RIP Vernon with a V

Bob Vernon in real life was Robert Cozart.  I first became aware of him when he was doing afternoons on WGAR in Cleveland.  I instantly fell in love with his work on air.  

 

I would later find out that Lima, Ohio native Bob had worked for WBUK here in Columbus in the late 60's, then went to Painesville.  He was offered a weekend gig at WGAR and knew he would irritate the Painesville management by using his real name, so thus was born Bob Vernon and Vernon with a V.  Bob was only in Cleveland a few years before moving with Jack Thayer to New York City to host afternoons on WNBC.  After a few years there, he would move to television and was last seen in the Raliegh-Durham market after a 17+ year run in the market.  A previous stint in Kentucky earned him the title of Kentucky Colonel.  After retirement, he moved to Colorado to be closer to grandchildren.  Bob died of a blood disease at the age of 70.

RIP Vernon with a V. 

John Fraim

Heard some disappointing news.  I for a few weeks had read John Fraim's column in the Logan News and noticed they had ended in June of this year.  I called the paper and they indicated John had taken a fall and was not able write the column. 

I know Mr. Fraim has accessed this blog in the past.  If he sees this, let me pass on sincere wishes that his recovery proceed quickly. 

Sleepy Time Gal

In late September, 1950, WBNS added a new personality to the line up. "Candy" became the areas first female disc jockey. She was initially paired with another gentleman, but later the show became a solo act. The solo act show was entitled "Sleepy Time Gal". "Candy" was June Candice Colbert. A recent graduate of Ohio State University, "Candy" was born in New York City and raised in the Cleveland area. Her mother was Jean Colbert, a radio personality and one of the first female sportscasters. Her mother had worked in radio in Philly, New York and Cleveland before joining WTIC in Hartford in 1947. "Candy's" mother remained at WTIC for several years, hosting a very popular midday show and retiring in 1976. Can't find much on "Candy" these days. It appears she was engaged to marry a law student from Toledo, OH by the name of Robert Kaplan in August of 1949. Kaplan was to attend Ohio State University as a law student in the fall of 1949. She was later married to Samuel Lamensdorf who was an early pioneer in long term health care plans. It appears that June Lamenbsdorf now reside in New York City. The "Sleepy Time Gal" program lasted a short period of time.

Early Stereophonic Broadcasting

FM Stereo broadcasting was approved by the FCC on April 20, 1961. Yet I found an interesting way local radio stations were attempting to take advantage of just that sound prior to that date.

Both WOSU AM and FM as well as WBNS AM an FM began stereophonic broadcasts on a regular basis in 1957. But instead of using one band, they used both their AM and FM frequencies to make up the broadcasts.

WOSU had experimented with the process for about a year before beginning a regular schedule. WBNS would just begin, as their FM had returned to the air after a 4 year period of silence on Thanksgiving Day, 1957.

WOSU did their daily broadcasts in the afternoons between 4:30 and 5:30 pm. WBNS waited until the end of the day to do theirs which was between midnight and 1 am. Oddly at a time when the WBNS AM signal would suffer night time ingress from other stations as well as their reduced power and directional signal.

High and low end audio frequencies were split between the bands. The FM signal would carry the lows while the AM signal focused on the highs.