Monday, June 22, 2009

"Your Good Neighbor" WHBC 1480-Drops ABC Radio for Fox News


WHBC Logo used in late 1947-Taken from a Christmas programming ad in the Canton Repository-November 1947


Current WHBC Logo-Used for the last year and a half..From WHBC.com

Cover of WHBC booklet from 1946, showing their Studio location at 550 Market Ave. S., Canton, where they have been since 1939..WHBC History Page

Good Morning..
Ohio Media Watch reports that as of this morning, WHBC AM-1480 in Canton will drop ABC Radio News for the Fox News Radio Network..While this move should surprise no one, especially since the recent passing of Paul Harvey (WHBC had carried Harvey as far back as 1951), There is sort of a sadness here. While WHBC is still a fine station and does "Full Service" as well as an station in this day and age, the dropping of ABC signals the last remnant of the "Old WHBC"..

WHBC has had affiliation with Radio Networks as far back as 1940, when they hooked up with the Mutual Network.Airing shows like Superman, Tom Mix, The Lone Ranger and many others..WHBC moved to ABC in 1947 where they carried shows like Don Mc Neill's Breakfast Club, Paul Harvey,Challenge Of The Yukon and The Green Hornet..

As The Old Time Radio age passed, WHBC had a number of memorable personalities from the late 40's into the 1980's..These included:
Bill Karrenbauer
Bob Krahling
Jim Roberts
Jim Burnett
Jim Muzzy
Skip Hornyak
Ronnee Furman
Doug Lane
Jim Johnson
Tom Jarrett
Brian Novak
Ed Cox

And many others..Since 2008, WHBC has stopped playing music, going to a News/Talk/Sports format with full-service elements-Some local talk, though not as much as Id like..However, they do a better job at "Full Service" than many stations do today..Even with what they do today, the one link to the old days was ABC Radio..And that is gone..


http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/2009/06/quick-hits-for-monday.html

Ohio Media Watch-Scroll down to the second article


http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/LookAround/la_networkspot_abc.htm

An Interesting piece on the History of ABC Radio-With the old (pre-1968) ABC Radio Musical bridge from their newscasts and the announcement:"This Is The ABC Radio Network"

Note:I wanted to include more here, including an ABC Newscast pre 1968-At least the "sounder" as well as The Theme for the American Entertainment Network post-1968..I have a little of the "old WHBC" on some Broadcast HOF CDs I might try to add here or in a new post.If anyone has old audio as I describe above, I would appreciate it..Thanks for any help..

Typical ABC-WHBC (AM-FM) schedule from 1956-Monday February 13

7AM News/Sports
7:15 Three T's (Time, Temperature and Tunes)
8AM News-Top of the Morning
9AM Breakfast Club
10AM Morning Matinee
10:30 When a Girl Marries
10:45 Whispering Streets
11AM Easy Listening
11:30 Feminine Fancy
Noon Keyboard Captions(?)
12:30 Carol's Notebook-Various Ladies portrayed "Carol Adams"..Sort of a "Women's Editor"

1PM Paul Harvey
1:15 Ohio History
1:30 My True Story
2PM Music In The Air
3PM Coffee Break
3:30 Homeward Bound (WHBC used a form of this title into the 1980's)
5:30 Dinah Shore
5:45 Weather
6PM News
6:15 Sports
6:30 Bing Crosby
6:45 Patti Page
7PM Fulton Lewis
7:15 Bill Stern
7:30 Edward P, Morgan News
8PM Opera Auditions
8:30 Good Neighbor
8:45 Join The Navy
9PM Les Brown
9:30 Nixon Address
10PM Pop Concert
11PM News
11:15 Sports Whirl
11:30 Disc Den
1AM Sign-Off

6 comments:

  1. Does any body know anything at all about WHBC's one-time parent, The Canton Repository, having once applied for a TV station in Canton.

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  2. As far as I know from reading Repository microfilm from the early 1950's..Brush Moore Newspapers, owners of the Rep and WHBC ,competed with Stark Broadcasting, owners of WCMW-1060 for UHF Channel 29..The FCC awarded Channel 29 to Stark Broadcasting, which went as far as having an office at 324 Market Avenue North and the call letters WTLC, but never made it on the air..

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  3. Don't forget, WHBC was the broadcast home of the Canton Invaders back in the 80's... with Bob Bishop as the voice of the Invaders...

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  4. I rather suspect that 29 never got on the air because the successful licencee had to spend so much money competing with Brush Moore in trying to get the license.

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  5. I would like to ask a question , for someone that works at W.H.B.C , I bought some auction things in it was 8 drinking glasses , on this glass was an Eagle Logo , with W.H.B.C on it 1968 in RED , then under that is white letting with Hawks / Falcons / Sparrows / I don't know if this has anything thing related to this place or not .
    If someone would email me in a few days I can email a picture of them , someone that works at W H B C ...
    Knott4U@gmail.com thank you from Columbus,Ohio

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  6. Hello William:
    I have no direct involvement with WHBC other than being a longtime listener/blogger, based on what you say, my guess is it would have nothing to do with the radio station, but maybe with a bowling league?..If you want to send the picture to me my email is tlones1@neo.rr.com..I don't think anyone of the current WHBC staff would know what it is..

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