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Tuesday, September 02, 04:52:28am [ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, [7] ]

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Date Posted: Friday, December 23, 12:30:44am
Author: Gus Katsoris
Subject: Re: What Station did you listen to in the AM Radio days
In reply to: Mike Cerniello 's message, "Re: What Station did you listen to in the AM Radio days" on Thursday, December 22, 01:09:56pm

I dabbled with FM in 1966, when I got an AM/FM radio for my 13th birthday. It seems weird now, but WABC-AM and WABC-FM both broadcast the same programming.

On my radio, the tuning dial was arranged so that 770 AM and 95.5 FM were exactly in the same position on the tuning pointer. I could switch back and forth from AM to FM and hear the same program. If my memory hasn't failed me, I seem to remember that there was no reverb on FM.

When the FCC forced stations to stop simulcasting on AM and FM, I stayed on AM, mostly with WABC. I wandered to WMCA sometimes and occasionally to WJRZ ("Radio 97" on AM). They played country music, which didn't sound anything like today's offerings. We used to call it Hillbilly music.

When I made the more-or-less permanent switch to FM, I started with WOR-FM. I actually have one of their "special offer" albums. I'm looking at it right now. It's a two-record compilation of oldies and has hand drawn pictures of the DJs on the inside cover: Sebastian Stone, Joe McCoy, Al Brady, Sean Casey, Johnny Donovan, Tommy Edwards and Jimmy King.

I later switched to WPLJ and listened to it for a few years. My favorite DJ was Pat St. John. I did listen to WCBS-FM too and other stations as well: WPIX-FM, WNEW-FM, WXLO-FM, If conditions were good, I could sometines get WIOQ-FM from Philly. As the years went by, I began to favor WCBS-FM.

By the way, I have a short recording of WCBS-FM, taped on New Years Eve in 1975. The music playing at 11:59 was "Time is Tight" by Booker T and the MGs. Then at midnight, the DJ announced "It's 1976".

That tape sounds terrific. I think that back then, FM stations didn't process their audio, and they broadcast it pretty much as it came off the record. My 1975 tape sounds better than almost anything off the air today. Considering the age of the tape, this is quite remarkable. It also doesn't say much to the audio quality that is broadcast today. Comparing the old to new, what I hear is a much better dynamic range on the old off-air recording.

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