[NJARC] Philadelphia Radio

[Aaron Hunter]

Camden Courier Post article:

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

By ANNA NGUYEN
Courier-Post Staff
GLASSBORO

A documentary that revisits the golden era of Philadelphia radio in the 
1960s recently earned Rowan Radio top honors in a national student 
competition sponsored by College Broadcasters Inc.

"Changing Stations: The Evolution of Philadelphia AM Radio," produced by 
Andy Goldstein and Erica Guidetti, won first place for best feature 
documentary.

It also received a Philadelphia March of Dimes Achievement in Radio 
award for the Best College Radio Documentary earlier this month.

The documentary focuses on the 1966 radio rivalry between WIBG and WFIL, 
widely considered a pure head-to-head battle of two top-40 stations. It 
also looks at "middle-of-the-road" stations WIP and WPEN. Lastly, the 
documentary looks at the emergence of WCAU-FM and FM radio in the 
Philadelphia market.

The stations still exist today but in different capacities, said 
Guidetti, a senior.

The students pursued the documentary after hearing a history of 
Philadelphia radio lecture from Frank Hogan, general manager of Rowan 
Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM, in one of his classes.

"I was thrilled for them. It was an exciting time in radio," said Hogan.

Hogan's colleagues honored him this month with an Achievement in Radio 
Milestone Award for his contributions over the past 35 years in 
Philadelphia radio.

The Washington Township resident said he grew up a devoted fan of WIBG 
but eventually worked at WFIL for a decade as an engineer, on-air 
personality and producer.

"I was there and they were trying to learn about it," said Hogan, who 
advised the students on the project.

Goldstein and Guidetti interviewed several prominent radio personalities 
for the documentary, including Bill Wright Sr. (WIBG), Dean Tyler 
(WIBG), Hy Lit (WIBG), Jim Nettleton (WFIL), Dick Fennessy (WFIL), Joel 
Denver (WFIL), Tom Moran (WIP), Bill "Wee Willy" Webber (WPEN) and 
Christy Springfield (WCAU-FM).

"It was so hard to pick and choose what to use," Guidetti said. The 
students edited hours of interviews down to the 30-minute documentary, 
which also features the disc jockeys on the air in the '60s.

The documentary backdrop includes music from Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, 
Carole King and the Byrds.

"We tried to capture the feel back then," said Goldstein, who graduated 
in May.

Both students said they found a deeper connection between DJs and their 
audiences in the 1960s compared to today.

"I think the listeners back then identified with these radio 
personalities," Goldstein said. "They were part of the community."

DJs used to hold record hops at high schools where they would play 
music, Guidetti said. "It just had an aura that was different back 
then," she added.

Hogan said loyalty to one radio station was important then.

"There was a certain intimacy with a radio station. It was part of 
someone's life," Hogan said. "We've moved from personality radio to a 
more utility form of radio . . . part of which is due to corporations."

Judges from the CBI competition praised the documentary for its writing, 
editing and production, and focus on history.

"It's always nice to get recognized for your work. We worked really hard 
on it," Guidetti said.

Reach Anna Nguyen at (856) 251-3345 or anguyen at courierpostonline.com 
<mailto:anguyen at courierpostonline.com>

ON THE WEB
To hear Rowan Radio's "Changing Stations" produced by Andy Goldstein and 
Erica Guidetti, go to wgls.rowan.edu and click on podcast.

Link:

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006611160316