Welcome to the unofficial tribute site of the Enormous 95 & the Equally Awesome 1580, Washington's legendary WPGC - AM & FM. These pages focus on the station's glory years as a TOP 40 blowtorch, covering the period from the late '50's through the early '80's. 

July 4th, 2020 marks 20 years since this site was founded in tribute to Washington's longest lasting and most influencial Top 40 station ever. Beginning as souvenirs from a box in a garage, the site grew by leaps and bounds over the years due to contributions made by station alumni and long time listeners alike.

Today at over 2,400 pages long, it averages approximately 10,000 hits per month and is still growing with over 300 airchecks and nearly 200 additional airchecks coming in the future. If you would like to make a contribution, please email the webmaster.

Be sure to explore the greatly expanded history of WPGC, a far more detailed discussion of the various jingle packages used on the station through the years, a new section devoted to books that mention WPGC and the exact location of the WPGC-AM tower site, transmitter and studios when it first hit the airwaves on April 24th, 1954!

 

 

No, you may not copy audio or any other files on this site. All materials seen and heard on it are encoded with proprietary identification and protected by U.S. Federal Copyright and Intellectual Property laws, also protected by the Digital Mellennium Copyright Act, and are subject to certain litigation by the contracted law firm of Friedman, Framme & Thrush should materials on this site be duplicated in violation of those protections!

 

 

 

04/22/73 WPGC mentioned on American Top 40

 

04/24/54 Broadcasts begin on WPGC-AM from Morningside on a hill on the farm of Duval B. Evans on Walters Lane. Harry Hayman is President & General Manager of the new independent station which airs 'Hillbilly Music' for 25% of its broadcast day, including the show, 'Corn Shuckin' Time' hosted by Wade Holmes.

 

 

WPGC Articles From This Week In:

04/23/64 Police File Complaint    © Northern Virginia Sun

(Special thanks to the late Dean Griffith (Dean Anthony) for the above)

 

 

WPGC Print Ads From This Week In

03/26/73 Win Big Money ©

 

 

 

	04/17/66	Gentleman Jim Madison #2 - Bob Benson	03:18
	04/17/66	Dean Griffith #2 - Larry James	00:29

 

 

#1 Song As Heard This Week on WPGC

April 20th

04/20/62	Colinda	Red Bernard
04/20/68	Honey	Bobby Goldsboro
04/20/74	The Streak	Ray Stevens

April 21st

04/21/61	You Can Depend On Me	Brenda Lee
04/21/73	Tie A Yellow Ribbon	Tony Orlando & Dawn

April 22nd

04/22/67	The Happening	Supremes
04/22/72	First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	Roberta Flack
04/22/78	Night Fever	Bee Gees

April 23rd

04/23/66	Good Lovin'	Young Rascals
04/23/77	When I Need You	Leo Sayer

April 24th

04/24/60	Cathy's Clown	Everly Brothers
04/24/65	Ticket To Ride / Yes It Is	Beatles
04/24/71	Layla	Derek And The Dominos
04/24/76	Misty Blue	Dorothy Moore

April 25th

04/25/64	Love Me Do	Beatles
04/25/70	Vehicle	Ides Of March

April 26th

04/26/59	(Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I	Elvis Presley
04/26/63	If You Wanna Be Happy	Jimmy Soul
04/26/69	Hair	Cowsills
04/26/75	Philadelphia Freedom	Elton John Band

 

 

 

Click on thumbnails below to see enlargements.

	04/20/62	04/20/68	04/20/74
04/21/61	04/21/73	04/22/67	04/22/72
04/23/66		04/23/77	04/24/60
04/24/65	04/24/71	04/25/64	04/25/70
04/26/59	04/26/63	04/26/69

 

To donate a playlist, please email the webmaster.

 

 

WPGC Alumni Speak!:

Jack Alix:

What a thrill to log on to this web site and see my air check and some background being published. These truly were the "good old days" in the 60's. We were teenagers and filled with excitement as we hit the air on WPGC-FM in its infancy. Read more.

 

 

Shelby Austin:

My most vivid memory has to be the strike. Truckers trying to run the Lincoln off the road while I was driving it, watching the picketers out of my apartment window, picking up non-union jocks at the airport...and yes I was on the air doing the Sunday morning news...it was AWFUL! Read more.

 

 

Harry Boomer:

I just happened to do a google search on my name and up popped the WPGC references...WOW...what a surprise. It was good to see faces of friends I haven't seen in more than 3-decades. I'm now an Anchor/Reporter for WOIO (CBS) and WUAB (UPN) / Cleveland. More info can be found about me by going to 19 Actionnews.com. Read more.

 

 

Beverley Burch:

I worked for WPGC from 1962 to 1975....during all of the good times. I was 21 when I went to work there. It was my most "fun" job ever. I started working there part time in 1962...I had 3 small babies and was just getting back to work. Quickly, Bob Howard realized I had more potential and I became his secretary. To sum it up, we had a lot of fun and were very close. I really missed it at first when I left, but I knew it would never be the same. We were #1.....and that was the best time of "Rock and Roll". Read more.

 

 

Columbus:

What a great website...the "blowtorch" line alone makes you feel proud to have been a part of it...you know for years I never thought much about WPGC then I saw the Cameron Crowe film, Almost Famous... I'm sure the other guys from the' 72 to' '75 years had similar feelings...in many ways we were like the band on the bus rolling through the heartland, just headed somewhere with our music ... and dreams of things not as they were but as we longed for them to be...it was a pretty special time... Read more.

 

 

Chris Curtis:

I just stumbled across the WPGC tribute website and found myself from 1973! Great looking website. It brings back many memories. Read more.

 

 

Dino Del Gallo:

I totally enjoyed my time at WPGC and wish to hell that I were still there. I was fortunate in that I started working there during the summer of my sophomore/junior year in high school. I was a news editor by day and jock wannabe by night. Alexander Goodfellow helped me with my first production room aircheck which really sucked. Others like Joel Denver (Jim Madison) would let me run the board out of stopsets. Talk about taking a chance! Read more.

 

 

Barbara Dubose:

I started working at WPGC in 1976. I smile every time I think about those days. The staff was as close as family members. I am still in contact with some of them today. My office in Bladensburg was right behind the receptionist, the late Phyliss Gammon and next to Music Director, Jim Elliott. My office in Greenbelt was a little isolated from the other offices and we all still found a way to stay close. I moved to the sales department in 1980 or 1981. Read more.

 

 

Cousin Warren Duffy:

In 1959, we put a "Good Guys" Top 40 format together at a little station in York, PA owned by Susquehanna Broadcasting.  The company purchased a station in Ohio (Akron to be exact) and in 1961 they named me as their first program director at WHLO and of course, the "Good Guys" format trailed along with us.

By 1966, the station came to the attention of Bob Howard, the GM of WPGC, whose family lived in Cleveland.  He would monitor the station when he visited his relatives, and about 1966 he and I got in touch and next thing you know, I was living in Silver Spring, MD and I was the afternoon jock and the PD of WPGC. Read more.

 

 

Jim Elliott:

I occasionally take some time and go to this site and sooooo many memories come flooding back. Many people don't appreciate what they've got in living day to day...whether it be a great soul mate or a great radio station. WPGC was a GREAT station and so far ahead of its time in that we were one of the first successful FM stations (due to the heavy penetration of FM in DC).

WPGC was part of people's lives...they came to us to be with friends , to hear new music, to be entertained and to win great prizes (and a lot of cash)....and the loyalty of the listener was reciprocated by on air personalities that really cared about the station, the community and each other. Read more.

 

 

Famous Amos:

I started at WPGC when the station went 24 hours on FM in the Fall of 1968. Bob Howard’s bizarre marketing idea to promote WPGC going all-night on FM was “The return of Amos and Andy” to radio, thus the “Famous Amos” and “Handy Andy” monikers. The actual, cost-savings reason, of course, for having two part-time people on overnight was you didn't have to pay full-time AFTRA wages. Read More.

 

 

Alexander Goodfellow:

I am truly stunned at all the stuff you have on what will always be my favorite station. Really, it's quite an achievement and as an official former Good Guy, I am very grateful. I was especially impressed with your stuff on Jim Collins, and was touched to see the dedication to him. Read more.

 

 

Kevin James:

My greatest experience was meeting Ted Davita.  Ted was a young boy at NIH with a rare blood disease.  He became one of my best friends. I visited him every week and he called me every night. His father was Director of the Cancer Institute.  Do you remember the TV movie "Boy In A Plastic Bubble"? Most of that story was based on Ted including going to  concerts at the Cap Centre in my van and him wearing his NASA designed space suit. He died at the age of 17. Read more.

 

 

Davy Jones:

What can one say, being part of a legend is totally nuts. Deep in my heart I truly believe there will never be a time in the industry where so much was put into the presentation of a radio station, as was put together by the great staff of WPGC. I'm extremely proud to have been apart of the best moments of radio that ever existed. Read more.

 

 

'Barefoot' Larry Justice:

Bob Howard tried to change my real name...Lawrence Kirk Justice...to some stupid off the wall stage name ....we compromised and settled on Larry Justice...however he insisted on 'Barefoot' Larry Justice, friend of all the 'Barefoot' housewives. How do you think that would have played in 1968 when they were burning their bras? I was never crazy about "Barefoot."

During the 'take over / lock in', a major mob of fans gathered outside the station on Southern Ave. and the PG County police had to be called to control the crowd. Wow! What a hoot. Bob was threatened for taking advantage of a country boy! Read more.

 

 

Lisa Kay :

I was the first female who was on the air before midnight (at age 23) and even filled in for Don Geronimo (6-10pm) when he was on vacation. The General Manager didn't care for this "girl" on the air, but Steve Kingston was very supportive until he left. Read more.

 

 

Bryan Lawrence:

A couple of things I remember most about the Black Ulysses overnight remote: Harv Moore didn't want to do it. It was good money in an unrated slot and guess who won? Bill Prettyman. I got a nice talent fee on top of my $4.72/hour. The restaurant provided an all-night cafeteria-style breakfast that was first class after all the clubs closed at 2AM...including the Ulysses which had show bands like "Octagon" and "And The Professionals". Read More.

 

 

Keith MacDonald:

At the request of John Gehron (then WLS PD, my college PD, and now GM of Clear Channel Chicago) I taped Columbus without his knowledge. John used the tape to get him to Chicago as his production director. A year later, he resigned, saying that the production work was getting in the way of his free lance business, which was (and from what I hear is) quite successful. Read More.

 

 

Vicki Mallgrave:

I began there in 1978 in Bladensburg as the Accounts Receivable Clerk and worked in that little tiny room in the back with Chris Fisher and Sheila Chandler. Chris was always telling us stories about Elvis as she was such a fan of his and Sheila made me laugh 8 hours a day. Chris must have wondered about us because we were always giggling. Read more.

Mergatroid!:

As a native, I started listening to WPGC as a kid. So my interest in the station is much more that just working there. Just for the record, I started at the "PIG" as a engineer at the transmitter site in 1970. I am a fountain of "useless" knowledge of the station from '70-74 as an employee, and as a fan prior to that. Read more.

 

 

Anita Miller ('April May'):

I was hired in the summer of 1971 after I heard an announcement on Harv Moore's show that the station was looking for a receptionist and general office person. I called the station and got an interview with Dee Masano a few days later. I had worked briefly for KVI radio in Seattle before moving to DC in 1970 so I knew the phones and bookkeeping stuff but I had stayed at home for a while and wasn't sure if Bob Howard would give me the position. Read more.

 

 

Harv Moore:

Bob Howard had a "right of first refusal" on the sale of WPGC. When the Richmonds tried to sell it to the Marriotts, he exercised it. Got a bundle. He used the money to buy WYSL and WPHD here in Buffalo in Oct '74. He asked me to moved up here and work for him.  I left WPGC in 1975.  I had worked for him since 1963, so we had a good working relationship. Read more.

 

 

Todd Reynolds / Ed Kowalski / Ed McNeil:

As far as working there as many times as I did, I can think of a few folks who stopped by twice (Jim Collins, Dino Del Gallo, Linda Kelly immediately come to mind) but never a third. QUICK! CALL GUINNESS, AND TELL 'EM TO STOP THE PRESSES. WE HAVE A NEW WORLD'S RECORD! Read more.

 

 

Bob Peyton (Bob Burian):

OK, so here I am a 65 year old former disk jockey with nothing to do one evening, so I Google myself and what do I find? I find that I was at one time semi famous in DC. Actually I really got a kick out of remembering some WPGC times, people and, of course, music from the late 60's. Read more.

 

 

Waylon Richards :

Great website. It mustta took lotza work to put together and it looks great. I'm in San Diego and President of my own advertising agency, AdVIZOR. It's a start-up but going pretty good. Read more.

 

Charlie Shoe:

What a great website. How great to see and hear about the guys I worked with from '68 to '70 at the PIG. But talking about being out of it...I had no idea about Jim Collins. He was a great guy. Really sorry to hear that news. I'm semi retired in Punta Gorda Florida, doing a three hour morning gig at WCVU 104.9 FM and was thrilled to find this web page. Great Job. I put it on my favorites. Read more.

 

 

Brad Scott:

Great web site. Been looking at the site for an hour...WOW. Thanks for the hard work. I'm now Mike O'Brien at STAR 102 Kansas City. Been in KC since 1973, after leaving WPGC and WYRE. Read more.

 

Al Wallack:

I enjoyed cruising around the WPGC website a great deal. Spent some time there in '70-'71. Hired by big Wilson and worked with Harv Moore, several Bob Raleighs and my best buddy there at the time was Davy Jones. I was, mostly, a News Guy. Keep up the good work.

 

Wally Weaver:

Came across your website almost by accident while reading about the sad passing of Dean Griffith. Great site that brings back lots of fond memories. Went to the "News Guys" page to check on some old friends, and lo-and-behold - -found my name from my brief stint at 'PGC. While there, I was "Wally Weaver", a name concocted by then 'PGC PD Scott Shannon. I continued to perform news duties at Z-104 in Frederick under my real name, Wally Hindes. Read more.

 

WPGC Mailbag:

I remember Cousin Duffy's debut of Harper Valley PTA one summer afternoon; and the first time I ever heard A Day In The Life by the Beatles----all on WPGC "Good Guys" Radio. Was it legal to play a song as long as McArthur Park? They proved it to be so.....

- Ron Bly

 

Read more from the WPGC Mailbag

Best comment of the week wins $30 (not really!).

Send yours to the webmaster.

 

Small Print Dept.: This non-profit historical site is not affiliated in any way with WPGC Radio today or CBS Radio, Inc. Use of copyrighted material is consistent with the "fair use" provisions contained in §107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 due to the following characteristics: Use of copyrighted material is of a nonprofit, educational nature, intended for the sole purposes of research and comment and does not significantly negatively affect "the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work(s)." Use of registered trademark material is not subject to civil action or injunction as outlined in §1114 and §1125 of the Trademark Act of 1946 (the Lanham Act) due to the following characteristics of this work, and the registered marks published herein: Use of reproductions of registered marks is not for the purpose of commerce, nor is the use connected with the sale, offering for sale, or advertising of any goods or services. Use of reproductions is not likely to cause confusion, mistake, or deception as to the affiliation, connection, or association of this work with owners of published registered marks, nor as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval of this work by owners of published registered marks. Wherever possible, the copyright or registered mark owner's name has been noted near the copyrighted work or registered mark; however, all material used in this site, including, but not limited to, newspaper articles, syndicated themes, promos, commercials, photographs, playlists, press releases, ratings, airchecks, newscasts, traffic reports, sports reports, 'sound-offs', sweepers, bumperstickers and station logos, should be considered protected copyrighted material or registered mark with all rights reserved to the owner, named or unnamed. So there!