best I have ever heard on a radio station to this day. WHBQ jock appearances and live broadcasts were major events....Gone forever, alas.
 
I remember 56 was the first button on the radio in my mom's car which of course at the time was an AM only radio / 78' Impala
 
When did WHBQ stop playing music? All I've listened to is the composite from John Long's site. What a great radio station, and when Dees moved over there, it truly became legendary. The little AM that I own continues to have fun on the air, and heck we're playing country.
 
lash said:
When did WHBQ stop playing music? All I've listened to is the composite from John Long's site. What a great radio station, and when Dees moved over there, it truly became legendary. The little AM that I own continues to have fun on the air, and heck we're playing country.
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Again, the ol' memory fails, so someone help me with the dates. They went newstalk in early 80s. Then when Doc bought them he tried everything from country to oldies to slash metal at night (that was weird).
 
anotherguy said:
Are there any airchecks of the last day with the top 40 format? That would be interesting.
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The "last day of the Top 40 format" could be a relative term...Some of the post-Long efforts were pretty painful to listen to.
 
Most AM top 40's or music formated AM's lasted until the mid 1980's before dropping the format. WHBQ went quicker. Was Dee's that important? Was John Long that good? Did FM take over faster in Memphis? Or was it new ownership not having a clue? In reading John's book again last night, WHBQ was still solid in 1980. Then as someone indicated was gone by 1982.
 
WHBQ's ratings dropped real fast after Rick Dees left. FM 100 also started sounding much better.

Around February of 1981, WHBQ switched from top 40 to an oldies based AC. In the Fall of 1982, they went on the dish except for Ken Martin in the morning and Mike Scalzi in the afternoon.

Alex Ward did a great tribute show on the last day of the music format which I have on tape. It was scheduled for 4 hours but management made him stop at 2.
 
56 HBQ climbed to prominence because of a team effort. I was fortunate enough to surround myself with incredibly talented people who had but one marching order, WIN. Without them, the Q could have never beaten WDIA. What if Rick hadn't gone to KHJ? What if RKO hadn't foolishly sold it's FM? Was I that great? No, I was just the guy who got to assemble and lead the band. The demise of WHBQ came from within. Enough said.

PS: FM 100 was average, at best.
 
Oliver C. Reed was part of WHBQ's talk format on day one. Mark Davis joined the station in 1985.

The original afternoon talk show host was Bill Steensland who came from WLAC in Nashville.

I believe RKO sold WHBQ-FM 105.9 in order to buy WFYR in Chicago and an FM in Miami. In the good old days, a company could only own 7 AMs and 7 FMs. RKO wanted to get into some bigger markets so they sold the Memphis FM. 105.9 became WEZI and was very successful for many years with the elevator music format. In 1983, it became KIX 106.
 
oidarman said:
56 HBQ climbed to prominence because of a team effort. I was fortunate enough to surround myself with incredibly talented people who had but one marching order, WIN. Without them, the Q could have never beaten WDIA. What if Rick hadn't gone to KHJ? What if RKO hadn't foolishly sold it's FM? Was I that great? No, I was just the guy who got to assemble and lead the band. The demise of WHBQ came from within. Enough said.

PS: FM 100 was average, at best.
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Well, welcome to the board, oidarman.. I think you are a little too modest. I've heard great air staffs with no leader or direction fail miserably.

Everyone Monday morning quarterbacks, but I believe the selling off of 105.9 was one of THE major turning points of Memphis radio. If RKO had still had an FM signal to migrate WHBQ over to around 1977 or so, there may have never been a CHR FM100....Scripps-Howard probably would have taken the 790 country format and staff to the FM, and the entire landscape would be different...we'll never know.
 
For some reason, I don't think RKO would have ever thought far enough ahead to take WHBQ-FM to a Top 40 format even if they had still owned it in the late 70s.

They didn't put KHJ on KRTH in Los Angeles, nor did they move WRKO to WROR in Boston or KFRC to KFMS in San Francisco.
 
I remember the Q during the late 70's and it was great. I was in Nashville and when passing through, thought the stations sounded great.

Nostalgia is great, to remember when, but what about the 90's and today? Nothing of significance worth mentioning about Memphis radio from that era?

When Scott Shannon was at WMAK in the 70's in Nashville, it was one of the best. John Young, Dick Kent, Coyote McCloud, Russ Spooner, Scooter and others made it fabulous. It was a time and place that was magic.

I am sure the Q was the same way. Now, it's such a shame that the current owner, Flinn, I think, has allowed such heritage call letters to go down the crapper.
 
I think a lot of owners at the time, went into shock that FM took over, killing music on the AM dial. And in the process they made some other mistakes with their FM's.

John, you are being much to modest. You truly were one of the top PD's of all time. And I have to add, a great jock as well.

Your book remains an inspiration, and why I got into ownership, and do real AM personality and music radio to this day.

Can't wait to see more updates to the newest section of your website.
 
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