In an era long before deregulation, when Public Service commitments still counted, Sound Offs provided an effective means of fulfilling the station's obligations for license renewal purposes while simultaneously served to reinforce its localism in the Washington metro area.

Each week, half a dozen or so one minute Sound Offs (or, 'Bitch Offs' as they were known internally) usually ran once an hour outside of morning drive, 20x a day, 100x a week.  Plus another 48 over the weekend added up to about two and a half hours of programming devoted in the public interest and greatly reduced the length of similar material buried early on Sunday mornings.

Listeners were encouraged to submit their pet peeves about seemingly anything under the sun (see table below).  Perhaps best remembered was the infamous Sound Off about, of all things, Sound Offs themselves and the declining importance of topics addressed in them!

The best Sound Off of the week was awarded a cash prize.  Initially, the amount was a whopping $10.  Gradually, the amount increased over the years to $20, then in 1972 to $30.  Why the prize wasn't an obvious $95 is anyone's guess, but suffice to say, there was rarely a shortage of submissions for consideration.

Originally voiced by the anonymous, 'Mr. Sound Off', (in actuality, General Manager, Bob Howard), newsman Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller) would periodically fill in for him as 'Lieutenant Tweety', took over permanently in 1974 and continued until his departure with The Great Strike That Struck Out in May of 1977.  Thereafter, the voicing duties rotated amongst the air personalities (and Public Service Director Sherry Berger), with each jock usually doing one a week.

With the advent of the first wave of deregulation in the early '80's and the reduced requirements to carry Public Affairs programming, Sound Offs, which by then had become a fixture on the station, were gradually phased out and disappeared altogether with the station's tragic abandonment of its heritage TOP 40 format in 1984.

 

 

BD Howard writes:

My Dad (General Manager, Bob Howard) once tried to parlay the minor celebrity of being Mr. Soundoff into a laughable, failed effort to run for Congress during the mid '70's. Had he sought my advice… While very few people ever thought about anyone associated with the station other than the on-air talent, occasionally I'll mention in passing that my Dad ran WPGC during the '60's and some baby boomers still seem impressed all these years later. But on the rare occasion that I reveal that he was Mr. Soundoff, many immediately remember him still to this day. And I am often told that my voice sounds very much like his did.

All I can say in reply to this is, 'Your response is welcome!'

 

 

Print Materials

Read the letter the White House sent to Mr. Sound Off!

 

 

Sound Files

Misc. Audio

 

1994	Jack Alix from WXTR on: Bob Howard & 'Mr. Soundoff' - :27
08/28/06	Cousin Duffy on: Soundoffs - :30

 

Hear the various Sound Off Open & Close over the years:

2/04/67 - :15	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
1/01/77 - :11	Jim Collins
5/24/79 - :09	Scott Carpenter
3/19/80 - :15	Dave Foxx
12/31/80 - :09	Unknown Talent

 

 

Click below to hear the Sound Off indicated or go to that person's page.

 

Topic	Date	Talent
Kids Smoking	01/06/65	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Can't Get Through On Phone	1966	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Noisy Dogs	07/10/66	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Lack of Sidewalks	08/30/66	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Banged Up Car Doors	12/24/66	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Kids Staying Up Late	01/01/67	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Boys Shooting Birds	02/04/67	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Construction Noise	03/25/67	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Littering	August 1967	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Phoney Phone Calls	08/09/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Excessive Road Speeds	08/10/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Kids Gorging Themselves	08/11/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Sirens At Night	08/12/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Beltway Signs	08/13/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Kid Vandalism	08/14/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Post Office Blues	08/15/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Dentist Appointment	12/31/68	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Bad Fad	1969	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Mud Flaps	1969	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Abandoned Pets	1969	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
School Supervisors	1969	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Bank Security Guards	07/20/69	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Radar Speed Traps	07/20/69	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Washingtonians' Hospitality	09/07/69	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Unattended Children	09/11/69	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Accident Sideshow	12/31/69	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Model Rocketry Ban	12/31/69	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Washington Birthday Sales	03/11/70	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Draft Lottery	01/01/71	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Lousy Guidance Counselor	April 1971	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Hospital Parking	08/12/71	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Overworked Waitress	10/11/71	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Abortion	12/31/71	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Veterans Hospital	12/31/71	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Weekly Winner	12/31/71	Bryan Lawrence
Give Blood	01/01/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Parking Problem	01/01/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Big Words	04/10/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Trash Troubles	04/12/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Permanent Stickers	05/01/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Name Calling	08/27/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Speed Bumps	08/27/72	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Spoiling Movies	Oct. 1972	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Wax Poetic	01/01/73	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Weekly Winner	01/01/73	Columbus
Movies On Too Late On TV	01/31/73	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Machines Taking Over	1973	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Jumping Through Articles	09/30/73	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Weekly Winner	Fall 1973	Big Don O'Bryan
Inoperative Brake Lights	Nov. 1973	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Health Care	11/21/73	Mr. Sound Off (Bob Howard)
Metro Bus Drivers	1975	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
New Vice President	1975	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Cooking Classes	01/01/76	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
No Governmnet Heat	02/08/76	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Personal Property Tax	11/11/76	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Holiday Gripes	01/01/77	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Opening Car Doors	01/01/77	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Redskins Season	01/01/77	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Samples Not For Sale	01/01/77	Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller)
Supermarket Doors	May 1977	Bill Prettyman
Weekly Winner	03/10/78	Don O'Day
Georgetown Parking	May 1978	Jim Elliott
Golf Course Vandals	May 1978	Scott Carpenter
Police Codes	May 1978	Liz Kiley
Metro Fare Cards (partial)	Feb. 1979	Liz Kiley
Apt. Managers (partial)	Feb. 1979	Lee Logan
Marriage Tax Penalty	Feb. 1979	Dave Foxx
Marriage Tax Penalty	02/15/79	Scott Carpenter
Oil Prices	05/24/79	Dave Foxx
Speeding	05/28/79	Scott Shannon
(partial)	1979	Sherry Berger
Preferential Coaching	03/19/80	Scott Carpenter
Capital Punishment	1980	Shauna
Female Draft	1980	Sherry Berger
Redskins Plays	1980	Dave Foxx
Debri From Trucks	1980	Shauna
Slow Drivers	1980	Waylon Richards
American Cars	Summer 1980	Waylon Richards
Metro Troubles	Summer 1980	Waylon Richards
Mentally Competent Cases	12/31/80	Loo Katz
Yoko Not To Blame	12/31/80	Shauna
Weekly Winner	07/21/82	Dude Walker

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