Nick Sarames writes:

For me it was the Spring of 1971. That was the year I discovered Top 40 radio. I would sneak out of bed at around 4:00 AM and play my parent's AM-FM kitchen radio. I heard everyrhing from Cry Baby to Watching Scotty Grow. By the end of that year I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I even learned how to pronounce "W" properly, a skill I employ afternoons on WVOX, New Rochelle, NY.

I telescoped my first alrcheck on a hot muggy night in Caldwell NJ in 1976. It was Al Bandiero on WIFI-92 (if only I had saved the tape!) That was the start of a fun hobby. I enjoy the challenge of trying to telescope on the fly.

Because I could never discipline myself to save my old airchecks, I made a conscious effort to record a composite of NYC commercial radio (little did I know that the Internet would come along and save my work for me.) Here are some of the highlights, recorded during the summer of 1988.

The Repository thanks Nick Sarames for sharing!

Nick Sarames NYC Summer 1988 Composite (14:22)

. . . I got off with five years of hard labor at the Sugar Shack . . .

Magic Matt Alan WHTZ-100 Summer 1988

Despite appearances to the contrary, this aircheck of Magic Matt Alan was recorded in July (not November) of 1988.

Bob Shannon WCBS FM Summer 1988

When describing Bob Shannon, many would use adjectives like funny, knowledgeable, tight, personable.... I would also add consistent. Any time you tuned in to his show, you'd hear each of those attributes listed above.

Bill Lee WQHT Summer 1988

What can you say about Bill Lee? Each voice break has at least one rhyme, yet it never sounds forced. You'll find yourself asking:

"How does he do that?"

Ray Rossi WPLJ Summer 1988

Ray Rossi probably had as many air names as he has had years in NY radio. In the summer of 1988 he was Bobby Valentine on WPLJ, demonstrating why he was a natural fit for PLJ's more adult CHR.

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