WOLD

"I am the morning DJ, on WOLD!"

Harry Chapin was one of my favorites.
He's the subject for a whole 'nother post......at another time.

But I do want to talk about radio......
Big Bubba is a DJ at the local radio station.
We are literally close enough to go out in the back yard and see the top of the antenna, about a mile away.

It used to be an AM/FM station.
The ownership is sucking it dry.....they sold off the FM frequency to a Christian broadcasting outfit. The station is beginning to look rundown. They're not putting money back into the business, and I can't imagine the doors still being open in 10 years.
And what a shame!
A few years ago, they lost one of the things I loved most about this little town.......

For several years there was a guy that worked part-time as a DJ at dances and special events. He had an Oldies program on this station from 7 P.M. to 11 P.M. on Monday nights. He'd arrive at the station and back his Van up to the front door so he had easy access to his incredible collection of "Oldies". He concentrated on music from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and he took requests.

The hour from 10 to 11 P.M. was always devoted to love songs.
(Sometime during that hour, I always called and dedicated "The Air That I Breathe" by "The Hollies" to Sarah Jean.)

During the Summer, I planned my Monday nights around sitting on the patio with the radio turned up loud, beer on ice, and cordless phone within easy reach.

I'd pop the top on the first beer at 7.
Each hour, I allowed myself one beer and one request.
In mid-Summer you'd be facing two hours of daylight at the start of the show, so Beach Boys music was in order.

Mood, weather, and current events would affect my requests,
but he never failed me:
Johnny Rivers,
The Buckinghams,
The Electric Prunes,
The Association,
The Easybeats,
Beatles, Rolling Stones, Moody Blues.
I'd request it.......he'd play it within two songs......like clockwork!

By the time 11 P.M. rolled around, I was always melancholy-happy.
ALWAYS!

In this little town, it was like having a personal DJ who could play every song you ever wanted to hear.
Unbelievable.

Oldies stations still abound......
That's no problem. But for the most part they have a "playlist" they follow.
If I call and request a tune, they don't always have it.......
and even if they do, it may take them half an hour or more to play it.

No more lookin' forward to Monday nights......
They're just a fond memory now,
like "Too Much Talk, and Not Enough Action"
by "Paul Revere and the Raiders"!