590 MIGHTY MEMORY #417

NOVEMBER 22nd AND WARM

Fifty years ago John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. WARM Radio was at that time the dominant station in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In this video from "WARMland Remembered" on WVIA TV, the late George Gilbert and Tom Woods, one of the few surviving members of The Sensational Seven talk about that day.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #418

WARM JINGLES 

Here is a compilation of WARM Radio jingles that have been sitting in my "To Do" Box. These radio jingles were a constant on WARM Radio in the early 60s. More to come.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #419

THE 60s WERE A GAS!!! 

WARM Radio was the top rated station throughout the decade of the 1960s. WARM was the news leader as well as the station teens turned to hearing the top hits as they cruised the streets of WARMland. It was fun and it was cheap. How cheap was it back then to gas up? Well in 1960 when Jimmy Dean sang “Big Bad John” gas was 30 cents a gallon. In 1969 when Zager and Evans hit number one with their hit “In the Year 2525”, gas was 34 cents a gallon.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #420

WARM RADIO AND CIVIL RIGHTS 

Just what did a Top 40 radio station have to do wit the fight for Civil Rights in America in 1963? Well for one thing, WARM was on top of the big news stories of that era with its news live at 55 and at the bottom of the hour. 
WARM would always chronicle the news of these momentous events and broke in with bulletins during the freedom rider events in the south earlier in the spring. During that newsworthy march on Washington in August, WARM provided hourly updates and replayed the entire speech of Martin Luther King the following Sunday on a public affairs program.
In September of '63, when four young girls were killed by a bomb at a church in the South, WARM broke in throughout the day on the very sad Sunday afternoon of September 15th. While the African American population was small in WARMland, the Mighty 590 did not shy away from covering that big national story. And during that summer of '63 WARM not only entertained but informed, which I guess is what a radio station is all about.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #421

WARM's Terry McNulty who had his share of covering emotional and important news stories in 1963.

WARM AT SHEPPTON

One news event that struck closer to home in August of 1963 was the Sheppton Mine Accident. From August 13th the nation was riveted by the three miners trapped 300 feet below the earth. For all of Northeastern Pennsylvania, this was a raw wound. Just three and a half years removed from the Knox Mine Disaster, the fate of the trio was huge news.
WARM's Terry McNulty was one of the first media people on the scene. In a documentary about WARM made for WVIA TV, McNulty described the tapping he heard from the two surviving miners. TV and newspapers also covered the event as a front page item every day. WDAU TV sent reporters down there every day and news director Tom Powell provided hourly updates.
People eagerly watched with concern as rescue workers tried to reach David Fellin, Henry Throne and Louis Bova. Bova’s body was never recovered.
The event was sobering because there were still vestiges of the mines left with areas pockmarked by the strip miners. And everyone in my railroad family knew a miner. The bond was emotional and deep.
As a nine year old, this was just one of the stories of human drama that got my attention. Another thing that made an impression was that even though the rescue saved two men, one never came out. WARM Radio constant gave updates, bulletins and live reports from the scene. For two weeks it was the lead story on News Live at 55 and at the headlines at the bottom of the hour.
This past week, family members of the late Louis Bova gathered at a tombstone above the earth where Bova lost his life 300 feet below. More than 200 people attended a Mass for the fallen miner.
In 1970 a local group, The Buoys had a national chart hit called "Timothy about three men trapped in a mine. It was said that the tune was about Sheppton but the song's composer Rupert Holmes said he had no idea about the incident until the song was soaring to the top twenty.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #422

The iconic Grandstand seen by hundreds of thousands of people in the last 50 years at Pocono Drag Lodge.

(All photos by Mrs. 590 Forever).

At the Trophy Table yesterday at the Pocono Drag Lodge/WARM Reunion.

Man how I loved those old Chevrolets. If I ever win the PowerBall.........

The anniversary cake for the golden anniversary of Pocono Drag Lodge. 

POCONO DRAG LODGE @ 50 

The Pocono Drag Lodge celebrated its 50th anniversary this weekend. The Drag Lodge was a large part of pop culture in the 60s and 70s for music fans and motor heads alike. Just minutes from Wilkes Barre, the Drag Lodge was a meeting place for teenagers and car enthusiasts who loved the sounds of rubber on the road and the Mighty 590 on the radio. 
This weekend’s event which featured many great looking cars as well as great music and memories was well attended on a beautiful sunny day. I finally took organizer Charlie Hulsizer up on his invitation and toured the grounds and met many old friends who enjoyed the memories of WARM Radio as well as those great motor cars of yesterday. 
WARM Radio was the station back in the day that promoted the races, gave updates on race weekends and actually told you who won on any given night. It was a great event and we hope that Pocono Drag Lodge reunions last another fifty years. 
Onward my friends…onward!!!

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #423

WARM Radio Survey letterhead, circa 1961. (590 Forever WARM archives). 

A GEM OF AN AIR CHECK!!

One of the great things about doing the 590 Forever blog site is that the more I write, the more I hear from fans of 60s era top 40 radio who viewed stations like WARM as "The MODERN Golden Age of Radio" . 
Just as there are people of a certain age (ahem us!) who treasure the hits from '55 to 85, there are many others out there that really cherish the creativity and freedom of the radio talent who brought us that music. When someone talks about the classic top 40 stations like WCFL, WLS, WKBW, CKLW, WIFIL, WIBG and WARM, the Mighty 590, the music will almost always be secondary. Fans will bring up a particular personality, "Do you remember Ron Allen?" , "Hey how about that Harry West"? or "That George Gilbert was so smooth". That is a true testament to the power of personality in the top 40 era. 
I came across this gem from a reader of 590 Forever and it is an incredible piece on the history of WARM. It is a 15 minute rewind of a winter morning of 1961. You'll hear commercials from Shorten Dodge, Acme, Genesee, weather, a bit of Mother Fletcher and you'll never believe who is doing the news live at 55!!!! (Hint, see Mighty Memory #424) Courtesy of a top 40 radio fan,
check this out on You Tube.