The Hank Hayes Collection
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John "Hank Hayes" Calabro was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1960. Raised on the WMCA Good Guys, Musicradio 77 WABC, 99X and CKLW, Hank says "Radio needs three things: personality, jingles and reverb!"
In the mid '70's, disco had taken over the airwaves of New York City, personality radio was hard to find and jingles had been replaced by shotguns. This situation led to Hank and a friend taking matters into their own hands by signing on their own radio station — without benefit of a license. They rocked and rolled for many years, through several FCC raids, all for the sake of radio like they knew it could be — and should be. In 1987, Hank was one of the crew of Radio New York International, who sailed a 150 foot long rustbucket of a radio ship (Sarah) and anchored it 4.5 miles off the coast of the U.S.A — in international waters, and out of the reach of the FCC — or so they thought. After bringing their brand of rock and roll radio to the world for three days, the FCC, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, seized the ship and shut them down once again. After that, Hank created Radio Free New York and had a weekly show on the world wide shortwave transmitters of WWCR, Nashville. He featured PAMS jingles (sung by Ken R of Toledo, Ohio,) lots of personality, rock and roll for the kids, and plenty of reverb. He interviewed radio giants Jackson Armstrong, Bwanna Johnny, Howard Hoffman, Tom Leykis, Ron O'Brien, Johnny Mann, and lots more. Hank says, "I've been an avid fan of The Reel Radio Repository from the very beginning and I'm honored to be able to be part of it! Thanks, Uncle Ricky!" The Repository likewise extends our sincere appreciation to Hank for his contributions! |
In 1959, WNEW hired the biggest DJ in Cleveland, and the wildest DJ anywhere, Pete Myers, to bring his unique style and personality to New York radio. Myers’ air persona, The Mad Daddy, was as wild as wild can get  with continuous sound effects, screaming, maniacal laughter, tons of echo, and lots of rock and roll for the kids.
On July 4th, 1959 “The Mad Daddy Show” debuted on WNEW and was met with massive, negative reaction. WNEW listeners, who were at the time upper middle-class Manhattanites, politicians and Broadway producers, didn’t understand what they were hearing. WNEW management decided that “The Mad Daddy” would be no more  after just one show! Myers stayed at WNEW as just another DJ, but in 1963, Myers moved to New York’s 1010 WINS, where his new boss happened to be his old intern from the Cleveland days. “The Mad Daddy Show” was resurrected!
It lasted for two years, until WINS changed to “all news all the time” and mild Pete Myers returned to the middle-of-the-road obscurity of WNEW. In October 1968, WNEW changed his shift from afternoons to 8 – midnight.
Friday, October 4, 1968, on the first night of his new air shift, 40-year-old Pete Myers  once at the top of his craft  took his own life.
Aside from being the wild-eyed pitchman for the Crazy Eddie electronics chain, Dr. Jerry Carroll on WPIX-FM 102 was hysterical as a disc jockey.
Includes a Dr. Jerry spontaneous jingle montage at 7:30.
Here’s “Cousin” Bruce Morrow going wild on the The Coca-Cola Hour on WABC in September of 1965.
Also included, an ABC radio newscast with Ted Koppel. Koppel joined ABC in 1963 at the age of 23.
Dxing in my Brooklyn, NY bedroom in 1982, I heard the sound of PAMS jingles like I hadn’t heard since I was a kid listening to 77 WABC! I thought I had either gone back in time, or lost my mind!
I had discovered “the flagship station of the East Coast Group”, Broadcasthouse WLNG, Sag Harbor, NY – home of 10,000 oldies and almost as many PAMS jingles! Here’s an aircheck of the PD (for over 22 years!) Paul Sidney, leading into the Rusty Potts show.