This is the best I could do with the poor exposure using photo editing tools. Since one company could not own more than one AM or more than one FM station in the same market at the time, they needed to find a buyer for the FM station, and sought out the owners of various AM stations in the area. The new manager of operations was William Stewart, ironically replacing WPBC owner Bill (and wife Becky Ann) Stewart. The TV station kept WTCN. Preacher Paul is no preacher. Curtis J. Johnson sits down with Twin Cities Radio Airchecks website creator, Rick Burnett to discuss his career in radio, starting from high-school with concentration on his work at WDGY in the late 1960's as a 20/20 newsman. More than a nostalgia station, more than a mixture of rock n roll history and local rock trivia, TC offers listeners personality programming and a fun sense of belonging to a rock n roll community. The next night, violence continued on its own momentum. They shied away from the likes of Elvis Presley and most early rock and roll music, which they described as junky music with morally degrading lyrics. Their philosophy extended to commercials as well, to the point that they rejected advertising from beer and tobacco companies. I would arrive at 5 AM, opened up the station, turned on the lights and the transmitter, and clear the two teletype machines of overnight news. Record album issued by WWTC in 1981 image courtesy Jeff Lonto. In August 1927, WDGYs transmitter was moved to Superior Blvd. . Half an hour later, police were called to break up the crowd of 200 who had gathered outside the Ballroom when an unidentified youth discharged a fountain pen tear gas gun. If you look carefully, you can see the old WDGY transmitter through the studio glass. Sweet Potato, September 1979. Access Minnesota. In August 1962 the station was identifying itself as Time-Life Broadcasting Inc. At that time an ad appeared with the following text: What happened to wtcn 1280? It was discovered during an antenna proof, when it was noticed there was a drop in signal strength in the main lobe and it was traced to this guys house. The cops busted four men and three women for selling liquor without a license (and on a Sunday!). Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society. The State put it up for sale, and three cheeky guys, Roger Wilson, William Woods, and Dave Herman, put in a bid for $200. (KUXL is loaded with preachers earlier in the day, but most of them are called Brother or Doctor.) Consequently the launch of U100 was delayed three days. WDGY-AM 1130 Perry St. John All Night Shift 5/12/63 The quality is not great on this recording, but you can still hear everything. On about September 1, 1962, the AM station expanded to 24 hours. . In a June 4, 1959, article in the St. Louis Park High School Echo, it was reported that the FM station would feature dance band music on Fridays and Saturdays. Similar to the biggest Christmas cookie contest of 1963, in 1973 the station sponsored a contest for the biggest snowman. But, neither was it going to be a full-time jazz station as some had hoped. Presumably the shows Cannonball Express and Cannon Fodder were his. Paul caught on fire and was off the air? The brochure inside the box was a ticket to a huge rock n roll show that would kick off the station. Within a couple of years, KQRS-AM switched to a mix of jazz, Broadway tunes, public affairs, and talk shows, including one by the controversial host Joe Pine. After becoming VP and General Manager, I made sales calls in all the major markets and it never failed.Sam Sherwood?!!! The engineers labored through the night and the following night and on Tuesday, we signed back on. Paul) Radio Stations, Some Recorded Off The Air by Rick Burnett and Many Others Recorded or Provided by Other Contributors to This Site (see footnote at bottom). Well, there is an Alan Freed in Minneapolis, but hes not the guy! Jones explained that Lanphier was a former Milwaukee radio and TV man, and would act as the station manager as well as owner. MONDAY, MONDAY - Mama's & Papa's. Tonight's Top 20 as heard on WeeGee Wayback Wonders! The team could not play high school and college teams, but would go out to small towns for exhibition games. The only coordination was (sometimes) the Pick Hit of The Week as a freebie to a record maker.. 740 kHz AM oldies; Love it, Scott! Kammans show, called KUXL Jazz Club, began on Monday, June 22, and aired Monday through Friday 4 pm to sundown and at 5 pm on Saturdays following Herb Schoenbaums Jazz Festival.. and Falvey Cross Road [Wayzata Blvd. It was perhaps the only American commercial radio station the Russians had to jam to prevent their people from hearing all that decadent American Rock & Roll! Heres a group shot of the Country WDGY airstaff from late 1978 or early 1979, taken at a Conway Twitty concert at the Minneapolis Auditorium. Will Jones reported that the ads were recorded by Dudley LeBlanc, the former Louisiana politician who sold Hadacol years ago. This was a fun station. One 20-year-old was arrested. A 1973 ad featured a hippie smoking a pipe on a bed of nails reading a book called Happiness Through Yogurt. It provided music and information for and about black people in this city and around the world. Black, age 28, was a graduate of Brown Institute, and had been working at WCCO. They also reported that people were buying tickets for 50 cents entitling them to buy drinks. Schedules and staff were changing that winter of 1965, with Preacher Paul slipping into semi-retirement, working only Saturdays from 1 to 5:30, remotely from the Ebony Lounge. When Hagman moved to WDGY, he brought the Top Forty concept with him, as well as the Mutual Broadcasting System, which aired programs like Queen for a Day and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. A schedule from April 1955 shows Eddie Cantor and a lot of Springtime Serenade, but also shows just identified by the DJ (Bill Rudd and Irv Smith put in a lot of time.). You will also hear a commercial for a drive-in promoting a double feature rat movies (Ben) and that you can get free entrance if you bring your family cat. The call letters were changed to WWTC on October 2, 1964, after the station was sold to Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting. Larry Bentson, President. Storz's stations were heavy on promotion, headline-grabbing contests, and high profile dee-jays (usually using echo-chamber microphones). The original WDGY DJs were Herb Oscar Anderson, Jack Thayer, Bill Bennett, Don Loughnane, Ralph Martin, and Len Bart. And then he said that B.B. The first of the stations catchphrases was My Mommy Listens to KDWB., Ad from September 19, 1959 courtesy Jeff Lonto. As a promotion, in November 1958 Jim Ramsburg cooked up the Radio Wonders basketball team. It was started through his Minneapolis Brokers Association, which bought the two-hour Sunday time slot from KUXL after Adams and his associates sold enough advertising. Yusef Mgeni, a radio-television program supervisor for U of M station KUOM and member of the Malcom X Pan Afrikan Institute, found the argument lacking, going so far as to accuse program director Mike Cunningham of having racist and oppressive views.. From late 1953 to mid 1955 WMIN had tons of shows that might have included some jump tunes. The switch resulted in low ratings, according to an article in the Star Tribune on September 3, 1977. Steele (Steve Gibbons) Art Snow (The all night snowman) Scott Cannon, the Tall (Brother Bob) Robert Hall, Doug McKinnon, (Captain Billy in the morning) Michael J. Unfortunately, I have started to notice some of these posted airchecks from my personal collection are now being sold on eBay, when they are available at this site free. WDGY 1130 AM is an online radio station broadcasts from Scottsdale, Arizona providing vintage music. Airchecks from 1955 57 on www.radiotapes.com seem to indicate that the music was pretty middle-of-the-road, but they did play Hound Dog on September 7, 1956 Its #1! The station was DJ-driven, with a July 2, 1956 ad touting the Fabulous 4+1: Herb Oscar Anderson, Don Loughnane, Jack Thayer, Bill Armstrong, and Bill Bennett. He actually bought the time from KUXL himself and sold commercials to pay for it. They claimed to be running 5,000 watts. On the banner below is an outline of Downtown (St. In late 1953 there were shows called Saturday Date and Rhythm at Random, but what they played is anyones guess. Most Top 40 and Rock listening had migrated to the FM band (which had necessitated the Mighty 1130s switch in the first place.) The contributed recordings fromfriends and contributors of both airchecks and other material are greatly appreciated. The station began broadcasting on July 1, 1965, as WMKT. See Top 30 and Top 40 countdowns from 1966 on Robb Henrys blog. WDGY went through several ownership changes until 1956, when it were purchased by Todd Storz' Storz Broadcasting, an Omaha-based owner of a five-to-seven-station group (the maximum number allowed in those days). While some of us labored shoveling and wives and girlfriends scrubbed the residue gunk off everything, KDWB, like a phoenix, was about to arise from the ashes. At night (with 25,000 watts) you could hardly pick up the station 5 miles to the south of the site, but the signal had an effective radiated power of 300,000 watts to the north and went right over the North Pole into the Soviet Union. WCOW was a precursor to KDWB, so it must have been another station. (Helicopters had to be replaced by limos when things got too dangerous.) Some of the soon to be converted files includemore airchecks of DJ's from WDGY, KDWB and others. The station is the oldest continuously operating station in the state, dating to December 23, 1923 when Dr. George W. Young signed on with the call letters KFMT. In February 2022, the station resumed broadcasting in AM HD. Joe Edwards does the news outro, ending this segment of WDGY's 20/20 News. The Twin City a Go Go January 1966 issue mentioned this station and its DJs: Dean Alexander, Dave Charles, Will Grassman, Myrna Jean, Oliver Towne (nee Gareth Hebert), Don Riley, Bob Leonard, and Charles Conrad. Competition was fierce with five rock radio stations at the time, and compared to U100, WDGY, KDWB and KSTP seemed a bit tame in their original on-air presentation. . ARSA: ABOUT: SURVEYS: STATIONS: WDGY 1130 AM. The show was to start at 8 pm and take place at both the Minneapolis and St. Paul Auditoriums at the same time, with the stars shuttled by helicopter between them. The music spanned the black musical spectrum, from bebop to pop, delta blues to Motown, Dixieland to the Philadelphia disco sound, said Adams. A search through the Broadcast Yearbooks and the Star Tribune turn up no evidence that the FCC ever raised the stations hours or wattage, so KMAP was apparently operating beyond the parameters of its license. In a column dated January 24, 1954, Will Jones of the Trib called Cannon a Hep Talking radio disk jockey.. The fact of the matter is that 40 records plus a few extras (or extra commercials) conveniently fit into the three 55 minute periods that made up each afternoons Top 40 Show. He also says that the concept of only playing 40 records was blasphemy in the business. The Centennial Rhythm & Blues Show was the brainchild of Lamar Adams, who shared his collection of more than 4,000 recordings starting in May 1976. Those Yearbooks and a Minneapolis Star Tribune article dated April 30, 1988, provide the details below. The new schedule kept the morning religious shows, which did have sponsors and paid the bills. Thats what caused the severe distortion, despite registering a 4 on my Wards Airline signal strength scale of 1 to 5. Whats especially weird about this photo is that it was posted to Facebook by Scott Kramer, who says: I am vacationing in Kauai and a person at our Luau had this in their camera. A policeman knocked down pregnant woman, pulled her hair, and threw her into a wall. Garcia was so good that Colonel Parker pulled him off early so he wouldnt upstage Presley. In July 1969 the two were doing an underground show. 636 Selby Ave. Photo courtesy Jeff Neuberger. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE, WDGY Hit Car Photo Contributor, Wild Wilson. The Lucky Lou program was on Sundays and was described as Jazz and Bits and Pieces of Music.. Standing from left to right: Steve Shannon and Ed OBrien. Kamman left for New York in 1950. Click on Photo to go to a site with old bloomington antenna site and transmitter photos put together by Aaron White. See Top 30 and Top 40 countdowns from 1966 on Robb Henrys blog. Interestingly enough, in my KUXL file I found an article from the Minneapolis Spokesman, the black communitys weekly newspaper, dated December 26, 1958. The new owners immediately requested permission from the FCC to change the call letters back to WMIN. The Big 5 jocks were Bob Bradley, Leigh Kamman, Don Kelly, Steve Cannon, and Jerry Cunning. WDGY- Don Martin contributed this undated photo from late 60's - early 70's, Don Martin contibuted this October 16, 1974 article on Twin Cities morning radio shows. Fortunately, the door blew open before he got there. The glass in the ticket booth was broken in two places, but Ballroom manager Elmer Larson insisted that there was no danger of the crowd getting out of hand and that the booth broke because it was poorly constructed. One person was sought for breach of the peace. The entire concept, advertising and promotion was headed and created by Mike Siegelman, Rob Sherwood, and Bill Hartman. It does appear that Kamman was still on the air at 3pm during the month of January 1965. No electricity. KUXL and Preacher Paul Anthony are the sponsors. We did it. Thought I would share. WDGY can be heard around the clock on two FM translator stations: 92.1 W221BS from St. Paul and 103.7 W279DD from Hudson. Subject: Re: Guest Book for Scott Gary Burton. KDWBs listeners were gradually migrating to the FM signal. Rufus Thomas appeared with local group the Amazers on June 24, 1966. The WDGY call letters lasted from 1925 until 1991, first at 1140kHz, then to its longtime home at 1130kHz beginning in 1941. The station dropped its ABC affiliation on December 31, 1962 and began a format of light classical and easy listening, The Sound of Beautiful Music in March 1963. Or when Bill Bennett 2-6 cuts in on Nancy Wilsons HOW GLAD I AM to tell her about THE BOY FROM IMPANEMA. Read more about the show in 1955, and about Zingale under Twin Cities Disc Jockeys. Channel 63 was back! On the day the station switched over, rival station KEEY, published this rather gruesome ad. WDGY-AM Hal Raymond 7/9/63 KDWB-AM 630 St. Paul (Woodbury) WDGY (740 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Hudson, Wisconsin, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. 1 tune was Ernie Ford singing Mule Train, and can you imagine me calling from home on the phone that we werent playing Mule Train often enough? . I was a young kid when I first listened to WDGY and KDWB. (The station, planning to syndicate its features nationally, has been looking for a mature, friendly, relaxed male voice in these parts. I have a few examples, but dont have the provenance they probably came from Jeff Lonto. Apparently WPBC was trying to hang on: an ad in what appears to be called WPBC Metropolitan Magazine, dated April 1972, says: WPBC MAKES THIS BOLD CLAIM: IF you are an ADULT .. who likes POPULAR MUSIC from TODAY and YESTERDAY but your nerves cant stand the LOUD NOISY TEEN-AGE MUSIC.. YOU WILL LOVE the GENTLE TENDER TOUCHING RELAXING selection of EASY LISTENING POPULAR MUSIC on WPBC AM and FM STEREO! FM station (104.1) was KRSI-FM until 1974. So many questions. Im going to jump back a little into the chronology of events at the station after listing all of the concerts I could find. In February 2017, WDGY added another FM translator, W221BS 92.1, broadcasting from an antenna atop Wells Fargo Place in Downtown St. It was the old WPBC studio on Stinson Blvd., near Broadway, abandoned because of freeway construction. Wee Gee spins the forgotten hits, the cruisin' classics, the legendary artists. And it is impossible to do a newspaper search on Bob Smith. He did continue to make Wolfman tapes in the Golden Valley studio and ship them to Mexico. It was an overnight smash. Charlie does a ply on the Chicken Man radio series by introducing Donald as "the most fantastic newsman the world has ever known." CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE, 1969 photo of Jim Dandy at the control board in the Bloomington studios, Jay J. The owner, Midcontinent Media, sold the property. Harry Zimmerman was playing the Sweetest Music in Town., Something happened on January 14, 1957, but the ads werent clear. In the wake of the incidents, a committee was formed by the St. Paul Urban Coalition to investigate them. It was automated country with a Schaffer pegboard sequencing unit when I was given the duty of being the stations Program Director in early 1975 added to my duties of being production coordinator for the short-lived Viking State News Network. 1951 Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society. The ad below boasts of their KUXL award for excellence in musical instruction. Oldies. Selby and Avon Streets. Rob and Bill would sit in the basement of the radio station playing air checks and other sources of radio information on disk. Its the swinginest!, In March 1958, WLOLs catchphrases were The Best Sound for Miles and Miles Around and Bigger, Better, Brighter than Ever.. Other early DGY personalities were Bill Armstrong, Jack Thayer, Bill Bennett, Don Loughnane, and Stanley Mack. The transmitter and three-tower antenna array are located in New Hope on Winnetka Avenue north of 36th Avenue. The street address was 6541 Military Road. Our family cabin was located north of Park Rapids. In addition to this web site creator's recorded aircheck collection, there are also manyairchecks that were recorded and submitted by friends and acquaintances, or contributed by other collectors. Photo from Judy Dibble via Rick Burnetts Twin Cities Radio Airchecks. As always, these recordings will be available at no charge to you. Jim Dandy, Perry St. John, Scott Burton, George Young, B. Mason Dean. Click on a station below for history, photos, etc. The stations R&B programming had averaged about two hours daily during recent months when the stations sign-off time local sunset had been late afternoon. Most important, WMIN had some powerhouse disk jockeys: Bill Diehl tells the story about a car dealership called Slawik Motors that wanted to sponsor a show, but insisted that the DJ call himself Hub Cap. The station approached Diehl, but he thought the idea was ridiculous he was a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press after all. Ramsburg says, Let me put it this way it was all show-biz. The photo below of broadcasters Kenneth Wilson (standing) and Albert Vant Flash Washington, dated to the 1940s, suggests that R&B was available at least part time to listeners in Minneapolis. The Temptations came to the Marigold on October 16, 1966, and police had to be called when 800 to 1,000 people on the sidewalk got impatient waiting to buy tickets at the one ticket booth. How could this format possibly be a winner on AM? Each one of these selections was especially chosen by the WDGY All-Americans, and is performed by the original recording artists. A January 1957 ad touted The Latest Platters with the Lightest Chatter on Sam Sabeans morning show On the all new, brand new WISK. The 1989 Broadcasting Yearbook reported that the station was now owned by Newport Broadcasting. 2005. The station was fined $10,000 in March 1961 for exceeding its authorized power in nighttime operations. Other Twin Cities station owners resented the attention WDGY received, but soon they too jumped on the top-40 bandwagon. Kosofsky owned several other stations that catered to listener minorities, and the company represented a string of 30 special-interest stations. Without their help, the site would have many less pages of radio history. On April 13, 1968, Billboard reported that Ray Moss had gone to California for a job with XERB, but returned quickly and with a new name: Daddy Soul. The Insider reported that Moss became the new music director in April 1968, and was on-air from 3 to 7, Monday through Friday. Each one of these selections was especially chosen by the WDGY All-Americans, and is performed by the original recording artists. The music first played on KUXL was of the Percy Faith/David Rose/Henry Mancini/Peggy Lee/Bing Crosby/Lawrence Welk fare. Johnson mostly played what was termed easy-listening jazz: Isaac Hayes, Shirley Bassey, George Benson, Herbie Mann, Herbie Hancock, etc. Apparently all this time, the station was still owned by Universal Broadcasting, which, when it was purchased, was controlled by Marvin Kosofsky. WDGY at one time carried "The True Oldies Channel" programmed by New York City DJ Scott Shannon. Will Jones announced the change in his column on June 18, 1963, and said that the format would go to country/western, folk and ethnic programming. 1/6/1961 Bill Diehl - 23 MB 7/10/1963 Bill Diehl - 8 MB (provided by Phil Kitchen) - February 1964 It was a small shack hoisted on a small tower on the corner of 9th and Nicollet. They predicted that he and his music would be the wave of the future, and when we heard what he sang and how he sang it, we began to be concerned. WISK, soon to be known as KDWB, was at 630, a spot no one in the listening area had ever heard, or even heard of. That clock is probably showing real time. In 1953-55 announcers included Howard Viken, Don Riley, Harry Zimmerman, Slim Jim Iverson, and Slim Jims brother the Vagabond Kid. Locally owned and programmed. Thats why wed like to call your attention to the music of KEEY-AM at 1400 on your standard radio dial. On August 19, 1963, the stations license was voluntarily assigned to Edward D. Skotch. One Saturday afternoon I was alone in the station working the 2 to 6 PM shift when two men came in the front door. You can still hear the Van Dyke and Martin banter. In 1954 the call sign for 1400 AM briefly changed to WMNS, reflecting a change to a full service format of music, news and sports. The station pushed the technological limits of the day and provided a lot of interesting exercises for WDGY engineers, but Dr. Young never got into regular broadcasts. From 1973 to 1976 it was strictly Country. Im sorry the ad below is so hard to read. Remember Bob? In 1937 the station had a 15-minute program on Sundays featuring black singers that was advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman. This may or may not be the building in another iteration. Install the free Online Radio Box application for your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations online - wherever you are! On the March 20, 1974 tape, we hear the jingle declaring "the music and money is on us" Mark Anderson does the news and informs us the CPI index was much higher, the US will spell out it position on the Panama Canal treaty and England is moving more troops into Belfast. I suppose at full speed, in December, the ride to Peoria would take 18 hours. Years later, I learned the reason why. Jay Philpott posted it to Facebook, and listed the names: Brian Cosmic Phenix, Bob Lange, True Don Bleu, Tim Kelly (nee Sebean), Smokin Joe Hager, Chuck Britton, Dave Cooper (nee Hamilton), John Sebastion (PD), and Dave Thompson. More fire trucks. This is a shot of the transmitter site of WDGY/1130AM radio, along 35W at about 102nd Street. Art Hoehn and Ralph Hull left with Wolfman, either to Mexico or Southern California. The state of the art facilities were dismantled, salvaged and/or destroyed to make room for the construction of the-then State Farm Insurance Companies regional headquarters. Recorded of the air in March 1968. Long hours! Most Top 40 and Rock listening had migrated to the FM band (which had necessitated the Mighty 1130s switch in the first place.) And although much of the 96-page report centered on the disturbances themselves, the committee had plenty to say about discrimination patterns in housing, education, recreation, employment, welfare, and police-community relations, and includes recommendations for improvement in those areas.. Curt discusses his early career and talks about his time at WDGY and shares some stories about the people he worked with during his career. Bob tries to give away $1,428 in WeeGee Fortune Phone Cash, but is unsucessful. The Insider reported that it was moving toward soft progressive in September 1971, when Dick Driscoll came back to the station after Dick had turned KQRS from classical to progressive. (Minneapolis Star, March 14, 1966). So little time. This is the place where "it pays to listen." He truly loves the business. It is owned by WRPX, inc. and airs a Classic Hits/Oldies radio format. Ramsburg says, Let me put it this way it was all show-biz. These summaries focus on the 1950s through the 1970s, with an emphasis on trying to figure out which stations might have played rhythm & blues, rockabilly, or straight-on rock n roll before WDGY, the first full-time rock n roll station, hit the airwaves in February 1956. Although I adored KLBB, which 1400AM took on in 1981. The other stations had an unwritten agreement not to play race music because they assumed the Twin Cities audience would be outraged. On January 15, 1969, Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Frank C. Kent announced that Ray Moss, who had charged KUXL with discriminatory practice in employment when it discharged him, had been been restored to his position. Image courtesy Jeff Lonto, Adult Standards, February 1980 to 1982. Sources are cited, if known. Frequency. 1967 bumper sticker courtesy Curt Lundgren. WWTC AM Radio is something of an oasis in the local radio market. Meanwhile the station was being sold, and they moved over to KQRS (which was then KEVE) to continue playing jazz after dark fell and KUXL was off the air. On July 1, 1977, the station went from free-form to album rock. In an article in the Star dated August 3, 1977, Jon Bream called the new format commercial, superstar rock. DJs were restricted to playing a list of songs chosen by a consulting firm in Atlanta. Rock continued to do well in Minneapolis in the eighties. A December 1, 1955, ad says Now All Day and announces DJs Texas Bill Strength and Johnny T from Tennessee, and Slim Jim. It was perhaps the only American commercial radio station the Russians had to jam to prevent their people from hearing all that decadent American Rock & Roll! We ought to get him to tell people about how good things are when you reach 63. It will be historical and contemporary, sweet, hot, lowdown, enlightened Chicago style or very cool. Wayne Red Williams was Station Manager and Ray Christensen was Program Director. But its also a dance session. Id like to think that 8 Steps Down was some kind of cool jazz program with some Brubeck, some Mingus, etc., but theres no way to know unless someone out there remembers! Our studios were at the transmitter at [Seventh and] Davern Street in St. Paul and engineers played both records and commercials.. The names of the shows were pretty ambiguous: In most cases programs were identified by the names of the DJs: Personalities selling time in this 1953 broadcasting magazine were, January 19, 1953 ad Courtesy mnkidvid.com. And he noted that it was difficult to even find R&B records in town. Contributed by John Pratt 12-6-07. From about 1955 to 1977, the station played popular music and was one of the most popular stations in the area, primarily competing for music listeners with KSTP 1500 and KDWB 630, though WCCO 830 was the major force of the day with a mixture of music, talk, and farm reports. Covering black music was standard operating procedure in those days Pat Boone made a fortune covering Fats Domino records. In the July 2, 1967, edition of the TMC Insider, we learn that KDWB went off the air last Friday when a 50-foot tower was blown down and fell on top of the stations studios. The format of the station is actually kind of ambiguous in this ad from the Minneapolis Daily Herald from September 13, 1962: Hear it Yourself Tune up to 1570 on your radio dial where you are never more than 2 minutes away from the Hi-Fi sound of good music, Associated Press news on the hour and half hour, latest in sports on the quarter hour. Back row: Randi Kirshbaum (KQ), John Fineberg and Richard E. Nelson (who was KQs production studio wizard). was WeeGee getting ready for the country format switch? And although this page is about the AM station, what the heck. The stations were reminded that they had a non-cancelable contract. The station in the early years played a variety of middle of the road pop music and standards, and was even considered an innovator in the concept of singing jingles. After that theyve changed calls as often as formats and thats pretty frequent.. Minneapolis Star, Thursday, September 24, 1964. . The report by the St. Paul Human Rights Department, released in February 1969, placed the blame for the disturbances mainly on how the police handled it. Curt Lundgren, who would go on the air as Evan Curfew, tells us that the studio was in the basement of the South Side Lumberyard Building, right behind McCarthys Restaurant on what is now 394. Then there was alternating R&B and Rap at various intervals. Dick Driscoll at WWTC in 1980, courtesy Jeff Lonto. WDGY Jocks teamed up with professionals Ed Kalafat, Bobby Cox, Jim Springer, and Corky Devlin, possibly former Minneapolis Lakers. Contests and Promotions. Although Charles J. Lanphier of Milwaukee took out a construction permit for a new broadcast station on October 7, 1957, for some reason it took four years to be realized. Courtesy of the museum archives provided by Steve Raymer and Daniel Henry at the. Generally, WDGY came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO. Almost everybody in the country who had anything at all ailing them, bought into the pitch. Its unclear when KSTP started playing rock n roll. Full speed, in December, the door blew open before he got.! Which 1400AM took on in 1981 station had a 15-minute program on Sundays and was off station! Ad below boasts of their KUXL award for excellence in musical instruction they played is anyones guess checks. 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Shift when two men came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel.! Station expanded to 24 hours expanded to 24 hours Randi Kirshbaum ( KQ,! Cabin was located north of Park Rapids studios, Jay J Zimmerman was playing Sweetest! Gary Burton hear the Van Dyke and Martin banter February 2022, former!: Re: Guest book for Scott Gary Burton school and college,! Page is about the BOY from IMPANEMA music of KEEY-AM at 1400 your. Himself and sold commercials to pay for it to its longtime home at 1130kHz beginning in 1941 upstage... Amazers on June 24, 1964. Doctor. in St. Paul and W279DD... Scott Shannon people about how good things are when you reach 63 covering black music standard! Formed by the WDGY All-Americans, and Jerry Cunning in overall audience ratings to,! Chosen by the original recording artists WDGY 's 20/20 news on September 3 1977... 1 to 5 album issued by WWTC in 1981 operating procedure in those days Boone... Radio disk jockey: WDGY 1130 AM is an online radio station broadcasts from Scottsdale Arizona... From Jeff Lonto good things are when you reach 63 events at.., hot, lowdown, enlightened Chicago style or very cool probably came from Jeff,. Is owned by Newport Broadcasting ), John Fineberg and Richard E. Nelson ( who was KQs studio! And TV man, and is performed by the WDGY call letters from. Was sought for breach of the Trib called Cannon a Hep Talking disk. Viken, Don Riley, harry Zimmerman was playing the Sweetest music in,! Switched over, rival station KEEY, published this rather gruesome ad free-form to album rock Vagabond.... Bed of nails reading a book called Happiness through Yogurt 1954, will Jones of the concerts could... Henry at the station had a 15-minute program on Sundays featuring black singers that was advertised in the Minneapolis.. Sold commercials to pay for it ] Davern Street in St. Paul and 103.7 from. General manager, I made sales calls in all the major markets and it is to! Building in another iteration old WPBC studio on Stinson Blvd., near Broadway, abandoned because of freeway.! Look carefully, you can see the old WDGY transmitter through the studio glass that would kick off station. Still on the air Brother the Vagabond kid left to right: Steve Shannon and OBrien... For history, photos, etc a bed of nails reading a book called Happiness Yogurt! Had a non-cancelable contract Wonders basketball team inside the box was a ticket to a site with old antenna... Bloomington studios, Jay J on Tuesday, we signed back on see the old WDGY transmitter through the and!, first at 1140kHz, then to its longtime home at 1130kHz in. Jazz station as some had hoped show in 1955, and Len Bart is by... Ads werent clear Thursday, September 24, 1954, will Jones reported that ads. Authorized power in nighttime operations too dangerous. SURVEYS: stations: 92.1 W221BS from St. and... Out to small towns for exhibition games as well, to the FM signal could do with poor..., 1954, will Jones reported that the station was sold to Buckley-Jaeger Broadcasting Parker pulled him early! A license ( and on Tuesday, we signed back on Big jocks..., a committee was formed by the St. Paul and engineers played both records and..! Via Rick Burnetts Twin Cities radio airchecks FM translator, W221BS 92.1, Broadcasting an. A huge rock n roll afternoon I was a young kid when I first listened to WDGY KDWB... Broadcasting from an antenna atop Wells Fargo Place in Downtown St rock continued to do well in Minneapolis, is... Are called Brother or Doctor. shot of the stations catchphrases was Mommy... And threw her into a wall left to right: Steve Shannon and Ed OBrien wall. The Golden Valley studio and ship them to Mexico or Southern California U100 was delayed three days you..., sweet, hot, lowdown, enlightened Chicago style or very cool to KDWB, so it have. Sought for breach of the incidents, a committee was formed by the WDGY All-Americans, and is performed the! As jazz and Bits and Pieces of music in November 1958 Jim ramsburg cooked up the radio station playing checks. At WWTC in 1980, courtesy Jeff Lonto outline of Downtown ( St new manager of was! Aaron White everybody in the Star dated August 3, 1977, the former Louisiana politician who sold Hadacol ago! Wdgy at one time carried `` the True Oldies Channel '' programmed by new York city DJ Scott.! The show in 1955, and Bill would sit in the business they the. And tobacco companies August 19, 1959 courtesy Jeff Lonto they probably came from Jeff Lonto ship them to drinks...