The Bill Deane Collection

[Description by contributor Bill Deane]When I went to Miami on vacation in late Spring, 1960, everybody was still talking about the famed
second D.J. Convention (hosted by Todd Storz) of a year earlier. This was
the convention that set off the payola investigation as it was making way too much noise. Congress
wanted to know why the record companies were spending so much money on “a big party.” I was told by
DJs who were there that over a hundred prostitutes had been flown in. Many singers got in the act, too.
It was an orgy! Miami DJs said they could walk from one Americana hotel room to another and have
their pick.

So, when I got to Miami, big-time DJs like Alan Freed and Bruce Morrow were in hiding from the payola investigation. None of ’em made the ratings against us regulars. The kids thought Cousin Brucie was corny, for example.

I got my job at WAME because it was harboring one of those northern “stars in hiding.” Mickey Shorr from Detroit had never worked his own board, and for some reason, couldn’t learn. When I walked in, unshaven PD Fred Hall was wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and old WWII rubber Air Corps earphones on his head. He put on my audition tape, grabbed both my paws and shouted emotionally, “I like your hands, kid, I like your hands!” I got the job because I could cue up a tape and get a record to play at the right speed. They were desperate, and, as they say: “…being there at the right time.”

[Description by Uncle Ricky, contributed by Bill Deane] From the reverberating canyons of the Cold War, Dallas newsman Dick Moore is showcased in KBOX Action Central News. New York Supertalent-To-Be Dan Ingram is featured on the pre-recorded production elements, and even though this KBOX news presentation isn’t quite as elaborate as WFUN Fundamental News, the manic energy and ominous delivery is decidedly full-throttle.

[Description by Uncle Ricky, contributed by Bill Deane] In December 1966, Bill Deane still had one foot in Top 40 at his first job as News Director for WBBF in Rochester, New York. This newscast, rich with constant reverb, boasts a powerful opening. Deane follows with a very respectable presentation.

[Description by Uncle Ricky, contributed by Bill Deane] The only vestige of Bill Deane’s Top 40 background in this November, 1970 newscast on Philadelphia’s KYW is the use of “datelines” to introduce the opening headlines. Although there was less than ten years between Deane on Fun Radio in 1961, and Deane on KYW in 1970, you will hear significant growth in the maturity of his presentation.

[Description by Uncle Ricky, contributed by Bill Deane] Not only has the music been restored on this rare aircheck of Bill Deane and 1961 WFUN, the aircheck itself has been re-constructed to feature a few classic PAMS jingles and lots of original WFUN production from 1961. Missing jingles were replaced with comparable jingles from the same series, missing newscasts were replaced with news promos, and missing commercial and promotional content was replaced with selections from Bill Deane’s contributed archive of commercials and promos. Bud Connell (WNOE, WABC) consulted WFUN at this time, and the “gag” commercials, offering The Goodyear Blimp (for only $400,000) and The Fountainbleu Hotel (for only $65,000,000) were part of the creative energy that Connell brought to The Fun Spot. There’s even a spoof for “one of the wonders of the world, in adult or teenage size,” but nary a clue as to what it actually is! Likewise, the outrageous Fundamental News, with production elements partially restored here from a master recording (courtesy of The Bob Mayben Collection), was a Connell creation, evolved from the earlier tabloid-style radio newscasts heard on the Storz stations. Again, our thanks to Bill Deane, who was part of a truly all-star staff. His co-workers included Danny Dark and Gary Stevens! Although the original contribution was very tightly scoped, it was a studio recording, and the audio fidelity was very high. Additional thanks to Tracy Carman of Media Preservation Foundation and Tom Buck for their assistance in providing the bits that made it possible to piece this one together.