When this was created, approximately 1972 or 1973, it was called “The Ultimate Radio Format”. The “9” tape is the cleverest, most wickedly pointed satire of Top 40 Radio formatics ever produced. Follow the evolution of the fabled WVWA, Poundridge, New York, as its on-air sound evolves and matures.
(September 7, 1996) Howard Hoffman was part of the crew that produced this classic in 1974, and has provided the Repository with a 15 ips reel copy of the original master! Thanks, Howard! Here’s the story behind Nine as told by Howard:
“I returned to WALL/Middletown NY in August 1974 after a lengthy 3-month gig as production director at WDRQ/Detroit, so I was primed to do anything that could shoot down formatted index-card radio. Radio itself presented the ammo. Randy West (also at WALL at the time) and I were driving around greater Middletown listening to WWDJ through the static shortly after Mark Driscoll took over the reigns. They had already shortened their moniker from 97/WWDJ to 97/DJ – but for reasons known only to Driscoll, they started calling it “9/J” (using the slogan Pass the J – the formatic lasted about 9 hours before they went back to “97/DJ”). Randy and I stopped the car, looked at each other and simultaneously yelled, “What’s NEXT?! They’re just gonna open the mikes and yell ‘NINE’!?! Epiphany.
A few weeks later, we were joined by Pete Salant and Amos B Moses in the production studio at WALL, and created the Nine tape under the influence of some refreshments which sure made the whole thing seem a lot funnier. (We were later pleased to find we still laughed after the “refreshments” wore off.) We were supposed to write an ending to it, but Jim Brownold (then-production director at WPLJ/New York) got a copy of the work in progress from me. The ABC engineers heard it, dubbed off a trillion copies and Nine was out there. The version they spawned was before all the processing and post-production which I quickly performed due to demand. We never did make an ending for NINE, and as it turned out, we never really needed it… the whole thing is one big payoff.
So for the record, here is the cast of NINE in order of appearance:
Pete Salant – Narrator
Howard Hoffman – “Nine-Double-O Radio Good Guy”; 2d NINE jock
Amos B Moses – “Johnny West”
Randy West – “Bob Roberts”; THE NINE jock
Rene Tetro – NINE Newsman
A real WALL listener – Excited “phrase that pays” caller
The NINE jingle came from a WABC “Old Gold 1969” jingle. For authenticity, the NINE news sounder was WWDJ’s news sounder. Don’t Ask.
And to Mark Driscoll, who now knows he unwittingly inspired this masterpiece… thanks.”
[CURATOR’S NOTE: Jay Philpott made the original contribution of this classic to the Repository in early 1996. Howard Hoffman upgraded the audio and background a few months later. In 1999, the original “9” production crew created 99. We are pleased to have been selected to present this Exclusive World Premiere.]