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 45^th 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.

About 3 weeks after the April 12 sign-on, peacefully protesting students and innocent student bystanders were murdered by troops and police at Kent State University.
The same thing happened at Jackson State University.
Government officials said they deserved to be murdered since they were protesting.
These events completely revitalized student protests.
Suddenly there were thousands (as in over 5,000) in the streets of C’dale and the university; government and police officials thought the protesters should all be shot
as that would be cheaper than jailing them.
Suddenly WIDB had to have a news department, because it didn’t seem right to be playing rock jock hits and jingles when students were being shot, beaten and gassed by police and troops.

After 11 years of student efforts, and over two years of Jerry Chabrian’s relentless campaign for an official student station that was really student run, WIDB signed on from Wright I basement Sunday April 12, 1970 at 1 pm.  There was a crowd at the station.
There had been a publicity build-up for weeks, with posters all over town and campus as well as articles in the Egyptian.  Less than 45 days earlier, the Wright I activity room had been empty.  Now there were walls, windows, air conditioners, equipment and lots of wires.  It had been a tremendous manic effort.  Many who were there such as Tom Scheithe, Howie Karlan, and Charlie Muren are no longer with us.  But the fire that burned within them still burns within us.