[AMRadio] Automated Ole Buzzards?

[Robert Nickels]

Jim Wilhite wrote:
> KOMA in Oklahoma City, a 50 KW R & R station used a Schaffer 
> automation system in the 60s.  All the music was on 10" tapes run on 
> Ampex playback machines.  The commercials were on carts like these and 
> they used the Gates carousels. 
Hi Jim,

Sounds like the standard setup back then, they must have bought head 
cleaner and Q-tips by the case!   Schaeffer was the leader in automation 
I think.  But didn't KOMA run all their music off  carts?   That would 
seem to make more sense for a Top 40 station.

Missing from this setup but pretty common also was the big vertical cart 
playback units - my Gates book references Criterion 80 and later 
models.  They held 55 NAB type carts and played 'em in sequence from top 
to bottom.  The "programmer" could be any human who was able to read a 
program log ;-)

All in all it was pretty neat stuff back in the day.  As long as you 
didn't have to fix it with the boss breathing down your neck!

73, Bob W9RAN