Jones described him as a mild-mannered, blond, pipe-smoking sort, who grew up in Chicago and worked in radio as a writer, director, and producer on radio shows and in TV when that city was its center of the early days. 11/22/1973 Listen to Paul Geiger in the morning! But Sam Sabean [Sam Sherwood] reports on this very important development: Joe Zingale called himself Mr. Listen to Paul Geiger in the morning! Tom did the best impression of Muhammad Ali I have ever heard. We have no airchecks, but ratings books from 1953 to 1955 do give us the names of programs that give hints as to what they were playing: KEYD was primarily a country station, with shows by Slim Jim and the Vagabond Kid and programs called Record Rodeo and Random Ranch. CLICK TO ENLARGE, Donald K. Martin at The Pavek Hall of Fame Dinner, October 2006. But stay tuned. Whatever the approach, it had to be as different as was our position on the dial. Below is a listing of stations available in the metro area. 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. Im sorry the ad below is so hard to read. Although we think of WDGY as the Twin Cities first rock n roll station, it was not at all clear at the time. As always, much more information and many airchecks are available at www.radiotapes.com/wwtc.html and http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wwtc.html. We do know that the station was playing rock n roll from the WMIN Top 40 dated August 4, 1958. and Falvey Cross Road [Wayzata Blvd. Interestingly enough, in my KUXL file I found an article from the Minneapolis Spokesman, the black communitys weekly newspaper, dated December 26, 1958. I hope you have some audio clean up program. 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. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE, One of the last music surveys published by WDGY. Another January 1957 ad said If You Dig Rhythm N Blues Mitchells the Most! This aircheck has the music scoped out, but the commercials and promos are left in, providing a glimpse into the times. WDGY (740 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Hudson, Wisconsin, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. It had 50,000 watts during the day and 25,000 at night. Jack Hazlett was Station and Sales Manager, and Ralph R. Smith was Program Director. The station finally landed at the great 1130 on March 24, 1941, when all of the local stations were repositioned. So what if a top forty am radio station in Minneapolis/St. WDGY operated on eight frequencies [1] by the time it settled on 1180 AM. An historical archive of surveys and nostalgia from radio station WDGY 1130 AM, Minneapolis / St. Paul. Paul radio stations featuring recordings dating back to 1924, with many from the 19. 980 AM was originally staid WPBC from 1949 to 1972. Jeff Lonto: The ratings started to go up and so ownership and management had the bright idea of pulling the plug on the whole thing, changing the calls to KJJO-AM, and simulcasting FM sister station KJJO-FM (104.1). It made its final move to 1130 AM in 1941 as required by the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) under which most American, Canadian and Mexican AM radio stations changed frequencies. Install the free Online Radio Box application for your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations online - wherever you are! Paul airchecks dating back to 1924 including WDGY and other Twin Cities radio stations, Oldiesloon.com, featuring information about former Twin Cities Top 40 stations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WDGY&oldid=1134539013, This page was last edited on 19 January 2023, at 05:18. You can see the full shot of the turntables with their massive tone arms. 1951 Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society. As a promotion, in November 1958 Jim Ramsburg cooked up the Radio Wonders basketball team. The stations were reminded that they had a non-cancelable contract. From the Yesterhits of Yesterday compilation issued in 1967: In June of 1966, WDGY began programming Much More Music for its listeners in the Twin City Area. Ad from the Hopkins Sun, May 2, 1968, courtesy Jeff Lonto; also in Minnetonka Herald, February 22, 1968, Image courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting, In 1969 KRSI issued a two-record compilation of oldies called the KRSI Request Album. The photo below is from the album. 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.). Crocker, and Brad Piras. It is owned by WRPX, inc. and airs a Classic Hits/Oldies radio format. John Hines replaced Knapp in about 1975, and Rob Sherwood arrived in 1976, after U100 was sold. They were to buy only where they could get exactly the same guaranteed times on all stations at one time. In 1956 the station also participated in the big Contest Craze that hit most of the areas radio stations. I was driving my yellow Toronado through the spaghetti part of I-94 in St. Paul. Email : Jane@wdgyradio.com. A fair portion of its signal pointed away from populated areas, making it audible only to its intended audience in South and West St. Paul. Photo from Judy Dibble via Rick Burnetts Twin Cities Radio Airchecks. To protect stations also on 1130 to the south and east, most of the power was directed north. Good New Show on KUXL: Saturday at 5:00 pm is the time to listen to all the old hits on Bill Blast Hits of the Past. The show, hosted by Al Collins of Music City, downtown Minneapolis, received good response from listeners. Wedgy Devices - WEDGY12 & WEDGY23Cable Support Attachment Accessories for 600, 700, 800, 900 Series Wedgy Supports. He has been at KQRS in the Twin Cities for years, doing the morning show. WDGY is the only AM radio station in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market that broadcasts in HD. Don Morrison of the Star revealed even better news in his 2 Cents Worth entertainment column on June 20, 1964. WDGY (740 AM, " The True Oldies Channel ") is a daytime-only oldies radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. At the time it was billed as The New WDGY Your Radioactive Station! Top 40s available from July 21, 1956 on do show that the playlist was definitely rock n roll, although they played a lot of cover versions and a lot of schmaltz. One song in 57 looks suspiciously local: Paddlin Ingabord Home by Ole The Singing Janitor. Following this change, the WDGY call letters were ironically adopted by KDWB for the 630 kHz frequency. At every Provident Drug Store (not the real name) was a giant stack of tiny boxes beneath a huge sign saying, Free Samples of Formula 63. Ft. 7013 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042. Bobby Freeman, who did Lets Do the Swim, came to the Marigold on Sunday, September 27, 1964. The station was also still playing Fibber McGee and Molly and The Lone Ranger.. 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. David Hersk, founder of North Minneapolis recording company Gaity Records, remembered that Edwards had a late night show where he called himself Uncle Merle and played plenty of R&B and rock n roll in 1954-55. I will cut in on occasion with additional/alternate information from Will Jones of the Minneapolis Tribune. I had hired Don French to be the KDWB PD. Front row: Susan Bradley and John Pete (KRSI). On March 7, 2017, WDGY discontinued broadcasting in HD and began broadcasting in C-QUAM AM stereo. Everyone agreed that this guy could sell anybody anything. Then I was given stacks of albums of rock, bands from primarily the West Coast, to audition and play once my show began that Spring. Bo Diddley by (are you ready?) The stations license was always in the name of Universal Broadcasting during these years, so it is difficult to know what role Smith played at KUXL. WDGY can be heard around the clock on two FM translator stations: 92.1 W221BS from St. Paul and 103.7 W279DD from Hudson. MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Format: T40. Paul caught on fire and was off the air? In April 1957 the station was owned by the BFR Broadcasting Corp., N.L. What about a transmitter? Think of it this way. At 7 AM following the news we played popular music until signoff. The first of the stations catchphrases was My Mommy Listens to KDWB., Ad from September 19, 1959 courtesy Jeff Lonto. 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. I sent time at my grandparents lake home on Rush Lake (60 miles north of St. Paul). Art Hoehn and Ralph Hull left with Wolfman, either to Mexico or Southern California. The music spanned the black musical spectrum, from bebop to pop, delta blues to Motown, Dixieland to the Philadelphia disco sound, said Adams. ARSA: ABOUT: SURVEYS: STATIONS: WDGY 1130 AM. Presumably the shows Cannonball Express and Cannon Fodder were his. Harry Zimmerman was playing the Sweetest Music in Town., Something happened on January 14, 1957, but the ads werent clear. Its IN but NOT far out!!!! When the oldies format of WYOO started to slide in the ratings, more MOR music was added, but ratings slid even further. Top Row: Arnie Peterson (sports), Gene Taylor, Sam Sabean, Jack Douglas. A 1972 article in the Echo opined that KDWB played new songs that were just released, while WDGY only played nationally-established music. In a 1972 article the Insider noted the leaky roof and yellowed wallpaper at the aging studio in St. Louis Park. There, at 63, where no Minnesotan had gone before. For more on Progressive/Underground Rock, see KRSI. KTCR signed on on April 5, 1962, as a Country station. New furnace, electricity etc. Haines wrote: Rock and roll had a difficult entry into the Twin Cities market. In 2014, the station began broadcasting in HD. (Minneapolis Tribune, January 27, 1966). . Thanks to all contributors. Soon, it was possible to see the lights on the six KDWB towers. Inside of Formula 63 package, courtesy Sam Sherwood. 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. But was this the first opportunity that Twin Citians had to hear what came to be known as rock n roll on the radio? The fire department didnt want us beginning the clean up until the inspector could make sure the building was safe to enter. I suppose at full speed, in December, the ride to Peoria would take 18 hours. WeeGee tended to be a little more conservative than KDWB reportedly even their staff wore suits and ties, but that has been disputed. It was the old WPBC studio on Stinson Blvd., near Broadway, abandoned because of freeway construction. The station began broadcasting on July 1, 1965, as WMKT. On November 8, 1954, WMIN hosted a four-hour remote from the new Melodee Record Shop at 704 Hennepin Ave., advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman. (From the A. Mintz Collection), Lunch with Donald K. Martin, Former WDGY Newsman and Morning Show Co-Host. It now programs its oldies format along with local hosts in-house. . The radios had to be placed at one end of a room 6-8 feet apart and the listener had to stand about 10-15 feet away. We were talking and I happened to mention I was a DJ at KDWB (1982-85) and they had this photo stored in their phone picture library. I do not remember much about Gene Leader. But the Country format was gaining acceptance among older baby-boomers and melding that growth with WDGYs big 50,000-watt signal gave new purpose to the station and validation to a growing, willing audience that perhaps Country musics time was coming. Merle introduced me when I called in, and gave me five seconds of dead air to start my home recorder at 78 rpm.. Special thanks to Jim du Bois for the use of the recording studio & to Donald K. Martin and Mike Cunningham for spending timein the interest to preserve some of the Twin Cities radio history. In the meantime, Rob flew to Dallas to recut the jingles. WDGY seemed to appeal to 18- to 35-year-old listeners while KDWB held a fair share of the teen audiences - considered hot properties during this period. Two off-duty policemen who were hired for the event came on the scene and took the gun away from him and tried to arrest him. On November 16, 1965, the 2:00 listing in the newspaper for KUXL simply read R&B Express., Apparently the scene with the Fourteen Foxes didnt last too long. WCOW was renamed WISK in May 1956, and affiliated with the Mutual network, late of WDGY. A memo to the staff from Todd Storz dated May 28, 1956 singles out the gang at WDGY for a job well done. The Impressions made an appearance at the Marigold on Sunday, April 11, 1965. More great stuff is on http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wdgy1130tapes.html. Also, they are not necessarily in the right order. A moment later we were both rolling on the floor, rocking with laughter. In fact, all were in their 20s. Bill Diehl worked at WMIN from 1948 to 49 and from 1951 to 55. Storz also ended the affiliation with the Mutual network. Rhythm [in 1955] and played the real soul of rhythm and blues. And when youre there, youre a celebrity. The Twins management got riled at the implications that its star catcher and other players were hanging around a saloon, and protested, so the Preacher toned it down. One even has a snippet of Loni Anderson! The stations schedule wasnt printed in the Tribune until December 10, 1961. This was on the grounds of the U.S. Silver Fox Farm, at the very northern border of the Village.The document below is the application to move the transmitter in 1927. Happy to find and post it prior to Johnny induction into the Pavek'sMuseum of Radio Broadcasting Hall of Fame. CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE, WDGY Donald K. Martin contributed this undated from the late 60's - early 70's. Storzs company, Mid-Continent Broadcasting, purchased WDGY on February 6, 1956 for $212,000. Right on Super U became a catch phrase on the station and among its fans. 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! Super U100, the Twin Cities powerhouse was the original catch phrase, used on-air and in promotion and advertising beginning on August 26, 1974. 50,000 watts. He came with no radio training at all in fact, he was a bartender but the station executives were impressed with his verbal fluency and vast knowledge of music. They promise infrequent and low-tone commercial announcements.. And although this page is about the AM station, what the heck. Hes still sick of The Wayward Wind., As for where the lists came from, Ramsburg explains, Juke box operators depended on Cash Box, which was a few weeks faster with sales figures than Billboard. Jim Dandy, Perry St. John, Scott Burton, George Young, B. Mason Dean. Standing from left to right: Steve Shannon and Ed OBrien. WDGY "The Original Rock and Roll Station" The Original Rock and Roll Station--Shows. Zingale urged the Tedescos to change the stations format to all R&B, and they considered it, but since they were only a 1,000 watt daytimer, they figured that a more powerful station would just steal the format and leave them hanging. On August 28, 1981, the station was purchased by Soho Broadcasting, Stanley Soho, President. in St. Louis Park from May 16, 1958 (at 7am) to October 1972. WDGY was founded in 1923 by Dr. George Young, an optometrist who dabbled in radio as a hobby, and was one of the first commercial radio stations in the Twin Cities area. And then almost overnight, or so it seemed, the jazz folk around town were talking about their station. In an article in the February 1972 Insider, Tom Murtha noted that Glover was the prime mover in bringing more diversified programming to local radio. Glover was not the first to present underground music in the Twin Cities when he took on the overnight shift in 1969, George Fisher at KQRS had already been playing a diverse selection of underground rock, jazz, blues and comedy (Firesign Theatre, Cheech and Chong) for a couple of years. Many thanks to Jeff Lonto, who is one of the Cities experts on radio history, for much of the information cited here. Stuart A. Lindman with photos of Steve Cannon, Merle Hub Cap Edwards, and Bill Diehl, 1949. Its fans from 1948 to 49 and from 1951 to 55 Jones of the local stations were reminded that had! Wonders basketball team Jones of the Cities experts on radio history, for much of the turntables with their tone..., Former WDGY Newsman and morning show Co-Host 1941, when all of last. You have some audio clean up until the inspector could make sure the building was safe to enter: Peterson... Inside of Formula 63 package, courtesy Sam Sherwood ] reports on very! 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