As a youngster growing up in the area and having a fascination with radio broadcasting, I used to consider it a part-time hobby to put the earphone into my transistor radio and go exploring what was out there to listen to, up and down the dial.
It was indeed a long-distance journey at night when listening to AM radio, as you could hear live from locally staffed stations in Chicago, Windsor/Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans, to name a few cities. I never spent a lot of time listening to FM radio 40 years ago, simply because there wasn't the same "excitement" of the long-distance journey. Little did I realize, things were changing locally on that "other" band of radio frequencies that included decimal points.
In early 1972, Oneonta had one commercial FM station. That was WGNR, at 103.9 FM, which is today's WSRK. There were two college radio stations at Hartwick and the State University College at Oneonta, but unless you had a cable service, you couldn't hear them with a standard antenna, such as the one on my transistor radio. On good days and depending on what side of the house I was, I could hear an FM station or two from Binghamton or Utica.
It was reported in early March 1972 that two local investor groups were competing to win a new frequency at 103.1 FM from the Federal Communications Commission. They were the Franklin Mountain Broadcasting Co., and Frank W. Bovee Jr. of Delhi. The former was the victor, so plans were soon underway to locate a new radio station over Brackett's Bookstore, 142 Main St. The call letters were WONT, which is today's WZOZ. Seven stockholders had invested into this new broadcasting company, with Mrs. William Butler as president, and Mr. Anthony LeoGrande as vice-president. Mr. Caleb Brackett had formed the company and applied to the FCC.
Hopes were to have WONT on the air in October, but plans were delayed.
The station planned to have what was called "middle of the road music," with news and public affairs programs.
WGNR had been on the air for about two years at the time, playing country music amongst its programming.
As WONT was in the works, WGNR was expanding into -- of all things -- local television. Subscribers of Oneonta Video Co. saw some changes that July as they tuned into cable channel 5, which just happened to be WHEN-TV Channel 5 from Syracuse. The CBS affiliate went dark on that cable channel, and was replaced by a new feature of time, temperature and frequently changing advertisement graphics, with background music supplied by WGNR.
WGNR had reached an agreement with Oneonta Video to do some public access programming, such as Common Council meetings or local sports events. Surveys were taken in July to find out what viewers might prefer on this channel. It was estimated that local programming could begin sometime in 1973.
Days grew closer for WONT to begin broadcasting, and the new station had a meet and greet for invited guests Sunday, Oct. 15.
William E. Babcock was the station's general manager, David C. Mauer was the first program director, Timothy Braddock was chief engineer, and Joan McIntyre was an account executive.
The guests were given a tour of the offices and the engineering of the station, particularly that of the $16,000 automation unit that played all music and programs, as disc jockeys would not be required.
According to an advertisement in The Daily Star, WONT went on the air Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1972.
This weekend: Working for a company once meant a social life with that company in the community.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
Columns
Area tunes to WONT in November 1972
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
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My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
Ask any hospital administrators if they've ever heard of a closed hospital in New York state that has ever been re-opened. They will say, "Impossible." In a half century of going through records you can't find any.
Continued ... - Catching a whiff of 'Vermont Vapor'
- Selections from the virtual mailbag
- Recalling days of 'Doughnut King'
- Opera great's visit still a thrilling memory
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My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
- Cary Brunswick
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We've become our own worst enemies
The past month has been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
Continued ... - Plenty of blame to go around for Bangladesh horror
- Obama is going against his word on Social Security
- Reflecting on a Florida trip
- Those magnificent spies in their flying machines
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We've become our own worst enemies
- Chuck Pinkey
- Guest Column
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
Continued ... - The evangelical view of same-sex marriage
- Manor's fate will be Otsego board's legacy
- A closer look at our economy - Part II
- Use fracking to fill budget gaps
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
- Lisa Miller
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A view from above
Fire towers in the Catskill Mountains have always been destination points, built to capture some of the region’s best views. These sentinel stations served an important role for the earliest possible sightings of forest fires in the remote mountain ranges. But the fire towers and those who manned them fulfilled a multitude of other roles as well.
Continued ... - Being a parent is a constant learning process
- Healthy doesn't have to mean expensive
- A family era ends with close of Potter series
- Independent stores make up for loss of Borders
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- Mark Simonson
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Sunday movies in Oneonta finally shown in 1934
You know an issue is divisive when a vote to resolve it is quite close. In Oneonta during the early 1930s there were probably plenty of discussions or arguments at the family dinner table or sermons from the pulpits on Sunday mornings, regarding whether or should be able to see a movie in Oneonta on Sunday.
Continued ... - Politics, fitness and landmarks dominated local news in May 1968
- Local people sought income in many ways in 1933
- Local windstorm in 1983 caused tense moments
- Disaster, expansions put people to work in May 1913
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- Rick Brockway
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
When I was in my teens, old Bill Naatz told me about a stream north of Lake George where a man had panned out enough gold to make his wife a wedding band. It was all rumors, but to his grandson and myself, it sounded like the makings of a great adventure.
- People make the outdoors even better
- Turkey season has ups and downs
- Spring air isn't always the freshest
- Adriondacks keep growing and growing
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
- Sam Pollak
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Using time off in the worst way possible
"You don't mean it," I pleaded. "You simply can't mean it!"
Continued ... - Terror lives on, and there's no end in sight
- Remembering the glory of their times
- Column on guns led to a barrage of (mostly) jeers
- No one is coming to take your guns
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Using time off in the worst way possible
- William Masters
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
As the time to vote draws near, we need to remember how money can run politics more than we can. Raising funds is a prominent (if not the dominant) task of getting elected. Raising issues is also crucial, but those efforts are subject to distortion and fear-mongering.
- Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.
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Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity
Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for saying a person's success is rooted in his community, and is not all his alone. Romney belittles this with his belief in individual initiative. He is better at the put-down than the push-up.
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Romney shows little regard for common man
The Republicans in Congress have voted over and over, 33 times, redundantly and uselessly, to rescind what they call Obamacare.
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Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists
The Boy Scouts of America's "emphatic reaffirmation" of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
