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DAYTON AREA BROADCASTER’S HALL OF FAME

Pictures, Audio & Media Archives

WONE AM  WTUE FM

WONE "Channel 98" and WTUE-FM "The One/Tue Punch In Dayton Radio"

For a number of years, WONE-AM was the direct competitor of WING. With DJ's such as Dave Dayton, Shadoe Jackson, Rick Stevens, Johnny MIdnight, Wayne Moss, Jolly Rogers, Dave Hull, Jeannie Skelly, Herb Knight, Howald Malcolm and others, it could be tough for teens to decide which station played "constantly more music".

Thanks, again to Gary Peiffer and his website www.geocities.com/garypf_2000

we offer you a few minutes of WONE evening DJ "Tall" Tom Campbell. The aircheck begins with "Campbell's Case Of Music", which featured at least 24, but sometimes as many as 30 or so songs in a row. (Obviously an attempt to counter program WING, which, frankly, aired a lot of commercials.)

A number of WONE grads from the Top 40 days went on to greater broadcast fame. Dave Hull, for example, moved eventually to Los Angeles where he became "The Hullabalooer" on KRLA-AM. Tom Campbell, also moved to Los Angeles and became a successful DJ/voiceover talent. TV talker Morton Downey, Junior also spent time slaving over the WONE-AM turntables.

WONE finally threw in the towel in the Top 40 wars sometime after this recording was made in February of 1967. It would re-emerge around 1969 as a country music station. There, WONE gained audience dominance and continued as a country powerhouse until the early 1990's.

As WONE was beginning its' days playing country music, an "experiment" of sorts was happening on the station's FM side. Recently, former station staffer Bill McClelland gave us some insight as to how WONE's FM sister became established.

The station came on the air as WTWO-FM in the 1950's, but changed its call letters to WIFE-FM around 1960 when the stations were purchased by the Brush-Moore Newspaper chain. In later years, that decision may have been regretted by station management for reasons you'll learn in a couple of minutes. The station began simulcasting WONE-AM's format around 1962 continuing for 3 years. That's when the FCC began to abolish laws permitting stations to "simulcast" AM programming on FM stations, in an attempt to force FM stations to stand on their own feet and attract audience.

At that point, WONE-FM became automated and started playing country music, with WONE-AM's Johnny Midnight also serving as FM Program Director.

In 1969, when WONE-AM switched to country, the decision was made to take the FM to automated Top 40 under the guidance of WONE-AM jock Rick Stevens. According to McClelland, station management instructed Rick to play top 40 music to cut into WING-AM's ratings, but cautioned him not to put the group into what they called "a WAVI/WDAO situation", where the FM would become more popular than the AM.

Shortly thereafter, a man McClelland says was the cousin of WHIO Radio General Manager Stan Mouse, Bill Struck, was hired as a live 8 pm to 12 midnight DJ. Shortly thereafter, the call letters were changed. Originally, the station might have wanted to get the old WTWO call letters back. But by then, another station had grabbed them. Instead, the calls WTUE were selected, still allowing the station to call themselves "The One-Tue Punch In Dayton radio"!

Originally, under Rick Stevens' direction, WTUE was a semi-progressive Top 40 format that supplemented the Top 40 hits with LP versions of Top 40 hits and music from popular movie soundtracks. Originally, WTUE was going after a somewhat older audience, unlike WING, which focused on the pre-teens and teens.

Once Stevens left the programming reins of the station, Struck took over as PD, hiring jocks such as Greg Mason (aka Terry Dorsey), Sean McKay, Bwanna Johnny (aka Don Everhart), Jason "Baby" Roberts (aka Mark Elliott), Billy Daniels, Al Morgan, Pete Boston and others, there was definitely "a new sound" on the air in Dayton at 104.7 FM. They would re-image the station using the PAMS "Solid Rock" jingle package designed and in use as WLS-Chicago and became "Super WTUE - Most Music Radio."

Tune in here for an scoped hour of nighttime jock "loveable, huggable" Dave Michaels from February of 1972. (Jingle collectors note: this aircheck predates the station's use of the WLS/Pams "Solid Rock" Series 1 and 2 jingles.)

Thanks, Gary Pfeiffer. www.geocities.com/garypf_2000

WTUE Reborn

By 1975, WTUE's ratings had begun to flag in the face of a new, "hipper" type of rock format. What was once called "underground" radio had grown into its' own as "Album Oriented Rock" (or "AOR"). So, in August, 1975, WTUE became "T-105"playing album rock music. Some of the original Top 40 WTUE staff stayed around for the initial transition, but shortly departed to make way for a new staff under the direction of Program Director Chuck Browning. Some months after the transition to album rock, WTUE adopted a format strategy made popular by the Burkhart-Abrams consulting firm called "Superstars". Then, WTUE really took off. For over 30 years, (and still continuing today), WTUE is Dayton's "place to rock". (Though today, the station takes a more classic rock sound.)

Many DJ's graced the WTUE staff. Patty Spitler (who, for many years became a successful TV Anchorwoman in Indianapolis until she recently retired due to health reasons), Alan Sells, Chuck Browning, Dan Pugh (now known as Dan Patrick to you sportsfans), "B-Man", and, for many years, a morning show known as "Kerrigan And Christopher". Steve Kerrigan and Christopher Geisen made morning rock radio fun, unpredictable and yes, sometimes a bit risque.

But here, for your enjoyment are a couple of bits from the "Kerrigan and Christopher" archives. (Mom's and Dad's, don't worry. These are rated no worse than "PG".)

Major Dick Hale And "Sky One" destroy a cell phone

It's "Short Term Memory Loss Week" on Concentration

Christopher takes Kerrigan's car through the car wash a bit too literally

(Compliments: The Steve Kerrigan Collection)

Today, Steve Kerrigan teams with Nancy Wilson on WHKO-FM, for the "Nancy and Kerrigan Morning Show."

Some More Early WTUE Airchecks

Here's some more "blasts" from WTUE's past:

Another Dave Michaels aircheck from 1973. (Be patient loading it, it's a fairly large file, but it includes the complete WTUE "Solid Rock Song", created by PAMS of Dallas. (The "Solid Rock" package, by the way was orginally created for legendary AM Rocker WLS/Chicago. The musical "logo" of the two stations are the same, if you're paying attention here. )

Here's Jason "Baby" Roberts from 1973. (You'd know him later as Mark Elliott on the original WDJX-FM, Xenia/Beavercreek). Again, it may take some time to load. Be patient. You'll like this aircheck, because when he goes to play the station's "signature" contest, "Record Recall", Jason suffers the slings and arrows of a record that gets stuck. Oops! Live radio strikes again!

Finally, a short clip of WTUE late night/weekend DJ Dale Bell.

(Complements: The Ray Glasser Collection)

Classic Photos Of WONE

The WONE "Country Gentlemen" backstage at a concert at Memorial Hall in downtown Dayton

Longtime WONE morning host David G. McFarland was well known for his "Bowling For Dollars" TV show. Here, though he's doing a little "bowling" for Jerry's kids with the late Johnny Walker on the annual MDA telethon.

The 2008 WONE Staff Reunion at "Mountain Days" at Eastwood Lake. Left to right: Bill Kirby, Jim Manley and Butch Brown

WONE's Lora Lewis and Tom Carroll at the 2008 WONE Staff Reunion

OK, who remembers "Quadrophonic" Stereo? (We do! We do!) Here's a 1973 WTUE "Top Ten Plus 40" Tune Index. Want to see it up close? Just click to enlarge.

The late Don "Bwana Johnny" Everhart on the air in the WTUE Control Room, around 1972-1973. If you were ever in the original WONE/WTUE offices, this was the room on the second floor, just off the elevator to your right. Always a fanatic about radio jingles, Everhart left Dayton for Dallas for a "dream job" with PAMS (yes the famed radio jingle maker) He passed away during the 1980's.

In the WTUE control room - off to the left you see the "record library" - all 45's, of course. And, on the wall, notice the clock surrounded by arrowed notes to the DJ for what to do and what to promote when.

For You "Radio Jingle" Fans...

Some jingles from WONE Radio's "Top 40" days.

Jingle 1

Jingle 2

Jingle 3

Jingle 4

Jingle 5

WTUE Rocks Dayton!

Many thanks to former WTUE jock Steve Ford for donating this aircheck of one of his shows from 1983.

This was pretty much the "heyday" of the station when it mostly featured current album rock hits. Today, though still rocking and still a popular station, WTUE spends more of its time playing classic rock and what it calls "archive classics", than current hits.

Steve also shared with us this promo he produced for the station's softball team, the WTUE "Masterbatters"

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