The Old Days

2

First, I am not one who always is looking back on the “good ole’ days” but I am one who has gone from playing scratchy 45’s* to music on hard drive.  Spots on carts that would jam, to putting them on hard drive as well. It sure makes splicing much easier… no more bloody fingers from a slip of the razor blade.


*Music rotation was several boxes, and we were told “Play from the front-put in the back”… and every little towns’ station had its own personality, or perhaps that should be “station-ality”, and not always to best in programming,  but they usually did serve their locale. 

Someone could go the station (more times than not easy to find because the studio was at the transmitter/tower(s) site on the edge of town, and buy their spots, or get their news/PSA items on the air.  And from the disc jockey point of view, if you were fired, somewhere, within driving range someone would have at least a few hours for you.  

Who recalls being at some small station somewhere running 22 minutes of spots every hour.  The 18 minute rule be damned!

I stared at WSIB, Beaufort, SC, hanging around, taking out trash and running to get coffee from the restaurant  down the street in late 67, early 68.  From then its’ been stops in Savannah Georgia, (several times), Jacksonville, the one in North Carolina, Milford, Delaware, and where I am now, Orangeburg, SC (100.3 WORG)-also several times…with an occasional break to drive an 18 wheeler, and yes I still hold my truckers’ license.  I venture to say I am probably one of the few that has held an FCC general class permit and a CDL…(Commercial drivers’ license.)

I would like to put together an “old radio guys (and girls)” convention.  Of course there would be no record people to buy us drinks and hookers, but it would be a blast.

Stu Wright, Award-winning morning radio personality, WORG-FM Orangeburg, SC.  [email protected].

2 COMMENTS

  1. Carl! Whatever happened to WSIB? I was a DJ there briefly in 1980 (I think it was.) Apparently they went under, eh? Oh well. It was a trip for sure.

    Here’s my favorite WSIB story. They had no air conditioning in the booth, and it would get quite hot in the summer, so you had to open the back door. You would be in the middle of a broadcast, and the rooster from next door would start crowing! Right out over the air!

    They told me that WSIB stood for We Survive in Beaufort.

    Bart

    ( Tweeting away, @BartStewart1 )

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