WCBS-FM has been around since the early sixties. Back then, it simulcast WCBS-AM’s programming. In the mid-sixties, before it was an all news station, those programs included the Arthur Godfrey Show and New York Yankees baseball. After WCBS-AM became News Radio 88 in the late sixties, WCBS-FM developed its own identity with its first format called "The Young Sound" which consisted of instrumental versions of contemporary hits such as Beatle songs by The Hollyridge Strings.
That format did not make it to the end of the decade, and in 1969, WCBS-FM became an album rock station hiring a disc jockey from WOR-FM named Bill Brown. Bill remained with CBS-FM for nearly 36 years.
The album rock format didn’t have the staying power of Bill Brown, and on July 7th, 1972 WCBS-FM switched to an all oldies format and kicked it off with Dion’s recording of “Runaround Sue�. Some of the first wave of announcers in 1972 included Dick Heatherton, Johnny Michaels, Jack Miller, Ed Osborne, John Vidaver, Bobby Wayne, and Ed Williams.
In December of 1972, the most important new face came on board at WCBS-FM, Don K. Reed. Don remained with the station through June, 2005 and was truly a pillar of WCBS-FM's success. His Sunday Night Doo-Wop Shop became legendary and helped resurrect the careers of many recording acts of the fifties and early sixties. Over the years, Don hosted many oldie shows in the tri-state area and does so to this very day.
The seventies was also a decade in which CBS-FM began to hire some of the WMCA Good Guys and WABC All-Americans. WABC midday personality, Bob Dayton was on board from 1974 to 1979. Legendary all-night jock, Charlie Greer, spent time with CBS-FM in 1973 and was a big part of the Radio Greats Weekends in the eighties and nineties. The first of the WMCA Good Guys to come to CBS-FM was Jack Spector. Jack hosted a very popular Saturday night request show from 1976 to 1985.
As the decade of the eighties dawned, an era of unprecedented success for any oldie station anywhere in North America was about to unfold. A big part of this was the arrival of many more of New York’s City’s legendary radio stars from WMCA, WABC, and WWRL. The first of these was one of the most beloved men in the history of the station. In March, 1980, WCBS-FM hired Harry Harrison to be its morning host. Harry had the distinction of being the only CBS-FM personality to be a big part of the success of both WABC and WMCA.
Harry’s friendly and familiar voice started the day for millions of people for 23 years. Judging from the thousands of letters and e-mail messages he received at the station over the years, listeners considered him to be a part of their families. In addition, his by-play with weatherman Mr. G, which was totally unrehearsed, never failed to put smiles on the faces of their listeners. After a year and a half hiatus, Harry returned to CBS-FM to host a Saturday morning show, and from the listener response at the time, it was like the return of a long lost relative.
Speaking of relatives, there’s one relative we all have in common – a certain first cousin. In 1985, Good Guy, Jack Spector, left CBS-FM, and the new host of CBS-FM’s Saturday night show became Everyone’s Favorite Cousin, Bruce Morrow. Bruce had been a New York radio fixture for decades – first with legendary Top 40 station WINS and then as the incredibly successful host of WABC’s evening time slot. In many ways, Bruce became the face of CBS-FM bringing an ageless, tireless ability to seemingly be everywhere at once. In addition to his Saturday and Wednesday night shows, Bruce hosted 20 years of live broadcasts for CBS-FM that originated from such diverse locations as London, England, Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Rye Playland, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, The San Genaro Festival from Little Italy, The Observation deck of the Empire State Building, Graceland in Memphis, and on the high seas in the Atlantic Ocean for a Disney Cruise. And speaking of cruises, his “Cruisin’ America� was a weekly feature on the CBS Radio-Radio Network. Bruce also found time to host shows on Channels 13, 21, and 50.
Ron Lundy once hypothesized that perhaps Bruce was actually like Bozo The Clown – there was really 15 of him running around the country at any given moment. Regardless, Bruce was one of the most recognizable and important parts of CBS-FM’s success. Today, Bruce is cruisin’ outer space as he has joined the ranks of Sirius Satellite Radio. In addition to his work on satellite radio, Bruce, who in the past has been in episodes of TV series such as “The Naked City� and “Babylon 5� and in the movie, “Dirty Dancing�, now finds himself in a film called “Brooklyn Lobster� which starts Danny Aiello. It is the true story surrounding a famous Brooklyn Restaurant, Jordan’s Lobster.
Another WABC All-American who joined CBS-FM in the eighties was Ron Lundy. His arrival in 1984 created the perfect bridge in midday between Harry Harrison and Bill Brown. Ron’s familiar greeting, “Hello Love� still resonates throughout the corridors of CBS. Ron’s friendly, warm, and familiar voice as well as his wry sense of humor was the perfect addition to the CBS-FM air staff. His 13 years with the station made 9 to noon on CBS-FM an absolute delight for listeners. Today, Ron is happily retired in the town of Bruce, Mississippi which is near the Tennessee state line on one side and a Piggly Wiggly Grocery on the other.
Although Ben E. King claimed there was a rose in Spanish Harlem, we knew that for years there was a rose in Woodside, Queens at WWRL Radio, and that rose was Bobby Jay – a rose without thorns. Bobby came to CBS-FM in 1985 and remained for 20 years. His intimate, first-hand knowledge of many of the artists and songs featured on CBS-FM was astonishing. These days, Bobby can be heard on Sirius Satellite on Channel 53. He also does some airshifts for WBZO on Long Island.
It was small wonder that in addition to regular shifts on the station, his knowledge brought success to such specialty shows as the “CBS-FM Hall of Fame�, “Soul of The City�, and the “Top 20 Countdowns�. Bobby also hosted many shows at the Westbury Music Fair as well as CBS-FM shows at Rye Playland and the World Trade Center. It was also not uncommon for Bobby to be part of the show as he performed frequently with the Teenagers as he does to this very day. Bobby’s versatility as emcee, performer, and disc jockey made him one of the cornerstones of CBS-FM’s success.
There was one important addition to the CBS-FM air staff in the eighties who was neither a WMCA Good Guy nor a WABC All-American. In 1982, Bob Shannon joined WCBS-FM. For over 20 years he held down the important afternoon drive slot. His acerbic wit and off-beat sense of humor entertained listeners and made the drive home after a hard day at work much more tolerable than it might otherwise have been. In addition, his extensive musical knowledge gave listeners an incite into the songs that made CBS-FM a New York institution. It was this knowledge that led him to write the very entertaining and informative book, Behind The Hits. Bob has now returned to WCBS-FM doing the 10AM-3PM show Monday through Friday.
For many years, Ed Baer was part of the WMCA Good Guys. His friendly, familiar voice was a perfect fit for WCBS-FM, and he became another New York radio veteran to join the station in the eighties. Ed did vacation relief shifts and weekend shows and was an important link to the golden age of top 40 radio in New York. While on CBS-FM he could also be heard on WICC in Bridgeport and later doing a highly rated morning show on WHUD in Peekskill. Ed still resides in Connecticut and does a weekend show for WHUD.
All-night radio has always had a special place in the hearts of night owls. From WMCA Good Guys, Johnny Dark and Dean Anthony to WABC All-Americans, Charlie Greer with his Denizen Clothes commercials and Roby Yonge with his “Paul Is Dead� controversy, all-night radio disc jockeys have been a unique lot. From 1983-1995, WCBS-FM had one of the best in Max Kinkel. Formerly of CKLW, in Detroit, one of America’s all-time great Top 40 stations, Max brought his special brand of madness to New York to entertain WCBS-FM’s overnight audience for over a decade.
In the decade of the nineties, two more veterans of WMCA & WABC joined CBS-FM. For years, the WMCA Good Guy who manned the afternoon drive slot was Dan Daniel. Dan was not only the afternoon drive host, but he also unveiled the station’s Good Guy Top 25 Survey each week. Dan came to CBS-FM in 1996, and the following year, when Ron Lundy retired, he seamlessly filled the 9 to Noon time slot with his special brand of humor and uncanny ability to be urbane and folksy, hip and down-to-earth, all at the same time with seemingly no effort. In truth, Dan Daniel has always been a perfectionist who worked tirelessly to achieve what he considered to be a quality show, and that’s exactly what he delivered.
Another Dan joined the station in the early nineties. This one came from WABC, and though his roots were in New York, not the old west, he was everyone’s Keem-O-Sabe. He is, of course, Dan Ingram. At a recent gathering for the New York Air Awards, Dan Ingram received a Lifetime Achievement Award. His work at WABC is legendary.
His afternoon drive slot at WABC garnered huge ratings in the sixties and seventies, and his wit and wisdom in the form of one-liners canvassed over the intros of records was second to no one.Few people could hide a double-entendre or turn a phrase like Dan Ingram.He brought a new vitality to weekends at CBS-FM, and during his 12 years here entertained a legion of fans who hung on every word.
For those of us who worked with him, there was often a very entertaining secondary show off-air while the records were playing. Dan Ingram could easily qualify as one of the Readers Digest’s “Most Unforgettable Characters� – a true industry legend.
While Dan Ingram and Dan Daniel were entertaining CBS-FM listeners, there was a third Dan who was a big part of the station – Dan Taylor. Dan was a part of the CBS-FM family in the late seventies. After he left, he had stops at WHN and MIX 105 but returned to CBS-FM in the nineties.
He became the substitute morning host whenever Harry Harrison was off and also did weekend shifts. When Harry left in March of 2003, Dan took over the reins of the morning show. While no one can actually replace Harry Harrison, Dan did a great job of filling the shoes of a legend and became a much-loved morning show host. Dan is one of those rare people who can juggle two totally unrelated careers – he is also a licensed pilot and is very active in staging air shows. Dan
Dan is very active doing voice-over work, and has returned to WCBS-FM to host the Morning Show Monday through Friday from 6-10AM.
Another fellow whose time with the station was in two segments was Mike Fitzgerald. Like Dan Taylor, Mike was on CBS-FM in the late seventies and left. He was on The Fox in Connecticut for many years before returning to CBS-FM in the nineties. Mike did a lot of vacation relief and weekend shifts as well as hosting the Sunday night "Top 10 Again� Show. Like Dan Taylor, Mike also has an unrelated second career – he’s a very successful game inventor. Today Mike is doing some air shifts for WEBE in Connecticut and WLTW in New York, and he sounds as great as ever. One other item on Mike Fitzgerald’s resume was that he co-hosted the CBS-FM Morning Show in 2005 with Monkee, Mickey Dolenz.. Mike is currently Program Director & Morning Man at The Breeze in Long Branch, New Jersey.
In addition to WMCA & WABC providing CBS-FM with much talent, NBC’s FM station in New York during the eighties, WYNY, also provided the station with some talent. WMCA Good Guys, Dan Daniel & Ed Baer, both had successful shows on that station. But two other people, Mike McCann and Randy Davis came to CBS-FM from there and added a great deal to the station’s success.
Mike was a big part, and still is, of the Premiere Radio Network. He is also doing some reporting for WFAN. His knowledge of music and connection to many of the recording acts allowed him to bring a special incite to the listeners he entertained on CBS-FM. He also hosted the Sunday Night “Top 10 Again� and “Elvis Lives!� shows.
CBS-FM was lucky to reel in Randy Davis to the fold. He could be called an ‘Announcer’s Announcer’ – a guy who can sound good in any time slot doing any format. Always friendly and entertaining on the air, he was the perfect replacement when Dan Daniel retired. He’s one of those announcers who will always bring a grade ‘A’ performance to the microphone. But you don’t have to take our word for it. You can hear him on "The Breeze" in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Throughout all of CBS-FM’s 33 years as an oldie station, one person has frequently come and gone. You might say his motto with the station was “Rock-On�, “Rock-Off�, “Rock On Again�. However, Norm N. Nite has always had a special place in the annals of CBS-FM. He’s had many different shifts, many different
tenures, sometimes living in New York, sometimes living in Cleveland,but through it all, he has been a major face of the station. His knowledge of music resulted in three volumes of the music reference book, Rock On. His most recent stint with CBS-FM was a live broadcast every Sunday night from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland – a museum which Norm himself was instrumental in founding. Today, Norm is broadcasting via Sirius Satellite Radio.
For years, people would ask us, when are you going to put a woman on the air? In 2001, Holly Levis joined the radio station. Holly brought a refreshing new approach to the oldies, and she brightened up the weekend shifts she occupied as well as bringing a woman’s point of view to the various shifts she did during the week. She's currently doing some airsfhifts for WALK-FM on Long Island.
Although CBS-FM is a music station, it has always been a formidable force in the field of news and information. This is thanks to its long-time award-winning News Director, Al Meredith who has been a popular on-air newscaster. Over the years, he has assembled a fine staff that included Debra Wetzel,Phil Pepe, Sue Evans, George Flowers, and Jeff Allen
who can be heard on our sister station, WINS. Today, Al Meredith is doing hourly newscasts on Dan Taylor's morning show.
Mr. G has been a noted TV Weatherman in the New York market for decades. He had a stint on Channel 2 and has been a fixture on Channel 11's evening news for over 20 years. In the mid-eighties, he joined WCBS-FM as the weatherman on Harry Harrison's Morning Show. Today, Irv maintains the same postion on Dan Taylor's Morming Show. His wit and unrehearsed by-play with Dan never fails to entertain our listeners.
In June of 1981, an alumnus of WOR-FM who by this time had become a CBS-FM disc jockey decided to change hats. Joe McCoy decided to trade in his microphone for the Program Director’s office. As Program Director, Joe brought some of CBS-FM’s most memorable events to its listeners. In the mid-eighties, he created the Radio Greats Reunion – a weekend that brought back to the airwaves a whole host of legendary New York announcers. The response was so overwhelming that it became the first of many such weekends over the next ten years. These weekends brought back such famous names as Herb Oscar Anderson, Charlie Greer, Ted Brown, Hal Jackson, Jocko Henderson, Jim Lowe, Chuck Leonard, Don Davis, Frank Stickle, Alan Fredericks, Joe O’Brien, and Jack Lacy. Listeners were so captivated by these weekends that many planned their vacations around them. Some people actually called the station and asked to be put on hold for the entire weekend!
Joe also brought Dion out of retirement and got him to headline the station’s 15th Anniversary concert at Radio City Music Hall – a concert which also featured Johnny Maestro. Joe helped to bring in many acts, which hadn’t been seen in years, to appear at Radio City, Rye Playland, and The World Trade Center. Joe also helped develop a relationship for the station with Collectibles Records of Philadelphia, which resulted in an extensive line of CBS-FM oldie albums and six volumes of Christmas oldies. Joe received numerous “Program Director of The Year� awards during his 23 years as Program Director of WCBS-FM.
Jeff Mazzei joined WCBS-FM in 1985 as Assistant Program Director and Music Director. Today he hosts the Sunday Night Top 20 Countdown as well as the Midnight to 6AM show Monday through Friday.
The history of CBS-FM is a long and storied one. However, it need not have an end to it. It is currently on onlinewith all the old jingles and the voice of former WCBS-FM disc jockey, Charlie B. Smith, aka "Ziggie". With the advent of HD Radio WCBS-FM began broadcasting in HD on 101.1-2 on December 12th, 2005, and we hope to keep the tradition alive indefinitely. In addition, perhaps as time goes by, you’ll hear some old friends on the station. In the meantime, we appreciate your patronage and hope you will enjoy the biggest and most enduring star the station has ever had – The Music!
