I Am What I Play - WBCN

I watched an interesting documentary the other day called I Am What I Play.  In it, four fabled DJs from rock radio’s past recount sometimes parallel stories about a time when jocks were almost as well known (at least locally) as the bands they were spinning.  The four broadcasters are Meg Griffin (WNEW – New York), Pat O’Day (KJR – Seattle), Charles Laquidara (WBCN – Boston), and most interestingly (to me) David Marsden (CFNY – Toronto).  These jocks worked at a time when they were allowed great leeway, if not total control, over what music they played and what they said on the air.  I didn’t grow up listening to any of these guys so it was a strange feeling to be nostalgic for a time I never experienced but it was definitely a better time for radio than today.

104.1 WBCN (W Boston Concert Network) was a Rock station in Boston, Massachusetts from 1968 until 2017.  Past DJs include J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, MTV VJ JJ Jackson, voice actor Billy West and the aforementioned Charles Laquidara.

WWIL AM & FM

1490 AM WWIL plays Gospel music while 90.5 FM is a Contemporary Christian station.  At one time they were co-owned but it now appears that they are held by two separate companies.  WWIL AM and FM are licensed to (W) WILmington, North Carolina.

WPEK

880 AM WPEK was a Progressive Talk station in Asheville, North Carolina.  They flipped to Sports in June, 2018 and are now an ESPN Radio affiliate.  WPEK is licensed to Fairview, NC.

WLVR

91.3 WLVR (W Lehigh Valley Radio) is a student and community-run station from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.


The best part about this overly long video from 1989 comes at the 4:45 mark.  Vintage radio bumper stickers!

WHPE

WHPE went on the air in the late 1940s and was originally owned by the (W) High Point Enterprise newspaper.  They currently carry a Religious format as part of the Bible Broadcasting Network of stations.

WDGY

1130 AM in Minneapolis is the oldest continuously operating radio station in the state of Minnesota.  They signed on the air at 1300 AM as KFMT on December 23, 1923.  The owner, (W) Dr. George Young switched the call letters to reflect his name in 1926 and those calls remained until 1991.  At least eight frequency changes occured throughout the 1920s before settling in at 1130 AM in 1941. This sticker dates to sometime between 1977 and 1989 when they carried a Country format.

WALJ

"J107.1" WALJ was a Smooth Jazz station in Macon, Georgia.

KSCA

101.9 FM KSCA (K Southern CAlifornia) played Adult Album Alternative music from 1994 until 1997.  At that time, they were owned by Golden West Broadcasters which itself was owned by the actor and "Singing Cowboy" Gene Autry.  KSCA then flipped to Spanish-language Ranchera music branded as "La Nueva".  They are currently known as "Zona MX 101.9".  KSCA is licensed to Glendale, California.

KOXR

910 AM KOXR plays Ranchera music in (K) OXnaRd, California.  They dropped the "La Consentida" (which roughly translates to spoiled or pampered) and are currently branded as "La Mexicana".

KGMI

790 AM KGMI is a News/Talk station in Bellingham, Washington.  They are now also heard on a translator station at 96.5 FM.

KCEG

780 AM KCEG airs Classic Country and Bluegrass in Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colorado.  "Radio Ranch" plays music from 1944 to today but concentrates on the classic/traditional sounds of Country music.

Varietys

 "Variety 104.5" CFLG was an Adult Contemporary station in Cornwall, Ontario.

WDNH is a Top-40 station licensed to Honesdale, Pennsylvania.  They dropped the "Variety" branding and are now known simply as "95-3 DNH."  They are the only CHR station I know of that airs lesser-known local bands alongside the usual chart toppers.

"Variety 100.5" WVOR was a Hot Adult Contemporary station in Rochester, New York.  This decal is circa 2005.

WYXX

WYXX is a Classic Rock station in Goshen/South Bend, Indiana.