Anyone remember the old WMCA-AM in New York?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by shnaggletooth, Jun 13, 2007.

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  1. shnaggletooth

    shnaggletooth Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NJ
    According to info I gathered on the web, it's glory days were way before my time. But apparently, for most of the 1960's, WMCA was the hip station in the NYC area. Today, it's a Christian radio station.

    I'm inquiring about WMCA because of a bunch of vinyl I lucked into last month at a local garage sale. The lady holding the sale was selling very unique stuff -- mint promos of 60's albums, still-sealed Bob Dylan mono lps, autographed DJ lp copies, etc. I wondered how she got all this amazing stuff. She told me her late husband used to work for a radio station.

    Tracking down the name on the autographs - Joe Bogart - it seems there was a "Joe Bogart" who was the program director for WMCA-AM during its "WMCA Good Guys" era (the DJs were referred to as the "WMCA Good Guys").
     
  2. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Wure I remember the Good Guys. I left the area in Nov 64 when I was 12, so all I know is before that. I actually preferred WABC at the time, though I seem to remember that B Mitchell Reed was on WMCA. He was my favorite all time radio DJ, though I liked Cousin Brucie, Scott Muni and the WABC guys more than WMCA.

    Murry the K also was from WMCA, though I didn't like him for some reason. It was something about their format and possibly some of the sound effects they used. I was pretty much glued to WABC at that time. IIRC it was also easier to get from my location in NJ.
     
  3. Richard Feirstein

    Richard Feirstein New Member

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    Murry the K was the successor to Allen Freid at WINS. Murry was the DJ who introduced Dylan and the band at Forest Hills for the amplified start of Dylan's tour back in 1964. WMCA used less compression and limiting than WABC-AM, back in the day. WABC was a clear channel station on the east coast and you could really hear it pop in on the dial like it was way beyond its 50,000 watts.

    Richard.
     
  4. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
  5. Chip TRG

    Chip TRG Senior Member


    IIRC, Joe Bogart was the music director at WMCA....you got a nice treasure trove of stuff there.....too bad that his collection was being broken up, but so goes life, I guess.

    What else did you snag? Any of those "I Want To Hold Your Hand" Beatles WMCA sleeves?

    That stuff is NY radio history...treat it nicely! :agree:
     
  6. Jay F

    Jay F New Member

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I might have listened to WMCA more, but the sound was better on WABC, at least in New Jersey.
     
  7. electrode10101

    electrode10101 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Virginia
    I grew up in NY and moved to NJ about 10y.o. I listened to WABC to hear Dan Ingram, but listened to MCA all other times. The signal was a little noisy at night, but it was considered the cooler station to listen to.
     
  8. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Interesting article about how WMCA did better in the inner city while WABC did better in the outlying areas. I guess that mirrors my experiences.

    I do remember that it came in better in the car than on my radio in Bergen County. I remember in 1959 when I was 6 going with my cousin into my uncle's car just to listen to the radio. Of course he had a good one in his Caddy. :D But after that point, I remember begging my mom to let me go out to the car on my own to listen to the radio. I couldn't help but notice how much better it worked than my little table radio. She didn't let me do it often, but when I could I was in heaven.
     
  9. Sean Keane

    Sean Keane Pre-Mono record collector In Memoriam

    Was Chuck Leonard ever on that station? He was on WNEW (or was it WQEW?) when I used to listen late, late at night in the early nineties while having a few beers. What a fine and thoroughly enjoyable disc jockey he was! I always was happy if the weather was overcast because that meant I could pick his show up better in Montreal.
     
  10. All Rights

    All Rights Senior Member

    WMCA had consistently better ratings than WABC, but with 5000 watts directional (from their transmitter in Kearny next to the Turnpike) couldn't be heard as far and wide as the 50,000 watt WABC ( from Lodi) which at night could be heard up and down the east coast and as far west as St Louis.
     
    Judi Bogart likes this.
  11. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    No, Mr. Leonard was never on WMCA. He was hired (on Dan Ingram's recommendation) by WABC in 1965, and stayed until the infamous Massacre of '79 which also claimed the long runs of Harry Harrison and George Michael (the future "Sports Machine" guy, not the Wham!mer). But he did work at WQEW up until some time before it was swallowed up by, and adopted the format of, Radio Disney.

    There were a couple of DJ's, however, who worked at both WMCA and WABC, whose names are at the top of my head at this time: Herb Oscar Anderson, Scott Muni and of course, Harry Harrison.

    Another WMCA D.J. went in a completely different direction at another station: Called Don Davis as one of the "Good Guys," in late 1964 he went to 1010 WINS as newsman Don Baldwin - just months before that station switched to all-news, and he remained there as a reporter, anchor and sometime sportscaster until about 2000. Another ex-'MCA'er, Bob Callan, was also at WINS at the time it went all-news, and I think he remained there until his death in 1967.
     
  12. John DeAngelis

    John DeAngelis Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    When I saw Bob Dylan and the Hawks in February '66 in West Hempstead (Long Island), New York, he was introduced by one of the WMCA Good Guys. Can't remember which Guy it was, though.
     
  13. Sessal

    Sessal Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    In the fall of 1967, WMCA "Good Guy" Jack Spector hosted Every Mother's Son ("Come On Down To My Boat Baby") at one of my high school dances.

    - Lou
     
  14. John DeAngelis

    John DeAngelis Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Which high school was that, Lou?
     
  15. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY
    From what I remember, WMCA would occassionaly play album cuts. I remember hearing a few tunes from Tommy by The Who on WMCA, never heard it on WABC. Shnaggletooth - was there one of those cool Good Guys sweatshirts in the estate sale? My older sister had one way back when.
     
  16. shnaggletooth

    shnaggletooth Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NJ
    Unfortunately, there was only one Beatles item, but it was a nice one: a minty mono copy of The Beatles Story 2-lp set.
     
  17. shnaggletooth

    shnaggletooth Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NJ
    I wish there was. That would have been cool. One of my Animals CD compilations has a photo of Eric Burdon wearing a yellow "WMCA Good Guys" sweatshirt. They must've handed them out to artists who showed up for interviews.
     
  18. Sessal

    Sessal Member

    Location:
    Maryland

    St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip, Long Island.

    - Lou
     
  19. shnaggletooth

    shnaggletooth Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NJ
    Speaking of the Beatles, here's a great picture from the website Paul linked to:

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Chip TRG

    Chip TRG Senior Member

    And for those who want to know who the jocks are:

    From L to R:
    Dan Daniels
    Joe O'Brien
    Jack Spector
    B. Mitchel Reed
    Harry Harrison.

    Those other 4 guys are some skiffle group or something ;)
     
  21. hipster006

    hipster006 Forum Resident

    Location:
    pottsville,PA,USA
    if you check out www.radiologoland.com, they sell wmca good guys t-shirts,sweat shirts, etc. also loads of other stations from across the u.s.
     
    Judi Bogart likes this.
  22. Drawer L

    Drawer L Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Long Island
    I've only heard WMCA via airchecks.
    WAY better station than WABC....
    Compair the surveys...GOOD GUYS,no question...
     
    Judi Bogart likes this.
  23. Jay F

    Jay F New Member

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I could never listen to WMCA in New Jersey. There was this whistling sound out on the edge of perception--kind of like tinnitus, I now know, except then you could change stations.
     
  24. mr_mjb1960

    mr_mjb1960 I'm a Tarrytowner 'Til I die!

    Most of them went to WABC,Eventually...I MISS WMCA,AND "THE GOOD GUYS!!!:cry: Michael Boyce
     
  25. Drawer L

    Drawer L Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Long Island
    Harry was the only one to go to WABC....
     
    Judi Bogart likes this.
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