Radio Tiraspol vs. Radio Bessarabia

Workers Library Publishers 1941

This pamphlet (above) was published in English, as a translation of a radio address Stalin made on  July 3rd, 1941. WWII history in 1941 usually focuses on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor. But this is something equally important. 

Stalin's speech came after a different speech on June 22nd, 1941 by Vyacheslav M. Molotov, the Soviet People’s Commissioner for Foreign Affairs. [SOURCE] These followed Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany. Stalin was not heard publicly for 11 days after the invasion began, while radio news chattered, he remained mute and radio played a key role leading up to this pivotal time. 

Before the Molotov speech, the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, (RRBC) made propaganda broadcasts, falsely claiming that Soviet aircraft had fired on Romanian airfields. This was similar to the false flag operation that preceded the invasion of Poland; the Gleiwitz incident. This was state controlled media, and while Romania would later switch sides and join the Allies in August of 1944, King Carol II and his Kingdom of Romania were very much part of the Axis in 1941. It is unclear which station(s) broadcast that claim, but it is clear where it began... 

Radio Romania logo 1940s

Radio Tiraspol was founded on October 30th, 1930, by the Soviets in Ukraine. It started broadcasting with 4 kW. DX logs from around 1934 also list RW57 on 282 meters and RW86 on 1013 meters. The Radio Call book of 1931 lists two on 838 meters in the USSR. A 1938 BBC Foreign Programme Journal describes the station as RS3 "Political Talk" and lists it at 30 kW of power, on 280 meters. In truth, it primarily broadcast Soviet propaganda. A new radio mast was built in 1936 in Tiraspol, for greater signal penetration into the territory of Bessarabia. To quote the book Soviet Subversive Action [SOURCE] by Dumitru Stancov:

"Soviet radio stations carried out a lively propaganda campaign, paying special attention to Bessarabia. While our Chisinau radio station, out of its 4-5 hours of daily activity, reserved 3-4 hours for dance music, the Tiraspol radio station, out of its 8 hours of activity, devoted at least 5-6 hours to propaganda."

In response, RRBC founded Radio Bessarabia in Chisinau in 1937, broadcasting at 20k watts on the 291.2 meter band.  This is in modern Moldova. According to Radio Romania International. [SOURCE] Radio Bessarabia was specifically intended to combat anti-Romanian propaganda broadcast by Radio Tiraspol. In 1939, Radio Bessarabia the Marconi Company installed a more powerful 200 kW transmitter in Chisinau... this was described at the time to be twice as powerful as Radio Tiraspol.  To quote the February, 1931 issue of Radiocorriere [SOURCE] (an Italian-language listings magazine) 

"For some time now, Romanian broadcasts have been disrupted by Russian short- and long-wave stations; these not only drown out the voice of Radio Bucharest but also take pleasure in broadcasting—in French—news highly detrimental to the beloved neighbor. According to experts, radio sets in border areas are constantly "swamped" by Soviet broadcasts, especially since the USSR recently installed a new station right in Tiraspol, on the Dniester River—mere hundreds of meters from the border. The Tiraspol station broadcasts talks and news in the Bessarabian Romanian dialect, a move that has caused considerable concern among the authorities. Technicians have proposed installing a station in Chișinău to neutralize the Russian one, while others favor increased activity from Radio Bucharest, suggesting it should broadcast talks and news in French and other foreign languages ​​to counter Russian propaganda."

But all this Soviet propaganda wasn't pointless provocation. In 1940 Russia invaded and began occupying some Romanian islands, parts of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. This wasn't unexpected. The "secret" German-Soviet treaty, [SOURCE] The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 granted Russia this territory as it was populated predominantly by ethnic Ukrainians. Some histories, including the one in Wikipedia state that this was a violation of the treaty. It specifically says in article III "With regard to Southeastern Europe attention is called by the Soviet side to its interest in Bessarabia. The German side declares its complete political disinteredness in these areas." Their deal seems clear. 

Russia gave a 48 hour ultimatum over the radio. So in June 1940 the Radio Bessarabia station personnel and equipment were evacuated to Huși, just across the Prut river. The Soviets occupied the Bessarabia studios starting June 28th. They brought in staff from Radio Tiraspol to operate the station. When then finally withdrew, they blew up the buildings, the antenna and destroyed the transmitter. I believe it was this original staff, working from Huși, who broadcast the anti-soviet propaganda on behalf of the Nazis.

Levitan in 1944

On June 22nd the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany is reported on Radio Moscow by Yuri Levitan. Levitan was their Dan Rather, the primary new announcer on RV-1, Radio Moscow. It broadcast on medium wave and shortwave in that era. The station was jammed in Italy by Mussolini, and also by Romania but less effectively.

In WWII the Allies did fine work recasting Stalin as partner, and rehabilitated his image in the Western media. It's strange to read books and periodicals published between 1939 and 1945 and see Stalin cast as a kindly, grandfather figure, just one of the good guys. [That changed immediately after the war of course.] Anyway, in response to the German invasion, Stalin gives an unusual speech where he knows he has a larger audience than usual, and he leans into that new branding and opens by calling his listeners comrades, but also, brothers and sisters dear friends.

 Some sources describe this speech as an address to the CPUSA. That's the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), a Marxist-Leninist political organization that was founded in Chicago in 1919. This is unrelated to the American fascist group, TPUSA, founded in 2012. But I think Stalin's address was actually to the CPSU, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 

Anyway, I found a translation online which is slightly different. [LINK] There are a few more out there. I've read that translating Russian is a challenge [LINK]. If you speak Russian, you can listen to the original speech here: [SOURCE] His speeches, and writings are widely circulated if you are into political writing.

Find that Philco

 

Are these all Philcos? No. I just like the alliteration. This dial lists KOA, KGIR and all the other buttons are knocked out. That's not a lot to work with. 850 KOA-AM signed on in 1924. They signed on as a 5,000 watt station and in 1927 increased to 12,500 watts, becoming an NBC affiliate in 1929. The station was so ubiquitous in that era it does not narrow the date range. 

Today the KGIR-AM calls reside in Cape Girardeau, MO. But back in the 1930s, KGIR was a 500 watt station in Butte, MT on 1360. With only 500 watts of power, I think that puts our radio somewhere between Butte and Cody, WY. They're about 500 miles from Denver, but surely able to receive a clear channel station in that era.  The station signed on in 1929 and changed its call letters to KXLF in 1946 which book ends our date range.

Here we have a more to work with, though the labels have slid around unhelpfully: KMPG?, KOH, KGMB, KGKB, KROV, and KICA. But what a weird selection. 590 KGMB I can hardly believe as it's was based in Honolulu. It also can't be KGME-AM in Phoenix, AZ. It signed on in 1940 on 1200, as KPHO only picking up the KGME call letters in 2000. I hope I'm misreading that one. KROV does not exist that I'm aware of. I think that could be KRGV in Oroville, CA but more likely 690 KROW in Oakland, CA which used those calls from 1936 until 1964 before it changed to KABL.  More here. 

980 KICA-AM was most recently a farm station in Clovis, NM. The calls are not cut off. But earlier it was a TV station with the same calls in the same city. It was on 1240 back in the 1940s, and 1370 in 1936. This is highly unlikely with it's distance from the other bay area stations, but I have no other plausible matches. 

630 KOH-AM was not in LA, it was in Reno, NV from 1928-1994 when it became KRCV-AM. The stick on 780 in Reno is KKOH, it borrows the brand name but is not otherwise related. The original KOH, now KPLY is known the oldest radio station in Nevada. 

The first calls are KMP-something. Station 710 KMPC-AM was in Los Angeles. More here. The calls have moved around and currently broadcast Radio Korea on 1540 in LA. The original station first signed on as KRLO in 1927 and changed calls to KMPC in 1930 and held the calls for 67 years. Gene Autry owned KMPC in the 1950s. It aged with it's audience and was Adult Standards and talk radio in the 1980s.  

Just one more. This one is fun with the vertical station levers instead of push buttons. I see KGFW, KFAB, KMMJ, WGN, and WOW.  KGFW, is another heritage station, founded in 1927in Ravenna, NE. The station moved to Kearney in 1931 where is remains today on 1340. KFAB is even older and first signed on as KFRR in 1924. It moved to 770 in 1928. 

KMMJ is almost as old, having been founded in 1925 in Clay Center, NE. Noe how near Kearney that is.  I think 720 WGN-AM out of Chicago is an outlier, received only because it's a clear channel station.  Likewise 590 WOW has been on air for 100 years but never more than 5,000 watts. I think this radio sat between Omaha and Grand Island. This set of stations is pretty consistent. 

Frank and Ernest

 

1963 Frank and Ernest Broadcast Schedule

Since 1972, the name Frank and Ernest has been associated with a comic strip created by Bob Thaves. But there is an earlier, unrelated duo in radioland with the same names. Frank and Ernest is the name of an international religious broadcast by the Dawn Bible Students Association, which has been heard on hundreds of radio stations over the last 90 years. I'll list those off for easy searching. I've made corrections to the above image which has minor omissions and errors, though it's just Alabama thru south Dakota:

CALLS	Freq	City/State
WMSL	1400	Decatur, AL
WJBB	1230	Haleyville, AL
KUEQ	740	Phoenix, AZ
KBTM	1230	Jonesboro, AR
KPAY	1060	Chico, CA
KICO	1490	El Centro, CA
KGLM	740	Los Angeles, CA
KBIG	104.3	Los Angeles, CA
KVON	1440	Napa, CA
KVCV	600	Redding, CA
XERB	1090	San Diego, CA
KCOK	1270	Tulare-Visalia, CA
KIMN	950	Denver, CO
KZIX	600	Fort Collins, CO
KDZA	1230	Pueblo, CO
WTUX	1290	Wilmington, DE
WOL	1450	Washington, D.C.
WSUZ	800	Palatka, FL
WFLA	970	Tampa, FL
KRLC	1350	Lewiston, ID
WEAW	1330	Chicago, IL
WLPO	1220	LaSalle, IL
WFRX	1300	West Frankfort, IL
WJOB	1230	Gary-Hammond, IN
WIBC	1070	Indianapolis, IN
WLBC	1340	Muncie, IN
KROS	730	Clinton, IA
KLOE	1230	Goodland, KS
WLBJ	1410	Bowling Green, KY
WAVE	1490	Louisville, KY
WNOP	1230	Newport, KY
WWKY	740	Winchester, KY
WABI	910	Bangor, ME
WSRO	1470	Marlboro, MA
WBSM	1420	New Bedford, MA
WCAT	1390	Orange, MA
CKLW	800	Detroit, MI
WMAX	1490	Grand Rapids, MI
WSGW	790	Saginaw, MI
WAKX	1480	Duluth-Superior, MN
KEVE	1440	Minneapolis, MN
WLOX	1490	Biloxi, MS
WABO	990	Waynesboro, MS
WMBH	1450	Joplin, MO
KREI	800	Farmington, MO
KCMO	810	Kansas City, MO
KATL	1340	Miles, City, MT
KRGI	1420	Grand Island, NE
WJRZ	870	Newark, NJ
KSIL	1340	Silver City, NM
WEEE	1300	Albany, NY
WRJZ	970	New York, NY
WBMA	1400	Beaufort, NC
WCGC	1270	Belmont-Charlotte, NC
WGAI	560	Elizabeth City, NC
WLOE	1490	Leaksville, NC
WHLO	640	Akron-Canton, OH
WNOP	740	Cincinnati, OH
WBNS	1460	Columbus, OH
WPTW	1570	Piqua, OH
WHIZ	1240	Zanesville, OH
KAST	1260	Astoria, OR
KGAL	920	Lebanon, OR
KGON	1520	Portland, OR
KODL	1230	The Dalles, OR
WHOL	1600	Allentown, PA
WCVI	1340	Connellsville, PA
WWVA	1170	Pittsburgh, PA
WPAZ	1340	Pottstown, PA
WGRF	1240	Aguadilla, PR
KYNT	1450	Yankton, SD

Today it's down to just 9 stations: KFNX Phoenix, AZ; KAAY Little Rock,AR;  KWBG Des Moines IA; KKVV Las Vegas, NV; WCKY Cincinnati, OH;  WINB Red Lion, OH; WNAH Nashville, TN and WWVA Wheeling, WV. [SOURCE] 

In the original run of the program, when the original hosts were still alive, the format was for one would ask the other a leading question on religious doctrine. The long-winded answer would start a theme which would constitute the body of the program. Hymns would typically bookend the 15 minute program and break up the questions.  Today, 90 years later the format remains unchanged, but the new hosts are Ed and Russel, assuming those are real names. 

Our story starts in 1928, William Norman Woodworth was a member of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, (WTBTS) they're Jehovah's Witnesses. He and John E. Dawson had been producing the program Frank and Ernest for them. Norman Woodworth played Frank and John Dawson was Ernest. Then Woodworth had some big argument with Judge Joseph F. Rutherford, the president of WTBTS. There are two versions of the story behind the nature of the conflict: 

1. Rutherford wanted to eliminate the radio program entirely, against the wishes of Woodworth. 
2. Rutheford demanded that to write the show himself, because he disliked Woodworth's content; specifically the preaching of "Russell's Divine Plan." [Google it, I'm not doing theology here]

It's hard to be certain 99 years later.  But we know from historical sources, that Rutherford was a control freak and a bully. So I favor the latter version. In evidence, we do have some context in print from that era. The author of the article is not known, but in issue 308 of the Golden Age from July 1931, the Witnesses' made the schism between them and Woodworth very clear, in an article titled "Bible Students Radio Echo." 

As respects the dialogues of "Frank and Ernest", it is a matter of record that these dialogues were broadcast for several years from Radio Station WBBR, the WATCHTOWER ; and it is as apparent that during those years "Frank and Ernest" were greatly used and highly honored by the Lord as it is that Nadab and Abihu, Miriam, the ten spies, Korah, Dathan and Abiram and their comrades, and Saul and Uzzah were used and honored before their deflections arose. But those who are wise toward God will now have nothing to do with "Frank and Ernest" or with the "Bible Students Radio Echo" now that these men have ceased their association with the instrumentality God is using in the earth to perform His work at this time, and this regardless of what they broadcast, whether it be good, bad or indifferent."

The result of that conflict was that Norm left the WTBTS group around 1929 and he took his show with him. The Dawn Bible Students history reports that Dawson and Woodworth attempted to re-start Frank and Ernest in New York on WOR, beginning April 12th, 1931, then again in Boston, but had to stop after they ran out of funds some three months later. They sought ecclesia sponsorship from the Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI) but PBI declined to find the program. [SOURCE] [SOURCE]

As a result, some younger members of PBI split off on their own, led by Woodworth. That association was originally a group of younger members of the Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI). In 1932 there were 9 trustees of he the Dawn Bible Students Association and they were two of them. In 1932 together they founded Dawn Publishers, Inc.  In the mid-1930s they hired the W.L. Gleason agency for distribution. Bill Gleason arranged for Russell Pollock to broadcast programs on the California Rural Network. Eventually the program was carried on the ABC network in 1949, then Mutual in 1950.

1925 LOC catalog of copyright entry

The book A People for His Name by Tony Wills calls their magazine The Dawn's pamphlets "repetitious and boring" but he adds useful details:

"Listeners to the Watch Tower Society's radio programs prior to 1930 must have noticed that they were more faithful to [Charles] Russel than [Joseph] Rutherford. This was because William Norman and others made them up. W. N. Woodworth left the central office about 1929 and started broadcasting apart. He became associated with a dissident ecclesia. In 1931 a convention was held at which a central committee was elected, and The Dawn started to appear to keep those interested those attracted by the radio programs."

Some sources also put the program on another Jehovah's Witness owned station,WORD in Chicago, then on 1480. I have found little evidence for this.  Most sources cite 1927 as the start of the Frank and Ernest program. [SOURCE] And one can easily find it in WBBR schedules in the New York Times from that year. [LINK] The August 14th issue of that year shows Frank and Ernest closing out the broadcast day at WBBR at 8:35 PM following a studio orchestra. The same placement occurs on August 30th. That continued through 1928, 1929 and into June of 1930, when it stops abruptly.  

However I also found a listing for the program on WRVA, Friday March 21st 1930. It's right after a "Vabac Melodies" and right before an unknown program called "VA Players."  The program appears again in April and June with slightly different line ups. [SOURCE]  It is somewhat unclear if this is Rutherford or Woodworth. But it casts some doubt on the timeline, both Woodworths departure and his dispute with Rutherford. Because of this there remains a possibility that Rutherford continued to broadcast new programs without Woodworth, or that WTBTS could have circulated re-runs. Either way WBBR stopped broadcasting the programing 1930, matching the New York Times radio listings. 

According to one history [SOURCE] Woodworth resumed "Frank and Ernest" radio broadcasts in 1940. This is generally consistent with the print record, or rather the lack thereof. I can find no references in print before 1941. The best reference I found was in a 1934 issue of the East Liverpool Review, announcing a Norman Woodworth lecture, but it mentions that he's known for the Frank and Ernest program. [SOURCE]

The Witness' stations were quite odd on their own and I've written about them a few times before. [LINK]  WBBR was a religious broadcaster station owned by the Witnesses. It first signed on in 1924 on 1230 kHz from Staten Island, NY.  [LINK] By 1926, the WBBR was sharing the 1100 frequency with two other New York City stations: WEBJ and WFBH. By 1927, WFBH was deleted, but WBBR and WEBJ moved to 1170. 

The Frank and Ernest program would have first aired while WBBR was on the 1170 frequency. There are records which indicate WBBR broadcast unauthorized on 720 in 1926 into 1927. In 1928 WEBJ leaving WLTH and WBBR to share time on 1170. In 1929 WLTH split off getting 1400, and WBBR went solo, moving to 1300 where it stayed into the 1940s.  

The WBBR radio station, 1924 from jw.org

None of this tells us about the start of Frank and Ernest. Who are Frank and Ernest? In the Library of Congress catalog of copyright entries is a 1925 "Frank and Ernest" musical composition by Norman J. Vaus of New York. But there's no information on Mr. Vaus to add light to that.  One of my theories it that these were just common names, like selecting Mike or Joe. Both names were more common in the 1920s than now. 

Currently I favor a different theory. Frank and Ernest are also adjectives. Perhaps the idea is that Frank acts very Ernest but Ernest is just a bit frank? The pun was somewhat popular and appears in multiple periodicals in the mid 1920s including another comic strip unrelated to Thaves (below). [SOURCE] In 1932 there was an unrelated comic duo on KWK-AM also by the name, there was another on WWJ. There are so many references to different real and fictional Frank and Ernest duos it's like they've always existed. The gag predates radio. 

Old Gold ad, 1928

 

Rutherford died in 1942. In 1957, citing the ability to reach the faithful better through in-person contact and publications, the Witnesses sold WBBR to Tele-Broadcasters, Inc. of New York, for $133k. Tele-Broadcasters changed the calls to WPOW. Norman Woodworth died on October 29th, 1975. I don't know what happened to John Dawson . But as a finale, on December 31st, 1984, WPOW signed off in a deal with Salem Communications, to allow WNYM to increase power. More here.

To quote an unknown writer for the Portland Express in 1923, 

"I can't be Frank and Ernest, 
Though I try to be game; 
the reason why," said Harry, "is, 
That neither is my name."

DFW to EWR

 

While flying from DFW to EWR I recently used an FM radio app on my phone to see what I could hear. I've managed to bandscan while flying before but it's very dependent on external receiving factors. For the radio station, the radiation pattern and power, and perhaps most importantly the elevation and position of my aircraft at a given moment. As you can see, the receivable stations track SW to NE as I scan slowly from 88.1 to 107.9 FM over about an hour.

Most stations are only receivable for a few minutes, and are very dependent on the position of the antenna, which is the headphone cable. I found unexpectedly that a loop shape seemed to be the most effective, not the typical the dipole wire 45° angle.

88.1 WRFL? - At 7,900 watts this seems unlikely but not impossible. I heard classical music which doesn't match their schedule. 

88.9 WEKU - 50k watts in the Lexington, KY market.  

94.1 W231DM - 250 watt repeater for Talk radio WZXI-AM. I think I heard the American Ground Radio program which was not great. Right-wing radical conspiracy nutters. These people ate equine dewormer back in 2020. 

94.3 WULF - Great call letters and 40k watts. Pretty standard country music outlet SE of Louisville, KY. 

94.5 WMXL - At 85k watts it made for a pretty clear signal, AC format leaning pop. Yawn.

95.1 WGGC - Their 100k watts wasn't as strong as expected but probably still distant at that moment. Country format similar to WULF. They used to use the branding "Goober" I didn't' hear it but I hope they still do.

96.9 WGKS - A 50k watt Classic Hits station also in Lexington. The song I heard was OneRepublic - Counting Stars. 

97.7 WKCA - This is only a 3,700 watt station near Morehead, KY. I heard Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire; a classic. Gateway Radio Works owns 5 stations in Eastern Kentucky. They keep it local. 

97.9 WSEI? - There are several consecutive country stations on the radio band in eastern century but I heard a station ID that sounded like "WCEI" which isn't possible from Baltimore. I think that was actually the 50k watt WSEI-FM stick in Olney, IL almost 200 miles away.

98.5 WTFM - Heard the station ID loud and clear, the frequency matches but what I heard was religious talk.  The station resides in that oddly shaped Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol TN/VA market. 

98.7 WMKK-LP? - I heard pop music on 98.7 so I'm thinking that might be WMKK and not WKDO though at 25k watts the latter is more likely in any normal circumstance. The chat on Radio Discussions is unfair either way. [LINK]

98.9 - W255DB - In a hundred mile radius the only station playing pop is a 240 watts repeater for rhythmic AC WWTB-AM. 

99.5 WYGO- This really should be the 25k watt WKDP country station out of Corbin, KY. But what I heard them playing was the 1989 Janet Jackson single "Escapade." So perhaps it's none of the repeats on that frequency and instead the 2,700 watt Hot AC station in Madisonville, TN. 

100.5 WDYK - 6,000 watts in Ridgeley, WV, I heard country but on an AC station the format is all a jumble.

101.9 - WVAQ - This station popped up with RCP as "iana" which probably has something to do with their HD radio channels. Their primary signal is CHR which fits the reggaeton dance tune I heard. 

102.5 - WDVE - Here I heard an ad for 84 Lumber in Morgantown, WV.  The only possibilities are WUSQ in Winchester 2.5 hours away or the station in Pittsburgh, PA. 

102.7. WVSR - I didn't catch the calls but I heard the brand "Electric 102.7" which is that 50k watt CHR station in Charleston, WV. 

102.9 WLTK? - This was the strangest thing I caught in the whole band scan.  I heard a recorded voice speaking over a bed music gospel chorus... "When you need somebody to help you, you want somebody with that dog in them. I'm talking about that dog in them. You ever hear the expression; like you ain't got that dog in you. If you got to fight, you better have a dog with you. If you got to fight, you got to have a dog with you. Got to have top dog with you. He got that dog in him. And he going to fight. He going to fight to the end. And you know, you know what he going to try to do? He going to try to bite him..."  It turns out to be an ad for a law firm. [SOURCE]  A K-Love outlet seems an unlikely place for the ad but I don't have other likely guesses.

103.3 WAKG- I heard a bit of a country song, and there's only one in 200 miles on this frequency, and it's 100k watts out of Danville, VA.

103.7 WSOC - I heard the brand Backstage country which on 103.7 should be WSOC in Charlotte, NC. At 100k watts it's possible. 

104.3 WQCN - I heard gospel/R&B music. That has to be WQCN, or a very distant WDAS. Being still west of the Appalachians I'm guessing the former.

104.9 WSTV - I heard the brand "Steve FM" which has to be the 14,500 watt stick in Roanoke, VA. It was a mix of pop songs as you'd expect for Adult Hits. 

105.1 - WKLC - No ID but two rock songs back to back this is surely the 2,950 watt stick in Charleston, WV. It's also possible this was WWRE in Bridgewater, VA. 

105.3 WNOH - A 50k watt station in the Norfolk market, Mixed AC. 

105.9 WMAL - I heard Call in talk at about 10:00 PM. So that's the first hour of America at Night with McGraw Milhaven.

106.5 WWMX - Caught just part of a pop song, but it's probably the 10,500 watt station in Baltimore.

106.9 WAFX - No ID but by geography this was definitely the Classic Rocker in Hampton Roads. At 100k watts I'd be more surprised if I couldn't hear it. 

107.1 WFXC - I caught a little R&B and the "Foxy" brand name so that has to be WFXC but the distance on that is impressive for a 13k watt station in Durham, NC.

107.7 WEOP - This station was loud and mostly clear for a surprising 20 minutes. They were broadcasting ABC radio news. 

 

WAEB Playlists 1960

 

I've written about 790 WAEB-AM once before. That was a post about to the Gene Kaye show. But WEAB has come up in passing at least half a dozen times. [LINK] Recently I found a stack of 1960s Record surveys. It lists the top 40 records and what's unusual is that this set is sequential. I have April 18th through May 16th of 1960. It's interesting when you read though it because Percy Faith "theme From A Summer Place" was #1 on Billboard for the year and it's not on the chart at all. But #2 Jim Reeves "He'll Have to Go" and #3 The Everly Brothers "Cathy's Clown" both place. You can compare the 1960 top 100 Billboard singles here [SOURCE]  I also scanned the surveys and uploaded them for your reading pleasure.  

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THEME HERE 

The back of each survey had the24-hour WAEB weekday schedule printed on the back. I typed that out here just to make this more searchable. From a 1964 schedule we can see that many of these DJs were still on WAEB 4 years later. The list then would be Jay "Jumpin' Jay" Sands, Ernie Stiegler, Gene "Jivin' Gene" Kaye, Joe "Tiger Joe" McLaine, Gary "Daddy G" Levine, and Perry "Merry Perry" Allen.  Let's delve into the bioagraphies of the 1960s crew. 

TIME	SHOW	HOST
6:00 - 9:00 AM	Clock Watchers	Kerm Gregory, Nedd Flemming
9:00 - 11:00 AM	Toast & Coffee	Ernie Stiegler
1100 - 2:00 PM	Flemming & Co	Nedd Flemming
2:00 - 3:00 PM	Hits for the Mrs.	Joe McLaine
3:00 - 5:00 PM	Discapades	Kerm Gregory
5:00 - 6:00 PM	Discapades	Gene Kaye
6:00 - 6:30 PM	News / Spotlight On Sports	Jay Sands/Ernie Steigler
6:30 - Midnight	Paging The Stars	Gene Kaye,  Joe McLaine
Midnight - 6:00 AM	All Night Show	Bud Nerr

Kermit L. Gregory - Kerm graduated from Muhlenberg college in 1951, meaning he may have been a DJ on the original closed cable iteration of WMUH as it started in 1948 at 640 AM. Gregory began his radio career as an announcer with WHOL in Allentown and joined WAEB in 1955. He went to WILK in Wilkes-Barre in 1962 as program director. From 1971 to 1982, Gregory was operations manager of KEZL in San Diego. While a WAEB disc jockey, he was the first host for Castle Rock at Castle Garden in Dorney Park as a summer attraction in 1956. He had actually returned to radio in the Lehigh Valley at WKAP in 1983 after a 20 California detour. By 1985 he was back at WAEB doing that Dorney park gig again but the Dorney park dance hall burned down the following November. He died in 1992 at the age of 58 in Cajon, CA. 

Nedd Flemming - Back in 1953 Nedd was the Sports Director on WEST in Easton, PA. Nedd was with WAEB at least as early as 1956. Broadcasting announced his promotion that year. Cash Box recording his move away from the mic in 1960. "Kerm Gregory, five year veteran of WAEB-Allentown, Pa., is now the station’s program director, replacing Nedd Flemming, who’ll devote more time to sales." 

Ernie Stiegler - Ernie died in 1990 at the age of 64. Actually a graduate of the University of Florida he was a sports broadcaster in college at 850 WRUF-AM, though multiple stations carried the university live sports feed. He hosted “Toast and Coffee” for year and became assistant manager eventually retiring in 1969 to go into advertising. 

Joe McLaine - Like many of these DJs he's named in passing in the book Masterpiece in Progress by Jeff Steinberg back in 1986. He's mentioned in Cash Box in 1959 at WAEB [SOURCE] running a contest. But in 1958 Broadcasting names him at another area station "  JOE McLAINE, formerly with WEEU Reading, Pa., as d.j., joins WHOL in similar capacity..."  So we know he went from WEEU then to WHOL, then WAEB. The 1966 edition of the Working Press directory lists him still at WEAB alongside  Jay sanders, Ernie Steigler, Gene Kaye, and Bobby Dee. 

James "Jay Sands" Sidoti - Sidoti is an Italian surname if you were wondering. He was a local guy from Eastson, PA. His radio career began in 1951 at WEEX in Easton, PA. But he had actually taken a radio training course at the New York School of Radio Technique in 1950. He  later worked at WGPA in Bethlehem. He first got into WAEB to do news in 1957 eventually becoming news director.  In 1963 he became program manager.  His "clockwatcher" radio show was popular in the Lehigh Valley from 1957 to 1971. He worked in TV sales and service and works some slots at WSAN and two years at WKAP in the early 1970s. He went back to WAEB and hosted the Gold Mine Club on WAEB from 1980 to 1987.  He died in 1987 at the age of 57.

Gene Kaye - Article here. 

Bud Nerr  - Bud seems to have had a short career in radio. Bud Nerr pops up on these surveys in the Spring of 1960 and in one issue of Cash Box in 1959 next to Al Martino in a group shot [SOURCE].