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WIBG 1968

J

jimmyt1962

I was only six years old in 1968, but I always wondered who originally replaced Hy Lit when he left WIBG in the spring of 1968. Who was the next mid -1960's Wibbage persoanlity to leave the station and the order they left WIBG. Was it either Jerry Stevens, Bill Wright, Frank X Feller, or Allan Dean that left after Hy. By the mid-summer of 1968 the only Good Guys left where Joe Niagara and Ray Gillmore. Also when did Dean Tyler exit as PD.
Thank you for help in this subject
jimmyt

Side note: A few years ago I remember on Ebay, up for auction was a Drake style WIBG survey from either from late May or early June of 1968.
The drawing of the DJ was Frank X Feller and Scheduled Mon-Fri 9pm- 12 Mid. (During the Wibbage hayday his schedule during the week was 10 pm-2am).
 
The person who replaced Hy from 57-68...was a jock named Happy Jack. He wasn't so happy in Philadelphia, because after a year....he went back to work in Pittsburgh.
 
If my memory serves me right, wasn't Happy Jack (aka Jim Quinn) HY Lits replacement? I also remember Rob Foster on during the 6-9PM shift.
 
Maybe Fodter replaced Happy Jack when I believe he went back to KQV (definitely to Pittsburgh). But Scott Walker, the Drake Chennault name for John "Records truly is my middle name" Landecker fits in there somewhere. he began at Wibbage as Walker during the Drake days. One of my fave radio memories was "Wednesday Night at the Memories" with Landecker. My first impression of his being a superior talent.
 
I have a Frank X Feller album, with an intro by Frank. Also includes his theme song, "under water" by the Frogmen.
 
I presume 1968 was when WIBG became a Drake sound-alike in reaction to WFIL's success with Boss Radio. By '68, WFIL had dropped Phillies baseball to focus on top 40. WFIL had been the Phillies radio home for many years.

WIBG had the top 40 format mostly to itself since the mid-50s and probably thought nobody could beat them. Until WFIL flipped in 1966, either no station made a full-fledged challenge or had a signal to compete with WIBG. In Bucks County and in NJ from Camden to Trenton, WIBG did compete with WABC New York. I think Wilmington, DE had a top 40 station whose call letters I don't recall. That station probably reached South Jersey and SE PA but couldn't reach Philly. :)
 
"WAMS in WILMINGTON" is what you're thinking of. 1380 @ 5Kw, but highly directional to protect WPAZ 1370 in Pottstown. Trenton had WAAT, AC had WMID & WOND battling it out, Reading had WRAW/WHUM, York had WSBA, Allentown had WAEB, Scranton had WARM...all training ground for philly personalities like Hy, GG, Doug Weldon, Mark Summers, Dave Parks, Dick-Kevin Fennessy, Jim Nettleton, so many more.
 
amfmsw said:
"WAMS in WILMINGTON" is what you're thinking of. 1380 @ 5Kw, but highly directional to protect WPAZ 1370 in Pottstown. Trenton had WAAT, AC had WMID & WOND battling it out, Reading had WRAW/WHUM, York had WSBA, Allentown had WAEB, Scranton had WARM...all training ground for philly personalities like Hy, GG, Doug Weldon, Mark Summers, Dave Parks, Dick-Kevin Fennessy, Jim Nettleton, so many more.
Click to expand...

Thanks amfmsw! I think 1380 is now a traffic station. I recall driving over the DMB about 10 years ago and listening to continuous traffic reports on 1380.

IIRC the WAAT calls were originally in Newark on 970 AM, until it became WJRZ in the early 60s. I recall WMID and WOND battling it out in AC. WMID was a WABC sound-alike! :)
 
Hy Lits replacement

jimmyt1962 said:
I was only six years old in 1968, but I always wondered who originally replaced Hy Lit when he left WIBG in the spring of 1968. Who was the next mid -1960's Wibbage persoanlity to leave the station and the order they left WIBG. Was it either Jerry Stevens, Bill Wright, Frank X Feller, or Allan Dean that left after Hy. By the mid-summer of 1968 the only Good Guys left where Joe Niagara and Ray Gillmore. Also when did Dean Tyler exit as PD.
Thank you for help in this subject
jimmyt

Side note: A few years ago I remember on Ebay, up for auction was a Drake style WIBG survey from either from late May or early June of 1968.
The drawing of the DJ was Frank X Feller and Scheduled Mon-Fri 9pm- 12 Mid. (During the Wibbage hayday his schedule during the week was 10 pm-2am).
Click to expand...



Here's what happened when WIBG (Wibbage) became The Big 99 (Drake's format) Hy Lit left a little before the change & Ray Gilmore moved into his 6 - 10PM slot until the switch over & then did 6-9PM. Bill Wright Sr. was next to go & never did the Drake's format. At the switch over the lineup was Jerry Stevens 6 - 9 AM but he was replaced by Joe Niagara who was doing 9-noon almost immediately but Stevens stayed on & filled in. The Real Tony Edwards did 9-noon. Bob Foster noon - 3 & Gary Mitchell (from CKLW) was brought in early on & did 3-6PM, Ray Gilmore 6-9PM & Frank X Feller 9-midnight but was replaced early on by Johnny Williams. Dean Tyler did Midnight to 6AM & Allen Dean filled in as well with Ray Gilmore moving into the overnight slot by August & Happy Jack now doing 6-9PM.

The lineup in December 1968 was Niagara 6-9AM - Bob Foster 9-noon - Gary Mitchell noon - 3 - Ed Richards 3 - 6pm - Happy Jack 6-9PM - Duke Roberts (from CKLW) 9-MID & Ray Gilmore Mid-6AM.

There weren't many changes after that. Happy Jack left & Bob Foster moved to 6-9PM. Scott Walker arrived in Jan-Feb 1969 & replaced Duke Roberts at 9-mid but Roberts stayed on & did weekends & fill-ins. In April 1969 Scott Walker moved to Midnight-6AM John Rode arrived & is on the cover of the very last Big 30 that were available at record stores. The following week WIBG posted the last printed Big 30 in the Evening Bulletin. The Big 30 was still counted down every Tuesday thru August 1969 but no printed copies. I kept track & wrote down all the songs & still have them.
 
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jimmyt1962 said:
I was only six years old in 1968, but I always wondered who originally replaced Hy Lit when he left WIBG in the spring of 1968. Who was the next mid -1960's Wibbage persoanlity to leave the station and the order they left WIBG. Was it either Jerry Stevens, Bill Wright, Frank X Feller, or Allan Dean that left after Hy. By the mid-summer of 1968 the only Good Guys left where Joe Niagara and Ray Gillmore. Also when did Dean Tyler exit as PD.
Thank you for help in this subject
jimmyt

Side note: A few years ago I remember on Ebay, up for auction was a Drake style WIBG survey from either from late May or early June of 1968.
The drawing of the DJ was Frank X Feller and Scheduled Mon-Fri 9pm- 12 Mid. (During the Wibbage hayday his schedule during the week was 10 pm-2am).
Click to expand...

Duplicate quote edited
 
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@ amfmsw : Yessir, WAMS 1380 was quite a Top 40 station. I went on the hook from school one day and took a bus ride to visit them. The DJ's name was Lee Davis. He let me wander through the studio in awe. I imagine that Lee Davis might very well have taken an unofficial field trip to a station (hookey) himself long ago :)
And indeed WAMS was very directional -- south. And they needed to change their own 5000-watt *daytime* signal to shield the two NYC 5000-watt stations who shared time on 1380 -- WBNX and WAWZ (which was actually from NJ). Both those stations had separate transmitter sites. I heard WAMS exactly *once* in the fevered DX days near JFK Airport -- for about ten seconds. WAMS signed on just before WBNX did. WBNX shoved their 5000 watts southeast at us, and with a vengeful cackle and a flip of the 'on' switch they'd bury any and all 1380 DX ... and 1390 and 1370. IIrc, WAMS was owned by the Rollins (?) radio company, according to their sign-on.
Even at full wattage, WAMS was a though no-show during the day at my Folks subsequent home in Fairless Hills PA.

On Jerry Stevens (and directional) : In the 60's there was a 'Jerry Stevens' on Top 40 WGLI Babylon NY.
Same fellow as the Philadelphia Jerry Stevens ?
(WGLI was so directional that they could be heard in Bermuda during the day, but not well at all in Massapequa, maybe 8 miles west. Even farther west, where we lived near JFK Airport, WGLI was really feeble -- getting chewed up daily by WTUX from (where else?) Wilmington DE)
 
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If I remember right this was also the year...or at least close to itt..that there was WIBG-FM. It was voice tracked by Happy Jack and a couple others. The format was AOR. This was right before the frequency was taken over by the San Juan Racing Association for WYSP. They went on the air with John Cameron Swayze from Suburban Station.
 
I seem to remember Joey Reynolds doing the 6-10 pm .
I remember this because he was breaking records he didn't like playing. But I think they were using carts by then.

Edit. It wasn't until 1971. I thought it was earlier.
 
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Back in 1971 or so John Records Landecker was doing the evening shift opposite George Michael on WFIL.

Talk about listening to one of these regretting missing the other's show. That was radio.

RIP real radio and the great personalities that used to be.
 
Does anyone remember a Jack Starr that worked at WIBG?
 
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