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Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
Arthur Mometer
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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Arthur Mometer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:26 am

WDEO History Card

Originally WYNZ. Then WYFC. Moved to 990, now WDEO.

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/ ... r_id=69118


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Arthur Mometer
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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Arthur Mometer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:38 am

There are Dusty Rhodes all over the place. I assume the one from WXOX is the one from Mid-States/Panax. That Dusty Rhodes was named Clarence Rhodes, born in Flint, owned part of WAMM and WGMZ, moved to Lansing and managed WSWM, became an announcer for MSU and a well known Lansing Restaurateur. His children and grandchildren now own and manage Dusty's Cellar in Okemos.


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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Arthur Mometer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 12:48 pm

I believe that Dave Carr at WEXL is David Carmine, later the owner of The Country King, WKKM Harrison.

More WYSI WSDS stories. The story I heard from Tom Skaff, once of Skaff Carpet fame, was that WYNZ had already signed on 40 kHz and 400 feet away, and created a huqe reradiation problem with the WYSI directional antenna, that had to be solved before WYSI could sign on.

Yes, it's the same Dave Carr. And the same Don McComb, Ed McKenzie's old neighbor in Flushing.

http://carcitycountry.com/2012/wysi-wsd ... -part-one/


"I'm meteorologist Arthur Mometer."

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"Lies have to be repeated and repeated to be believed. Truth stands on its own merit."

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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Deleted User 14803 » Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:44 pm

How long was WTOD 1560 in Toledo country? And did they have competition?



Arthur Mometer
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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Arthur Mometer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:47 pm

I'd look at ARSA and the Broadcasting Yearbook for that.

WTOD was Top 40 at least until 1968.

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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by originalzzmfmjock » Sun Nov 04, 2018 5:14 pm

AM 1230 WJEF/WCUZ very successful in Grand Rapids from 1964-1980. Continued as a simulcast of WCUZ-FM into the 90's. During most of this time carried Detroit Tiger baseball and was quite competitive with the other 2 big AM stations in town WOOD and WLAV.



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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Arthur Mometer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 5:54 pm



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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by 65memories » Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:39 pm




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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by WOHO » Mon Nov 05, 2018 4:33 pm

WTOD, 5KW daytimer in Toledo, for one book beat heritage WSPD and was the highest rated country station in the whole USA- quite a deal with a daytimer! WCXI used to put a really decent signal into Toledo, and I could hear them in stereo AM on my 1990 Delco car radio- they were pretty high quality in my book, as was 610 in KC (WDAF); miniature versions the Aircastle of the South, AM650, WSM.



Chris1980
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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Chris1980 » Tue Nov 06, 2018 3:59 pm

Re: CKLW - CKLW-AM itself featured a nighttime country music program from probably about 1960 to '63, called "Sounds Like Nashville." This was dropped once WEXL went full-time country. From then until WJBK became WDEE in late 1969, WEXL's only country competition came from WYSI/WSDS, which super-served western Wayne County, and 102.7 WBRB-FM out of Mount Clemens, which separated from WBRB-AM for a time to air country during the evenings.
RadioKev wrote:
Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:44 pm
How long was WTOD 1560 in Toledo country? And did they have competition?
They did have competition from about 1973-75 from WTUU "The Big T" on 1520 AM (trying to imitate WDEE "The Big D" maybe?). It didn't last, as I'm pretty sure 1520 had switched to NBC's ill-fated News and Information Service by late '75/early '76. I think 1470 WOHO also had a brief run with country during the mid-'80s.

As far as FM competition, 105.5 WGLN out of Sylvania was country during the late '60s. Not sure how long it lasted as they soon became oldies, progressive rock and then easy listening as WXEZ all within the space of four years. Later after their sister station WKLR (WKKO) went country around 1981 or '82, WTOD was programmed separately, so technically their own sister station was competition too.
Arthur Mometer wrote:
Sun Nov 04, 2018 12:48 pm
I believe that Dave Carr at WEXL is David Carmine, later the owner of The Country King, WKKM Harrison.

More WYSI WSDS stories. The story I heard from Tom Skaff, once of Skaff Carpet fame, was that WYNZ had already signed on 40 kHz and 400 feet away, and created a huqe reradiation problem with the WYSI directional antenna, that had to be solved before WYSI could sign on.

Yes, it's the same Dave Carr. And the same Don McComb, Ed McKenzie's old neighbor in Flushing.

http://carcitycountry.com/2012/wysi-wsd ... -part-one/
Washtenaw County also had 1290 WNRS Saline as a country station during the '70s (partially simulcast with 102.9 WNRZ-FM until they became QuadRock 103 WIQB in March of 1975). Their country days were over by 1986 at the latest (I found a Radio & Records blurb claiming they were Transtar satellite AC by then, before flipping to Oldies that same year).

And 1050 WPAG experimented with a "metropolitan" country format around 1985, mixing in compatible rockers such as Bob Seger and CCR, apparently thinking it would be a good fit with the station's longstanding emphasis on farm programming (it tanked). So, it looks like every currently licensed AM station in Washtenaw County except for 1600 WHRV/WAAM had a country- or country-based format at some point in its history.

Jackson had 1510 WJCO as a country station for many years. Their top 10 hits were often printed in Record World magazine around 1968-69 alongside other area C&W giants like WEXL, WKMF, WITL, and WYSI/WSDS.

I think 1460 WPON was also country for a time during the late '70s and early '80s. I'm pretty sure WMIC out of Sandusky has featured country during its entire 50 years of existence as well (they still featured classic and contemporary country blocks last I listened).

The BIG country station in the Midwest during the late '70s and early '80s was, of course, Chicago's 670 WMAQ. And Toronto had 1310 (later 1320 and 640) CFGM, which was sort of the gold standard for Canadian country music stations.



Deleted User 14803

Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Deleted User 14803 » Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:38 pm

WMIC still has Classic Country in the Morning 9-noon Mon-Fri actually sounds good.



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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by format this » Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:45 pm

Tman wrote:I bet a classic country station 80's thru 2000 would not do to bad on Fm today . Like WCSX . But no . Programers still can't except the fact that it's boomers that still listen to radio from habit . Just look at the overall ratings .
There is. 94.1 The Duke, WWDK Jackson/Lansing.

Back to topic: 1560 The Big Buck, WBUK Portage.



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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Mickey Lolich » Thu Nov 08, 2018 6:16 pm

I sure do remember. Tom Dean gave me a tour of the Big DEE in about 1972 or '73. I was a very young teen. First time I had ever seen a radio station. I was smitten beyond any help. Not so much with Tom, but with radio.


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Chris1980
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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Chris1980 » Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:38 pm

WJEB 1350 in Gladwin is another. They've got some record surveys from the mid-'70s published on ARSA and they looked pretty darn professional for such a small town.

There were also plenty of small market stations who programmed country on a block-programmed basis. Some listed their top country hits along with their top pop hits on their printed surveys (see the CFCO and CHOK surveys posted on ARSA).

Speaking of CFCO, they have a pretty decent classics show on Sunday mornings, which is the only time I can tolerate the station now.



Chris1980
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Re: Country stations on AM from the 60’s and 70’s

Post by Chris1980 » Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:50 pm

format this wrote:
Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:45 pm
Tman wrote:I bet a classic country station 80's thru 2000 would not do to bad on Fm today . Like WCSX . But no . Programers still can't except the fact that it's boomers that still listen to radio from habit . Just look at the overall ratings .
There is. 94.1 The Duke, WWDK Jackson/Lansing.

Back to topic: 1560 The Big Buck, WBUK Portage.



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Nash Icon (98.3 Monroe/Toledo) isn't too bad either, except that they still play currents and it isn't worth sitting through "Meant to Be" or the latest Sam Hunt or Walker Hayes monstrosity to hear the good stuff.

I wish WYCD could put a classics format on one of their HD side channels. The Wolf on HD2 is redundant when it plays the same music as the main station. (Assuming that's what it will be again once the Christmas country music is over.)



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