The Greg Barman Collection
Greg Barman, DJ, WFLI 1976 
Greg Barman, Tech Recruiter, 2000 |
Greg Barman writes: "When I was a kid growing up in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois around 1960, WLS nighttime star Dick Biondi and his GM Gene Taylor both moved into the same townhouse complex as mine and right next to each other. Neither realized it until one day when they walked out of their homes at the same time! Having them as neighbors sparked my early interest in radio, and throughout high school and college I was a true radio freak and gathered a lot of aircheck tape. At Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana I majored in Radio-TV/Journalism and spent a lot of time at the student carrier-current station WIUS. We actively sought ties to the "real" world of radio, and some great people like WIBC-WNAP/Indianapolis execs Jim Hilliard and George Johns and WAKY/Louisville PD Johnny Randolph came to Bloomington to visit us. After college I took a stab at the DJ life, doing mornings at WFLI/Chattanooga, Production Director at 15Q (WKVQ)/Knoxville and then overnights at WMEE/Ft Wayne, Indiana. Gradually I got the message I was not made out to be a star jock, so in 1977 I shifted to what became my real calling in radio - news. I was an anchor and reporter for large and respected newsrooms at WHO/Des Moines and WIRE/Indianapolis. Then in 1982 I moved to Denver where I had long been drawn by the skiing and mountain recreation lifestyle. I was also pretty tired of moving by then and vowed to stay in the Rockies no matter what. In Denver I was an anchor/reporter at KNUS, KHOW, and News Director at public radio KCFR-FM. I also did a short stint as a TV assignment Editor. As radio news started shrinking in the 80's I started looking for another career, but continued to do news part-time into the 90's at KBCO-FM and the legendary KOA/Denver. My combined experience in broadcasting and journalism was good preparation for work as a Recruiter/Headhunter for emerging technology industries. I became a Technical Recruiter for the Telecom industry in 1996 and I helped find and hire people for companies such as Qwest Communications. Even though radio lost so much individuality in the consolidations of the 80's and 90's, it's still a kind of magical medium for me and I treasure my work in it. My aircheck collection preserves some great memories of the industry that I loved to be part of." |
The Repository thanks Greg Barman for sharing!
Here’s more of Cecil Hale on WVON on June 8, 1974. This is a continuation of the aircheck above.
It is also classic Chicago Soul radio from The Black Giant, including some Top-40 crossover.
Here’s more of Cecil Hale on WVON on June 8, 1974. This is a continuation of the aircheck above.
It is also classic Chicago Soul radio from The Black Giant, including some Top-40 crossover.
[Description by Uncle Ricky. Contributed by Greg Barman]
And here’s the half-hour conclusion, Part Two of the Bill Gable aircheck above. Ouch! There’s another iPod seque (what station was that again?) but at least the two seldom-heard songs in this half-hour are both appropriately introduced.
Brother Bill sounds great, just as he did in Part One.
[Description by Uncle Ricky. Contributed by Greg Barman]
And here’s the half-hour conclusion, Part Two of the Bill Gable aircheck above. Ouch! There’s another iPod seque (what station was that again?) but at least the two seldom-heard songs in this half-hour are both appropriately introduced.
Brother Bill sounds great, just as he did in Part One.
[Description by Uncle Ricky. Contributed by Greg Barman]
Bill Gable didn’t get the memo about the death of AM Top 40 radio in 1977, so he kept on cookin’. There’s some electricity in the air, sparking this legendary, HOT performance, even if somewhat diluted by no-ID segues.
The ‘scoped version showcases state-of-the-art on-air production and presentation, and also features classic radio spots for Star Wars, The Detroit Free Press, a Rush concert and The Bank of Commerce.
The good news is that CKLW can sue Apple for infringement of their iPod format. That’s when you play songs back-to-back with NO ID, or maybe Apple can sue CKLW, retroactively.
Brother Bill just introduces the newscast, not a sounder to be found! Dave Melbourne wraps it up with a full-length news and sports segment, and where’s the CanCon on the NEWS content? Most of the news seems to be about the United States.
Whatever you feel about the CanCon-correct music on this aircheck, you must admit, CKLW was still a very powerful and awesome radio station in 1977.
[Description by Uncle Ricky. Contributed by Greg Barman]
Bill Gable didn’t get the memo about the death of AM Top 40 radio in 1977, so he kept on cookin’. There’s some electricity in the air, sparking this legendary, HOT performance, even if somewhat diluted by no-ID segues.
The ‘scoped version showcases state-of-the-art on-air production and presentation, and also features classic radio spots for Star Wars, The Detroit Free Press, a Rush concert and The Bank of Commerce.
The good news is that CKLW can sue Apple for infringement of their iPod format. That’s when you play songs back-to-back with NO ID, or maybe Apple can sue CKLW, retroactively.
Brother Bill just introduces the newscast, not a sounder to be found! Dave Melbourne wraps it up with a full-length news and sports segment, and where’s the CanCon on the NEWS content? Most of the news seems to be about the United States.
Whatever you feel about the CanCon-correct music on this aircheck, you must admit, CKLW was still a very powerful and awesome radio station in 1977.
[Description by contributor Greg Barman]
Richard Pegue held many positions at WVON, from weekend air talent to Music Director, during the “Good Guy” era. His laidback style and dry sense of humor were always a treat.
Here is Pegue on an overnight shift in 1975, after WVON made the move to 1390 Khz. He left the station later that year.
Pegue passed away March 3, 2009. He was 64.
Richard Pegue held many positions at WVON, from weekend air talent to Music Director, during the “Good Guy” era. His laidback style and dry sense of humor were always a treat.
Here is Pegue on an overnight shift in 1975, after WVON made the move to 1390 Khz. He left the station later that year.
Pegue passed away March 3, 2009. He was 64.
[Description by contributor Greg Barman]
Chuck Williams was one of those “what will he say next” kind of jocks, and you can judge the results for yourself on this aircheck taken on a Saturday night in August 1971. Maybe Chuck just wanted to be somewhere else that night  San Francisco, perhaps?
Chuck was also known as Chuck McKay on CKLW and in 1975 turned in a classic performance that got him fired.
This covers 10:08pm to 11:19 pm, with just one set missing. The voice on the Triangle concert spots is Larry Lujack. Over the intro of the Grass Roots’ “Sooner or Later” you’ll hear a “sing-over jingle”, supposedly designed to burn the station’s call letters into your brain even if you hear the song on another station. And, catch the Chicago Tribune spot touting their series on youth theft  “how he steals food for his hippie commune” and “the best things in life are free, if you steal them from the bourgeoisie”. Ha! Shades of the counterculture. . .
I love airchecks from the early 70’s WLS. This was a peak time for the station, before WCFL came seriously gunning at them again. The music mix of that time, combined with those rich acappella PAMS jingles, are real favorites for me.
[Description by Uncle Ricky for contributor Greg Barman]
This wonderful aircheck was recorded by a friend of contributor Greg Barman. Because there was a “radio guy” involved, the original ‘scoped aircheck included a lot of the commercial sets and promos, all of the jingles, and every word by the late Jackson Armstrong. A portion of this hour was sponsored by AM&A’s, a long-time Buffalo department store, and Jackson is featured with several “live reads”  never more “live” than when performed in extemporaneous Armstrong hyper-drive.
Sandy Beach, another legendary WKBW personality, opens this exhibit by introducing both Armstrong and newscaster Alan Jennings, better known in later years as a television newsman. Jennings appears frequently throughout this recording, but only for a few seconds each time.
In the last few minutes, this recording jumps from the end of the 8PM hour to the end of the 9PM hour. Prior to that, the music was restored, excluding two tired and/or repeated tunes on the tail. Even with the truncated newscasts, it is obvious from the length of the ‘scoped exhibit that almost half of the aircheck is not music.
The “mass appeal” of Top 40 is illustrated with the broad demographic of spots for Greenmeadow Riding Stables, The Royal Lipizzan Stallions, and a spot for Dragway Park. Cayuga!
Big Daddy Don Garlits beat his 1972 record, and so did Jack Armstrong.