pmmbh.org Blog

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Well, I just accepted Bill’s invite to come over to the blog, so Hi Everyone <waves>.

Radio has never been far from my mind, even though I left it for what my wife refers to as “a real job” way back in ‘82. I still play around with voices, although the only time I do any recording is when Bob Alexander gets me over for some promo cuts for the annual Holy Name fair. And I do THAT at his place since I never did build that home studio I always wanted (aside…. he called while I was writing this. I’ll be stopping at his place in the AM for this years session).

I’ve thought about seeing if anyone had enough work that an old fart such as myself could drop in every week or 2 and cut some tracks. Another idea that was still-born. Guys that do that are in it for a living. I’d be in it to have fun again. Still, the idea lingers…..

Recently I’ve been toying around with an idea dealing with the equipment we all used to work with. I won’t reveal anything at this point, but suffice it to say that, as usual, I’ll obsess over it till it’s perfect, then work on it some more before turning it loose on the web. Should be fun. No more hints.

Radio back in the day was always fun, even though it had its moments of drudgery. Who can deny hanging out at the East Mall with Harry Chapin and Todd Rundgren was a major kick?

Who can say sitting up in the nosebleed seats at the KBO sponsored Three Dog concert, complete with a bleacher streaker, wasn’t the second best way to get high, seeing as how smoke from a certain herb rises quite well?

And seeing the look on my fairly young (at the time), naive, and quite hot wife when the guy sitting next to her on the floor at the WKBO sponsored Guess Who concert handed her a roach…. Priceless. Bonnie STILL talks about it! I’m sure if I were to ask what her high point was it would be the WVAM sponsored concert with BS&T at the Jaffa Mosque in Altoona, and sitting close enough to hear David Clayton Thomas breathing.

But all that was just icing on the cake, because I got to work with some of the best talent to hit the Harrisburg market EVER. We kicked butts, took names, and did it all as AM was losing its audience to FM.

AM Radio as we knew it died in the late 70’s, but ahhhhh, what a funeral!

Now I’m getting all teary eyed remembering Starview 92, The Rock Of Harrisburg, The ‘Summer Of 72 Ford Mustang Sprint‘ (who in the WORLD wanted a Vega???), The Bikini Babes, The Infamous And Incredibly Simple Cracker Contest, asking people if THEY had One yet, and the day we played The Last Record.

I’m tellin’ you, insanity was in the air, and bein’ crazy was FUN!

Time for my nap now. I’m gettin’ all excited again.

Air Watch One Clear <kchf>

Of course I can’t cover the history of radio in just a sentence or two. I can tell you one of the first radio stations on planet earth to actually broadcast over the air was KDKA in Pittsburgh. They are still on the air. You can visit their website at http://www.kdkaradio.com/

Check out a little piece of Pennsylvania history.

Comments are always welcome. If you have a little piece of radio history you would like to share or maybe you know something about KDKA you would like to feature here, add your comments.

Frank