Friday, March 14, 2008

Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, 2008...

Overwhelmed...

The power of Radio. I should say the power of good radio. Your response to my anniversary (March 13, 1967) tribute to WRKO was just overwhelming. I never expected so many e-mails from colleagues, competitors, students raised and influenced by WRKO, promotion people and just fans. I knew I had to do a follow-up to acknowledge your response...

There was the boss, Perry S. Ury, who thought so much of the tribute he sent it to his grandchildren to read, other members of management weighed in (Harvey Mednick and Paul Power), talent (Frank Kingston Smith a.k.a. Bobby Mitchell and Ed Walsh who does morning drive for WBZ these days), the technicians who we couldn't of done without (Harry Weinstein, who wanted us to remember Sid Gaynor, another tech. and Gordon Brown), college students who started their radio careers at WRKO (Jack Casey and Charlie Roberts). There were also those so influenced by listening to us when they were growing up that they made radio a career (John Gorman, Russ Oasis and Hartley Pleshaw). Former competitors who would become colleagues and friends also responded (Dick Summer who was at WBZ then, Arthur Katz a.k.a. 'Rock Needleman', sometime sidekick of Bruce Bradley). Ernie Campagna reminded me that there was a week in 1970 when A&M Records had the cover of the 'Big 30' with a picture of The Carpenters and 10% of our music list with Karen & Richard, Miguel Rios and the Sandpipers. And then there was the writer who recorded the history of WRKO for Billboard, Claude Hall who said not only did he get his copy of the tribute but another one from Joey Reynolds...

If you didn't respond that's okay too. If you were moved by the WRKO tribute, if it brought back some good memories for you, then I did my job and I couldn't ask for anything more...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 44BC] Beware the Ides of March: Roman dictator Julius Caesar is assassinated by a group of nobles that include Brutus and Cassius (3/15): http://youtube.com/watch?v=_EBMo8xHGNs ...
  2. 1802] The long gray line: Congress authorizes the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (NY) (3/16)...
  3. 1954] Debuted on this date: CBS-TV debuts it's "Morning Show" and any day now viewers will discover it (3/15)...1965] T.G.I.F. (Fridays) first restaurant opens in Manhattan (3/15)...1977] "Eight is Enough" debuts on ABC-TV. Tom & Joan Bradford & the entire Bradford clan entertain us until August of '81 (3/15)...1978] The movie about Alan Freed ("American Hot Wax" premieres with newcomers Jay Leno and Fran Drescher) (3/15). Here's the trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=f3k-teQmZpg ...
  4. 1964] Guilty as charged: A Dallas jury finds Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald (3/14), seen live by about 50 million people on November 24, 1963...
  5. 1964] Wedding Bells: Richard Burton becomes victim #5 for Elizabeth Taylor (3/15). These two lovebirds are married for 10 years (64-74) and for another year (75-76) before finally calling it quits...2002] Liza Minnelli takes her 4th trip down the aisle, marrying her producer and boyfriend David Gest (3/16). They're still working on that mess of a divorce...
  6. 1968] Sgt. Slaughter: U.S. troops under the direction of Lt. William L. Calley Jr. destroy a Vietnam village consisting of mostly women and children, killing hundreds. It was called the "My-Lai Massacre" (3/16)...
  7. 1970] 'Happy Trails': Tammi Terrell dies from a malignant brain tumor just a month and a half away from her 25th birthday (3/16). She had collapsed on stage in October of 1967 while singing with Marvin Gaye. Here are the two of them together: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-UvQYAmbg&feature=related ...1975] Aristotle Onasis, husband of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, dies of bronchial pneumonia at 69 (3/15)...1998] Child care expert Dr. Benjamin Spock dies at 94 from natural causes (3/15)...2002] 13-year old hockey fan Brittanie Cecil is hit by a puck during an NHL game between her hometown Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames (3/16). She will die 2 days later from her injuries...
  8. 1978] Kidnapped: Italian politician Aldo Moro is kidnapped by left-wing guerrillas (3/16). Moro is later found murdered by the group...1984] CIA station chief in Beirut, William Buckley is kidnapped (3/16) by gunmen and will die in captivity...1985] AP newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut (3/16) but is finally released in 1991...
  9. 1997] The Dean: North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith passes the legendary Adolph Rupp as the winningest college coach in history with his 877th win (3/15). Bobby Knight has broken Smith's record since...
  10. 2003] Free as a bird: Robert Blake is released from jail on $1.5 million bail (3/14) after being jailed for the murder of his wife Bonny Lee...

Music Memories:

Commentary:

WOR's Joey Reynolds will be blogging from the Celtic Gloves Boxing event at Madison Square Garden Saturday (tomorrow) night. It sounds to me like Golden Gloves with shamrocks. Joey: cc: us with your blogs and we'll compare writing styles...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

(3/14) Monaco's Prince Albert II (50), Jerry (Ben & Jerry) Greenfield (57), Rick ("Disco Duck") Dees (58), Billy Crystal (60) who struck out for the Yankees yesterday, Michael Caine (75), Quincy Jones (75), Phil ("Sea of Love") Phillips (77) and former astronaut Frank Borman (80)...

(3/15) Eva Longoria (33), Mark McGrath (40), Terence Trent D'Arby (46), Fabio (47), Sly Stone (64), Mike Love (67), Jimmy Swaggart (73), Judd Hirsch (73) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (75)...

(3/16) Lauren Graham (41), Nancy (Heart) Wilson (54), Kate Nelligan (58), Erik Estrada (59), Chuck Woolery (67) and Jerry Lewis (82)...

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until the first day of spring, 9 days until Easter Sunday, 11 days until opening day and 36 days until Passover...