Like Father, Like Son

Eric Johnson joined the WBNS staff in April of 1966. He had spent the previous two years in Erie, Pa honing his skills. Newspaper accounts noted he wanted to earn his own stripes as a radio announcer.

Eric had a unique lineage. His father was the famous WBNS Early Worm, Irwin Johnson.

Eric joined the station hosting some of WBNS's evening programs. When Dean Lewis left for New York City in July of 1966, Eric was named as Dean's replacement in afternoon drive.

The promotion lasted just a short time. By November, Eric was off to the military.

I've not been able to find what became of Eric after he left to serve with Uncle Sam. When his father passed away at the end of May, 1970, the obituary listed Eric and his wife living in Savannah, Georgia. His occupation was not listed.

When his sister passed away just a few years ago, it noted that she was preceeded in death by her father, her mother, her step mother and brother Eric. It didn't note the year he passed away.

UPDATE 10-17-2012  **It appears Eric left the military in 1969. He later lived in Savannah, Georgia and from various web sources possibly Phoenix, AZ.  If correct, Eric passed away in the fall of 1993 while living in Phoenix.  

Johnny Dollar

Jim Pidcock who went under the air name Johnny Dollar in 1962 as a jock at WVKO.












Dollar left WVKO when it dropped it's top 50 format to adapt a black format in March, 1963. It was rumored he was going to Florida with Dave Hull, but it appears he headed north. By November of '63 he was back in Columbus and was upon to do mornings at WTVN replacing Tom George who had been let go in October. 

Pidcock would continue to host the morning show at the station until the summer of 1965.  At that time, he was promoted to program director, a post he held until 1968 when he went in sales and sales management.  In 1975, he was promoted to manage WTVN a position he held for about a decade.  Jim also managed WBBY in suburban Columbus as well as WDAE in Tampa and for a time managed in the Saga Communications group. 

Pluggin the Gaps in Columbus Radio History.

I continue to research and dig out information about Columbus and it's radio history. The personalities and formats of stations like WTVN, WBNS, WRFD, WCOL, WMNI and WVKO.

I've blogged about some of my findings or personal memories. But I have tons of information where I haven't had the time or the creative juices to memorialize. I've got plans for to make this a long term project (and I've already devoted many hours over the past three or four years).

It's been odd. I've found tons of information. But there are times when I hit an information hole. A piece of the puzzle is missing. Some key event, change, movement, format change, call letter change, person coming or person going wasn't reported.

It appears that some stations sought publicity or gave out information more than others. Jo Bradley Reed of the Citizen Journal once replied to a reader in her column that she often relies on the stations to get information in her hands so she can report it. I believe it had to do with reporting the programs in stereo that could be listened to. Stereo radio broadcasting was a novel concept at the time as the broadcast of stereo programming was approved by the FCC in the early 60's. FM stations in Columbus with the exception of WBNS were slow to move to stereo and then for a long period of time only broadcast a few hours a day in the beginning. But that's a different topic.

In some instances, I wonder if formats didn't appeal to the radio/television reporters of the time and they didn't report what they didn't listen to. Maybe a bigger story pre-empted the planned story of the day. As television became more of a focal point, radio seemed to get shunted aside too. But in general, there's a lot of information.

I've been fortunate in that I've been able to find some of the people of those times and the gap was filled from their memories and perspectives. Bill Smith now working in Boston, Keith Curtis who now is in Florida, Bob Cosart (Vernon with a V who worked for a brief time at WTVN-FM)and retired. Pete Gabriel now in Youngstown and retired. Bob North of WNCI and WTVN who now is a busy voice talent. These and other people have been great with their stories and background.

There have been many more. All have given I've found others who knew the person or event in question and they have quickly filled in the back story.

But there are two situations that allow the information hole to continue.

One is that the people associated with the missing information have passed on. People whose memories seem like they were here yesterday, yet have been gone from us for many years.

For example, I have traced former WTVN morning personality Maurice Jackson to Oklahoma City and Phoenix only to have the trail go cold in the mid 1960's. Can't find anyone who knew him or what became of his career.

Another is Tom George who hosted at several central Ohio station in his career. Tom had worked at Wheeling's WWVA and Detroit's WJBK prior to coming to Columbus. And I don't want to forget a stint in New York City.

But his arrival in Columbus came at a time when personalities at the station he landed at (WTVN) was promoting programs and not people. So when and why did he arrive. Was he the immediate replacement for Dave Hull or did someone fill the gap? Where did he go after leaving WTVN in 63 or 64 but before arriving at WMNI to usher in their Country format in the fall of 1965. Or did he simply move to WMNI when he left WTVN? The CJ says he spent some time at WHOK in Lancaster. The Dispatch indicated he was WMNI all along playing beautiful music shortly after departing WTVN.

And then there is another gap regarding Tom. He was gone for a period of time during the late 60's at WMNI but was part of the WRFD move to country music in 1970. And then again he was gone. I found in the mid-late 70's he worked for WDLR's Marysville outreach. And the finally landed at WUCO when it went on the air in the early 80's. And that's where Tom finished his career.But again, a gap between WDLR and WUCO. Unfortunately, many who may have known of Tom are no longer with us and so history is left with a gap. Or as I call it, an information hole

Finally, there is another reason. I've found others who for whatever reason do not want to contribute. Can't explain why. They simply don't respond or won't share some of the information. Sometimes they are someone who was or still is a key player in the market. But for whatever reason(s), there is a lack of reply and interest.

WTVN After Top 40

For a short period of time, WTVN experimented with a Top 40 type format. Dave Hull did mornings, Jim Runyon afternoons, Bob Ancell did evenings. The format lasted about a year and the station went to a more adult format in February of 62.

No longer were the names of announcers listed as shows in the Radio Grids in the Dispatch and Citizen Journal. Instead generic show names were used. Such as Nocturne, Serenade, Matinee. It was during this time that Dave Logan, a long time midday personality was hired. But it's been difficult to find who else was working at the station. The top 40 guys had left when the format changed.

In October of 1962, the station returned to a more personality driven format. Spook Beckman returned as afternoon host, of course Dave Logan was the midday host. Tom George who became better known as a country radio host handled mornings and Jim Lohse was the evening host. A fellow by the name of Jerry Kaye handled late night duties. But other than Spook and Dave Logan, the other hosts came sometime between the change from top 40 and the return to personality in the format. So who handled the shifts or was George, Logan, Lohse and Kaye the guys. Of course, who did Spook replace?

Wild Bill's Siege

It was early on a Tuesday morning, December, 1977 just outside the town limits of Sunbury, OH. A small brick building with a tall radio tower just behind it was about to become the focal point of the days news.

Everything seemed fine in the pre-dawn of the morning. The signal of the station was broadcasting it's regular programming. The tranmission from the tall tower seemed, well normal. There was no sense that this December day at WBBY-FM would be newsworthy.

Most people in the area were just waking up. Certainly, thoughts of the upcoming Christmas holiday would be on their minds.

Silver Bells or some other holiday classic was probably being played by one radio station or the other including this one. It was only 12 days before Santa's bounty would be found under trees across the area.

Coffee pots were coming alive and warm showers were inviting residents to get ready for the work day. The commute to work would begin in earnest in the next hour or so.

Yet just outside that small brick building, a wily elderly gentleman had already began his day. He had plotted his mission. And for the next 10 hours, he had Sheriff's deputies, lawyers, the court system and most of the Columbus media covering or dealing with his exploits.

Just days before, a restraining order had been issued against him. He was the majority stockholder of the radio station housed inside the small brick building. He also built the building and tower from the ground up. Brick by brick and tower section by tower section.

But the restraining order demanded that he was not to enter the premises or be associated with the operation of the station. The same station, business and premises he had built with his own hands.

The December 9th Columbus Dispatch noted in a column the restraining order named 14 counts that said in part that the elderly gentleman had "brought ridicule and disgrace" upon the station. It further stated the elderly gentleman "has made obscene gestures, made jokes in very poor taste, disrupted businesses, insulted customers of various establishments and refused to leave when asked".

Judge Henry Shaw of the Delaware County Common Pleas Court had issued the restraining order against William "Wild Bill" Bates at the request of the other shareholders of the company. Ironically, the shareholders involved included Ken Bates, the son of elder Bates, secretary-treasurer of the corporation and manager.

Wild Bill's son Ken also brought forward on his own "nine complaints against his father". Among them was a claim that Wild Bill had "made remarks in a broadcast about the judiciary of Delaware County and other officials of Delaware County which caused embarrassment to the station". All made during the elder Bates radio show called "Wild Bills Disco".

That restraining order had never been delivered. Wild Bill had gone into hiding. Waiting for the smoke to clear. Although he remained in touch with various Columbus media outlets, the restraining order servers were unable to find him.

Wild Bill determined that the smoke had cleared enough to allow him to surface at the radio station on December 13th.

At about 5:45am, Bill's where abouts slowly became known to others when the news director of the station arrived and noticed Will Bill. Knowing that a memo a few days earlier had been distributed among employees saying the elder Bates was not to be on the property, she quickly notified the Sheriff's Office.

When law enforcement personnel arrived, Will Bill took cover and barricaded himself in his son's office. He held deputies at bay with a baseball bat. After a legnthy standoff period, deputies decided to use mace to flush him out.

Wild Bill in turn broke out windows to allow for fresh air. He then scooted around inside the building and took the station briefly off the air. He shouted obscenities and finally after 10 hours was persuaded by his attorney to lose the battle to win the war and fight again another day.

The photo shows Bates leaving the station with his legal representative. Wild Bill is the man on the left.

It took time for the whole ordeal to unravel. Wild Bill eventually lost his radio station and his family never realized the promises of the forces that worked in the shadows behind the scenes to oust the elder Bates through their hands.

It's sad. No one won. The behind the scenes forces of this action eventually gained control of WBBY only later to lose it in an FCC decision over candor to the agency.

The station was off the air for almost a decade.

I worked for Wild Bill and noted some of my experience here

Wild Bill continued on with his dancing and public appearances. Anywhere that he could gain an audience. He passed away at the age of 91 on March 20, 2003.

Probably dancing until his last breath.

More to Find

One of the things of wading through all the information on Columbus radio past is once you think you've got everything nailed down, you find something new.

I found something that sent me back to 1950.

Honestly, what started as a search to solidfy my memory of radio in my pre, teen and post teen years has turned into something beyond the original scope. So that's why I'm scrolling through newspaper articles in 1950. The old Columbus Citizen before it became the hyphenated Citizen-Journal.

One familiar face was there. Jo Reed, radio and tv reporter. Same picture I believe that was used until her retirement in 1970 too! Her column was pretty much limited to the Sunday edition of the paper.

But even more interesting was the info I found.

I did know that WTVN radio was known as WHKC prior to the mid 50's.

What I didn't know was that it had an FM component at the time. WHKC FM broadcast at 98.7.

My understanding was WTVN/WHKC AM had no sister FM until WTVN FM signed on at 96.3 in late 1959. Prior to that, 96.3 was known as WLWF and appears to have simulcast Cincinnati sister station WLW radio. I'll have to go digging to see when Crosely gave up or sold the license. (UPDATE) WLWF was granted permission by the FCC to go silent on May 14, 1953 along with sister FM stations WLWA in Cincinnati and WLWB in Dayton. The Commission granted cancellation of the licenses and deletion of call letters.

But back to the 98.7 frequency. I'll have to do some digging, but it appears that it disappeared sometime in 1951 or 52. (UPDATE) WHKC-FM was granted the ability to go dark by the FCC on June 30, 1953. The station and the license ceased to exist. It was announced on July 7th.

Even more strange was WRFD-FM. No not the one at 97.9 on the dial that later became WNCI. The one on the air for what appears to be only during 1950. After that, I can find no information on it until it re-appears in 1961.

And for the record, WBNS FM was known as WELD. Carried the same programs as sister station WBNS AM and was on 97.1.

Looks like more time in the library is in my future.

WTVN Mornings-Late 50's

Before Bob Conners, John Fraim, Dave Logan, Johnny Dollar, Tom George, Dave Hull and Bob Ancell (did I overlook anyone?), Maurice Jackson was the morning man at WTVN.

Maurice joined the station in the spring of 1956, having worked at WVKO in the city prior to his voyage to WTVN. Interestingly, Maurice was at WVKO prior to WVKO AM signing on the air in 1951. Of course that was at the time that FM wasn't the preferred frequency to listen to the radio and even with a daytime only signal, the arrival of WVKO AM was a big deal.

Maurice left WTVN in August of 1960. Taft broadcasting had hired Lawrence Rogers to come in and shake things up in the organization. When Rogers landed at 610, he found a station that in his book "The History of Television" was bleeding red ink and it was in his estimation due to two "low class hot shots" Maurice Jackson and Spook Beckman.

Jackson formed his own consulting group, went to work for WHOK, later sold time at WMNI and eventually found his way to San Antonio and later Phoenix in 1966. There the trail goes cold.

(EDITED TO ADD on 04-08/11) I found a note in a column in the Citizen-Journal where Jackson sent a card to radio/tv reporter Jo Bradley Reed over the 1966 Christmas holiday that he was in Kansas City working at KUDL and was loving it. Now the trail goes dead again.

I don't ever recall hearing Maurice Jackson on the air. He departed WTVN just before I turned 5. But through the years I heard of him. If I ever mentioned WTVN mornings and the name Maurice Jackson would be spoken just as quickly as someone would say the Earlyworm or Irwin Johnson when talking about WBNS.

Update 10-10-2012  Finally found out what happened to Maurice.  Jackson had moved the Space Coast (Cocoa, FL) sometime in the late 60's.  He lived there for about 20 years.  He hosted a radio show at then WKKO radio 860 AM.  Later he was an account executive for the Orlando Sentinel's Brevard County bureau and at his death he was working for Stateside Auto Supply on Merritt Island.  He died of a heart attack in Birmingham, AL on May 13, 1988.  He had returned to Birmingham to attend his High School reunion.  He was 70.