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WEEX

Lived in the Valley in the early-mid 70's. WEEX was a great "fake Drake" around 1973.

A couple of more names..."Dick Richards" did middays on "The Big X" and Don Cherry did weekends. Don later went on to station ownership in Georgia.

Can anyone tell me what happened to a morning guy named "RJ Rivers" who came and went quickly in spring 1974 (I believe)? Big voice, lots of talent.
 
The Lehigh Valley was a great AM radio market into the mid-late 70's.

In addition to WEEX and WAEB, WKAP was a great sounding Top 40, - but with a terrible directional pattern - and WSAN was a progressive rocker down at 1470. Daytimers WYNS in Lehighton and WCRV in Washington, NJ even had some listenership in parts of the metro.

If you throw in the AM's for NYC and Philly, you could have used 10 buttons on your AM car radio to put 'em all in memory.
 
I remember Don Sherry.... he was Dave Adams in real life, worked at the college station at West Chester and did weekends and vacations at WEEX. Dave was an avid Boy Scout leader, and eventually went to work for the Scouts. Like so many stations with "name shout jingles", WEEX bought a name shout for all the regular staff, and then bought a couple of "extra" shouts with generic names. So was the story of Don Sherry. There were a couple of them over the years, but I seem to recall Dave used the name the longest. He was a really good guy who had a great sense of humor but took his radio very seriously. Just one more memory jogged from the vault.

Bob
 
I forgot about Don...he was the one a hell of a nice guy who introduced me to Bill Robbins, when Dave and I got out of West Chester, and helped guide me through my first year at EEX. Is Don still involved with the Scouts?
 
Bob, there was a kid who worked around the building back int he mid 70's, Frankie Keller...he worked as a paramedic in NJ...I remember working Saturday nights and he was alsways there...did overnight news or sports...he was still there when I left..
 
Bobby... you're thinking of Frank Killar, aka "Neil Tek". He worked in maintenance at the station, and did the Saturday/Sunday overnight playing what was affectionately termed "God Squad" back then... tape reels of public affairs shows designed to prove to the FCC that the station was community minded. Frank worked at Riegel Paper as well. Good soul.

As far as where Don/Dave is now, I have no clue. Anyone out there in touch with him?

Bob
 
Could there possibly have been two " Don Cherrys" at The X? Another person who reportedely used that name, went onto Atlantic City as Jack Chase...later Jackson T. Chase, who still does afternoons in the market on WTKU-FM.
 
fennessy... as I said... the name Don Sherry was used by a few people. Dave Adams used it in the early-mid 70's, but I don't think he was the first. Dave would be about 57 now, I'd say. I think he was the second person to use the Don Sherry name at "The Big X". I didn't know the first. If there were subsequent ones, I don't know them either, but I am pretty familiar with the staff at WEEX up until about 1980 or so.

Bob
 

I know I'm bringing a topic back from the dead, but after hearing from another Big-X alum, the former Barbara Suchon (Copy Dept,) that Mickey had died I did the usual Google only to be taken here.
First a little personal history:
I am Richard Boettger. I grew up and lived in Martins Creek and worked for WEEX/WQQQ from June of '75 to Sept/Oct 1978.
I was hired as a jack of all trades at minimum wage and was glad to get it. I have LOTS of great memories and still a few friends left from that time. My on-air personality was Rick Jason... not very original, but then again neither was Rick. ;)

Joey Mitchell was one of my best friends and mentors. He did indeed die in 1999, but I was under the impression it was heart related, not cancer. (I could be wrong.)
He, more than anyone else, took me under his wing, gave me my on-air chance and showed me the basics of broadcasting. Though I had not heard from him for years before his death, his presence has never left me.
I helped him set-up for after-hours gigs (Roadied) such as the Wardell, and the Firehouse, carrying and mounting speakers in strategic places and setting up/wiring up his board.
Disco was the order of the day then so I was sure to always wear my Disco SUCKS!! T-shirt to such events.
He gave me a chance to read the news on his early night broadcasts, but I have to admit I absolutely SUCKED at it. I was young. What can I say?

I helped Mickey move into his then new house not far from Martin Guitar in Nazareth. He used to call one of my friend's Monty Hall. You see, Mickey was the music director at the station then and my friend was always trying to make some deal for music albums we could not use on the air because of our Top-40 format. Because of one of those trades, Mickey had traded a copy of Led Zeppelin IV (ZOSO.)
For years, the version of Stairway to Heaven came from my personal copy of the album. Mickey was forced to use my copy of the song on a broadcast "cart." Mine also had a flaw in it and I knew whenever it was played that they were still using my copy.

The X was top-of-the-heap then. We were rated #1 Top-40 station in the Valley for several years in a row. Would you believe... I was trolling for a DeeJay job at WSAN then. I liked the laid back, down and dirty, album oriented Progressive style more than the stricter Top-40 style of the day. But SAN wouldn't hire me.

I also had a chance to experience automated FM broadcast equipment, however boring, and it was, through WQQQ, Easy Listening.

Enough for now as this is getting rather long. If I get replies from this ancient thread and anyone is interested I can post more memories of the day. Or if you have specific questions from that time perhaps I could answer those as well.
 
Bobby5 said:
Bob, there was a kid who worked around the building back int he mid 70's, Frankie Keller...he worked as a paramedic in NJ...I remember working Saturday nights and he was alsways there...did overnight news or sports...he was still there when I left..
Click to expand...

Ah, Franch! I worked w/him as well.

Bobby, is it possible you drove an old, like 1960, Olds wagon back then? You worked for only a short time there? Jim Reynolds who lived in the station property next door and I became friends.
For a short time I had an apartment on College Hill and if you are who I think, spent a few weeks w/me when you were having relations problems. Does any of that sound familiar?

I was the one doing news and sports at night, and as I previously stated, really sucked at it. I had/have the voice, but didn't have the experience.

Frank "wanted" to be a volunteer fireman in Pohatcong, NJ where he lived but wasn't really smart enough. I don't think they ever let him do much more than hang around and take phone calls.

 
For those of you wondering about Joey, he passed away on Jan 11, 2000. Mick Hagerty passed away on May 8, 2007.
There are two others that I am aware of: Carol Dorian, who was a copywriter there in the late 70's, passed away on October 22, 1987 and Larry Aranyous, who did some part time airwork passed away on August 2, 2004. I think he used the OAN "Larry O'Brien"
Charlie
 
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