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]. 

DJ AJ Fritz

 

Lehigh radio host Alfred Henry Fritzinger Jr., known to many as AJ Fritz. He was the host of the rock radio show “FritzRocks” that began in 1996 on 91.3 WLVR-FM where he won the annual Lehigh Valley Music Award for Best College/Community Radio Personality six consecutive times. More here. 

His program also appears to have been broadcast on WMUH at least in 2023 and 2024 according to Spinitron. At WLVR Fritz had the title "Chief Operator" an unusual title. In 2016 the Radio & cable Industry Guide listed him more simply as Station Manager. Back in 2015 The Lehigh Bulletin [SOURCE] quoted Fritzinger:

“Most college radio stations are run by outside entities, and many college radio stations have sold their licenses... he lifeblood of this station is our students.”

The history of WLVR-FM goes back to 1946, when it was affiliated with the Lehigh student newspaper, The Brown and White. That campus paper, and many other local publications ran Fritzinger's obituary. In 2014 he oversaw tower improvements and a power increase at WLVR from 33 to 200 watts. That increase may not sound like much but it changed the station from a local Bethlehem/Allentown station to one that reached distant suburbs. 170 Meters HAAT can do that.

Born in 1957 in the Lehigh valley, he spent his 20s living in Brooklyn, NY and working at Goldman Sachs.  Fritzinger was on air at the Bethlehem radio stations 1100 WGPA-AM in the 1980s and 96.5 WZZO-FM in the mid-‘90s. But what he was quoted most often about was WLVR. 

 

Fritzinger is a relatively uncommon surname, but I've never found a single trade magazine that mentioned his name, not at WZZO or WGPA or anywhere really other than WLVR. But you can see his Surname in Leigh High School year books from the 1930s. His family has been in the area a long time. Perhaps a distant relative, George Fritzinger owned a dozen radio stations on the west coast including KKOB, KAZN and KFAC. [SOURCE] But I really do hope he's related to George H. Fritzinger, who worked at the "Telediphone Department" under Thomas Edison in the 1930s. [SOURCE]

Fritzinger was a liver transplant recipient in 2013 and died December 31st, 2024.  A memorial was held at Fearless Fire Co. #14 Mach 29th 2026. [LINK]  He was only 67. His family asked that donations be made to The Gift of Life House. [LINK]

 

Living Green in the Lehigh Valley

The category of green living  radio programs is among the most rare. There are fewer than a dozen in the whole US. Mother Earth News Launched "Mother Earth News" back in 2009. It airs on 1190 KFXR-AM in Dallas. The "Farm to Family Connection" show runs on 93.1 KKYA up in Yankton, SD. There is also 98.9 KSOF just outside Fresno, CA as the sole affiliate airing "Green is Good" a syndicated program from Clear Channel. We also have a local niche program at 88.1 WDIY "Living Green in the Lehigh Valley" which has been running since 2011. WDIY also broadcasts on two repeaters, W229AO 93.7 Fogelsville and W230AG 93.9 FM Easton. More here.

The 4-minute segment is produced and hosted by Annie Prince and Bruce Wilson. It may be short, but MSA #70 is no podunk burg, and it follows top tier NPR programming. It airs on Tuesdays at 6:00 PM during NPR’s On the Media and Wednesdays at 5:45 PM during NPR’s All Things Considered. The show publicizes green-friendly events in the valley, and has how-to segments focused on local resources. I recently asked Bruce about the genesis of the program.

"We had started the Lehigh Valley Green Builders, www.lvgreenbuilders.org and after we left that board we suggested a show to WDIY about green building.The station manager suggested that we broaden the focus to all things green happening in the Lehigh Valley. A time slot was just about to open up so we jumped on it."

His co-host and wife Annie actually has a background in broadcasting; having started out at 91.7 WMUH at Muhlenberg College. She was also a member of the Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association which founded WDIY back in 1995. If you live outside the metro, you can hear their program here. Personally I'd like  to see a call-in program developed around green building. If Car Talk and You Bet Your Garden can remain popular for decades this could work.

AVP, IPT, ELM, DSV, ROC

A long largely rural drive in bad weather can be pretty unpleasant. But I scan the radio dial coming and going looking for good news as I so often do. There were some winners losers and some surprises as always.  the terrain of upstate New York leaves for erratic reception atop all the hills and at the bottom of every valley. the challenge is catching an ID before it vanishes into the static.

88.1 WDIY was playing classical, doing nothing interesting on the northbound trip, but on the southbound side I caught a show called "Good Clean Fun" which was excellent. I heard a tune by a band called Broken Records that really grabbed me. WDIY-FM is also available on 93.7 W229AO Fogelsville and 93.9 W230AG Easton which help the little 100 watt station stretch it's legs a bit.

Moving north I ended up being a Muzak van which was ironic and somewhat comical.  I continue to be amazed at that corporations continued existence. 91.7 WMUH was rolling out the indie rock as I passed by with some band called the Headless Horseman who was excellent and turns out to be local to the region. The DJ did both a frontsell and a backsell so they're either a fan or they're in the band. WXLV was spinning Jeff Becks's Broken Guitar Blues, a sold proggy tune in the middle of a really good set of other rock I didn't even recognize. The show was probably Pet Sounds though I didn't catch the name.  90.3 WXLV, WMUH, WLVR and WDIY were all gone by the Lehigh tunnel or at least gone on the other side. When I saw daylight I discovered that 99.5 WUSR had dropped their regular programming for automated Christmas music, one of my personal pet peeves.  Within a mile of the bridge I heard a signal on 91.9 clearly but briefly... the only station I can attribute that to would be WNTI. If you live in that neighborhood -kudos, enjoy the splatter.

As I turned West I'll admit that I scanned right over 88.9 WQSU twice because they were spinning random pop of the 1980s like some crap Jack station. I hope that's not indicative of their normal playlist.In Bloomsburg I stopped in town and drove right past the WHLM studios.

In town I tried out 91.1 WBUQ which was playing commercial active rock on both trips confirming my worst fears. The is literally nothing new between Bloomsburg and Williamsport so I worked my way through a CD by Q65 I brought. In Williamsport   88.1 WPTC was playing uninteresting pop.The DJ on 91.7 WRLCwas yapping but at least it was their own local sport talk. Just outside Williamsport I stopped at Allenwood Americana Antiques and bought a stack of acetates on a chance. It was freezing cold, but it was a quality joint worth stopping at.

By now I was far enough out into the woods that I could hear both New York and Philadelphia area AM stations. 1060 KYW-AM informed me that I had bad weather behind me, and 680 WINR-AM informed me that it was bad ahead of me too. On 89.5 "The Giant" WNTE-FM I caught part of the Super Jocko Taco Show, the name kind of says it all. Further north I heard mostly NPR on the non-com band WSQA, WETD, even WRUR. As I approaches Rochester the first original voices I heard were WGSU and WBER of course. On the southbound trip I caught one last good program. Out in the boonies late at night I listened to Rick Jackson's Country Hall of Fame on 105.1 WILQ. Admittedly not my normal listening, especially since it's a satellite fed dialglobal show. But this was the Turkey and Leftovers episode, an all country comedy show.  It reminded me of Dr. Demento in a world that still really needs one.