Monday, March 8, 2010

WTOB Winston-Salem NC Survey August 15, 1969

WTOB and WAIR were the two Top 40 stations in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. WAIR was on 1340 and WTOB on 1380 so much channel switching went on. Here's the WTOB survey from August 15, 1969. Text version of the survey is here. 
Click any image to enlarge.


9 comments:

  1. Nick Archer is one of the most knowledgable experts in "top-40" music and radio I know.
    I dare you to ask him a question about music from that era.
    I am really excited that Nick is "on-line." Looking forward to getting him to produce a streaming show.
    Wild Willie Edwards

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  2. I have a cassette tape I recorded off WTOB when Willie Edwards was DJ'ing. I think it was from around 1969 or 1970. I listened to both TOB and AIR back then. They were so close to each other on the dial it was easy to switch back and forth. Channel surfing before remote control!

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    1. Do you, or anyone, know where the 'tob dj's are today? I know George has died, and Willie is here in Lexington, and dutch is retired in Texas. I have wondered about the others, John Stanton, Lee Bryant, Bob Mclean, Dave Knight.
      It would be a big boost to get some or all of them on the newer 'tob.
      I spent a lot of time at the station answering phones, and trying to learn, but I never had the voice to go into radio.

      Allen Mock tallen1120@windstream.net

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    2. It would be a tremendous boost if radio went back to a top-40 format. It would also clear the garbage that is heard today. I really hope the fund raising is going well. Maybe it would help if you could go FM, as WLXN has.
      "THE STATION WITH THE HAPPY DIFFERENCE"
      Oh yes, on another page, someone used "dick Bennet" and it should be "dick Benick" I met him when my family found the missing "13" and won $500.

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  3. Nick:

    My parents owned WAIR in Winston Salem during the early 60's (1960-1963). Do you have anything on WAIR during that time period?

    Thanks,

    Toni

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  4. My dad worked at WAIR for quite a while up until June, 1960. His name was Jim (Jimmy) Wynne. Oddly enough, when we left NC that month he went to work at KAIR in Tucson.

    Bill Wynne
    Lemoore, CA

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  5. Probably the most interesting part of the survey above is the fact that the station was giving away $1,000 in 1969. It was a huge amount of cash. WTOB had just been beaten in the spring book by WAIR who gave away a car when WTOB was giving away King Korn Trading Stamps. They cleaned house and brought in Willie, Buddy Latham, Bob Dale and eventually Dusty Dunn. As a result of the $,000 contest we beat WSJS for number one overall in Winston-Salem for perhaps the only time. They took all of the air staff to the old Twin City Club to celebrate. We all ate and drank too much that night on the company dime.

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    1. I remember part, mainly because my family won that $1000 by finding the missing "13". It was in some rocks on a hill behind Shoneys near Peters Creek Parkway.

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  6. WTOB is BACK and broadcasting the music that made it the number one station in Winston-Salem,N.C.I do The"Nightlight" show from my studio at home from 9PM to 12AM weeknights.It's amazing how the internet has made this possible.The "Nightlight" show plays the Greatest Hits from the 50s to the 80s. I worked for the station back in 1978 doing middays and got to rock for one week on TOB before then owner John Woods changed the foremat to The Music of Your Life. The foremat was old big band and old hits from the 40s and 50s. I feel the foremat was a nail in WTOBs coffin. I worked at the station again when it was located over a restaurant in Thruway shopping center.The station has been leased by Jerry Holt and there are currently three live shows on air. At other times,the station is on computer automation or prerecorded shows.I also worked for WBIG-AM 1470 in Greensboro,N.C on two occasions. WBIG went to the same foremat John tried and it took BIGs ratings down as well. I knew the foremat would drop BIGs ratings just as it did TOBs.WBIG was the 3rd oldest radio station in North Carolina owned by Jeff-Pilot who took her off the air in November of 1986. The land became more valuable then the station and Jeff-Pilot gave us only 4 hours notice it was going dark.I am happy to be back on WTOB. Things have changed alot in radio.No cart machines,no turntables,no reel to reels. Everything is on computer now. Check out the Nightlight on my stream for stereo at www.ncirradio.com or you can go to the stations homepage at wtob1380.com The stream there is in mono.My internet stations is on auto DJ when the nightlight show is not streaming to WTOB.Great memories from a GREAT ERA in radio broadcasting!!!!

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