REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY
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Stephen Weber remembers hearing "strange sounds" out of his crystal set, back in the Nifty Fifties. He headed for the basement of his grandmother's house, opened up the coal-burning furnace-unit for a transmitter and piped his "show" via "multiplex sound" using a RCA-Victor wind-up Victrola. As a child, KISN in Portland, Oregon captivated young Weber, who graduated to a 50-watt neighborhood pirate station on 840 AM, then to KWAY (1570) near Portland. He moved to the central part of the state before volunteering for Armed Forces Radio & TV, AFRS in Adak, Alaska.
Stephen is presently a field-service engineer, and in his spare time, he turns the tables on chair-lifts at the Willamette Pass Ski Resort in Oregon. He dreams of someday being one of those soft-spoken outer-space satellite jocks, playing music from the 40's, 50's and 60's. | |
| The Repository thanks Stephen for sharing! | ||
[Descriptions by Uncle Ricky from notes by Stephen Weber]
 
George Michael, WFIL Philadelphia 9/6/68 (11:18)
. . . and if you happen to be an outsdoorman, you know, the kind of guy that sleeps on the front lawn after a fraternity party . . . Ex-record promoter George Michael (The Sports Machine) overcame a slight speech impediment to become one of the best remembered "Boss Jocks" at Famous 56, WFIL. The pacing, music selection and production elements on this 'check support the reverence with which Philadelphians remember this remarkable radio station. Highlights include outstanding PAMS jingles, some great WFIL format bits, and Paul Henderson with a powerful WFIL news presentation. George Michael died from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia on December 24, 2009. He was 70. |
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Dan Ingram, WABC New York 1968 (6:16)
. . . Hush, you Muskies . . . The only thing wrong with this 'check of Dan Ingram is that it's only six minutes long. As always, Ingram's relaxed humor is evident and enjoyable. WABC was operating like a finely-tuned machine by 1968, and while the classic 77 formatic elements are delightfully predictable, Ingram was never predictable, and he always made it sound so easy.
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Ray Gilmore, WIBG Philadephia, 1968 (20:32)
. . . The Big 99, with hot hits and cold cash . . . Stand by for the Old Prospector! It's "Gold Rush Time" with Ray Gilmore, about whom we know more now than we did before, and a short-lived clone of Boss Radio on The Big 99, WIBG, Summer, 1968. This attempt to better rival WFIL was not successful, Drake (actually Paul Drew, see comments) was dumped and "the old" Wibbage returned, hanging on until its last gasp in September of 1977. Although some musical selections are appropriate as Top 40 "variety", there's no mistaking a preference for "The Philly Sound" in this partially scoped aircheck. |
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TOP STREAM 16.2Kbps (8 Khz)
Boom Boom Brannigan, WPTR Albany NY July 1969 (04:41)
. . . Great Sounds for the Great Northeast, on the Mighty 1540 . . . Boom Boom Brannigan is featured on WPTR, Albany, N.Y. This short sample ends with the introduction for Gil David. WPTR was widely listed in record trades in the late 60's and early 70's and was well-known for "breaking hits"; this aircheck represents some possible pitfalls of that course, like Pretty Things Coming True. Yikes! This aircheck is the reel thing - made from a narrow band radio with a crosstalk problem. There is another station "in the background" for this entire aircheck, but it does not tarnish the treasure of this tiny piece of a great big-time Top 40 in Albany, N.Y. |
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TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (10 Khz)
This Exhibit 'SCOPED (05:20)
. . . I have to go home and sweep my floor with an airplane . . .
Pat Pattee, the bluesy, somewhat black-sounding twenty-year pioneer of KVAN and later KISN, was at the zenith of his radio career in October, 1969. Pat's favorite all-night, turntable-side drink was Pepsi, which he drank from a thermos. He was also a stock-car racer at Portland Speedway. This was recorded from a radio at the studio, ten miles from the transmitter. It has been edited, about 2/3 of the way in, there's a quick cut that jumps ahead an hour. That explains why the same song (by different artists) appears twice in this exhibit. |
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TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (10 Khz)
Buddy Scott, KISN Portland OR, March 1970 (11:55)
. . . be a KISN Good Guy - attend the Opera . . . It's 1970, Led Zeppelin Concert Time is coming (Monday, March 23) and Buddy Scott (aka: Mother Bear) is the PM driver on KISN, Portland, Oregon. Featured: Newsman Whitey Coker and the distinctive midwest sound of Bill Howlitt. In 1991, Buddy Scott wrote that he was studying to become a doctor. |
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The Stephen Weber Collection has been part of REELRADIO since May 3, 1998
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