Musicradio WABC Returns in 1998!

On Monday May 25, 1998 (Memorial Day) News Talk Radio WABC did a special retrospective Beatles Day. It ran from 6 AM to 6 PM and brought the music back to WABC! It was a tie in with a Volkswagen Beetle contest that the station had been running for the previous month.

The Musicradio 77 WABC web site was a contributor for the day. We provided WABC's Production Director (and former air personality) Johnny Donovan with many of the sound files used on the air. Jon Wolfert, president of JAM Creative Productions, provided the classic WABC PAMS jingles that were used. In addition, a number of our regular checkins and contributors to this web site got through on the telephone with stories and memories from the great music era on WABC.

As all fans of Musicradio WABC well know, it was a unique radio station which influenced an entire generation. And, yes, while times are now different and the format changed over sixteen years ago, it is gratifying to see the WABC of 1998 salute its glorious past.

The highlights:

The best part of the day? The GREAT jingles!

The best air personality? A tie between Scott Shannon and Brian Wilson. Both had a sense of history for both The Beatles and WABC.

The best aircheck of the day? All the kids singing the WABC jingles outside the Hotel in 1965.

The biggest mistake of the day? They used the wrong Chime Time Jingle for the first six hours!

The best segment of the day? Jon Wolfert of JAM followed by a terrific PAMS jingle montage.

And... The BIGGEST surprise? A telephone call from "Not Chuck Dunaway".

Here are some quick highlights:

"Not Chuck Dunaway" (Dan Ingram):

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You may wonder why Dan used that name. He was not supposed to be on WABC because he is under contract to WCBS-FM. As a joke, he called anyway and used "Not Chuck Dunaway" because his first shift on WABC before he "officially" started on July 3, 1961 was on the Chuck Dunaway Show. He filled in on two nights (6/30 and 7/1/61). Just like today, Dan was not supposed to use his real name. So, he referred to himself as "Not Chuck Dunaway" on those two nights. Knowing that will help make some of the his references to himself make sense. Brian Wilson played along perfectly. It was a fun inside joke for hard core fans of WABC!

Jon Wolfert of JAM Creative Productions followed by the PAMS Jingle Montage:

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Jon speaks about how WABC inspired him to go into the jingle business and how his company JAM later took over the production of WABC's jingles. Jon also owns the copyrights to the PAMS jingles some of which are featured right after Jon's interview. Johnny Donovan put the jingle montage together for this special.

Web Site Creator Allan Sniffen gets a few words in:

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What a thrill! Just being invited to be on WABC was great! I had so much fun after the first interview, I called back two additional times and they put me right on. Great stuff!

Here are more detailed airchecks from the day. This was a twelve hour program so we have included the portions that dealt directly with WABC as a radio station. This includes the jingles, airchecks, and details about the station itself.

Real Audio Player: Part 1 (14 mins.)

Mike Gallagher who is half of the current WABC Morning Team of "Mike and Lionel" from 6-9 AM. Included here are a couple of Dan Ingram "This Week On WABC..." promos, a Dan Ingram aircheck from The Beatles era, the news sounder from the American Contemporary Radio days and an aircheck of WABC from the seventies featuring Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, George Michael, Chuck Leonard and Johnny Donovan!

Real Audio Player: Part 2 (22 mins.)

Scott Shannon from 9 -12 Noon. Starts with Cousin Brucie Beatles Tickets Promo, Scott Shannon talks about the thrill of actually finding himself on WABC, a Dan Ingram/Scott Muni aircheck from the Delmonico Hotel with several thousand kids listening on their "transistors". Another Dan Ingram "This Week" promo then Allan Sniffen and Scott Shannon tell the Ringo Starr St. Christopher's Medal story, and Scott gets "straightened out" by Dan Ingram on how to give the "Chime Time" (unfortunately, Dan was not put on the air... yet). The "Shindig" commercial and aircheck contributed by this web site it is featured. Frequent web site contributor Terry Morgan calls in and continues on his quest to remind everyone that WABC had "The Good Guys" before WMCA. The famous aircheck of Dan Ingram and Scott Muni with the kids outside the hotel singing the WABC jingles is then featured.

Real Audio Player: Part 3 (19 mins.)

Brian Wilson from 12-3 PM (Part 1): Finally, 1998's WABC uses the correct Chime Time Jingle (which Brian points out). Brian then gives his brief tribute to the station he actually worked at and tells a funny story about first meeting "Big" Dan Ingram. Joel calls in from Israel (Joel was listening via the internet from the link on this web site and we were "talking" to him in our web site chat room all day!), a "Scottso" promo and an aircheck of Bruce Morrow describing the arrival of The Beatles over WABC (which this web site contributed). Brian talks about his web site (www.brian-wilson.com) and this one! Another aircheck from the Delmonico Hotel with Scott Muni and Dan Ingram is featured and you can hear Scott talking to the crowd over the radio. WABC engineer Jerry Zeller makes an appearance and tells a funny story about recording a Beatles news conference. A Cousin Brucie Beatle album promo is then featured and yet another Dan Ingram "This Week" promo. Another WABC engineer (Gene in Nutley NJ) is heard from and tells how knowing Herb Oscar Anderson helped out in Army Training Camp!

Real Audio Player: Part 4 (23 mins.)

Brian Wilson 12-3 PM Part 2: Bob Hardt calls in with a great Dan Ingram breakup story and a Cousin Bruce/Bob Hardt aircheck follows (see if YOU can figure out what the heck Brucie was saying...). Allan Sniffen tells the Roby Yonge story, "Art" tells about the WABC Music Meetings along with WINS and WMCA taping WABC for Beatles songs. THEN, the highlight of the day, "Not Chuck Dunaway" calls in and he and Brian have a great conversation... The Dan Ingram Beatles Spectacular promo that follows was contributed by this web site.

Real Audio Player: Part 5 (17 mins.)

Curtis Sliwa 3-6PM: Begins with a Dan Ingram aircheck asking the kids at the Delmonico Hotel if they want to hear more Beatles, Cousin Brucie and Scott Muni cover The Beatles from their hotel room and a Dan Ingram "Summer Music Power" promo. A Cousin Brucie Free Beatles Tickets at Shea Stadium promo follows. Curtis then interviews Jonathan Wolfert of JAM Creative Productions who talks about how he was inspired by WABC to go into the jingle business. The WABC jingle montage (compiled and introduced by WABC's Johnny Donovan) then follows. Web Site contributor Jack Pignatello calls and talks about "The Big Break" where his band won a recording contract from WABC in 1968. An outtake from a Bruce Morrow interview follows where he voices his opinion about not trying to reunite The Beatles in the late seventies.

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