REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY
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Large Lee" Chambers considers himself one of the lucky ones to have grown up in New York during the peak of the Top 40 phenomenon. He listened to WABC religiously, never dreaming that, one day, he'd be doing for a living what he heard his radio idols do. Lee has spent over three decades playin' the hits in Oldies / Classic Hits, CHR, Country, and Adult Contemporary at 66 WNBC / New York, KLAC and STAR 98.7 / Los Angeles, WPGC, WMZQ and Q107 / Washington, B104 / Baltimore, and throughout Southern California at KWIZ / Santa Ana, KEZY / Anaheim and KOLA / San Bernardino where he's hosted Sunday afternoons for nearly a decade. "El Double E" is also a veteran of national satellite radio, having at one time been heard coast to coast on the Unistar and Westwood One syndicated 24 hour formats in Los Angeles on the Oldies Channel, the '70's Channel, and 'Groovin' Oldies'. His other network experience includes time at the Premiere Radio Networks in Los Angeles as well as Radio Marti at the Voice of America in Washington, DC. For a period of five years, Lee was the New Media Director and Interactive PD for the ABC cluster of stations in Los Angeles, overseeing the web sites and streaming for KABC, KLOS, KSPN, and KDIS. Lee's teaching credentials included Digital Media instructor at the CSB School of Broadcasting in Universal City and Pomona. CA. In 2009, "Lee with a C" is the the Production guru in Los Angeles for Bonneville's 100.3 The Sound, KSWD. The Repository thanks Lee Chambers for sharing! |
[Descriptions by Lee Chambers]
TOP STREAM 20.7 Kbps (10 Khz)
Jack Alix, WPGC Washington, D.C. January 1, 1967
(9:52)
[Description by Lee Chambers] In this brief excerpt, 'JA the DJ' (Good Guy Jack Alix) can be heard counting down the top nine songs of 1966 on January 1, 1967. Jack had been the night guy at crosstown competitor WEAM in Arlington before coming over to WPGC in 1966. This aircheck was most likely recorded off the air from the FM (which was 100% simulcast with the AM). At the end of the tape as the AM (daytimer) sign off occurs, you'll hear Jack urge listeners to 'switch over now' to the FM. Years later, DC would become the first FM dominant market in the country, due in no small measure to WPGC's longtime effort to convert cume over to the FM. Other things to listen for:
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TOP STREAM 32.0 Kbps (16 Khz)
Davy Jones, WPGC Washington, D.C. December 31, 1968
(21:27)
. . . Love Those Good Guys . . .
[Description by Lee Chambers] "Good Guy" Davy Jones joined WPGC (from WBZ/Boston) in May of 1967. In this excerpt from New Years Eve, December 31, 1968, Jones is counting down the "1968 Super Greats" of the Top 100 of 1968.
The "Jones boy on the move" ("sockin' the solid sounds to ya") did nights at WPGC for nearly five years before departing for crosstown Other things to listen for in this aircheck:
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TOP STREAM 44.1 Kbps (10 Khz STEREO)
Tim Kelly, Ron O'Brien, Dino Del Gallo,WPGC Top 100 of 1976 - January 1 1977 (53:44) . . . I hate countdowns - but the job must go on . . .
[Contributed by Lee Chambers] Neither Tim Kelly nor Ron O'Brien seem particularly happy about presenting the WPGC/Washington, D.C. Top 100 of 1976, but along with Dino Del Gallo they get it done in fine style! Actually, for all their expressed discontent, these seasoned pros are in top shape for this 'scoped, narrowband STEREO recording from Saturday, January 1, 1977. WPGC sounded very polished at this time (excusing the original flutter on The Star Is Born spot.) The reverb is still on both AM & FM and it sounds great, just like a decade earlier, with first-class production elements and jingles. Especially unusual - legendary performers Kelly and O'Brien "talk" the news, complete with their own editorial observations. This is a very interesting approach that I don't remember hearing previously on any other Top 40 station of this era. There's no formal introduction, these guys just start talking some news. Was this a regular format item, was the news department on vacation, or terminated? O'Brien's segment is very entertaining. He sings Eighty Nine (for the 89th hit) like the WLS logo, and quips Echo Radio at one point. He even (allegedly) breaks format, playing a song that's not on the Top 100 of 1976 because "I can't take one more hit of 1976". Sadly, Ron O'Brien passed away on April 27, 2008.
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TOP STREAM 64 Kbps (12 Khz STEREO)
Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon, by Lee Chambers
(03:19)
. . . We will never see his likes again . . . [Description by Uncle Ricky, contributed by Lee Chambers] Lee Chambers is an old-school radio guy who honors the tradition of topicality on the radio, and sound that evokes emotion. Lee says he lost count of the number of stations that broadcast this short, effective tribute to The King of Pop, Michael Jackson (d. June 25, 2009.) |
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The FM Legal ID, voiced by newsguy Bob Raleigh. The AM, a
daytimer was already off the air during this aircheck.
UNSCOPED (but partially edited) - the entire WPGC TOP 100 of 1976, in low-bandwidth STEREO, featuring