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Dick
Snyder
February
1962
Dick kept afternoons moving in the early
sixties. He says Program Director Tommy Saunders, put him on the
overnight show in September of 1961. In January, '62, he was moved
to afternoon drive (2-6 PM) and ran the telephone voting each
afternoon from 3 to 5pm. Dick fondly remembers "WOLF was a mini
powerhouse, and we actually beat WNDR and Joey Reynolds in the
Hooper Ratings for 3 straight months. But we didn't have the money
or the momentum to sustain our numbers and in May of '62 Marv Albert
and I were hired by WNDR during the course of a wild week of
strategic mistakes made by the P.D. at the time, Bob Dell.
Since
leaving Syracuse in '63, I've been in Albany, Toledo and Portland,
Maine where I moved up the ranks to VP & GM of WJBQ, the WOLF of
Portland. I stayed in Portland for 30 years before moving to
Florida." After 4 1/2 years at WXEL (Public Radio/TV) in West
Palm Beach, he joined Vero Beach Broadcasters, Vero Beach,
Florida as General Sales Manger of 3 FM's (WGYL, WOSN and WGNX) and
one AM station (WTTB). Ironically, the AM station is licensed to
1490. And his boss was James K. Davis, another former WOLF
personality of the 60's. "Jim and I worked together in Albany and
Toledo in the late 60's and we were always in touch. Jim took over
as General Manger of the 4 station, family owned company in March of
2003." Rick currently is in private business and still in
Florida.
Thanks Rick as he is now known, for some great
memories.
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Marv Albert
February 1962
One in the same Your man Marv Albert heard on
WOLF in 1962 while Attending Syracuse University from 1960 to 1963.
He later graduated from New York University in 1965. Marv has served
as the play-by-play voice for the New York Knicks on radio, as well
as hosting the nightly wrap up show, SportsDesk, on Madison Square
Garden Network (MSG). Albert worked for NBC Sports from 1977-1997,
serving as primary play-by-play voice for NBA on NBC, along with
play-by-play announcing for college basketball, boxing, NFL
football, NHL all-star games, baseball studio and pre-game shows.
Marv was rehired to MSG and Turner networks in 1998 and he re-signed
with NBC in 1999. In 1997, he was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award
by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, one of the highest
honors given to sports journalists. Marv has also won six CableAce
Awards (1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) for Outstanding
Play-By-Play Announcer, and was named New York State Sportscaster of
the Year an unprecedented 20 times. He has won three New York Emmy
awards in the Outstanding On-Camera Personality category and was
part of the production team that won local New York Emmy's for
Knicks basketball coverage. Brothers Al and Steve are each
well-known sportscasters for boxing events. His son, Kenny, is one
of MSG's voices for New York Rangers games on radio. Marv has three
other children, Brian, Denise and Jackie. Marv resides in New York
City. This aircheck is from February 15, 6 to 7pm and opens with
Hank Greenwald and a report on the Syracuse Nationals (then an NBA
team later to become the Philadelphia 76ers).
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Ron Roberts & Hank
Greenwald
February 1962
The tail end of the Ron Roberts show into
WOLF Impact News at 5:55 am. Hank Greenwald signs on as "Oh Henry,
to make a short story long" as he says. Included in this clip is the
6:25 report, which includes the North East Radio Network Weather
Roundup. In addition to Ted Jones who voices the intro, these
reports from across the region feature an unnamed reporter from
Jamestown, Ed Meath from Rochester (who had been with WHEC since
1947), Bill Pierce from Scranton, Dean Harris from Syracuse (later
at WHEN) and John Stevenson from
Schenectady.
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Bob Dell
February
1962
Dell preceded George Brewer
as morning man on WOLF coming from WNDR in 1962 later moving to
afternoons.
He moved on to WTAC in
Flint, Michigan, WOWO Fort Wayne, WIND and WKQX in Chicago and was
last at WWL in New Orleans mornings 5 to 9 on the News/Talk
station.
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Rick Ryder
June 1963
Apparently there are several stories of how the name Rick Ryder
came about. One according to Nolan Stephany's documentary "Rock and
Roll Radio, The WNDR and WOLF Story!" was that the WNDR jocks were
producing promos asking the WOLF jocks questions, but using similar
names like Tim Whims (for Jim Sims) and Rick Ryder (for Dick
Snyder).
The "REAL" Rick Ryder (Tim Huppman) who spent a number
of years at WOLF tells another. He says "Dick Snyder suddenly left
WOLF for a job at WNDR. At the time, I was breaking in for weekend
PT work at WOLF. The WOLF managers asked me to fill in (temp)
night-time and asked me to use the name Rick Ryder as kind of a
'dig' against Dick Snyder. Took NDR' a few days to figure out they
were airing a promo for a real person. We were amazed they didn't
pick up on it right away."
Here is the Real Rick Ryder from the
summer of 1963.
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Bud
Ballou
1964
Syracuse's most popular disc jockey of all
time. Known to his fans as the "Blooming Idiot", Bud became host of
his own TV dance show afternoons on then WNYS TV channel 9
premiering early in 1965. Some pictures of the show are on Picture
Page 13.
According to Rick Ryder, Bud was originally hired at
WOLF for part time/weekend work. His full time day job was at
Western Electric on Thompson Road. Bud was an electronic tech and
quit that when offered full time at WOLF. Most likely the best
decision he and WOLF ever made.
In this aircheck you'll hear
Bud's infamous interview with the Beatles aired on WOLF February 8,
1964 along with a clip of a show.
When he left Syracuse he went
to KBTR, Denver. Then to Buffalo to replace the great Joey Reynolds on
WKBW. He later moved to
WMEX, and WVBF in Boston where he was to stay through the end of
sixties and seventies until his death. (See the Bud
Ballou page here)
Bud
Ballou died of complications from a stroke April 15,
1977.
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Windy Craig "The Weird
Beard"
Fred Winston (News)
May 1964
Popular afternoon
personality in the mid 60's. Windy took part in one of the biggest
radio promotion to that date. At Suburban park in Manlius, a a
popular amusement park in a suburb of Syracuse, Windy set a ferris
wheel riding record. 183 hours 2 minutes, which attracted national
attention. Windy Craig was later to become a prominent production
man in NYC and part of National Lampoon, and is pictured on several
of their albums. At the end you'll hear a very young Fred Winston
newscast. Fred went on to Chicago to WLS among others. Fred Winston KQV
page or Fred Winston's Chili recipe
on the History of
WLS site.
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Jim Davies on the Fred Winston Show
November 1964
With the departure of Bud Ballou there
were some very large shoes to fill. Fred Winston did nicely until
his departure in December of '64.
From November 23, 1964, you'll
hear Fred then Jim Davies an SU student at the time with bannerline
news on the half hour and news at :55.
Jim calls this
an "interesting newscast because it features a lengthy
actuality from (then) former WOLF newsman Ed Clancy, who was at the
time working in (Albany)"
Many thanks for this aircheck from the
vaults of Jim Davies (WOLF News
9/63-3/65).
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Windy
Craig "The Weird Beard"
December 1964
Popular afternoon
personality in the mid 60's. This aircheck one of several courtesy
of Ted Smith - WBNS TV, Columbus. Although the quality is marginal
(recorded with a microphone) it is great to hear again. Recorded the
Monday after Christmas 1964. Windy Craig can be heard today as he
introduces the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" among numerous
commercials across the country.
Windy Craig was also part of
National Lampoon in the 70's, and is pictured on several of their
albums. _______________________________________________________________________________
Dandy Dan
Leonard
December
1964
Dan Leonard, former WOLF and
WNDR great died February 11, 2002 in California of cancer according
to The Syracuse Post Standard's Bill LaRue.
This aircheck one of several courtesy of
Ted Smith - WBNS TV, Columbus. Although the quality is marginal
(recorded with a microphone) it is great to hear again. Recorded the
Monday after Christmas 1964.
According to the WOLF story, Dan Leonard came to
Syracuse as a news director at WNDR in 1952 and became a disc jockey
in 1957. Until 1963 he established himself as the "Dean of Syracuse
Radio". Then in the late summer of 1963 'Dandy' Dan Leonard made the
switch to WOLF.
Dan
Leonard and Bud Ballou were the "one-two" punch in Syracuse Radio
with 87 percent of the total listening audience on WOLF late
1963 through 1964. It wasn't until Bud Ballou's departure that
Leonard eventually returned to WNDR in 1965 as well. Dandy Dan was
probably responsible for more record hops in Syracuse than any other
disc jockey. He hosted The Teen Canteen where you could see artists
like Sam and the Twisters, Don Barber and the Dukes, The Monterays,
Paul Anka and Bobby Rydell all for a buck!
Dan Leonard was
honored in 1993 with the first Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Syracuse Area Music Awards.
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WOLF AIRCHECKS Page
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