It was 1984, in a small town in Florida, known as Ft. Pierce. Though there were not that many radio stations to choose from, the listeners were loyal to them. Times were sure different then. No cell phones going off every minute (with some absurd ring tone), no internet, and yes, most people didn’t even know what a CD was! (Imagine that).
Radio was fun in those days. You had independent stations that weren’t controlled by some syndicated “mega-corporation.” There were the little guys- like WFTP, a little AM station that kept it’s audience glued to the dial, even though it only had a signal that would barely get out of the parking lot! There were actual personalities, like George Gordon, and Robert Michael Green. WFTP was like the starting point of quite a few people who would eventually have the “dream come true” of getting on the FM dial. It almost seemed like a “prerequisite.” You had to work there first. I can’t remember all of the people who started their broadcasting careers at FTP, but some would go on to fame and notoriety. There were people like Glen Curtis, Jeff Brown, and Mike Michaels, to name a few.
Then there was the “rival to WFTP, WAVW. “Wave 105.” Affectionately known as “your Treasure Coast Hit Kicker.” Wave 105 was a 3,000 watt FM station that spun country music from Floyd Cramer and Patsy Cline, to Eddy Rabbit and Marshall Tucker. At the time, Wave 105 was the only FM country station in the area, and it remained that way for quite a few years. Some of the line up of “DJ’s included: Bill West in the morning, Jeff Brown on mid-day, Mike Mitchell in the afternoon, and Glenn Curtis on evening drive. There was a host of overnight people like: Brian Hardman, Jeff Major, and Mark Stafford. The news and traffic reports were done by Sheila Simmons. Wave 105 was a “family run” station, and had an extremely loyal audience. So loyal in fact, that when the station was sold, there was quite a protest (and even threats) because the format would be changing from country, to “adult contemporary.” Overnight personality Mark Stafford had the experience of playing the last “country record” before the station went off the air, April 17th 1986. Soon it would become “Lite 105.5 fm.
This brings into the picture, another station. WOVV 95.5 . They sold the equipment to Wave 105, that would make everything automated. This was the very beginning of syndicated radio on the Treasure Coast. Looking back now, the equipment was so primitive. There was a huge machine called a “carousel,” that would hold a hundred or so “carts.” These “carts,” had songs recorded on them. The machine was then loaded with the carts, and at the appropriate time, it would spin until it found the cart to be played. Then it would actually turn the cart and insert it into the player. It was like an overgrown cd changer.
WOVV, was an FM top 40 radio station, boasting 50,000 watts at the time, and there were personalities like: Linda Hendry, and Bill James. There were several format changes that took place at WOVV. At one time it was a rock station, then a top 40 station, and even a country station.
Toward the end of 1986, and the demise of WAVW ’s country format, there emerged a “new kid on the block.” It was only about a mile away from “wave 105,” and affectionately called: “Wave 105 North.” The station was WCXL “Crystal 101.7.” Crystal was a 3,000 watt FM station, which was billed as a cross between an “oldies” station, and an “adult contemporary station. Some of the personalities included: Mark St. John, Bill West, Mike Michaels, and Mark Stafford (who was the first one on the air to say anything). The equipment at this little station was state of the art. The audio processing equipment would probably rival some of today’s most advanced processors. Crystal 101.7 FM was promoted by a well known South Florida radio personality: Rick Shaw.
The 1980’ s saw another Treasure Coast radio transformation, WIZD “the wizard” (whose slogan was “kick- ass rock and roll). At one time this was a very popular 100,000 watt fm rock station, with personalities such as: Tom Stevens, Arvette, and Rick Brenner.
At the end of WIZD, there came WKGR. WKGR FM was billed as “gourmet rock.” They were still considered to be AOR (album oriented rock) by the industry terminology. 98.7 WKGR was a 100,000 watt powerhouse, which included air personalities such as: Tom Stevens,Terry Griffin, Mark Stafford, Rich Dickerson, Mike Mitchel, Glen Curtis, Alec Numan, and more.
There you have it. Some of the Treasure Coast radio memories.
