. . . some day I'm gonna be rich and own one of those big cars, man . . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] George Michael was in rare form on this Friday night in New York City — with a winter storm on the way. George was always "up", but this night, he was on fire. This was one of one the last timesWABC was the "most listened-to station in the nation" beforeDisco 92 (WKTU-FM) toppled the mighty Musicradio! I dx'ed this show from my room atSigma Pi Fraternity while attendingTemple University in Philadelphia. WABC was running the popular "I Love New York" promotion. Listen closely to what happens when George tries to award a man's wristwatch toJosette of Brooklyn. George Michael died from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia on December 24, 2009. He was 70. | |   Return to the Repository
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. . . and those jeans are a little tight in the back end, too. . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] 99XLO was in transition at this point, toned down from the higher-energy, highly-processed99X days. Disco Fever was at its height,Disco 92 WKTU had just toppledWABC. In a positioning statement, 99XLO ran a"No Disco Weekend". Listen closely, though, for thePeaches & Herb spot forDiet Coke. | | Return to the Repository
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. . . Hot Shot Robert Walker . . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] In 1982, theMike JosephHot Hits format was sweeping the country, all on FM stations, mostlyCBS O&O's. In Harrisburg Pennsylvania,WFEC (1400 Khz) had been a successful Top-40 station through the 1970's, before a format change to urban. They decided to try true Top 40 one last time. I was hired to do the 1 - 5 p.m. shift Monday through Friday. Here's a sample from March of 1982. A dream come true with big jingles, big reverb, and high energy, for a guy who grew up listening toRon Lundy &Harry Harrison onWABC, andGeorge Michael &Jim O'Brien onWFIL. I remember listening to the final shows of WABC as a music station while driving to work at WFEC. | | Return to the Repository
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. . . a dime if you tell me that you love me, you wanna hear my plans for a quarter? . . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] Philadelphia was 100 miles away from Harrisburg, and had putHot Hits! on the air in1981. It was the inspiration forWFEC. My boss had given me this aircheck so I wouldknow what was expected of me on a similar shift. By the time of this aircheck in 1982,WCAU-FM had changed their original jingle package to one fromJAM. | | Return to the Repository
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. . . Reverend Bob, why are people afraid of 30, and why do they find it difficult once they get there?. . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] I have no idea what creative well I had to tap into to find "The Reverend Bob" character. All I know is that it was exhausting. Listeners ofWLAN-FM 97 would call in on the station's 800 number with questions for Reverend Bob. I would go through that list, jot down some notes, go into the recording studio, and ad lib the whole thing on tape for broadcast the next day. I knew I wanted a career in television news, not one as a comedian. Then, theLancaster Intelligencer newspaper interviewed me for a feature story. It wound up taking up the whole front page of the "Lifebeat" section, with a fish-eyed lens picture of me, recording a segment, my fist clenched jutting in the air. Then theAssociated Press picked up the story. It ran in thePhiladelphia Inquirer, and dozens of other newspapers around the country. The Reverend Bob was starting to take on a life of his own. Talk Radio stations around the country were calling, asking for interviews with the guy who was shaking up Amish country with an irreverent Reverend. The whole thing was getting out of hand. Fortunately, I got my next television gig, in Naples, Florida, and "The Reverend Bob" has not been heard from since! | | Return to the Repository
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. . . It took you fourteen years to win? . . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] These were the crazy days of South Florida in the 1980's! And radio reflected the life, with three stations going head-to-head with Top 40! Great choices on the car buttons! Never adull moment! This composite includes:Earl the Pearl onWINZ-FM/I-95,Bo Walker onWCJX/96X, andHarley Davidson andRobert W. onWHYI/Y100. | | Return to the Repository
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. . . The Most-Listened-To Radio Station in Florida . . . [Description by contributorR.J. Heim] While I was never able to break into Top 40 during my Miami experience, there wassome great radio going on at that time.Sonny Fox was the morning man atY100. Great jingles, production, lots of fun,Athlete's Foot onA.J. Foyt — and school lunch menus en espanol withJuanita 100. | | Return to the Repository
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. . . Take your road wherever you find it, for that is where the road is,and what is smooth today, is rough tomorrow, and impossible the day after . . . I've knownKym Landers (Mitch Zatto) sinceWSSJ-Camden (1980). He recommended me for the gig atWFEC. He did the night shift there as "The Wild Child". After WFEC, Kym didHot Hits! at Baltimore'sWMAR-FM. When that went belly-up, he was the 5th and final "Mystery Jock" whenY100 held live auditions to fillthe night-time opening in 1986. Here's his on-air audition. He came-in second place. | | Return to the Repository
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The R.J. Heim Collection has been part of REELRADIO since February 24, 2002!
Reel Top 40 Radio Repository ©1996-2009 REELRADIO Inc.
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