|
WCCO-FM 102.9
Prior to WLTE-FM, WCCO used its AM call letters on the FM frequency also. The call letters changed to the WLTE in 1983-84. Scroll down for airchecks and further down for scans of some old WCCO-FM Listener Newsletters.
|
This Site Primarily Contains a Collection of Airchecks of Numerous Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Radio Stations, Some Recorded Off The Air by Rick Burnett and Many Others Recorded or Provided by Other Contributors to This Site (see footnote at bottom). The Contribution of Recordings and Materials are Greatly Appreciated and Have Made this Site a Bookmark for Those Interested in Radio From this Era.
Explore the many recordings on this site by using the menu at the left side of the screen.
Should you have material to contribute, Please Email: Rick1031(at)HotMail.com
Note: Substitute @ for the "(at)" when typing email address
|
Captain Buzz Studley (Undated) Early to Mid 70's | Al Schostag
WCCO-FM Studio Engineer 1981 - Provides Some WCCO-FM Memories
Al sent some MP3 recordings to be posted on the site. On the Captain Buzz recording you will hear Tim Russell do Buzz with host Paul Stagg. Buzz does his traffic report and also reports on the Gray Panther militant protest on the Capital steps. Buzz also tell the listeners about the dog he and his wife just bought and you will also hear about the Fair Deal Grocery store that he shops.
There are two WCCO-FM jingles, one slow and one up tempo. The up tempo jingle is about one minute long. These recordings are undated and would be near the early to mid 70's.
|
WCCO-FM - Slow (between songs - not edited) |
WCCO-FM Uptempo |
Sven Skarnasdag 1 | More Al Schostag contributions:
Sven Skarnasdag - Carl Lensgraf with Mark Johnson. Mark was a newsman at WCCO-FM. On the first recording, Sven reports from St. Peter Minnesota and provides some history that most of the Minnesota governors came from St. Peter. The Sven a recording has two segments.
Sven recording 2 has some minor level problems near the beginning. At the end the last few minutes was lost. Since the recordings were sent as MP3 files, I did not edit it to prevent any loss due to further compression.
More Captain Buzz at the beginning of Tim and Carl bits recording with Tim Russell and Paul Stagg. Carl Lensgraf does Charles Evens Hughes Stonebrenner with "little Known Fact," a feature done daily around 4:20 PM in the mid to late 70's.
|
Sven Skarnasdag 2 |
Tim Russell & Carl Lensgraf Bits |
Captain Buzz Lives!!
WCCO-FM Composite.
They are all here, even the part-timers. Check out those late 70's jingles.
Recorded and contributed by Al Arneson, formerly at KSTP-AM and U-100. (Posted 11-18-07)
|
WCCO-FM Composite - February-March 1979 |
|
|
|
|
WCCO-FM Sven Telling His Stories - Undated
Mike Cunningham recorded his tape. I am not sure when it was recorded. the tape did not have a date. I am assuming it was some time in the mid-1970's. Sven started to cut up on this bit, but recovers well.
Contributed by Mike Cunningham of La Crosse, former KTCR-FM Operations Manager. (Posted 12-15-07)
|
WCCO-FM Sven and his stories - Undated |
WCCO-FM Pat O'Neill Early 1980
I received this in the mail from Phillip Wagner. Phil writes in an email (which explains the short times on the clip):
"I recorded LPs onto tape in the early 80's so I could listen in the car. So that I didn't have dead space on the tapes, I connected to the FM radio and filled in the rest of the tapes with usually top 40 music. That is where I got the airchecks."
Check out the WCCO aircheck. At the beginning, you will here the famous "That's Easy to Remember" KDWB tag when mentioning 103 FM. The "63" part is edited out but it sound like the same voice. Go to the KDWB Page on this site for the "63" story as told by Chuck Blore. CLICK HERE
Also note the IBM commercial for its new PC computer "now under $13,500." Looks like computers have come a long way since the IBM 5120 was introduced in early 1980.
Thanks for sending this Phillip.
Contributed by Phillip Wagner of Minneapolis (posted 11-22-07)
|
KMGK 108 FM Jason Williams January 16th 1988 |
KSTP-FM (KS95) Jim Burnett January 3, 1981 |
WCCO-FM 103 Pat O'Neill Early 1980 |
Photos of WCCO-FM in Mid 1970's Below, and Blooper Clip to the Right
I would like to thank Pat O'Neill, formerly of WCCO-FM - now at WMGN in Madison WI, for the blooper and the photos below Just in time for the WCCO-FM reunion (scheduled Monday October 29th, 2007 in Minneapolis). Wish I could be there to hear the stories.
Pat tells me on 10-24-07:
"You might like this WCCO-FM blooper: 1981, a drowsy Terri Davis at around 1:30AM. (I hear Terri will make the reunion on Monday).
Several years later I sent the clip to Dick Clark's production company, and it was included on the 1984 album "Dick Clark Presents Radio's Uncensored Bloopers."
Thanks Pat for the great material
Rick Burnett
|
WCCO-FM Blooper - Terri Davis 70's |
WCCO-FM Reunion Party Photos
10-29-07
The crew got together for a reunion on 10-29-07 in Minneapolis. Photos were contributed by Pat O'Neill and posted here 11-1-07.
I am sure all attendees had fun catching up with each other.
|
 |
| Pat O'Neill states that the CCO-FM reunion was great. Standing left-to-right: CARL LENSGRAF, CURT LUNDGREN, TIM RUSSELL, JOHNNY CANTON, PETER MAY and TOM AMRBOSE. Sitting: PAT O'NEILL and TERRI DAVIS. WLTE staffer Beth Kidd snapped this picture. Photo sent to me by Pat O'Neill, formerly of WCCO-FM |
|
|
 |
| Pat O'Neill with Terri Davis and Tom Ambrose. Photo submitted by Pat O'Neill |
|
|
 |
| Johnny Canton at WCCO |
|
 |
| WCCO-FM |
|
 |
| WCCO-FM |
|
 |
| Johnny Canton on the air at WCCO-FM |
|
 |
| Johnny Canton at the Mic on WCCO-FM |
|
 |
| Entrance to WCCO-FM |
|
 |
| Johnny Canton and Engineer at WCCO-FM |
|
 |
| Engineer running control board for Johnny Canton on WCCO-FM |
|
|
 |
| WCCO Radio Building at 7th Street and 2nd Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis July 21st 2007 |
|
| WCCO Radio Building
|
WCCO-FM The Early Days
More recordings from contributor Al Arneson. To the right is a recording of Denny Long of early WCCO-FM. Additionally, there is a recorded interview of former Vice President, Hubert Humphrey. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the signal and it appears the FM Frequency lock on the radio used to record this was not on and it drifted off channel a bit, but you can still here it well. The interview was a part of the WCCO-FM Grand Opening Broadcast on August 27, 1973 to celebrate the switch to the Shoreview 1,200 foot antenna and increase in power to 100,000 watts. The station transmitted at lower power from an antenna on the Foshay Tower prior to this. I am not sure what the transmitting power was from Foshay Let me know if you do: Rick1031@Hotmail.com
Dave Teller - Recorded on the Grand Opening Day - August 27th 1973
This was a time when the DJ's had wide discretion on music selection and announcing style. This was a more talk, less music format. Dave plays Peter Nero then Carly Simon, then The Looking glass and other MOR Contemporary songs. Lost of weather info is also provided. Does anyone know what happen to Dave?
|
WCCO-FM Denny Long on October 16th, 1972, when WCCO-FM broadcast from an antenna on the Fochay Tower with low power. |
WCCO-FM Paul Stagg Does Grand Opeing Interview of Former Vice President Hubert Humphrey in August 1973. |
WCCO-FM Dave Teller Late August 1973 |
WCCO-FM Paul Stagg August 27th, 1973 Grand Opening Day Broadcast | WCCO-FM Early 1970's - Two Recordings From Grand Opening Broadcast August 27, 1973
The two recording to the left are from the day WCCO-FM had a ribbon cutting ceremony atop the Pic Nicollet Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Al Arneson provided the recordings. WCCO-FM was celebrating the switch in transmitter location to the new 1,200 foot tower in Shoreview and an increase in power to 100,000 watts. It is ironic that although CCO-FM increased it power, these recording suffer from some FM static. I believe this is due to the frequency lock on the radio not working or being turned on, allowing the frequency to drift. Remember when FM radios had a frequency lock button?
Paul Stagg During the Afternoon
Paul starts off by mentioning the station has received numerous phone calls on how the new 100,000 watt signal is getting out, including calls from Rochester. Later, Paul talks about how Dave Teller, who just got off the air, is now enjoying his cheeseburger that was delivered by Alice, a local waitress with a man sounding voice. Paul also informs us the grand opening ceremony will be replayed after 6 PM, primarily because the station owners wanted to hear themselves. At about 14 minutes into this tape, the frequency starts to drift and a little static can be heard.
Hugh Phillips at 6 PM
Hugh worked at Brown Institute and was the placement director when I (Rick Burnett) attended the school in 1972. He also worked one time at WWTC. I remember at Brown he told a class a WWTC story about announcing the title of a song by Connie Francis and then saying..... "Let's flip her over and try the other side" naturally meaning the 45 record and not Connie.
In this broadcast, he mentions the new higher power 'CCO-FM is now broadcasting at, but later keeps saying 1,000 watts, rather than 100,000 watts and does not realize the error. The 10 AM grand opening ceremony is replayed and later the Paul Stagg interview with Hubert Humphrey is also replayed. This tape only has a portion of the Humphrey interview. A missing portion is also on this page with another group of recordings. Again, it seems the FM radio's frequency lock is not working or turned on as the FM static is on parts of this recording. Even with the static, you can hear the broadcast ok.
|
WCCO-FM Hugh Phillips 6 PM August 27, 1973 - With Replay of Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Earlier in the Morning |
WCCO-FM 102.9 Dave Teller March 13th, 1974 | WCCO-FM Dave Teller March 13th 1974 (18:07)
This is rare early WCCO-FM material. DJ Dave Teller and the newscaster on this tape, Bill Henderson, may have been here prior to the likes of Tom Ambrose, Tim Russell, and newsman Rick Olsen (Rick Olsen was my first instructor at Brown Institute of Broadcasting). Dave Teller has a laid back style that is easy to listen to and he surprises us near the end of the tape with his impersonation of Ed Sullivan. Teller plays a mix of music on this day.
When WCCO-FM was first on the air, it broadcasted minimal hours of programming. I am not sure it was full time yet in 1974. This tape was recorded in Bloomington in an apartment building I was living that had occasional electric interference. If I have the story wrong, please email me a correction at : Rick1031@hotmail.com
This interference wreaked havoc on my recording of AM stations and was strong enough to even affect my FM reception. There are a couple of places on this recording you will hear the interference briefly.
(The above Dave Teller aircheck was recoreded off the air by Rick Burnett)
|
|
|
|
|
WCCO-FM - Carl Lensgraf & Tim Russell - April 1982 - The Rude Awakening
This aircheck begins just before 8 AM in the morning. The guys are sitting with the winner of the WCCO-FM Secretary of the Day contest, Kay Orner. She works two jobs and promotes both of her firms in her on mic discussion with Carl and Tim. Bill Fink joins with the latest news of the day including a story on pre-war actions by the Brits for the Faulklin Islands. Bill turn the weather over to Dan Carlson (big staff at this station). Carl and Tim then turn the show over to Art Nuevo, the film critic, with Tim doing the voice. Art discusses TV's 2nd season shows and this then leads into the Water Bedroom Man commercial.
After a discussion with Kay Orner, who stays through the show, about how she has already got a couple of order for the firm she works for, Carl and Tim turn to mic over to Bill Fink again. Before going into the news, he try to talk about the shoes he is selling on the side, but is stopped and starts the newscast. At this point, the tuner goes slightly off frequency but comes back. You will then hear commercials for St. Anthony Main and Builderama. You will also hear a 1982 vintage WCCO-FM 102 commercial.
Finally the Rude Awakening breakfast promised to the Secretary of the Day winner arrives at the studio. Shortly after, Howard Hot Shot does his take on sports, with Tim Russell impersonating Howard Cosell. Radio is not quite like this anymore.
Acquired from Aircheck collector and cotributor Matt Seinberg of Big Apple Airchecks www.BigAppleAirchecks.com
|
WCCO-FM Carl Lensgraf & Tim Russell April 1982 |
|
|
 |
| WCCO-FM's Ken Mills. One of the original 'CCO-FM on-air team members. |
|
| Ken Mills - WCCO-FM '70's
Ken offered to share some scans of the WCCO-FM newsletters from 1973-74 (below). Ken was on the air in the evenings
For the past ten years Ken has been operating his own company -- the Ken Mills Agency (kenmillsagency.com). Ken specializes in national programming for the noncom and NPR market, primarily news, talk and Triple A music.
Thanks for sharing Ken!
|
 |
| WCCO-FM Listenere Newsletter for Christmas 1973. According to Ken Mills, this is the WCCO-FM's original on air crew. Scan provided by Ken Mills, former WCCO-FM evening personality. |
|
|
 |
| WCCO-FM Listener News Letter for Feb March 1974. This one shows the cast members of the WCCO-FM Radio Theatre. Newsman Rick Olson appers to be reserved among his fellow cast members. Scan provided by Ken Mills, former WCCO-FM evening personality |
|
|
 |
| WCCO_FM Listener Newsletter for for May 1974. This one show many of the station on-air and staff members. Unfortunately the newsletters are cropped on the edges. Scan provided by Ken Mills, former WCCO-FM evening personality. |
|
|
 |
| WCCO-FM Listener Newsletter from December 1973. This page has photos of Tim Russell and PD Paul Staff at the mic, Dave Teller and Tom Ambrose. Scan provided by Ken Mills, former WCCO-FM evening personality |
|
|
KMGK 108 FM Jason Williams January 16-1984
KSTP-FM Jim Brunette January 3, 1981
WCCO-FM Pat O'Neill Early 980
I received this in the mail from Phillip Wagner. Phil writes in an email (which explanins the short times on the clip):
"I recorded LPs onto tape in the early 80's so I could listen in the car. So that I didn't have dead space on the tapes, I connected to the FM radio and filled in the rest of the tapes with usually top 40 music. That is where I got the airchecks."
Check out the WCCO aircheck. At the beginning, you will here the famous "That's Easy to Remember" KDWB tag when mentioning 103 FM. The "63" part is edited out but it sound like the same voice. Go to the KDWB Page on this site for the "63" story as told by Chuck Blore. CLICK HERE
Also note the IBM commercial for its new PC computer "now under $13,500." Looks like computers have come a long way since the IBM 5120 was introduced in early 1980.
Thanks for sending this Phillip.
Contributed by Phillip Wagner of Minneapolis (posted 11-22-07)
|
KMGK 108 FM Jason Williams January 16th 1988 |
KSTP-FM (KS95) Jim Burnett January 3, 1981 |
WCCO-FM 103 Pat O'Neill Early 1980 |
|
| Mesa Kincaid Passes Away
Known as "The Fox That Rock" Mesa Kincaid was one of the first local female Twin Cities DJ's. The aircheck of her on the left side of this page is from a compilation tape provided by Al Arneson. The entire compilation can be heard on the Arneson Collection Page on this web site.
Mike Kkronforst of Brown College sent the following email:
_________________________________________
From: Mike Kronforst
To: rickburnett
Date: Thu Sept 2009
Subject: Mesa Kinkaid
You've probably seen this on Red 'n Nater, bet Mesa Kincaid (Cheryl Hoeft) died this past Sunday, September 6th. I just listened to one of her airchecks on your site. She was living in Pine City, MN and is survived by her husband, Donald , a daughter, Courtney Gryniewski of Pine City and a son Dustin of Pine City. There will be a visitation with reviewal on Sunday, September 13th from 4-6 PM at Swanson Funeral Chapel in Pine City. Other arrangements are pending. Mesa was 53. Her daughter says it was a massive heart attack.
Mesa was a student of mine at Brown way back when. One of the originals and she'll be missed.
Mike Kronforst
Brown College
Academic Advisor / Instructor
"It's not just radio, it's personal."
Posted 9-11-09
|
WCCO-FM Mesa Kinkaid Feb/Mar 1979 |
|
|
|
