WOR Radio Starts Socializing…

Friday, October, 2, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

I’ve always been a big fan of Rick Buckley who owns one of the most successful family-run radio groups in this or any country. Rick loved working for RKO Radio so much, he bought one of their stations in 1987  – WOR-AM in New York. Rick’s flagship News/Talk 50,000 watt, Class A, nighttime clear-channel station has one of the strongest lineups of any long-standing station in America: Glenn Beck, Joy Browne, The Dolans, Lou Dobbs, Arthur Frommer, John R. Gambling, Michael Savage, Michael Smerconish, Joan Hamburg, Steve Malzberg and any station with Joey Reynolds can’t be all bad - a joke, Joey. That solid lineup has just been enhanced by the ‘NA710N’ Social Network, “a new online community that lets listeners interact with each other as well as hosts and station yakkers through discussions, live chats both on and off the air.” I hope they use a delay for Glenn Beck’s “chats”…

WOR VP/GM Jerry Crowley says “WOR has long been an innovator of providing great Talk radio and we are excited to offer our listeners this great new way to connect with us and each other.” The new site’s name was chosen from a listener contest…

I tried WOR’s new ‘NA710N‘ Social Network website and it’s up now. Much like the station itself, it’s clean, no frills and easy to use and although WOR leans right, their website is straightforward. It’s  a Rick Buckley composite of Twitter and Facebook for WOR listeners. Welcome to the age of socialization…  

(Weekend Edition) 

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1950] Premiered on this date: Charles M. Schulz’ “Peanuts” comic strip is born…1953] Edward R. Murrow’s “Person to Person” begins an 8-year run…1955] “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” debuts and runs on and off until 1986…1959] “The Twilight Zone” starts a 5-year run (all premieres took place 10/2)…
2. 1951] Shot heard round the world: The Giants’ Bobby Thomson hits a 3-run, walk-off home run beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the third and deciding game of their playoffs. Russ Hodges said it best: “The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant.” Ralph Branca tossed up the lollipop (10/3). Ernie Harwell comments in this clip…
3. 1957] The Space Age dawns: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite into orbit (10/4)…
4. 1970] Team Tragedy: A plane carrying 30 members of the Wichita State football team crashes. All 30 are killed (10/2)…
5. 1970] “Happy Trails“: The body of Janis Joplin is found in a Hollywood hotel room (10/4). Janis, who had just finished her “Pearl” LP, dies from a heroin overdose at 27…1985] Rock Hudson dies from AIDS at 59 (10/2)…1998] Gene Autry, Hollywood’s ‘Singing Cowboy’ dies from lymphoma at 91 (10/2)…
6. 1978] Bucky “Bleepin’” Dent: Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent’s 7th inning home run at Fenway Park leads the Yankees to a one-game playoff victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees win the AL pennant (10/2)…
7. 1995] O.J. walks: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the 1994 murders of wife Nicole Brown and Ronald L. Goldman (10/3). Thirteen years later in 2008, same date, O.J. is convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. He’s currently serving a sentence for the crimes…
8. 2002] Sniper rampage begins: A man is shot and killed in a grocery store parking lot in Wheaton (MD), the 1st victim in a series of sniper attacks in the DC area that will leave 10 dead (10/2)…
9. 2006] Amish massacre: A 32-year old milk truck driver kills 5 Amish girls and then turns the gun on himself in Nickel Mines, Bart Township in Lancaster County (PA) (10/2)…
10. 2008] Fossett wreckage found: A search team in California finds the wreckage of the airplane flown by adventurer Steve Fossett when he disappeared on Sept. 3, 2007 (10/2). His remains will be found the next day…

Music Memories:

• 1945] A little Elvis sighting: 10-year old Elvis Presley makes his first public appearance at a dairy show talent contest and finishes second, collecting $5 (10/3). This is the song he sang…
• 1959] Number One on this date: “Mack The Knife” - Bobby Darin (10/4)…1965] “Yesterday” - Beatles (10/4)…1973] “Half-Breed” - Cher (10/3)…1980] “Another One Bites The Dust” - Queen (10/4)…1982] “Jack And Diane” - John Mellencamp (10/3)…
• 1969] Released on this date: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” - Crosby, Stills & Nash (10/4)… 

 “Happy Birthday…happy birthday”: (10/2)Kelly Ripa (39), Lorraine Bracco (55), Sting (58), Donna Karan (61), Don McLean (64), Rex Reed (71) and Maury Wills (77)…(10/3) Ashlee Simpson-Wentz (25), Gwen Stefani (40), Tommy Lee (47), Rev. Al Sharpton (54), Dennis Eckersley (55), Dave Winfield (58), Lindsey Buckingham (60), Biff Henderson (63), Roy Horn (65), Chubby Checker (68) and Gore Vidal (84)…(10/4) Alicia Silverstone (33),Liev Schreiber (42), Russell Simmons (52), Susan Sarandon (63), Sam Huff (74), Leroy Van Dyke (80)…

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until the MLB playoffs, 26 days until the World Series and 29 nights until Halloween…

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