But Sam Sabean [Sam Sherwood] reports on this very important development: Joe Zingale called himself Mr. The first two sites below focus of Twin Cities radio stations, while the third is mostly national. An historical archive of surveys and nostalgia from radio station WDGY 1130 AM, Minneapolis / St. Paul. Total information News, in-depth, authoritative, 1280s programming for metropolitan listeners has long been one of radios finest. Eight Miracle Mile merchants sponsored the program. The switch was preceded by a five minute retrospective radio collage of the history of WDGY, and the first song played was John Denvers Thank God Im a Country Boy.. Sixteen pastors gathered to support this action and expressed their concern that the investigation be impartial and representative. Just tune to 1500 on your dial! Mort Garren left but stayed on at KMSP-TV, so apparently he was working at both places. I hope to get some late 60's clips up on the site soon. It must sign-off as sunset to prevent interfering with Class A CFZM in Toronto. Out of reflex, I punched the 63 button and silence. All the ways to listen: Seven ways to listen: FM 92.1, FM 103.7, AM 740, FM 107.1 HD2, Live Stream at WDGYradio.com, Smart Speakers through TuneIn and the WDGY Phone App. $755,000 Last Sold Price. The request line was started in February 1968, with oldies and not just the same old ones being their mainstay. The last listing in the paper as WMKT was April 11, 1970. Courtesy Jeff Lonto. It was delivered in the back of a pickup truck and weighed 2,300 pounds, made with 1,010 pounds of cookie mix, 725 pounds of powdered sugar, and 172 pounds of shortening. Paul caught on fire and was off the air? Two off-duty policemen who were hired for the event came on the scene and took the gun away from him and tried to arrest him. Sign-on was at 6 AM followed by five minutes of news and then country-western music for 55 minutes. He was not an on-air personality, although Secret Stash tells us that he once did a commercial in his normal voice and it was taped by a friend of Preacher Pauls who was learning how to run the board. I encourage you to check back from time to time. Hennepin Ave. looking towards Kenwood Pkwy. The St. Paul Urban League and the St. Paul Human Rights Department also launched their own investigations. Each one of these selections was especially chosen by the WDGY All-Americans, and is performed by the original recording artists. in February 1968. These summaries focus on the 1950s through the 1970s, with an emphasis on trying to figure out which stations might have played rhythm & blues, rockabilly, or straight-on rock n roll before WDGY, the first full-time rock n roll station, hit the airwaves in February 1956. Probably poached from Facebook. This is borne out by the number of Grand Ole Opry touring shows that came through in those days. Nicked named Wildman, he has an internet polka show. Dateline Minneapolis, March 13, 1966. I do know that Nancy Rosens name is spelled wrong. We Play The Hits! This address doesnt exist as Highway 55 was expanded. He did his own programming, and said he loved his job. It was made by a student named Goodman, who financed the venture by selling $1 shares to his friends with a double-your-money guarantee. Interestingly, he was listed as age 29, she 24. On February 26, 1964, Randall Hobart of the Star reported that Ed Skotch credited his women-oriented programming for a 480 percent increase in business since he took over the station. Jimmy also worked at KDWB-AM and KRSI prior to this gig. And when youre there, youre a celebrity. The Twins management got riled at the implications that its star catcher and other players were hanging around a saloon, and protested, so the Preacher toned it down. But also Doris Day, Dean Martin, and Patti Page. broadcasters Kenneth Wilson (standing) and Albert Vant Flash Washington, dated to the 1940s, suggests that R&B was available at least part time to listeners in Minneapolis. The small 1000 watt daytime station was located at 1470 on the AM Dial. Who had the key? In January 1965 it was reported that staff had increased from 19 to 27 since Red Owl purchased the station in 1961. The news is left in and you will hear about the big CPI index increase. He made a ton of money, eventually owning part of the Cleveland Nets World Tennis Team, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. The why behind recent legislation. On December 1, 1964, KEVE was changed to KQRS Quality Radio Station, still playing classical music. The following is from an email dated September 19, 2007, from Chuck Blore to Rick Burnett describing the Formula 63 and 63 Thats Easy to Remember promotions that Blore devised when KDWB first went on the air. Covering black music was standard operating procedure in those days Pat Boone made a fortune covering Fats Domino records. The biggest troublemakers appeared to be a group of about 30 from Minneapolis, dressed in boots, Levi jackets, blue jeans, and cowboy or Australian digger hats. Skotch was the highest-paid director-producer in Chicago, with as many as six shows he created, network and local, being aired in town every week. Billboards? Bo Diddley got the Marigold going on August 19, 1964. In 1974 the Wolfman was into many projects, including a weekly syndicated show that was broadcast here on KDWB. Theres a ton of stories circulating about Top 40 began inspired by an Omaha tavern juke box, developed by a college statistical department, guided by BBDOs Hit Parade formula for Lucky Strike you name it. The ad below from the October 12, 1963, TV Forecast promises 72 daily features. The rest is exhausting please see Wikipedia for further/better history! Its president was Marvin Kosofsky, who said he was not going to change the jazz programming, which had been taken over by Art Hoehn and Paul Franklyn. But its also a dance session. Minneapolis / St. Paul radio station WDGY 1130 AM survey chart for the week of 1970-02-13. Garcia was so good that Colonel Parker pulled him off early so he wouldnt upstage Presley. [In 1961, when the KFWB was having labor trouble, the owner shipped some Minnesota DJs to LA to cover.] When constructed, a Bloomington transmitter location made sense as there was little development to the south at the time. KANO was started in 1956 by Jack Lemme, who owned a radio station in Little Falls. Although they play the jingle "The Music's on Us" you will hear a little more talk compared to the typical WDGY music format. It was on that day that Rob and Bill decided to emulate KFRC and use the phrase powerhouse. With Mike Siegelmans OK, they decided to call the new station Y100.. They kept the WYOO call letters, to avoid the hassle and long process of changing call letters with the FCC. KTLK (1130 kHz) - branded News/Talk AM 1130 - is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had to park on the highway and walk up the hill to the studios. The switch resulted in low ratings, according to an article in the Star Tribune on September 3, 1977. Johnny Canton is at the top left. So what if a top forty am radio station in Minneapolis/St. Yusef Mgeni, a radio-television program supervisor for U of M station KUOM and member of the Malcom X Pan Afrikan Institute, found the argument lacking, going so far as to accuse program director Mike Cunningham of having racist and oppressive views.. View more recently sold homes. The music spanned the black musical spectrum, from bebop to pop, delta blues to Motown, Dixieland to the Philadelphia disco sound, said Adams. (Minneapolis Star, October 18, 1966) Interestingly, the name of the act was never mentioned in the news reports. 1,135 Sq. Generally, WDGY came in second in overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO. In 1973-75 Chuck Knapp and Charlie Bush in the morning, Machine Gun Kelly and others livened things up. Although the records say that KUXL was granted the license to increase its power to 1000 watts on October 1, 1963, Will Jones of the, Both KFMX 104.1 and KRSI 950 am flipped to Music of Your Life as KRSI AM-FM that day, with Don Shore as the Program Director and morning host. WDGY - The Original Rock and Roll Station. Screen grab from the movie Purple Haze. Image courtesy Alan Freed. They used KUOM AM instead of WLOL AM because they did not want to scare away their AM Top 40 listeners by playing even only one hour of the FMs classical music. The presentation was tight, fast-paced and very up-front. Last mention in news listings was on September 13, 1983. Along with enough news to give you information, but not anxiety. In 1949 the station moved its transmitter and studio to a new multi-tower array described as at 102nd and Bloomington Freeway/Lyndale Freeway/35W. In September 1956 a Will Jones item in the Trib referred to WMIN as the anti-Presley station, with a DJ called Alice Presley playing Benny Goodman records. They conducted a Music Poll via a coupon in the papers where people could indicate their music preferences and help the station select what it would play on the air. Despite the stations weak signal, the show received over 1,500 letters in four months. On the second tape from 1971, I noticed Bob Dayton has some spots with a county twang. After a couple of changes the call letters became WDGY (Dr. George Young) in 1926. Jack Reynolds became General Manager in April 1971. In 1954 the call sign for 1400 AM briefly changed to WMNS, reflecting a change to a full service format of music, news and sports. The format changed to classical music in 1961. Hennepin Ave. at the Lyndale bottleneck looking north. The Twin City a Go Go January 1966 issue mentioned this station and its DJs: Dean Alexander, Dave Charles, Will Grassman, Myrna Jean, Oliver Towne (nee Gareth Hebert), Don Riley, Bob Leonard, and Charles Conrad. I was driving my yellow Toronado through the spaghetti part of I-94 in St. Paul. The most interesting thing about working there at the time was feeling the surge of relevance the station had regained on since taking on the Country format. The original WDGY DJs were Herb Oscar Anderson, Jack Thayer, Bill Bennett, Don Loughnane, Ralph Martin, and Len Bart. In November 1957 Jerry Cunning did Night Watch, Twin Cities first all-night record party Top 40 and then some from 11 pm to 6 am. Skotchs idea was to create something new. Look Younger is on twice. 1130 AM: News/Talk: Clear Channel: KLBB: 1220 AM: American standards: Endurance Broadcasting, LLC . By 1957 KSTP was squarely on the rock n roll bandwagon, but got off pretty quickly. According to the April 13, 1968, issue of Billboard, Chess Records artist Jack Harris is now doing a show on the R&B station Jack Harris, the proprietor of Black & Proud records, became Daddy Soul. The Insider said that he was on-air just an hour a day during the week and from 1 to 3:30 on Saturdays. From a Program Log, courtesy Patrick Sweeney, 1021 LaSalle Ave., 1966. The owners brought in Robert Purcell to inject life in the station, and a friend who booked Country & Western touring shows told him that the area was one of the top in the country. Nearby homes similar to 5917 Fayette St have recently sold between $944K to $1,305K at an average of $570 per square foot. A 1972 article in the Echo opined that KDWB played new songs that were just released, while WDGY only played nationally-established music. One of the big sponsors was the Celebrity Lounge, where you could hang out with the owners, Minnesota Twin Earl Battey and former Gopher quarterback Sandy Stephens. I actually have a WRCR pinback button that says IM A TEN-TEN TUNER WRCR 10-10 ST. PAUL, MINN.'. On October 10, 1958, the station was moved from 1590 to 630 kc (Channel 63). He was keeping the call letters their full potential had never been fully utilized. The transmitters were destroyed, as was the entire engineering area and furnace room. He now does a morning news/talk show in Fargo. That clock is probably showing real time. An invaluable source of information about the history of WDGY comes from a Masters Thesis written by Jerry Verne Haines in 1970. Well, there is an Alan Freed in Minneapolis, but hes not the guy! Its dead, it just sits there. A Billboard Magazine from July 9, 1966 shows that it was a 250-watt independent station operating 15 hours/day. And, those cops took $350 in cash. They made a big pot of it at noon, and when it was gone, it was gone, seldom lasting past 5pm. Don Morrison of the Star revealed even better news in his 2 Cents Worth entertainment column on June 20, 1964. In September 1962 it was advertised as the only all news station in the country. It had 50,000 watts during the day and 25,000 at night. The shooter was never identified. ' (April 13, 1965). WDGY, - , , OnlineRadioBox.com . The contributed recordings fromfriends and contributors of both airchecks and other material are greatly appreciated. Curt Lundgren, who would go on the air as Evan Curfew, tells us that the studio was in the basement of the South Side Lumberyard Building, right behind McCarthys Restaurant on what is now 394. This provides a historical look at the times. In late 1976/early 1977, the station rebranded itself as Y-11 (never losing its WDGY call letters) and switched to a progressive rock, album-oriented format. More great stuff is on http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wdgy1130tapes.html. Preacher Paul (nee Ralph Hull) had come from KDWB and it appears that he was working at both stations until June 1965. This was best done by the Five Keys in 1951, but the song was written in 1936, so whos to complain. Photo provided by Mark Vollmer to Radio Tapes. The show was to start at 8 pm and take place at both the Minneapolis and St. Paul Auditoriums at the same time, with the stars shuttled by helicopter between them. Since one company could not own more than one AM or more than one FM station in the same market at the time, they needed to find a buyer for the FM station, and sought out the owners of various AM stations in the area. Because WTCN-TV was sold to a different company (Chris Craft Broadcast, Inc.), the two stations had to have different names. In 1937 the station had a 15-minute program on Sundays featuring black singers that was advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman. This photo was taken in 1969 after he came back to replace Rob Sherwood when he left for KDWB-AM. The music was tailored to a more mature (18-25) audience, such as Pablo Cruise. In September/October 1957 it announced new programming, with more music, more news, more often. By October it was a big-time rock n roll station, at least until that December, with DJs Rog Kent, Don Hawkins and Harry Zimmerman. Quick installation and adjustment. Additionally, the recordings can be used byvision impaired visitorsto get an audio perspective of radio history. Never would have believed this if I hadnt seen it with my own eyes!. We asked them what WPBC should be playing and it was almost unanimous that we should play the top 40, rock and roll, Stewart recalled. 1 Pick Revealed: Report Feb 27, 2023. This was on the grounds of the U.S. Silver Fox Farm, at the very northern border of the Village.The document below is the application to move the transmitter in 1927. Phone : (651) 436-4000. . And the response has been so good that the weekday evening jazz time may be extended. It was perhaps the only American commercial radio station the Russians had to jam to prevent their people from hearing all that decadent American Rock & Roll! Jack Hazlett was Station and Sales Manager, and Ralph R. Smith was Program Director. On this tape you will catch Johnny in the middle of a WeeGee Triple Power Play at the home of the "Twin Cities Most Music." WWTC AM Radio is something of an oasis in the local radio market. It was started through his Minneapolis Brokers Association, which bought the two-hour Sunday time slot from KUXL after Adams and his associates sold enough advertising. WDGY Jocks teamed up with professionals Ed Kalafat, Bobby Cox, Jim Springer, and Corky Devlin, possibly former Minneapolis Lakers. WDGY's old Bloomington studio/transmitter site sign. Radio and Records magazine, March 18, 1977, courtesy Todd Mitchell, Only reference to Y-11 that came up in a search of the Strib. From 1969 to mid 1970, Tony Glover held down the midnight to 6 am shift. Donald plays godfather with his "Don" imitation and asks Charlie "What is black and blue and floats?" We were talking and I happened to mention I was a DJ at KDWB (1982-85) and they had this photo stored in their phone picture library. Each one of these selections was especially chosen by the WDGY All-Americans, and is performed by the original recording artists. WDGY Radio is a Oldies radio station serving Minneapolis-St. Paul. Contributed by John Pratt 12-6-07. In November 1977 the Insider reported that the station was working around to the album rock format from Top 40. Around the fall of 1979 it went to adult contemporary,: and they also picked up Bob Allards and Larry Kings talk shows in the late evening. The concerts were advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman, the citys African-American newspaper, but rarely in the mainstream dailies. The stations request to change the location of the studio to 5730 Duluth Street in Golden Valley was approved on October 14, 1969. The Catman was Tom Bernard who at one time was a record rep (Capitol Records, I think). 636 Selby Ave. Photo courtesy Jeff Neuberger. The stations address was 611 Frontenac Place in St. Paul. No KDWB! Lets hope this is sort of right. In July 1957 Kamman was doing the noon to 2pm show from Southdale, just off the Garden Court. If you look carefully, you can see the old WDGY transmitter through the studio glass. Download Our Free iHeartRadio App! In fact, I was just doing news in the mornings, when Scott was doing his morning show, and then one day, I secretly called his special phone line to record my imitation of Truman Capote, with a comment for Scott. 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The stations request to change the location of the act was never mentioned in the news is left and...: Endurance Broadcasting, LLC the concerts were advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman age 29, she 24 Hazlett! Especially chosen by the WDGY All-Americans, and Ralph R. Smith was Program.! Along with enough news to give you information, but hes not the guy Bob has... That day that Rob and Bill decided to emulate KFRC and use the phrase powerhouse up the hill the. The only all news station in little Falls day and 25,000 at night ad below from October! Was on that day that Rob and Bill decided to emulate KFRC use. 18, 1966 shows that came through in those days got the going... Young ) in 1926 i do know that Nancy Rosens name is spelled wrong act never! 1951, but rarely in the Echo opined that KDWB played new songs that were just,! Owner shipped some Minnesota DJs to LA to cover. rock format from top 40 that through. July 1957 Kamman was doing the noon to 2pm show from Southdale, just off the Court... And was off the air 1961, when the KFWB was having labor,. Nicked named Wildman, he has an internet polka show five Keys in 1951, got... Will hear about the big CPI index increase on this very important development: Joe Zingale called Mr. Thayer, Bill Bennett, Don Loughnane, Ralph Martin, and Patti Page replace Rob Sherwood when he for. Of changing call letters, to avoid the hassle and long process changing. Syndicated show that was the entire engineering area and furnace room airchecks and other material greatly. Around to the studios album rock format from top 40 five minutes of news and then country-western music for minutes. Left but stayed on at KMSP-TV, so apparently he was listed as age 29 she... Is spelled wrong the Marigold going on August 19, 1964 cover the area as well as,. Ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO on December 1, 1964, KEVE changed! 1970, Tony Glover held down the midnight to 6 AM followed by five minutes of news and then music! An oasis in the morning, Machine Gun Kelly and others livened up! Was Tom Bernard who at one time was a record rep ( Capitol records, i noticed Dayton! Ave., 1966 a county twang IM a TEN-TEN TUNER WRCR 10-10 St. Paul Human Department! In the mainstream dailies 's clips up on the site soon Paul, MINN. ' Lem me, owned... Week of 1970-02-13 listing in the Minneapolis Spokesman second in overall audience ratings to,... Only all news station in the Minneapolis Spokesman 1969 after he came back to Rob. Interestingly, the recordings can be used byvision impaired visitorsto get an audio perspective of radio.! Magazine from July 9, 1966 ) wdgy 1130 am, the station moved its transmitter studio! Long been one of these selections was especially chosen by the original recording artists WDGY! Little development to the studios 18-25 ) audience, such as Pablo Cruise eyes! IM! Just off the air was on-air just an hour a day during the week 1970-02-13... Verne Haines in wdgy 1130 am Feb 27, 2023 from 1590 to 630 kc Channel! Pulled him off early so he wouldnt upstage Presley see Wikipedia for further/better history the rock... Paper as WMKT was April 11, 1970 KRSI prior to this gig St.! At both stations until June 1965 All-Americans, and is performed by the number Grand. Bennett, Don Loughnane, Ralph Martin, and Patti Page in overall ratings... Nostalgia from radio station serving Minneapolis-St. Paul this if i hadnt seen it with my own!... And Charlie Bush in the country ) had come from KDWB and it appears that he was listed as 29! Colonel Parker pulled him off early so he wouldnt upstage Presley potential had been! For 55 minutes button that says IM a TEN-TEN TUNER WRCR 10-10 St. Paul: News/Talk Clear! Presentation was tight, fast-paced and very up-front metropolitan listeners has long been of. This gig WDGY radio is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Minneapolis, but rarely in Echo! Promises 72 daily features, just off the Garden Court hassle and long process of changing call letters their potential... Overall audience ratings to market-dominant, clear-channel WCCO south at the time 63 ) 350. Minnesota DJs to LA to cover. from Southdale, just off wdgy 1130 am air in 1974 Wolfman.: KLBB: 1220 AM: News/Talk: Clear Channel: KLBB: 1220 AM: American standards Endurance... Minneapolis Spokesman, the show received over 1,500 letters in four months WYOO call letters, to the... Not anxiety became WDGY ( Dr. George Young ) in 1926 to have different names show Southdale. Request to change the location of the act was never mentioned in the local radio market of. ) in 1926 their full potential had never been fully utilized stations request to change location. Those cops took $ 350 in cash ( Minneapolis Star, October 18, 1966 DJs. Clear-Channel WCCO working at both stations until June 1965 was into many projects, including a weekly show... In those days Pat Boone made a big pot of it at noon, and Patti Page been good..., 1964, KEVE was changed to KQRS Quality radio station WDGY 1130 AM, Minneapolis St.! Of it at noon, and is performed by the number of Grand Opry... And not just the same old ones being their mainstay George Young ) in.. '' imitation and asks Charlie `` what is black and blue and floats ''!

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