But even after its run, BCN wont go away. He pioneered live remote broadcasting techniques and became The Honorary Dean of Boston Comedy, spotlighting dozens of up-and-coming comedians on his show. And the Internets savage evisceration of the music industry finished off what was left. We did incredible events. He gained notoriety as the pink-haired DJ who created the first Punk rock radio show in America, introducing Punk and New Wave to Boston and to the country. I loved this station (it's been gone for many years now). The first DJs operated out of studios at 171 Newbury Street and included Peter Wolf in his pre-stardom days, Jim Parry, Al Perry, Tommy Hadges, Sam Kopper and Steve Segal. Director of Public Affairs at New England Med.Center BostonBilly West 1983-90 Voices of Ren&Stimpy Nickolodeon Production,WXRK(K-Rock) in NYCSherman Whitman 1985-87 1989-Present Public Affairs DirectorNorm Winer 1969-70 1971-77 PD at WXRT,ChicagoAndrew Wolf 1988-90 Air Talent,WZBC-FM,BostonPeter Wolf 1968 Recording Artist,BostonDavid Wolman 1980-84 Promotions Dir,KOME-FM San Jose, Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message, You do not have permission to delete messages in this group. Its studios are located in Brighton, and its transmitter is on the upper FM mast of the Prudential Tower. There were other conspiring factors, too: The alt-rock format was souring. People really related to that. I didnt talk fast, and I wasnt sharp at all. I know many of you might have been offended or even angered at things Mark did in his life; but he also was a legendary talent; the best DJ I ever heard behind a mic and one from whom I learned so much of what I do on the radio, Alan, who visited with Parenteau regularly in his final days, wrote in a Facebook post on May 30. So these bands, because we thought they were good, could be heard next to the Clash, or could be heard next to Fleetwood Mac. Suddenly, you have two talk shows on in the morning and afternoon drive, so what is BCN? All of the Amenities. Once upon a time, in order to create content that could reach a massive audience, you needed expensive equipment, like a printing press, a television studio, or a radio tower. It felt more like a bank. He is on the Board of Advisors for Community Servings, an organization that feeds Boston-area families with acute life-threatening illnesses, and a former member of the Board of Overseers for the Huntington Theatre Company,[6] advisory member of The Center for Arts at the Armory in Somerville and the Boston Music Awards. Theres a direct lineage to Jon Stewart. Parenteau was working at the former XM satellite radio in Washington, D.C. when prosecutors alleged that he enticed teenage boys to come to his D.C. apartment to drink, smoke marijuana and have sex. scoped composite of various personalities. In between, WBCN became the musical, cultural, and political voice of the young people of Boston and New England, sustaining a vibrant local music scene that launched such artists as the J. Geils Band, Aerosmith, James Taylor, Boston, the Cars, and the Dropkick Murphys, as well as paving the way for Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, U2, and many By the 80s, after winning a union strike, the station went on to achieve its greatest success, which placed The Rock of Boston on top of the Boston ratings heap through the entire decade. When these new people came in from New York, they just didnt get it. Oedipus has his own foundation, The Oedipus Foundation, and is a member of the Board of Directors for The Technology Broadcasting Corporation of MIT, Stop Handgun Violence, and an original member of the Board of Directors for Mobius (an artist-run center for experimental work in all media). When WBCN went off the air in 2009, Parenteau was not invited to the stations farewell broadcast. Duane Glasscock went on the air one Saturday and complained about the ratingsthats how radio stations got their money, if they got high ratings from Arbitron, which was based in Maryland. You also need a staff with lots of expertise to run this equipment. Ive heard that story six times, and its told differently each time. Not just because it played radically different music, which it did, or that it had a socially or politically aware newsroom, which it did. Suddenly, you can own multiple stations in one market. Danny Schechter replaced Bo Burlingham and immediately billed himself as "the News Dissector". web pages The gala celebration will featu There was a very strong sense of history being made at the time. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys college station WTBS (today WMBR). Some bands werent as big, like the Psychedelic Furs, but they were important. OEDIPUSAt WBCN:DJ and program director,19772004. Youre acting like Duane and you are separate people. And I said, But you just fired Duane! [1], Martinie was in a relationship with Edward Boesel from January 7, 1973 until Martinie's death. The documentary "WBCN and The American Revolution" chronicles how Boston emerged as the "central crossroad of the counterculture and political activism" in the late-1960s and early-1970s. He reminds me, every time I see him, that Id be nowhere without him. Worcester personality and deejay LB Worm paid tribute on his . They started questioning decisions we made, because all they cared about was ratings and dollars. WBCN also launched The Toucher and Rich Show, a new locally produced comedy-based afternoon drive time show starring Fred Toettcher and Rich Shertenlieb. Suddenly all of my decisions were vetted. (It was also rumored that Hemisphere's FCC lawyers had vetoed the course of action advised by Hemisphere's labor lawyers). Syndicated shock jock Howard Stern turned mornings into all-talk radio. From February 26, 1991, to December 3, 2017, the "Mix" format in Boston used the callsign WBMX. On March 15, 1968, a failing classical music station, WBCN-FM, was reinvented as Boston's first voice in radical underground radio, and its influence quickly spread nationally. The Listener Line had positioned itself almost as the Google of its time. People were going, This sucks! Originally broadcasting on analog 104.1 MHz (now WWBX) from 1958 to 2009, and later broadcasting as a digital-only radio station, airing on WBZ-FM HD 2 from 2009 to 2017. John J. PETER WOLFAt WBCN:DJ, 196869 Since then:Lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band; solo artist; rock n roll legend. It then mutated over the years into what was called. Is it possible that WBCN, the greatest rock n roll radio station in American history, died five years ago this month? This article is about the media personality. This guy cant sing! After he left WBCN, Parenteau hosted shows on XM Radio and Q104, until the arrest in 2004, reports the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. That, for me, was the best thing about working at WBCN: He took a liking to me. The Del Fuegos is a perfect example, or O Positive, or the Blackjacks. We dont care. In 1976, he was featured in a voice-only performance as a DJ of the fictional KGYS radio in the movie Car Wash. On February 2, 2017, CBS announced that they would be selling their radio division to Entercom, whose existing properties in the Boston area included WBCN's long-time rival, WAAF. -. I had horrible taste in music. Jackson was one of the first DJs to introduce Americans to The Who and Led Zeppelin. But we were also out in public. There was the time he got dosed on mescaline from eating laced matzo ball soup and went on-air. WBCN's Toucher and Rich morning show began broadcasting on WBZ-FM on August 14, 2009. But there was a responsibility and a mission to get the job done. I remember one night, Paul Ahern, a record promoter, and I were sitting in his car, maybe smoking a fatty, and he said, Charles, I want you to hear something. This allowed them to retain their "Big Mattress" morning show along with its large and loyal audience. From the birth of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s through just about the end of the 20th Century, Cleveland was a great town for radio. Unlike most rock stations of the era, WBCN still allowed a degree of individual DJ control of the music. It gave people points of parity with one another. The morning-show format with Charles, The Big Mattress, every station uses that idea nowa morning zoo where youve got a couple of hosts, youve got sidekicks. As a young person, that mix of political comedy and rock n roll was very powerful to me. [3] WBCN was a modern rock/active rock station that mixed music that has been popular in the modern rock, alternative rock and classic rock genres. Part-time personalities in 1980 included Mike Dimambro, Vinny "Jim" Raposa. Parenteau had one of the most successful radio careers in Boston history, with a 20-year run, first on the former WCOZ then spending 19 years as the afternoon-drive talent on WBCN. *Howard Stern (born January 12, 1954). But despite ever-tightening reins on programming, WBCNs irreverent creativity and openness to new music, young bands and emerging trends would captivate Boston for years. Phasellus id aliquam nulla. I made this tape, because in the early 80s I moved to the West Coast and I wanted to take a bit of Boston Radio with me. The women at WBCN, we had to carve out a place for ourselves. Steve Lushbaugh 1978-79 Production Director at WMMR,Phila. Since then:Director of the Oedipus Foundation. 1 Draft Pick Feb 28, 2023 It was a friendly rivalry, but it was definitely a rivalry. Much of the station's programming focused on syndicated talk shows (former WAAF personalities Opie & Anthony replacing David Lee Roth, who had previously replaced Howard Stern in morning drive time). I was the last full-time DJ that Oedipus hired. My first radio show: 5-8 p.m. on Northeastern University's 104.9 WRBB. Wed go out and hang out with the bands. The Cosmic Muffin (April 10, 1943 - July 26, 2006) was a Boston -based professional astrologer and radio personality . That played the clubs. WBCN's first rock program director, Sam Kopper, was Program Director of WBCN Free Form Rock until the channel was discontinued on January 29, 2016. Charles deserves every bit of respect he gets in the radio community. I had never been to college for anything. Morning Show Host: "Volume" Talk channel, centered on music. 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