590 MIGHTY MEMORY #108

JOHN HANCOCK & HOWARD JOHNSON'S AND THAT CRANE

He came into this market mindful of the heritage of WARM. John Hancock arrived after a very turbulent time for the station. Hancock knew how much the station meant to the listeners as well as their Mighty 590 radio people. He fit right in but was very gracious to all who worked with him. 
Hancock even bought into the Community efforts and promotions pioneered by his intrepid predecessors. 
In this June 15th 1985 story from The Scranton Tribune, you see Hancock hovering for 59 hours and wait for it..raising over $5900 dollars for The Easter Seals.

While all this was going on here was one of the hits WARM Radio was playing.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #109

WARM, HARRY AND THE LOTTERY 

By the mid 1980s, the Pennsylvania Lottery was a big business. WARM got in on the action along with their Morning Man Harry West with a lottery-license plate  contest. Check out this ad from November 21st, 1985. Notice that WARM was partnering with The Globe Store in handing out a very big Holiday Check. 

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #110

DRUCKER RETURNS TO AIRWAVES....THIS TIME TALKING RELIGION! 

When Jim Drucker was an all night disc jockey on WARM, certain members of management were not happy when Drucker would talk about being a good person in the eyes of God.  Drucker didn't go over the line but there were some that felt he should not have been preaching the golden rule on the air. 
In 1986 Jim Drucker returned to the airwaves but this time talking about his religion as well as the history of his church. Here's an article from The Scrantonian from September 6th, 1987.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #111

LT. GOVERNOR GETS SUPER BAGEL FROM BILL KELLY

In case you are wondering what exactly a Lt. Governor in Pennsylvania does, well he or she presides over the Senate in Harrisburg. The second in command might also stand in at ceremonial events across the stte when the Governor might not be available.
If it is a campaign year, the #2 guy is oiut on the hustings where there are potential voters. So on St. Patrivk's Day 1974, Ernest Kline then Governor Shapp's Lieutenant was presented with a 15 pound green bagel in front of the big WARM vehicle that was a show stopper in the parade.
The photo is kind of fuzzy but one we wanted to include.

Former Lt. Governor Mark Singel had this to say about Kline, "As lieutenant governors go, he was one of the best. Gov. Milton Shapp entrusted some of the key issues of the day to him. 
When the Arab oil embargo threatened our economic stability, Shapp's Lt. Governor initiated the Governor's Energy Council and set the tone for one of the most progressive agencies of its type in the nation. Lt. Gov. Kline was the first to assume control of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and establish the precedent for the second in command to step into the breach anytime there was a life-threatening occurrence in the Commonwealth. Kline also utilized his leadership skills and strong connections to labor and other constituencies to handle a potentially explosive truckers strike early in his term of office. 

Kline was Pennsylvania's 25th Lieutenant Governor and lost a bid in the 1978 Democratic primary to be the nominee in the '78 election. 

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #112

WARM ANNOUNCES BROADER PROGRAMMING 

While this news release that ran in The Tribune in July of 1982 was not very specific, it did pique interest as WARM  was embarking on a type of hybrid format. Music during the day and Sports at night, along with Larry King in the wee hours of the morning. 
This was also the Bill Kimble era where he paired the jocks to work "in tandem". Jim Gannon was paired with Harry West at the time. 
The talk shows and sports at night, along with Larry King outlasted Kimble's "tandem" idea. 

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #113

WARM BOASTING NUMBER 1 STATUS 25 YEARS AFTER ITS START 

WARM Radio held the ratings leader spot for a very, very long time. To pit it in perspective, here is an ad from 1983 that still highlighted WARM's stature as the number 1 station in WARMland.From February 7th, 1983. Remember WARM went on the air with The Mighty 590 in June 1958. 

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #114

ALL NIGHT JIM BECOMES FATHER JIM 

Jim Drucker had a storied career in radio. From WRAW in Reading to Program Director at WBAX and to the Mighty 590, Drucker was a mainstay in the 1960s and 70s music scene. He did all night radio on WARM and was one of the most popular overnight disc jockeys WARM had.

But a hymn was calling him to the Priesthood. Here's that story from the November 9th, 1980 edition of the Scranton Tribune.