WSBA MYTHS AND LEGENDS

[loeper]

I got my first fm radio (it was fm only) for christmas in 1961.  WNOW did simulcast on 105.7 and after am sign off it was pretty much free form with absolutly no spots at all  I think  they signed off at around 10pm.  since you have an old survey sheet from WNOW...can you tell me the name of there morning man at the time?  a funny guy who used a lot of drop ins off of Stan Freeburg commedy records.  I ran into him at an NAB convention in Vegas in the 1980s and he was the owner of a chain of small market radio stations at the time.   Now that I am old I can't remember  squat.  P>S>    he also did a rock and roll saturday morning show on 1250 for a while. went head to head with Doc Daugherty on WORK from 9 to noon every week.

[GuyFry]

If you want more information about Roy Bishop of WNOW-AM and WSBA-TV infamy, you might see
if these three people are still alive. First would be Channel 43's long time resident station artist, Don Kendig (or Kindig) who helped Roy design and put sets and backdrops for "Tales From The Tomb" together 1959 or 60.  Then there were Jack Shuster and Glenn Winter who worked at both WNOW and WSBA in their time.  Glenn went on to own WSHP in Shippensburg.  I doubt that former WNOW brass Lowell Williams, Richard Burg or Will Groff are still
alive, though Lowell might still be. Those three men went to Elizabethtown to start up WEZN (later WEPN) and other calls out of e-town and Hershey.
That was concurrent with Williams' (Helm Coal Company's) sale of WNOW to William F.  Rust in 1958.

[bossjock 56]

I never actually owned that survey.  I saw it on the wall of a long gone collector record store....and that was back in the early 80's.  As I recall, there were no times listed under the jock pictures.  The only names I recall were Jack O'Roarke, who later became a network spotscaster, Dwayne Beck, and Leroy.  Beck continued with the station into the country format.  It claimed to be the official "regional" survey for York, Reading, and Allentown.  Rust also owned WRAW in Reading and WAEB in Allentown. 

[loeper]

Rust also owned a 50K in Rochester , N>Y> at 1080.  that was 50k day and night. 

[GuyFry]

I wonder why WAYNE TROUT has not been seen posting in here.  That longtime and respected voice....(mostly news at WSBA, the nifty 910) saw it all.  I think Wayne is still "with us".  I saw his picture in an article about the "101 Ranch Boys" with whom he performed.  Known-nationally, they did a live, weeknight show on the old WNOW-TV, Channel 49  circa 1954-55.  I'll bet he has some humorous stories about the "western swing" groupies who hung outside the station while the boys fiddled, whooped and stomped inside the big broadcast building up there on Pleasureville Hill.  Somebody let Wayne know about radio-info.com, will yew?

[Carleckels]

Wayne Trout, a true gentleman, was the news director at WSBA when I was there in the mid 1960's. He was replaced by Gene Burns - now at KGO in San Francisco. Wayne was a great guy, but Gene was an amazing character. After work into the early hours of the next day, Gene would hold court at Christopher's  in downtown York where he would spout Latin and go on about Vatican conferences and then skewer the local political players. Our regular table would be crowded and hang on his every word. In the early hours, he would leave - firing up a Pontiac convertible parked mostly on the sidewalk and retreat to his small apartment with its piles of newspapers and magazines. We all joined the Moose Club so that after a huge country breakfast on Sundays we could repair to the Moose digs where drinks were served. It was a grand time.

[John-Summers]

since you have an old survey sheet from WNOW...can you tell me the name of there morning man at the time?  a funny guy who used a lot of drop ins off of Stan Freeburg commedy records.  I ran into him at an NAB convention in Vegas in the 1980s and he was the owner of a chain of small market radio stations at the time.   Now that I am old I can't remember  squat.  P>S>    he also did a rock and roll saturday morning show on 1250 for a while. went head to head with Doc Daugherty on WORK from 9 to noon every week.

I have copies (not originals, unfortunately) of a couple of WNOW "Fabulous Forty" surveys from May 1961.  Photos of the jocks were on the side, with no times listed.  They were, from top to bottom: Dave Allen, Jack O'Rourke, Johnny Canton, Dave Burns, and Leroy, who's sticking out his tongue.  I met Dave Allen at some sort of event in the 1980s.  After WNOW he worked at WCMB in Harrisburg and was known as Jay Allen.  I remember him from that station in the 1960s.  He became sales manager there under his real name, Jacques Schmitt.  (I think we can see why he changed his name for radio.)  Incidently, the number one song for both of those weeks was "Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K-Doe.

[John-Summers]

Oops.  I made a mistake.  His name was John Allen, not Dave.  Shoulda put my glasses on!

[GuyFry]

And then there was AL BETHEL.  Another radio/tv pro from the 1950's.  He read news on camera the very first week the old WTPA-TV, Channel 71 went on the air in 1953.  (Yes, Channel SEVENTY ONE)!  By 1957, Al was doing booth announcer and on camera duties at WLBR-TV, Channel 15 when it returned to the air after being dark for 3 years.  By 1958, Al was
at WNOW-AM-FM-TV.  Anbody know what Al Bethel went from there?  Alot of people in the Harrisburg area will remember Al from having a first class dance band..a la  BIG band.  Al would have been a great morning show host as he was never at a loss of words when he had to fill time on camera.  I remember him hosting a kids' talent show on Channel 15 (circa 1957) where a little ballerina  threw up on camera right at the start of the show.  Directors Jack Kirkwood, Jim Mack and Ross Kaufmann (later chief enginneer at WHP) could attest.  I SAW that opus.  Anybody remember Sid Brenner and Hy White on the original WLBR-TV before it went dark in '54?  That was when WLBR radio and the newspaper were part owners of Channel 15.

[GuyFry]

Some of  first real competition that Top40 WSBA 910 had in the late 50's was from WLAN 1390 in Lancaster.  A must for teenagers in the Red Rose City was listening to  Guy Barry on Friday nights for his Top 40 countdown.  Anybody remember what Guy  Barry's real name was?  According to folks at Stan's Record Bar on North Prince Street, he moved to Last Vegas after his notable WLAN stint.  The next rock 'n roll DJ on WLAN 1390 was a beautifully-brash young man named Ron Beach.  Ron may have convinced the Altdoerfers  (Frank and son Sam) to really go-rock.  Even in 1959, WLAN's longtime morning man Dick Sherban was doing a traditional type program with plenty of "standards". WLAN still had block programming.   Anyway, alot of Lancastrians will remember Guy Barry. Really-cool...and in demand to do "record hops".