Pat was morning man in 1960. He later managed a small radio station in Upstate New York for a year. Then went to The New Yorker Magazine in Advertising Sales for 20+ years, followed by another 10 years doing the same thing at Playbill Magazine, from which he retired in 2003. He & his wife now live in Connecticut.

Pat writes:

On Bob Howard & Max Richmond

Before I update my own data, a couple of words about Bob Howard. Bob was a difficult guy, but a smart and hard worker. I am glad to see he profited mightily before he died. Before 'PGC I worked for Bob in Baltimore (WAQE which later changed its call letters to WTOW). After Bob left, the owner, Sam Booth, hired two successive genuine lightweight managers. Neither of these guys could sell and all of the other salesmen left shortly after Bob did. Business fell off dramatically.

I recall Bob as more relaxed there than at 'PGC. Good Lord, he could not have been more tense. Max Richmond was an even more difficult man to work for than Bob. Max would come down from Boston and harass everyone, Bob the most, of course. He had an office hidden away in the back of a bunch of file cabinets and partitions. He loved to pick up his phone and listen to everyone's phone calls, sometimes butting in, but most often just listening.

On Working at WPGC & Fame

In his reminiscences, Bob's son commented about celebrity. I remember my surprise the first time a listener asked for my autograph. I thought he was kidding. The two incidents in which my celebrity counted for anything both had to do with my wife. She was going downtown on a bus, standing, chatting with another woman from our apartment complex. The woman asked what her husband did. My wife replied that he was Pat McCoy on WPGC. With that, a young man sitting within earshot offered her his seat, saying he listened to me every morning.

Later, when my son was born, the daily WPGC Salute was to my wife for giving birth at Georgetown Hospital. Many of the nurses were listeners. They came into her room to say hello. She enjoyed the attention.

The history of the station was interesting reading. I did not know they went to 50 kW. When I was there the only 50 in DC was WTOP. At 10,000 watts we were the second most powerful station in the market. FM was just beginning to have meaning. We simulcast Daytime and played Big Band music until 10:00 PM. Bob tried to sell it in half-hour blocks. That was just as I was leaving.

Incidentally, my schedule was 6:00 (Or Sunrise) until 10:00 Mon-Sat. News at 10:25. Lunch 10:30 till 11:00, news at 11:25, news headlines at 12:05, news at 12:25 and 1:25. Then home. Saturday I left at noon. Friday and Saturday nights I did a remote (warmer months only) from a Drive-In Movie theatre.

On Others At The Station

I remember some of the 'PGC people; Jerry Kearns, whose grandmother ran Blair House; Tom Shaeffer, a sales guy who got me talent fees on several of the pieces of business he sold, thank you. Ray Quinn, former NBC announcer, and Bill Leonard, Legislative Assistant to a US Senator the rest of the day. Both of these did the news on my morning show for a time. Both were great professionally and personally.

On The Photos Below

The pictures with Chubby Checker and Guy Mitchell were both taken at remotes we did at Foley Ford. I did four for Ken Foley, a great guy. The one with Gene Barry (Bat Masterson) was a remote at a shopping center. He was preceded that day by Dion, who had recently split from the Belmonts. I picked up Dion at his hotel in my VW Beetle, not knowing that his manager was with him. The two were great sports about riding in cramped quarters. We did lots of remotes in those days, often with recording artists as guests.

Photos

Special thanks to the late Dean Griffith (Dean Anthony)
for the photos below from his personal collection).

Print Materials

Sales Kit One Sheet

Sound Files

Sweepers

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