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Re: WGMA \
539 East Okakland Park Blvd to be exact. Part of my misspent youth was working at then FM sister WAXY. There were remote meters at the WEXY studios. Thought I was a big deal with my first paycheck till the teller at the bank said what's a WEXY-WAXY.
ai4i said:Memories from my youth
K7ALW, "Kissing 7 America's Lovely Women"Mike Sheridan said:
Something like 521 East Oakland Park Bl.Mike Sheridan said:
539 East Okakland Park Blvd to be exact. Part of my misspent youth was working at then FM sister WAXY. There were remote meters at the WEXY studios. Thought I was a big deal with my first paycheck till the teller at the bank said what's a WEXY-WAXY.
Re: WGMA \
I met the general manager of WGMA in the summer of '79. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe his name was Jim Glassman. Anyway, he
was trying to sell me on the format, and he said: "Everyone loves country music except blacks, Hispanics, and Jews". Here we are in Hollywood, Florida, and I said: "Who's left?" A few months later, it was "The Lady".
I met the general manager of WGMA in the summer of '79. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe his name was Jim Glassman. Anyway, he
was trying to sell me on the format, and he said: "Everyone loves country music except blacks, Hispanics, and Jews". Here we are in Hollywood, Florida, and I said: "Who's left?" A few months later, it was "The Lady".
Re: WGMA \
Oh the stories! You're right, that was him. He was one of the sons of the owner. The group was called Community Service Broadcasting headquartered in McClainsboro, IL. I worked there in early '79 as Production Director writing tons of commercials on spec. My favorites were doing the commercials for Miami-Hollywood Speedway with all the hot rod SFX. I loved the tag line "When you're near it you'll hear it!!!" But I digress.
The place was funny, my paycheck came in a regular envelope which they made you give back to them otherwise you didn't get paid. I guess they didn't want to spend money on envelopes! I got fired after Ron Bison came back to the station and Jim Glassman found my resume in the copy machine...oops!
In 1979 WGMA was limping along on the old Gates BC-5H transmitter that was having problems. The station had lost their chief engineer. A friend of mine Tim Baxter who was PD at WGMA and I found a friend of ours we worked with before who happened to be (and still is) a really good engineer. What we didn't know is this engineer hated country music and through his connection with the Heftel in Hawaii (Y-100's owner) he brought in ex Y-100 GM Bill Cunningham as advisor and Ric Lippencott (alias Dave Denver) as Program Director. That's how "The Lady" was born.
I was out of work and was going to come back to the station until I found out what they were going to do. Then I decided i wanted no part of it. I hated to see what was once a vibrant country station turned into such a mess. While I liked the music they were playing the whole Lady thing seemed kinda sleezy and I knew it wouldn't work.
Oh and for the record my 2 brothers in law are Jewish and they love Country Music....go figure!
WABeatleC said:
Oh the stories! You're right, that was him. He was one of the sons of the owner. The group was called Community Service Broadcasting headquartered in McClainsboro, IL. I worked there in early '79 as Production Director writing tons of commercials on spec. My favorites were doing the commercials for Miami-Hollywood Speedway with all the hot rod SFX. I loved the tag line "When you're near it you'll hear it!!!" But I digress.
The place was funny, my paycheck came in a regular envelope which they made you give back to them otherwise you didn't get paid. I guess they didn't want to spend money on envelopes! I got fired after Ron Bison came back to the station and Jim Glassman found my resume in the copy machine...oops!
In 1979 WGMA was limping along on the old Gates BC-5H transmitter that was having problems. The station had lost their chief engineer. A friend of mine Tim Baxter who was PD at WGMA and I found a friend of ours we worked with before who happened to be (and still is) a really good engineer. What we didn't know is this engineer hated country music and through his connection with the Heftel in Hawaii (Y-100's owner) he brought in ex Y-100 GM Bill Cunningham as advisor and Ric Lippencott (alias Dave Denver) as Program Director. That's how "The Lady" was born.
I was out of work and was going to come back to the station until I found out what they were going to do. Then I decided i wanted no part of it. I hated to see what was once a vibrant country station turned into such a mess. While I liked the music they were playing the whole Lady thing seemed kinda sleezy and I knew it wouldn't work.
Oh and for the record my 2 brothers in law are Jewish and they love Country Music....go figure!
Re: WGMA \
Wow WGMA haven't heard of those call letters in awhile. " The Country Giant" and then "The lady on 1320" and that format lasted a hot minute. Josh C is right Tim Baxter worked there and was program director for awhile during its country tenure, and then shortly there after came over to work with us at WQAM doing a 2-hour mid-day stint. Tim Baxter is now selling real estate in North Carolina, his dad was famous for his TV show in Miami. If this name rings a bell and I'm if correct "Barry Micheal's", wasn't he doing afternoons on the "Lady on 1320"? I think somewhere along the line he ended up at the defunct "Big Daddy Radio" off I-95 which became K-102FM...No relations to Alan Micheal's who also worked there.
Mike Sheridan brought back memories "When your near it you'll hear it" WOW its nice to digress, they were all great spots for the Miami-Hollywood Speedway Park. Ron Bison somewhere along the line ended up at K-92FM here in Orlando went by the way of the Devils Triangle disappeared and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Mike your right the lady was trying to be sleezy, that was their intent, they just couldn't pull it off......
Wow WGMA haven't heard of those call letters in awhile. " The Country Giant" and then "The lady on 1320" and that format lasted a hot minute. Josh C is right Tim Baxter worked there and was program director for awhile during its country tenure, and then shortly there after came over to work with us at WQAM doing a 2-hour mid-day stint. Tim Baxter is now selling real estate in North Carolina, his dad was famous for his TV show in Miami. If this name rings a bell and I'm if correct "Barry Micheal's", wasn't he doing afternoons on the "Lady on 1320"? I think somewhere along the line he ended up at the defunct "Big Daddy Radio" off I-95 which became K-102FM...No relations to Alan Micheal's who also worked there.
Mike Sheridan brought back memories "When your near it you'll hear it" WOW its nice to digress, they were all great spots for the Miami-Hollywood Speedway Park. Ron Bison somewhere along the line ended up at K-92FM here in Orlando went by the way of the Devils Triangle disappeared and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Mike your right the lady was trying to be sleezy, that was their intent, they just couldn't pull it off......
Re: WGMA \
Ron Bison returned to radio with a short-lived morning show on 660 a few years ago. For the past couple years, he has been the traffic sub
for Officer Jim mornings on WDBO. Did he start with WGMA and then bolt to WWOK or do I have it backwards? He had a great nineteen year
run at K92. Does anyone know why he quit? Letting that gig get away is as close to career suicide as it gets.
Ron Bison returned to radio with a short-lived morning show on 660 a few years ago. For the past couple years, he has been the traffic sub
for Officer Jim mornings on WDBO. Did he start with WGMA and then bolt to WWOK or do I have it backwards? He had a great nineteen year
run at K92. Does anyone know why he quit? Letting that gig get away is as close to career suicide as it gets.
Re: WGMA \
Actually, Ron's short-lived morning show was on 540 WFLA for sake of ID'S (WFLM) Orlando....
Actually, Ron's short-lived morning show was on 540 WFLA for sake of ID'S (WFLM) Orlando....
Re: WGMA \
Meanwhile.......(WGMA) The call letter's stood for the (Greater Miami Area).....or so as I understood it.....
Meanwhile.......(WGMA) The call letter's stood for the (Greater Miami Area).....or so as I understood it.....
Re: WGMA \
Tim Baxter was and still is a good friend although we haven't seen each other in ages. I'm in North Carolina too and I need to get up to Boon for a visit. Tim's Dad was Charlie Baxter for WCKT Ch 7 fame. He did weather on the station and the famous M,T. Graves character introducing the creature features on Saturday afternoon from the Dungeon. Charlie was also "Captain Kid" on WKID-TV-51 when it was located at Pirates World. Wow talk about a long time ago. Anyway Tim and I first worked together at WFTL, we had a lot of fun there. If not for Tim having faith in me I would have never had the courage to write commercial copy.
I don't know Barry Michaels but I do know Alan. I also worked at K-102 for awhile. Wow what a nutty place! Fun but not enough money.
Stormychuck said:
Tim Baxter was and still is a good friend although we haven't seen each other in ages. I'm in North Carolina too and I need to get up to Boon for a visit. Tim's Dad was Charlie Baxter for WCKT Ch 7 fame. He did weather on the station and the famous M,T. Graves character introducing the creature features on Saturday afternoon from the Dungeon. Charlie was also "Captain Kid" on WKID-TV-51 when it was located at Pirates World. Wow talk about a long time ago. Anyway Tim and I first worked together at WFTL, we had a lot of fun there. If not for Tim having faith in me I would have never had the courage to write commercial copy.
I don't know Barry Michaels but I do know Alan. I also worked at K-102 for awhile. Wow what a nutty place! Fun but not enough money.
Re: WGMA \
in for Grant periodically. Officer Jim was a significant player in the morning show, participating in the banter and merriment. Neither of these
guys to anything but straight traffic. The morning show has no chemistry anymore. Probably why 540 is creeping up in the Arbitrons.
Bison filled in until the permanent replacement came aboard. The new traffic guy is Jim Grant, who has a WMMO-type FM voice. Bison fillstanner said:
in for Grant periodically. Officer Jim was a significant player in the morning show, participating in the banter and merriment. Neither of these
guys to anything but straight traffic. The morning show has no chemistry anymore. Probably why 540 is creeping up in the Arbitrons.
Re: WGMA \
I'm assured WABeatleC hasn't any real connection to radio, although he like's perticapating
in the radio forum, others who I've heard from have expressed their doubt's.....Something along the line of WABC it's been indicted he's never worked there, so what can we say......
I'm assured WABeatleC hasn't any real connection to radio, although he like's perticapating
in the radio forum, others who I've heard from have expressed their doubt's.....Something along the line of WABC it's been indicted he's never worked there, so what can we say......
Re: WGMA \
and doesn't make alot of sense.....
and doesn't make alot of sense.....
B
Bill Press
Guest
Re: WGMA \
I was a cameraman at WKID-TV 51 when M.T. hosted the All-Nite Show. The most fun I had in TV. Tim helped his dad on that show... I forgot what his character's name was.
Charlie was THE best. What a class guy.
I was a cameraman at WKID-TV 51 when M.T. hosted the All-Nite Show. The most fun I had in TV. Tim helped his dad on that show... I forgot what his character's name was.
Charlie was THE best. What a class guy.
Re: WGMA \
I never got a chance to meet Mr. Baxter but I knew Tim pretty well working with him at WFTL and WGMA. Tim is classy as well. I remember Tim taking me though Channel 7 one night. I got a chance to meet Wayne Farris as he got ready to do the news. He was very nice.
We also went over to WINZ back when 940 was still playing music. Alan Michaels was on the air and then we went down the hall to what was then that new station Zeta 4 WINZ-FM. Geoff Fisher was on and we were invited to sit down and spend some time there. The walls were done in a very mellow blue carpet.
Ha only two stations, these days that wouldn't even be a small cluster!
Bill Press said:
I never got a chance to meet Mr. Baxter but I knew Tim pretty well working with him at WFTL and WGMA. Tim is classy as well. I remember Tim taking me though Channel 7 one night. I got a chance to meet Wayne Farris as he got ready to do the news. He was very nice.
We also went over to WINZ back when 940 was still playing music. Alan Michaels was on the air and then we went down the hall to what was then that new station Zeta 4 WINZ-FM. Geoff Fisher was on and we were invited to sit down and spend some time there. The walls were done in a very mellow blue carpet.
Ha only two stations, these days that wouldn't even be a small cluster!
Re: WGMA \
Mike for some reason your name brings back memories as does Tim's but I am not sure where except that we have WGMA and South Florida in common back in the 1970's, I also helped engineer on some of the stations back then in my teenage years. If you are near it you will hear it brings back memories too. By the way I am in South Carolina near Santee, have been for the last 32 years. I have a small LPFM station WLRE radio and two translators here in central SC, my name is Chuck Smith.
Mike for some reason your name brings back memories as does Tim's but I am not sure where except that we have WGMA and South Florida in common back in the 1970's, I also helped engineer on some of the stations back then in my teenage years. If you are near it you will hear it brings back memories too. By the way I am in South Carolina near Santee, have been for the last 32 years. I have a small LPFM station WLRE radio and two translators here in central SC, my name is Chuck Smith.
Re: WGMA \
Worked at Broward Community College '62-'65 IRC and had to be on the road to work by 5A... and remember "finding" WGMA while surfing the dial... became a listener... for some reason a jingle lyric has stuck in my head all these years... I think it went.. " There's alittle bit of Country in everybody,,,, and the best Country is on WGMA ..The Country Giant. It was a full sing and I believe it was done in more than one sing version..lol... thats what good jingles do Left the area before the switch to "The Lady"... wonder if it was formatted as a possible AM answer to Gary Graingers WSHE FM?
Worked at Broward Community College '62-'65 IRC and had to be on the road to work by 5A... and remember "finding" WGMA while surfing the dial... became a listener... for some reason a jingle lyric has stuck in my head all these years... I think it went.. " There's alittle bit of Country in everybody,,,, and the best Country is on WGMA ..The Country Giant. It was a full sing and I believe it was done in more than one sing version..lol... thats what good jingles do Left the area before the switch to "The Lady"... wonder if it was formatted as a possible AM answer to Gary Graingers WSHE FM?
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