WPGC People - Program Directors

Bob Howard had a "right of first refusal" should the station ever be put up for sale. It was a signed document from Max (Mac) Richmond. When the station went on the market, and it was announced that it was being sold to the Marriotts, Bob exercised his right of first refusal. He told me that he was trying to get some backers to put a deal together.

Glenn Potter called me at about 11:00 one night...woke me and my wife out of a sound sleep...doing mornings, I was getting up at 4AM. He told me that he and the Marriotts were buying WPGC, and he wanted me to assist them in doing some "community ascertainments" that were required by the FCC.

I told him that Bob Howard was also trying to buy the station, and that I worked for him, and assisting the Marriotts would border on "treason". He said Howard did not have the financial backing to buy the station. He said, "So, you're not going to help us?" I said, "I can't".

When the Marriotts took over, I knew my days there were numbered. I was the enemy. Potter called me into his office one morning after my show, and said "things were not working out". And they weren't.

In the meantime, I had been talking to Bob Howard's attorney, Jason Shrinsky. He was putting a deal together for someone that was going to buy what became DC101 - I think the guy was "Benderson". The negotiations dragged on and on.

Bob Howard could not put the money together to buy 'PGC. The Marriotts bought him out. It was over $500,000. Bob used the money to buy two stations in Buffalo, WYSL and WPHD in Oct '74., and he asked me to move here to program the two stations. I had worked for him since 1963, so we had a good working relationship. Bob sold the stations in '89 - walked away with 4.3mil...he passed away in 1993.

On His Days Since Then:

New owners came in and cleaned house - I mean EVERYBODY - 'cept me. I stayed on for a while, but decided to move on. I was doing the morning show with my friend Bob Taylor - The Taylor & Moore Show...highly successful. We had created the mythical Land of Fa - ruled by the Fa King. We told every Fa King joke you can think of. It was hilarious if I do say so myself. (We put a CD out a coupla years ago, and it was the #1 best seller here in Buffalo for months).

Anyway, the new owners thought they were building a better mousetrap, and brought in a new morning show. I think they had 4 different hosts in 4 weeks. Taylor and I went to another station in town, but we were on in the afternoon, and the format was different.

In 1995, independent record promoter Jerry Meyers and I started a small record company, producing and recording local singers. In 1998, the program director of Oldies 104, WHTT / Buffalo coaxed me into doing a Saturday show. Then, they asked me to do 12n-3p Monday thru Friday. Then, they asked me to be Assistant Program Director, and do 10a-3p Monday thru Friday. I later did afternoons, 2-7p.

My contract was up Dec 31, 2006. They let me know in October that they were dropping Oldies, going to a "Mix" format. I wasn't comfortable with that. They asked me stay on thru March 31, 2007 during the transistion. Today, Harv does mornings at WECK / Buffalo.

Columbus writes:

Most things seem so much more magical in the distance than when you get there...I heard Harv Moore on WPGC when I was in high school...the time when your favorite songs have this once in a lifetime significance...its hard to live up to that...but he did....Harv was a genuinely funny guy...didn't have to prepare stuff...just talking with him the humor was so natural...and he knew how to live in a big picture kind of way... on the edge but in control... always with a feeling for the people around him...we all have regrets ...and I mean this in the best way...I don't think Harv has too many... he's really a huge talent and a humble great guy...

On Inheriting the Morning Show:

Although I'm not sure of a timeline, I do remember Harv asking me to consider going to Buffalo and that seemed to be months before he left. Then suddenly boom, Jim Collins was the new Program Director and Jim's giving me a pep talk about how I'd be great doing mornings in the style of a Charlie Tuna or Robert W. Morgan.

Mike Cohen writes:

I can tell you that Harv Moore in my opinion was more than just a WPGC Good Guy. He was a Great Guy. Harv was the consummate morning man who was entertaining and funny. Consider... Harv aired one of Washington's highest rated morning shows without a producer and without being raunchy. (Harv occasionally got "spicey" but never crossed the line. Besides, its a lot harder to be funny and clean.) Harv was and I'm sure still is a "class" act. You can count me as a big Harv Moore fan both professionally and personally.

Anita Miller ("April May') writes:

Harv let eveyone get their 15 minutes of fame every chance he got and for a man of his fame that was amazing -- no ego just the boy next door for real. He told jokes about my blueberry muffins on air: I believe they were used for door stops and paper weights. Said my parents were going to enroll me in cooking school but I burnt the application! We got a lot of mileage out of my lack of culinary skills. I had to put the fire department on danger money every time I turned on the stove!

Rick Young writes:

Glenn Potter was looking to make changes in the station from the get-go. Harv was fired in January '75. Harv was not about to take direction from him, and THAT was no secret. Plus he had a fallback deal with Bob Howard which surprisingly took some time to put together. Harv was one hell of a nice guy, that I can absolutely attest to. I remember the day well. It was snowing like hell, and Potter entered Harv's office to give him his two weeks notice. Harv said he knew it was coming, but was surprised at the timing. Anyhow, and I wasn't there, he basically said "I'm outta here now".

I remember seeing Harv's office after he had left, and wondered what else was coming down. Barry Richards had this gig on Channel 20, and Harv and the Redhead were guests periodically during the transition to Buffalo. Then he was gone, and Joanie dropped off the map. There was a kind of real sadness as to what had transpired during my almost one year there. Morale had plummeted after the sale, and the Mormons were a disaster. They knew nothing about how to treat people, or about the radio business.

'Cousin' Warren Duffy

'Cousin' Warren Duffy was originally from Baltimore where he had worked previously with General Manager, Bob Howard who, in 1966 hired him to become Program Director and afternoon man at WPGC. He held the dual role until 1968 when he left for WPGC's sister station, WMEX in Boston. He later programmed KMET in Los Angeles. From 1994 - 2004 he did afternoons in Los Angeles at Salem's religious talk, KKLA. Today, he is semi- retired but still does a weekly radio show in Orange County, California. Visit his site.

'Cousin' Duffy writes:

In 1959, we put a "Good Guys" Top 40 format together at a little station in York, PA owned by Susquehanna Broadcasting. For its time, it was very innovative.

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, whose family lived in Cleveland. He would monitor the station when he visited his relatives, and somewhere 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.

I left WPGC to take a hiatus, moving briefly to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands for a time of rest and re-focusing because - frankly, 45s were dying out and LPs were coming in and that meant a new format which I called "underground" and took that format to Boston and WMEX - also owned by the company that owned WPGC. Then, I brought the "underground" format to Los Angeles and in 1969, put it on the air at KMET FM.

I returned to the air briefly in 1974 - with Wolfman Jack - on KDAY here in Los Angeles - a blend of albums and 45s that was semi-successful until the station was sold to black ownership and all the white guys were fired - including me.

On The Air Staff:

I was there for about 3 years - using the name 'Cousin Duffy.' Jack Alix had been one of our competitors on WEAM - so we hired him to join us. Also, from the upper Michigan peninsula - I hired a DJ and since Peyton Place was such a big hit TV show at the time, we changed the guy's name to Bob Peyton - he did our mid-days.

Harv Moore was the morning man when I arrived and he was still there when I left.

One of our weekend DJ's was Bob Raleigh - who we called "Tiger Bob" when he was playing records.

Marv Brooks had been one of the disc jockeys when I got there, but we thought his talents were better used in the newsroom and so he became one of the station's premier news talents.

On Memorable Station Promotions:

Washington was one of my best cities in radio, until I came to Los Angeles.

I remember coming on the air with a big promotion: for the March of Dimes, I marched from Dulles Airport to the Washington Monument - and as long as the phones kept ringing, I kept walking. I don't remember how much money we raised, but I do remember I walked in a blizzard from 6 in the morning to about 6:30 that night.

We had many, many successful promotions and events connected with the station including the WPGC "Hide the Picnic" where we invited listeners to come to a free picnic - but we only gave them clues to the location. They had to find out where the big event was being held. That was lots of fun.

And of course, hosting the concerts with Hendrix and Joplin - with Jim Morrison - and so many others. Brings back wonderful memories.

On Beatlemania:

The Beatles had already hit by the time I got to Washington. I was one of the first 3 program directors in America to feature The Beatles on WHLO in Ohio -- they had recorded a single on a small label prior to their major releases on Capitol Records, and we made one of them our PICK HIT OF THE WEEK, played it every other hour and even had Brian Epstein on the air thanking us for playing their record in America. None the less, we tool full advantage of connecting to the British invasion while I was at WPGC.

I have no airchecks - no jingles - very few souvenirs from that era - just some wonderful memories of a time in radio history that perhaps can never happen again.

On The Passing of Jack Alix:

Jack and I were young kids getting started in the radio biz back in DC. As I remember, he was at WEAM when I first heard of him. For a very long time General Manager, Bob Howard and I were very aware of Jack's presence in the marketplace and his great work and secretly we always hoped he would someday be part of our Good Guy team.

Then he arrived and quite honestly we didn't know what to do with him so we gave him the evening show. But as you know, with 'PGC being a daytimer back then, I didn't even get to do my entire drivetime show during the winter (we signed off at 4:45PM for a few weeks). So it took a little convincing but Jack came onboard and he was simply wonderful to work with.

He was very professional -- far beyond his years (or mine). He never
argued, never disagreed, always made things work for the good of the station and that was always his first thought. He also had a terrific promo mind and was constantly bringing famous recording artists to town for live shows. We teamed up on a few of them over at the old Arlington Roller Rink - remember?

He always had a smile. That's what I remember most about Jack. He was never down or depressed. He always had something to smile about. It -- and he -- were infectious. He not only smiled, he laughed out loud long before the internet. It was a combination giggle / laugh and many times he laughed so hard he broke into a cough. He was simply a joy to be around.

He went on a vacation to Mexico one year and brought me a beautiful silver gift back from his trip. In all of my years in broadcasting, nobody before and nobody since has ever been so thoughtful. He was a real pioneer. He was a good friend back in the '60's. I send my condolences to his family and my thanks to God for knowing - and have the chance to work with - such a great, great man.

Charlie Scheu

Charlie Schue held the distinction of having worked in both Programming & Sales while at WPGC. He was named PD in 1968 when 'Cousin' Warren Duffy left for WMEX / Boston . In 1969, he gave up the programming reigns to 'big' Wilson and moved into Sales. Today he does the morning show at WCVU in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Charlie writes:

What a great website! Another radio friend of mine brought it to my attention. How great to see and hear about the guys I worked with from '68 to '71 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!

'big Wilson'

'big' Wilson (spelled with a lower case 'b', perhaps to avoid confusion with the long-time afternoon man at WNBC in New York) came to WPGC from WZOO for afternoons & Program Director in 1969 when Charlie Scheu gave up programming duties to move into sales. His tenure lasted until approximately 1973 when he left for WEAM. He later programmed WNOK in Columbia, South Carolina.

He passed away sometime in the '90's. If anyone has any further details, please email the webmaster.

Good Guy Todd Reynolds / Ed Kowolski / Ed McNeil writes:

"big" Wilson's handle came from, you guessed it, Bob Howard. "big" was removed as PD when the shit hit the fan as a result of the Chris James phone call that got on the air during Harry Chapin's "Taxi", shortly after 6PM one unforgettable Sunday. He went on the air one Sunday in late-summer '72 to do 6p-Mid. Second song into the show was "Taxi." He gets on a business line and calls his girlfriend.

Previous jock Brad Scott had left the studio Ampex in record position WITH the pot on the board UP & OPEN. Phone call goes on the air over "Taxi." James doesn't know, has monitor potted down. Several profanities, but never the F-bomb. Finally, a listener who was working at the Mobil station over the hill calls the newsline to tell James that his call is going on the air, adding "and so is this one!" James quickly figures what has happened.

Next morning, shit hits the fan at the PIG. Bob Howard learns of episode. James is fired. BoHo also discovers several other shady deals Wilson has pulled. Howard strips Wilson of PD stripes, gives 'em to Harv Moore. Shortly thereafter, Wilson moved to overnight remotes, including board op (!), and Sales before taking remote idea to WEAM a short time later. I actually heard the phone call on the air. Since that day, I have never been able to listen to "Taxi" without expecting to hear a phone conversation in the background.

I lost track of him after he left DC around '74-'75 (that saga would take more words than I have time for now.) Then in '82, when I was at the FCC, I read in one of the trades where he was PD at WNOK in Columbia, SC, a market-leading CHR pulling double-digit shares. This was just before I was taking a week off to visit friends in Myrtle Beach. So I took one day of my vacation, and drove to Columbia for lunch. It wasn't too much later that a competitor came into the market, cut 'NOK's shares in half, and "big" was outta there.

Sometime in '90 or '91, someone, don't remember who, called to say he would be featured on Hard Copy or another of those tabloid TV shows. The show aired at 3 in the morning, so I set the VCR. Turned out that he was running his own chimney sweep biz. He also was having an affair with some low level (Clerk of the Court or Register of Wills) government official from one of the rural counties. They had split up right before the election.

Word of the tryst got out just before Election Day. The girlfriend was defeated. She was taking him to court for alienation of affection, and also claiming that he leaked word of their affair as a vendetta for the break-up. IT'S DAMNED SCANDALOUS, I TELL YOU! (I then understood why Channel 4 buried the show in the middle of the night.) That was the last I've heard of him. I will never forget, however, the video of him on someone's roof, wearing a top hat, preparing to stuff the brush down the chimney, all the while flashing his sly grin.

Anita Miller ('April May') writes:

Big Wilson gave me the name 'April-May'. He had a thing for initials meaning something cosmic so Anita Miller became April-May so when the guys bounced gags off me on the air I could be famous and unknown to the listeners. Chris Fisher made everyone play Elvis records if they wanted a paycheck. It was a small price to pay to get paid. One time she gave Biggie a check with all zeroes in the amount. We waited in bookkeeping for a long time waiting for him to hit the roof and demand his due. Nothing. Finally Chris broke down and went in search of Biggie to see if he was dead on the control room floor -- nope! He said he figured it would happen sooner or later - that Uncle Sam would take out more than he earned!

Richard Gottlieb adds:

The last I remember about him he was working for radio station WIOD 610 AM in Miami. I used to hang around with his son, JJ and at that time his dad still would drive an old hearse for a car. And sorry to confirm I heard several years ago 'big' did go onto the big radio in the sky.

Harv Moore

Harv Moore was again named Program Director in 1972 by Bob Howard when 'big' Wilson's run in that position ended. Harv would continue as morning man and PD until he left the station early in 1975 when Bob Howard offered him a piece of ownership at the station he had bought in Buffalo, WYSL.

Jim Collins

Jim Collins began his radio career at 15 in Lawrence, Kansas. "It was a small operation out in the middle of a cow pasture. I had to water the cows before signing on the station each morning".

He first came to the Washington area in 1969 while stationed at Walter Reed Army Hospital. While an announcer with the Armed Forces Network, he also did weekends & swing as "Mark West" at WPGC, a name he shed by the time he joined the station full time briefly for late nights then afternoons in late 1972. Early in 1975 he became Program Director, a position he held until the 'Great Strike That Struck Out' in May of 1977.

Following the strike, Jim became Vice President of Pop Promotion for Polydor Records in New York. He returned to radio in the early '80's as Asst. PD of 66 WNBC, which was then the most listened to station in the nation. There he also produced the weekly 'Music Magazine' feature and was the regular fill in host for the 'Imus in the Morning' program.

Jim passed away in the early '90's. This site is dedicated in his memory.

Dino DelGallo writes:

Jim was an amazing individual who was keenly aware of the nuances of radio; the right sound, personalities, and music selection. He was neverthe same after the breakup of his marriage. We would converse at leasttwice a year. I always remember our Christmas time phone calls and could detect a bit of sadness in his voice.

We all have to deal with our own demons. I cannot find fault in how Jim chose to deal with his. Whenever I think about Washington radio, I can't help but think of the greatness of this facility, broadcasting from the Parkway Building in Bladensburg, and how many lives itultimately touched.

And yes, Jim Collins was directly responsible for that success.

Joel Denver (Good Guy Jim Madison #4) writes:

Jim Collins was one of the great radio programmers of our generation. He operated with a gut feel and passion for music and radio that were uncommen then, and even more rare today. He worked and lived his life on the edge, and we are all better for knowing him and learning from him. God Bless You Jim.

Alexander Goodfellow writes:

Jimbo was probably my best friend. I introduced him to his first wife and he introduced me to mine. We saw each other or spoke almost daily for over 20 years; I spoke to him the day he killed himself (he was in Kansas, I was in NYC; he gave no indication anything was wrong) and have been to the Collinson family plot in Kansas to visit his grave (his ashes were buried with a copy of The Eagles' Greatest Hits, his favorite album) with his Mother. I still think of Jim and am still angry at him for not toughing it out against his inner demons. But then, maybe if I had been him I wouldn't have either. There's no way to know such a thing.

Jim was unusually talented and unusually sensitive to those around him, although he was never really comfortable with people. He was more comfortable with things, and a website (like a radio station) is a thing. He would have loved this site and would no doubt have been a vigorous contributor.

Those who were around at the time know what an amazing job Jim did as 'PGC's PD; he really made "The Pig" sing and it wasn't just us radio people who thought so. Now, thanks to this great website, Jim and his achievements live on!

Kevin James writes:

I remember him and the WPGC basketball games. He would dress up like a clown and get a pie in the face, etc.

Davy Jones writes:

I remember when he first came to the station to apply for a job, in uniform, shy, insecure, sincere. We knew immediately he was a "winner". He spent many a night at the Jones household early in his partime career, eating homecooked meals, and relaxing. He was one really nice guy. I miss him terribly.

The last time I spoke with him he was back in Kansas, and he sounded really sad, and confused. He was programming some station in the market, can't remember which. He was really surprised that I called him. God Bless him.

Keith MacDonald writes:

I remember the night Jim Collins came in to Dino Del Gallo, holding a stack of albums. He asked Dino to check thru 'em and try to find a single for this group that just couldn't seem to buy a top 40 hit, but was doing fine in concert. So Dino went thru the albums, and went back to Jim with his pick the next day. When Collins realized what the selection was he told Dino, hey, they already released that and it died. Dino came right back saying, no they didn't, they released the studio version and it died... they need to release the live version. So Collins took the recommendation back to the record company. They released the live version... "Rock & Roll All Night", and Kiss finally got their top 40 start.

The NAB Convention was in DC that year. Jim went, and met up with an old friend (who's name I won't mention). Anyway this old friend was back in town for the convention and had called a very pretty and somewhat notorious radio groupie to be his date. Collins didn't know her, but assumed she must work in radio... so sometime during the evening he gave her an invite for a tour of the station.

Surprise, surprise the following Monday she shows up for the tour. So Jim gives her the quick once around, but has to go on the air as it's 2:00pm. Well, she asks to 'borrow the phone' in his office. So Jim tells her to dial 9 to get an outside line and heads to the control room. Five minutes goes by and Jim gets a call on the inside studio line. She can't get her call to go thru, and wants his help. Jim has a long record on, so he heads for his office to fix the problem. Just outside the control room he runs into Glenn Potter and Bill Prettyman.

A brief conversation ensues, and Jim explains the problem as he's walking down the hall to his office... with the Potter and Prettyman a few steps behind ready to help. Jim opens the door and there she is ... NAKED on his desk... legs spread wide... and she says "Just wanted to give you a preview of what you can have later". Jim never missing a beat, pulls the door mostly closed, leaving his head inside just long enough to whisper loudly... "get the @#$# out of here"... and then loudly says... "Yes, it's '9' you need to press then wait for the dial tone". He then has to almost push Potter and Prettyman back into the hall...."No problem" "Phone is fine" "She wasn't dialing 9" or some such.

Well no one would ever have known about this.... except that when he got back to the control room, he realized some naked crazy woman was in HIS office, and might not leave. So he called Carla who was working on public service stuff, told her what happened, and asked her to go throw this woman out. Of course before she went to Jim's office she called and told Dino and a few others. By the time Carla got around to it the woman was gone!

Anita Miller ('April May') writes:

Jim Collins was a joy to work with. He and I didn't get to play together too much- he usually came in just about the time I left for the day. He was always friendly and nice to everyone just not much of a talker off the air. In the control room though he really sizzled.

Elena Nacanther writes:

I shared an office with Jim for the last two years of 66 WNBC so I really got to know him well. He was a really caring person, who was very misunderstood by his co-workers because he cared too much about the intricacies of the radio station. I really miss him. I still feel bad that I didn't get the chance to return his phone call a couple of weeks before he died. It will always haunt me. Thanks for memorializing Jim!

The Webmaster remembers:

Jim was a colleague, a mentor and a friend. Certainly he was one of the biggest influences in my decision to get into radio. I remember vividly my first night on the air at 66 WNBC / New York where, as Asst. Program Director he was instrumental in my hiring. As I cracked the mic for the first time, he was standing several feet away, behind the glass with the board engineer on the other side, staring down at me. I was much more nervous about performing before one of my radio heroes than I was being watched by the NBC tour or being heard by 3.5 million listeners in the Greater NY area!

Dan Mason

Dan Mason began his career in radio in doing overnights at WKLO in Kentucky. In 1974 he moved to nights at Z-93 / WZGC-FM in Atlanta. He was later named Asst. PD and became Program Director in 1975.

Dan joined WPGC in May of 1977 when the Great Strike That Struck Out occured from sister station Z-93 in Atlanta. He continued as PD after being named the National Program Director for First Media until he left for a General Manager position at KTSA / KTFM in San Antonio in 1979.

He later returned to First Media where he was named Executive Vice President. When First Media became Cook Inlet Radio Partners, he was named that organization's President in 1988. In 1993, he joined Westinghouse as President of Group W Radio.

He was named President of CBS Radio (renamed Infinity Radio) in November of 1995 where he was responsible for the operation of the group's 184 stations in the largest markets across the United States. As President of Infinity Radio, he successfully integrated the original CBS, Group W and American Radio Systems stations, among the most venerable radio broadcasting groups in the country, by merging operations, blending business styles and increasing profitability.

He currently serves as an advisor and consultant to companies in the radio broadcasting industry since his retirement from Infinity Radio in 2002 and also serves on the Board of Directors of Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. He has previously served on several other boards including the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and CBS Marketwatch.com. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Dan Mason graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcasting. He was named that university's "Outstanding Alumnus of the Year" in 1995.

2002, he was named Radio Executive of the Year by Radio & Records Magazine.

Dan then formed a partnership with longtime radio programmer, Walt Sabo, Sabo-Mason International Inititatives.

In March 2007, he was once again named President and CEO of CBS Radio, overseeing 144 properties nationwide.

Dan and his wife Pat have two sons and reside in Poolesville, Maryland.

Dan writes:

On the Strike and its aftermath in 1977

In the beginning it was total chaos...I got into town about midnight just as the strike began...I did morning drive the first morning and Bill Prettyman was reading the news believe it or not.....He sounded pretty good by the way...Little by little we hired new people...Dave Foxx came from our Provo station...we hired Brandt Miller to do afternoons...Waylon Richards had worked with me a few years before in Kansas City and finally Liz Kiley came from Grand Rapids,. I believe she was a former school teacher.

Within 4 months, the staff began to gel and within a year, WPGC had tied WMAL for the number one position in the market....It was quite an accomplishment...I left to take a VP/GM job at KTSA / KTFM in San Antonio and Scott Shannon came in and even made it a better station.

On Becoming National PD for First Media

My duties had increased when I was the National PD for First Media...We had acquired KOPA in Phoenix, WZLX in Boston, WUSN in Chicago, KFMK in Houston and KUBE in Seattle....That meant much more travel and I wasn't physically there to do an airshift at WPGC anymore...I still did Thanksgiving and Christmas shifts so the full timers would have some holiday time off...And I did afternoon sports on Brandt Miller's show when I could...We sold that report at 5:30PM.

On Memorable Station Promotions

Toys for Tots - Major, major success....We had some big groups and gathered so many toys for kids around the area...we filled the Cap Center every year we did the show.

Unknown Star - Overwhelming number of entries...hey..does Fox give us any credit for this idea?....We did the record company contract as the Grand Prize...We had a couple of really good people...One I remember very well..Andris Plavnicks (sp?)...He was a Steven Bishop sound alike.

Uncle Richard- When Star Wars came out..we went out and got a 55 gallon drum and painted it blue...Smitty and Newt put lights all,over it and we had a triple decker cart machine with Star Wars type respones ...We actually had someone get into the drum to run the equipment...We took it on remotes. Last I heard, the drum is still at the transmitter building ...no doubt gathering a lot of dust.

On the Format Change

Many stations at that time were successfully coverting to AC from CHR..WNCI in Columbus is the best modern day example of this...They have great adult numbers...It was a gamble but with Q107 pounding us on the younger end, we thought we could migrate to the 25-34 women demo.

Scott Shannon

Scott Shannon began his career in 1969 at WAAB in Mobile, Alabama. In 1971 he moved to WMPS in Memphis. From there he went to WMAK in Nashville spending three years as PD & Air Personality. After a stint as National PD for Mooney Broadcasting, he headed to Atlanta to WQXI. LA beckoned next as he then accepted a position with Ariola Records.

General Manager, Bill Prettyman hired him as WPGC's PD on March 26, 1979. Scott successfully faced the onslaught of ABC's revamped Q107 successfully. When he left the station in 1981, it had regained the Top 40 crown in DC. Then it was off to program Q105 in Tampa where he developed the Morning Zoo concept, one he refined even further when launching Z100 New York in the Fall of 1983.

Pirate Radio in LA came next for him followed by a return to the Big Apple as morning host of the syndicated 'Scott & Todd' morning show, originating at WPLJ. Most recently Scott was inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame.

Alexander Goodfellow writes:

I remember when he first got to town, he moved into a townhouse on Capitol Hill where his TV was stolen the first week. I was with him when he discovered the theft...the thieves had knotted together quite a few of Scott's prized silk ties to make a sling so they could lower the TV out of his bedroom window. Scott was outraged-but because of the ties, not the TV. His reaction was one of the funniest things I've ever seen...

Vicki Mallgrave writes:

One of the cutest things I remember was when Shaun Cassidy came to the station in 1981 to see Scott Shannon. Scott told all the girls that Shaun would be here soon and demanded that we were not to stand around and gawk (which is always what we did when a celeb came by) and to continue working as normal. So...Shaun arrived and went into Scott's office and they shut the door, we ladies waited out in the hall.

After a while went by I decided I was going to see this guy whether Scott liked it or not...so I knocked on his door with a sealed envelope in my hand with Scott Shannon's name on the front. He yelled 'Come in!' and I walked in and handed him the envelope. I said, 'This just came for you.' as I turned to Shaun with a big smile and saying hello, and then casually walked out of the room. Scott opened it immediately and inside was a note that read 'Ha! Just wanted to get a look at Shaun!'.

Steve Kingston