Progressive Rock 24/7

While sister station WRFD was being Ohio's Country Giant, FM radio station WNCI was making moves of it's own.

By spring of 1969, the station was already moving the music toward a more hard edged sound with Bob North and Charlie Pickard handling mornings and afternoons and E. Karl hosting the Incredible Progressive Rock Circus in the evenings.

This ad appeared in the August, 1970 Columbus Dispatch announcing the station starting around the clock progressive rock. An ad in June announced the station would soon be going 24/7. DJs were Bob North, John L (Lazar), Charlie Pickard, E Karl, Dave Anthony and overnights with Gregg Campbell.

Of interest, although still located at the WRFD broadcast house, the station had just flipped on the stereo switch.

Announcing Ohio's County Giant

Ad from newspaper announcing the Monday morning debut of country music on WRFD in January 1970.

As I understand it, the balance of the line up was Jack Bartley in middays and Bill Preston hosting afternoons.

I was told by a now deceased staff member George left after a personal issue and was replaced by Len Anthony.

Diane Townsley

A photo from a January, 1970 edition of the old "Columbus Citizen-Journal" of WBBY radio host Diane Townsley.

Diane was not long out of high school when this article was written. At the time the station had been on the air for less than a year. Diane was hosting a weekend request show. A few months later, she was elevated to the midday slot, entertaining mid Ohio.

I was never quite sure when she left or why.

She was fun to listen to and was something unique at the time. On the air as female disc jockeys were virtually unheard of at that time and in the Central Ohio area I believe at the time she was the only one.

Hey Diane. If you see this, drop us a line someday and let us know what's going on.

Media Reporting

As I cull information to refresh my memory, I am so thankful the old Columbus Citizen-Journal had an active radio-television column. In the 60's, Jo Bradley Reed was the columnist. She steppped down in March of 1970 and was replaced by Sherry Woods.

Woods had made a periodic report or two prior to taking over the column, but became the almost daily reporter with the comings and goings of local personalities and of course the gripes and concerns of local readers. And as often as I could get my hands on the paper, a must read for me.

Of course the columns didn't capture every move of every person, but they have been a nice chronicle of most of the major radio folks.














Sherry left the CJ in 1974 for Miami, Florida to take a similar job there at a Miami newspaper. From there she began writing romance novels. First under "writers" names or pseudonyms , and later under her given name Sherryl Woods. She is one of the more published novel writers and is still active to this date.

Sherry spends her time between the beaches of Virginia where she was raised and Miami in the winter all the while writing. Some day I'll have to try to make contact to get a better understanding of how she covered her beat and what did and didn't make the paper. Maybe I can even jog a memory or two to provide a missing detail on a station move or personality who came or went.