'Worthless Wax from the Hall of Fame...'

Harv Moore 'The Boy Next Door' is a native of Pelham, New York but came to WPGC from Frankfort, Kentucky in March of 1963. Initially, he did nights till sign-off but within a few months was moved to mornings when Jerry G left for KYW in Cleveland, starting just days before the tragic JFK assassination.

Harv was also Program Director when Dean Griffith (Dean Anthony) left in 1964 for WMCA in NY until the arrival of Cousin Warren Duffy in 1966. He also served as Music Director from 1971 when Davy Jones left for WMAL-FM but was promoted to Program Director again in 1972 when big Wilson vacated the position.

Harv continued in mornings until early in 1975 when he accepted an offer from former WPGC General Manager, Bob Howard to do mornings in Buffalo at WYSL. Today, Harv has copme out of retirement to do middays at WECK in Buffalo.

32 years before 9/11 would become a date to live in infamy, Harv is heard on this aircheck at the top of his game. Surprisingly, none of his character voices are present. But his sharp wit is very much in evidence. Listen to his interplay with Robert Parker's, 'Barefootin'; 'What's that smell over there?....('Take your shoes off').

WPGC's daytimer status on the AM was always a struggle from a competitive standpoint. By September the AM didn't even sign on till sunrise at 6:45AM. The FM meanwhile had gone 24 hours in 1968. Listen for Harv to pause a second to allow the AM to join the FM simulcast at the beginning of this tape.

Moments later, Harv is heard doing the news. News Guy, Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller) also doubled as the station's Production Director. As such, he didn't come in till 7AM. Although his voice is heard on this tape on numerous commercials and imaging elements like the Legal ID & Request-o-matic stagers, he isn't heard live until a sports report in which he details the Miracle Mets of '69 moving into first place in the National League East.

Soon after, he does a newscast in which one of the stories is about the rejection of a proposed subway line in the Nation's Capital. Metrorail would not begin operation for another 7 years. An apt illustration of the versatile Mr. Raleigh's talent is heard during one newscast in which one of his own commercials appears during the cast. His authoritative 'news' voice gives way to his 'announcer' persona (and both were very good!).

It seems odd by today's standards, but concepts such as music sweeps and spot clustering were in their infancy at the time of this tape. Check out the 'Two In A Row' and 'Triple Power Play' jingles at various points in the hour as WPGC and Top 40 radio made its first foray into increasing Time Spent Listening.

Incidentally, jingles are from a PAMS package simply known as 'Grid', a kind of 'tack your station's thematic logo ('Good Guys Radio....in the case of WPGC) onto generic cuts' approach that allowed for the rapid creation of packages for stations around the country.

As for the spots, 'Two In A Row' or 'Triple Power Play' could have just as easily been used to describe the commercials as the songs! Stopsets never exceeded three minutes (considered lengthy at the time). A mixture of both National & Local spots are heard but clearly, the ratio was favoring National ones by 1969 (WABC's Dan Ingram is heard on the one for Heidelburg Beer). And don't miss Tommy James & the Shondells' treatment of the familiar 'Things Go Better With Coke' jingle. Among the local ones is Quantico Auto Sales with a jingle that blatantly rips-off Richard Harris', 'MacArthur Park'.

Harv's voice is present on several live spots as well as on a number of pre-recorded commercials including a two person one with former WPGC Good Guy, Marvelous Marv Brooks for Lustine Chevrolet. By this time Marv had launched an all Oldies format on FM at WMOD. He would later go on to become the House Announcer at the Capital Centre for both the Bullets & the Capitals.

Contesting consisted of 'Name It & Claim It' in which various prizes were up for grabs if someone at a number called at random by the DJ knew what that hour's prize was. Darn the luck, one potential winner missed out on his chance for a 'Deluxe Cassette Player' because his line was busy. Bet he has call waiting today!

Had he been aware of that slight, he might very well have written an irate letter to 'Mr. Sound Off', (in reality, General Manager, Bob Howard) who is heard here in fine sarcastic style on one about unattended children.

 

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