More WBIR Radio memories from a faded and yellowing file folder.
The trove includes a tattered old WBIR AM-FM weekday work schedule from 11/1969. At this time, there were very few pre-produced spots from national accounts. Those that did exist came in on 2.5” and 3.5” magnetic tape reels, delivered via Air Mail.
So, all local accounts and almost all national product accounts required local production work. That demand drove the Production work assignments shown below.
Subtract the ad copy read on-air, and each broadcast hour had up to 20 ads that played from tape carts. I wish BJ had drawn a picture of the cart stacks which DJs had to pull for each hour.
Advertisers, pre-Walmart? There were scores who were on radio. The two radio salesmen — Carson Chapin and Bill Minnoc — must have spent hours and hours in those pre-Walmart days, walking between dozens of accounts located throughout the downtown.
And starting right after Thanksgiving, when the tobacco auctions were running, WBIR was sold outwith local car dealers angling for their share of the checks issues by the area’s half-dozen tobacco warehouses.
Radio back then was indeed local, and the ads so well documented the commerce of the time.
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Bill Jenkins (5:00 AM - 10:00 AM) & Doc Johnson (7:00 AM - 10:00 AM)
Art Miller - News (4:30 AM - 8:30 AM)
Doc - production, after 10:00 AM, as needed
Jim Riddings (10:00 - 2:00 PM)
Production (2:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
Ken McGavock (2:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
Production (12:00 noon - 2:00 PM)
Jim Ellis (7:00 PM - 12:00 midnight, sign-off)
(Production 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
Jon Mack, Bick Berney & Jay Beeler
news feeds from TV all day
Walt Martin
Promotion as required