REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY
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Paul Bicknell was born and raised in New England, and spent his formative years in Arlington, Massachusetts. After attending Boston University, Graham Junior College and the Leland Powers School of Radio, Television and Theatre, he got his first radio job at WPOR in Portland, Maine, followed by stints in Springfield, MA. at WHYN and a summer replacement position at WBZ in Boston. He spent a few "miserable" months at WCOS in Columbia, S.C., before joining WPGC AM-FM in Washington D.C. in late 1967, where he stayed for almost five years. Paul writes, "I was the top-rated night jock for my entire stay with one of the greatest radio stations in the United States." In 1972, Paul resigned his position at WPGC to join WMAL-FM which had just switched from Classical to "Underground". After a year in morning and afternoon drive, he moved across town to WMOD (Oldies), before forming Bicknell & Associates, an advertising agency. His partner suffered a near fatal automobile accident on New Years Eve, 1979, and that was the end of the agency. He joined WBAL in Baltimore and did talk overnight until 1983 when he and Ed Graham founded The American Radio Network. In the early '90's he worked behind the scenes attempting to start a new Public Radio Network, funded by the A.S. Abell Foundation, but the funding dried up and the network never reached its potential.
Paul is still extremely active in the voiceover business and sends commercials and narrations all over the country from 64-track digital studios.
"I'm the lucky husband of former Baltimore air personality The Repository thanks Paul Bicknell for sharing! |
[Descriptions by Paul Bicknell]
TOP STREAM 20.7 Kbps (10 Khz)
Davy Jones, WPGC Washington, D.C. December 31, 1968
(01:14:41)
. . . as we count 'em down, hot 'n' heavy on Good Guys radio . . . [By Paul Bicknell] New Years Eve, 1968 — Oh What a Night! Big Wilson, the PD at the time, and I had huddled for weeks trying to decide what methodology should be used to end up with the "number one" record of the year at the very end of the presentation. It was a frantic time. I still don't know if we actually hit it, or not. That night was really a "rockin' New Year's Eve" and the phones were lit up like a Christmas tree. I think there was a little "bubbly" floating around. Though against company rules, I think there were lots of "guests", too.
WPGC was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Working with |
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TOP STREAM 32 Kbps (10 Khz)
Tiger Bob Raleigh, Davy Jones, WPGC Washington, D.C. April 6, 1969
(01:02:28)
. . . What happens to disc jockeys and announcers when you turn the radio off? . . . [By Paul Bicknell] The date of this aircheck was actually Easter Sunday — April 6, 1969. For some reason, I (Davy Jones) was late for my shift. You can hear the tension in Tiger Bob Raleigh's voice. He really was upset that I had not arrived before the top of the hour. To this day, have no idea why I didn't get there on time. I think I may have done a bit too much "celebrating the night before." The start of my show is rather up-tight. You can tell I'm not really relaxed. As time wears on I get more and more into my presentation. There are some pretty interesting station promotional bits, great music, and of course, the adrenaline that always oozed out of Good Guys Radio WPGC. There's also a couple of live newscasts, some commercials by Harve Moore and Tiger Bob, Three-In-A-Row jingles and a Requestomatic. All in all, it's a fun piece of radio at a great time in history. Sit back, relax and enjoy WPGC from Easter Sunday, 1969. This aircheck was recorded by the late Jim Sheeler, and given to me by Joe Evelius. |
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TOP STREAM 20.7 Kbps (10 Khz)
Davy Jones, WPGC Washington Sign Off, 1969
(02:02)
. . . Don't you live it up so high you can't live it down . . . [By Paul Bicknell] I think I had played Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus earlier that evening and it just struck me as funny. Sooooo, I pulled sound effects of a moaning young female, added the pouring of drinks and ad-libbed myself into being naked on the air. Keep in mind, this was 1969. The management was not very happy with me that night. In fact, a two week suspension was discussed. It ended up being one week. Was it worth it? You Bet! I can't figure out where this little gem came from. Someone gave it to me a few months ago. |
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TOP STREAM 32 Kbps (15 Khz)
Davy Jones for Bob Raleigh, Jr., WPGC Washington, D.C. March 11, 1970
(47:30)
. . . Let's spread the rumor that Harve Moore wears a phony mustache . . . [By Paul Bicknell] There had been a series of flu sicknesses within the halls of WPGC, and almost everyone was out sick. I was called at 6AM on the morning of March 11, 1970 to sit in for Bob Raleigh Junior. We had exhausted the part-time staff, so now, the full-timers that were healthy were being called upon. I also did my regular night shift that very same day. There are a couple of forgotten songs, some fun commercials (Al Hirt for Miller Beer, Tang, "the drink of the astronauts", "The Johnny Cash Movie"), Harve Moore with Pulsebeat News, and a Sound-Off about George Washington Birthday Sales. I hope all enjoy this aircheck. It was recorded by the late Jim Sheeler, and given to me by my friend Joe Evelius. |
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TOP STREAM 64 Kbps (13 Khz)
Jack J. Shannon MusicLine, September 16, 2008
(47:05)
. . . Shannon, lost in the Sixties, and lovin' it . . .
This Exhibit 'SCOPED (11:19)[By Paul Bicknell] Jack J. Shannon started his career in one of the New England stations that launched a lot of well-known broadcasters, WFEA in Manchester, New Hampshire, as a young and dedicated rock jock, music director and air personality. In 1960, he got his first major market shot with WORL in Boston. Being a native of the area, he was an instant hit with legions of local listeners. A short stint in Worcester, Massachusetts was followed by a return to beantown and WBOS, where he was, once again, a "Boss" jock. For over two years he was among the top-rated rockers in the city. Management changes brought Jack back to Worcester and WORC before Providence, Rhode Island and WHIM. But Jack spent the better part of his career in the east coast resort towns of Rehoboth Beath, Delaware and Ocean City, Maryland. Beginning in 2000, he produced syndicated oldies shows under the name of MusicLine. Jack relocated to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in June of 2007 and took the programming position at the Public Broadcasting Station. He became ill six months later and due to his illness had to resign. Jack J. Shannon (Steve Oreto) passed away due to complications of cancer on March 23, 2009. He is survived by his wife and daughter. If you would like to communicate your sentiments, please contact Paul Bicknell. |
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The Paul Bicknell Collection has been part of REELRADIO since July 13, 2003
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