About

WNEW-AM, in 1992, played its last Sinatra song, presented its final newscast, and disappeared into the bogs and mists of radio history, mourned and admired still as the standard for broadcast excellence and as a model for being a living part of the neighborhoods within its reach, and beyond. We intend this space to help create a WNEW history, to tell stories, publish pictures and collect the bits and pieces of a shared past.

12 thoughts on “About”

  1. Henry R. Bennett, W2PNA, 5-25-2012
    In my high school days and until just after Pearl Harbor Day, it was always “WNEW 1130 On Your Dial” as Number one; homework was Number two (if at all). While with the Signal Corps in Eastern France and Southern Germany, WNEW could be heard very weakly and intermittently, but with it, and Vera Lynn on the BBC at often times, life on the off-hours near the Eastern Front was a bit more pleasant. Following WWll, many years of writing shortwave columns for the Newark News Radio Club and Popular Electronics Magazine was always accomplished with Martin Block and “The Make Believe Ballroom” in the background. The columns are gone, the programs are gone, and the station is gone. But I have in my possession one very highly cherished item} an original Glenn Miller recording of the Make Believe Ballroom theme song.

  2. Just stumbled onto the website and enjoyed looking around. But I particularly enjoyed the jingles. Growing up in Manhattan in the 50s and 60s, I felt a little odd listening the WNEW rather than to the rock stations. But I enjoyed the music…and still do (though my wife can’t stand it). Hearing the words “W-N-E-W 11-3-0 in New York” brings me right back to my youth and the the city. Thanks.

    1. I just found this site and hearing those jingles for the first time in 50 years had tears running down my cheeks. Thanks for the memories of my favorite WNEW.

  3. Thank you for this site. It brings back fond memories of my stint there as Continuity Director. Warner Paulsen (sp?) was the GM and the staff was great—I think we all knew that we were working for a very special station. I left to work for WBAI as an announcer. but soon became the GM. That’s when I “stole” a couple of staffers: Joan Henry (William B. Williams’ secretary) and Tom Tracy, a recording engineer, Tom Tracy. During my last week at WNEW, Klavan and Finch noted my departure, with Gene playing me (as he often did) with a Swedish accent (I came from Denmark). I have an aircheck of that, which will go on my blog this week.

    Before I get too carried away, thanks you for evoking so many memories. BTW, please put the “o” in Luis on that photo of Armstrong and Norvo. It was taken in 1943 when WNEW aired one of its great Swing Festivals.

    Chris Albertson

  4. Also, would like to know about some of WNEW’s Christmas and some other items:

    1) Julisus Larosa’s verson of “We Need a Little Christmas”
    2) jingle “WNEW, merry radio, 1130”
    3) jingle “The sound is around, it’s WNEW, NEW, NEW 1130 in New York”

  5. Like so many others I grew up during the golden era of music Sinatra, Nat Cole, Sarah Vaughn and the bands, Bert Kaempfert and Ray Conniff, and AM radio in the metro area. Though my first real recollections of radio in NYC was WMGM (became WHN and god even C&W later) in 1956. At 9 years old, I became a Brooklyn Dodger fan, listening to Ted Brown, Marty Glickman and Gussie Moran do Dodger pre/post game shows from Vero Beach.
    Other golden NY voices was the incomparable Vin Scully and Mel Allen. But I followed Teddy Brown to NEW and listened everyday to Klavan and Finch (until Dee Finch’s heart attack) Willy B. and Bob Landers ( who was doing voice overs for Macy ads) and Pete Myers after he came in from Cleveland. I could ramble on for hours about WNEW, great on air and News Staff (I remember Reid Collins at NEW).
    But one enduring memory and the thing that cemented my feelings for WNEW in my heart was 1967 – 1969, in the Army.
    The NEW signal could be picked up at night at Ft. Gordon in Augusta, GA. Then when I went overseas my parents made reel to reel tapes and sent them to me overseas. A great care package.

  6. I have two scoped airchecks of Ted Brown from 1985 doing morning drive on WNEW. Each one is about 45 minutes and are fairly good quality. Would you be interested in putting them on the site?

    Thanks.

  9. In the ’80s I jockeyed the evening shift for an AM station in Portsmouth, NH. After I signed WAVI off at midnight, I’d tune the transmitter to WNEW and listen to Bob Jones, “your milkman,” as I put away my six hours of music carts. There was nothing quite like WNEW’s music selection. If anyone knows of an Internet or satellite station with a similar playlist, please let me know.

    1. I realize this is a very late response. Try:
      martiniinthemorning.com
      or without anypersonality, jazzradio.com — probably the Sinatra feed.
      Life was better with eleven-three-oh…

  10. Thanks so much for the update. It’s hard for me to believe that just reading the names can bring back such lovely memories. Just thinking of the jingles releases all kinds of endorphins(sp)!! I really miss the station, I never thought it would go off the air.

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