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"Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

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CK-722
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"Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by CK-722 » Mon Mar 11, 2019 6:43 pm

Does anyone else here remember "Lucky 8", a Top 40 Request Program on WCBY in the late 1960s to early 1970s? I guess it was the first 8 or so requests, because there were likely to be duplicates. Who was the DJ? I think Del was a little too young when this was on. Given the 2:30 to 3:00 minute playing times of that era, that would be about 30 minutes. Who were the sponsors? Perhaps it was hard to sell, so maybe some of it was event announcements for students. The Wikipedia article alludes to some after school youth programming. I enjoyed it, possibly in 1966 or 1970. We stayed at Barnes Long Point Cabins.


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organman95
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by organman95 » Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:08 pm

I *think* Del was on WCBY in the early 70s



CK-722
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by CK-722 » Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:20 pm

I doubt if Del DJed Lucky 8 in 1966. The Wikipedia Article for WCBY does say he began there in the 1960s. I don't think those great bass pipes had developed yet. Maybe he was a "gofer" then.

I remember listening to what was probably WMBN on the same trip. I remember hearing these on one afternoon, for certain:

Sunshine Superman-Donovan
Turn Down Day-The Cyrkle
The Joker Went Wild-Brian Hyland

Others possible but not sure-Eleanor Rigby-Beatles, Little Red Riding Hood-Sam The Sham, See You In September-Happenings

Over the years, I thought one of the stations I had heard was WJML, but they didn't officially sign on until December, 1966. I heard them when they were still testing in October or November, 1966, in Genesee County, during Critical Hours. They talked on the air about having to go out to Beaver Island to do some measurements (Proofs of Performance, maybe they were on 2.5 kw Non-DA STA when I heard it, but it has been a Pre Sunset DX target ever sense). They said they were worried about going out there, as the weather got iffy for boating during that time of year. It was the first I ever heard WJML. I wasn't even trying. It was the first I ever heard about it. So it must have been WMBN that Summer.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

organman95
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by organman95 » Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:30 am

If I think about it, I'll ask my dad regarding Del. Dad has known Del for well over 40 years.



radiofreedel
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by radiofreedel » Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:24 am

I did listen to Lucky 8 as a kid. As I recall it was the first 8 people that called in at 8 O'clock that would have their name read on the air and the song you requested played. I don't recall a sponsor so I guess that advertising didn't work.

The other feature I remember well was the "Profits Platter Party" on Sunday nights that was held next door to the WCBY studio on Mackinaw Avenue in Cheboygan. There was a little room with windows on 3 sides on top of the restaurant where the disc jockey would sit and play the records and talk. Profits was a good drive in restaurant and the sponsor of the show. The drive in was was later torn down and a vehicle repair place is located there now. My brother Doug used to take me there. I can remember the BEE GEES "How can you mend a broken heart" which came out in 1971 was popular at the time so I assume it was 1971 when I was there.

I didn't begin on the air on WCBY and WCBY-FM until 1973 at 15 years old. Do the math, I'm old now. As I recall I made $1.50 an hour. I got a provisional FCC license to begin on the air until I went to the Federal Building in Detroit and took the test. I recall it was Element 1, 2 and 9 to pass the test then I had my FCC 3rd Class license that I still have in a frame.

In many ways I wish radio was still as important now as it was then. Back then you could take your 2 turn table and mic remote stand out with a Marti Transmitter and do a remote on site. Lots of people would show up to see the disc jockey live. As a little kid I remember 940 WIDG had a trailer that they would take out with the same type of remote stand and speakers outside the trailer to hear the broadcast. It was a 3 sided glass trailer that you could see the disc jockey inside. It was show business back then. Now you're lucky to see an announcer talk on a cell phone and have the break recorded to play on the air through an automation system. The Magic is largely gone. Unfortunately it's become a tracked automated business.

I would love to buy 98.9 and put WJML back on with live jocks doing a Classic Hits format with the same jingles and the forward momentum of a station that it was back then in the late 70's and Early 80's. JML The Music Station was a station ahead of it's time! It would probably be more fun than successful in today's radio environment but still a dream. I jocked on JML in the late 80's when it was a neutered Lite Rock Less Talk station before I bought the Cheboygan stations.

Del



organman95
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by organman95 » Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:56 am

radiofreedel wrote:
Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:24 am
I didn't begin on the air on WCBY and WCBY-FM until 1973 at 15 years old. Do the math, I'm old now.
:lol:

Good to hear from you, Del. Hope you and Mary are doing well :)



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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by TVC_DX5678 » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:36 pm

I've always pondered the idea of bringing back the old WJML as an online radio station. Complete with 70's music, old jingles and classic Northern Michigan commercials, and maybe even some old Bob & Tom bits (given they started off at the station). I've seen a lot of online stations dedicated to older Top 40 outlets such as CKLW, WCFL among others. Why not give WJML a try?



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Musicrewired
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by Musicrewired » Thu Mar 21, 2019 12:15 pm

I remember the station trailer era. Ours was a rather low-budget deal, and the trailer had seen better decades. I don't recall the local crowds being too impressed that we were live, but this was after the station's heyday, and I was just glad to be there. The music was handled back at the station, and we usually had no talk-back, so the broadcast worked however we figured it out. Our remotes were over a dedicated phone line rather than the Marti system, since we didn't have one.

Super JML was fun to listen to, whenever we were in the area. You're right in that it would be more fun than profitable to recreate that era. I loved the high-energy top 40 style, but unless it has a renaissance in the Classic Hits market, it probably wouldn't draw the advertising necessary to pay for it.



CK-722
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Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by CK-722 » Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:06 pm

Vacationing in Northern Michigan in the 1960s and early 1970s meant getting used to limited Top 40 AM signals and few local Top 40 formats. The Top 40 signals weren't like those in Chicago, Detroit, or even many medium sized markets in the Midwest. The signals didn't get out far, and either went off the air, or reduced their coverage at Sunset. Simulcasts of WCBY on 105.1 and WJML on 98.9 were available to those ahead of the curve. Only by the mid to late 1970s did most kids have access to personal FM radios. WJML-FM's signal was ALWAYS top of the line, with 27 kW in the late 1960s, then 100 kW from 800 feet HAAT from Boyne Highlands in 1974. Listening to Northern Michigan stations often meant hearing Major Market DJs like the late Rhonda Hart, before they were Major Market DJs.

Image


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

organman95
Posts: 583
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:49 pm

Re: "Lucky 8" On WCBY-1960s To Early 1970s

Post by organman95 » Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:38 am

My grandparents had a 'red rider' wagon with the WJML 99FM/AM11 bumper sticker



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