Dale Gardner spent many creative years at WIDB, as Music Director, Program Director and General Manager. But a recently unearthed “lost tape” of Dale’s early production involvement in Wright I clearly demonstrates the emerging genius. We suspect Alan Matthews, and others, were involved here but we do not have the whole story.
Here are two the 2 rediscovered promos for the “Ralph Edmunds Brown Bag Lunch Hour,” circa 1986.
What did this show sound like?
Does anyone have tapes?
WIDB would go off the air immediately and forever UNLESS SIU forked over the cash NOW and allowed WIDB to sell advertising.
That’s the threat WIDB General Manager Joel Preston fired off, ON THE AIR.
It was December, 1972, and the station was out of money. Joel had been GM for about a year and tried SO HARD to get $ for the station. He “schmoozed” Student Senate honchos during fee allocations and got the station $25,000, but this was eschewed by George Mace, Dean of Students, who decided WIDB would get $6002.37 instead. Joel tried to run commercials and was forced to cease and ask permission. In less than nine months, Joel had WIDB’s advertising proposal before the Board of Trustees in September and again for December.
People were leaving the station when advertising was not approved in September.
December was here, the $ had run out, it was time for a big move.
Senator Buzz Talbot, Joel, and WIDB Sales Manager Robbie Davis created “Students to Save WIDB” (supposedly a grassroots student uprising) and they took out ads in the Daily Egyptian.
The ads asked students to cut it out and send to the Board of Trustees. Just as all of this was happening with the Board of Trustees meeting in a few days, WIDB aired “My 2 cents Worth,” which was essentially an editorial. You can not only hear it, but also how it was aired during the Kevin J. Potts show. After you listen, read the epilogue below.
EPILOGUE: The Board of Trustees got over 1200 letters in support of WIDB, but did nothing for WIDB. The station did go off the air in December, as usual. Winter quarter started January 4, 1973, and there was no WIDB. The administration had called Joel’s bluff and he followed thru on his threat. The station was still open during the day but no one was on the air. There was a void in the Student Center. It felt weird to many. This got publicity, and lots of people were talking about Joel’s ballsy move. Suddenly Joel got a phone call that money had been “found” for WIDB. The station resumed programming last week of January.
In WIDB’s third year, the station had enough to make this power play. This led to the approval of the advertising proposal, but that took two more years.
and time for…Hot Spotts in Carbondale
Episode II – “Boating On Campus Lake”
The last of the Rankin live – Hot Spotts carted show (sort of – at the end of the segment Rankin graciously invited me into the studio “LIVE”). From that point on all HSIC epsiodes would be live in studio. The patented Hot Spotts theme anthem makes its debut. Jamberg, K2 (Ken Krause) and Mitch all made huge contributions to the opening theme. The creating the theme in the production studio took about 2 hours and I cut myself at least twice slicing reel tape.
Major help with the sound bite ideas and production by Floss Daily (Pete Jacobs).
Inspired by SCTV, cardboard boat races and quaffing warm Moosehead Beer on the porch of the Caddyshack shaking and quaking as semi trucks roll past on Highway 13. Yes my house really did shake and creak when semi’s hit a crack in the street just the right way!! Again bear with us as these episodes really do get much better after this one…
Many IDB’ers have “connected” with members of the opposite sex at the station. Sometimes, these “connections” lead to production (and re-production – never mind).
In December, 1971, Robbie Davis (WIDB’s first Sales Manager when sales were not “authorized”), arranged a “tradeout” (giveaway merchandise exchanged for on-air promotion) with the new “Gusto’s T-Shirts.” Starring on this spot with Robbie (as “Ken”) is Katy Jaskula (as “Barbie” – get it?) Here, Gustos is ID’ed as behind Charlie Pickle’s, 207 W. Walnut. Charlie Pickle’s, like many C’dale eateries, lasted only about 10 months.
Katy and the news department.
Sam and his pants on TV.
Jim Rohr (left) at 2000 reunion. Maria Bernardi (center) and Laura Hangren (right, behind Victor Lentini).
Katy and Robbie were an item for only a few weeks. But Gusto’s moved to the strip on S. Illinois, next to Mary Lou’s, and remained in business until 2002. In fact, Gusto’s printed the WIDB 25th Anniversary t-shirts in 1995 and the 30th shirts in 2000. Also featured on this spot was James P. Rohr, production voice for WIDB from 70-76. Jim had been Marketing Director for Brown’s Chicken & Pasta for many years. Robbie had his own production company with Sam Glick (who produced this spot) in Los Angeles. Katy became Kate Hayes, doing mainly radio and some TV news in Santa Barbara Ca. Mystery question: Where did the music bed come from?
When I look at a clock and discover it’s 6:30pm I still chuckle after all these years.
As the newly minted News Director of my senior year I desired to make our department stand out and do something different. On a crisp fall sunny morning in 1981 outside of Lawson Hall I ran into a bunch of my fellow IDB’ers. Unfortunately I don’t remember exactly who was there (two or three folks on the sales staff and I think the GM) and in the course of conversation I floated an idea where we’d have a segment with the news every Friday which would inform folks what was going on in town that weekend.
Movies, bands at bars, student center happenings and the like.
To my complete surprise there seemed to be group consensus and suddenly a name that show contest containing “in Carbondale” ensued. Within about three minutes out of nowhere someone said – why don’t you call it “Hot Spotts?”
Those 5 minutes started a dizzying chain of events at the station and within a week a time slot was fully sold/sponsored for the year, a lengthy discussion with the PD (Jamberg) gained approval and then the MD (Rankin Rich) got stuck with it on his prime time shift each Friday at 6:30pm. The segment was in need of “hook” so listeners would desire to tune in so each week so I came up with an adventure theme where I’d go about the town of C’dale explaining the all happenings.
And that’s how “HOT SPOTTS IN CARBONDALE” came to be.
Imprudently and by some miracle most of these weekly episodes were taped on the reel to reel in the production studio. Over the years these have been transferred from reel to cassette and finally from cassette to a burned CD. Looking back I hope you’ll find some humor, old movies to watch and some music you really need to discover again.
In honor of the 45th anniversary of WIDB – the reunion committee has repeatedly implored (demanded) that each unaltered episode is shared with you over the coming months with some comments/credits prior to our big 45 rpm gathering in June of 2015.
Of course each episode will be posted at exactly 6:30pm on a Friday….
Our adventure begins……
Episode I – “Chopter”
The carted edition of the very first Hot Spotts in Carbondale (HSIC) that aired in the fall of 1981….no taped version with DJ accoutrement exists of this show. The initial concept was for the adventures to be “in the can” and Rankin Rich would be given a script at least a day before which of course never happened. Rankin decided after this show that Hot Spotts needed to be 100 pct live in the studio however I blindly insisted that we give this type of concept at least one more try. Rankin did win this argument and later you’ll hear fully live shows after Episode II. This is the worst one so please bear with it or just turn it off – remember it’s a very first try – and the beginning of truly epic journeys each week.
Episode inspired by watching “Dog Day Afternoon” (no sound) while listening to The Tubes “Power Tools” at full blast (11) at the Caddy Shack (the name of my house on E Walnut) while blowing off accounting.
