Top Thirty List for WGH - AM
January 2, 1966

Courtesy of Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA

Thanks, Dave!

(This enlarges in two sections.)

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Dave also found this history of WGH-AM on the Web :
<http://vartv.com/hamptonroads.htm>

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Carries the Norfolk Tides Triple-A baseball games. Dates way back to 1928.
This used to be Tidewater's main 'top 40' contemporary station in the 1960s
and early 1970s. This station took to the airwaves in October 1928 as WNEW
(for Newport News). Call letters were changed to WGH about six weeks later
to say 'World's Greatest Harbor.' (The WNEW calls were later taken by the
1130 kHz station in New York City.) WNEW (Newport News) was apparently the
descendant of a station at Virginia Beach, WSEA, which did not last long
and went dark about 1927. This allocation was picked up by a fellow named
Tom Little, who moved it to Newport News. The original WNEW frequency was
briefly 1430, then 1310, then and 1340 after the big frequency shakeup of
1941. In January of 1949, it was moved back to 1310 with a big power
increase from 250 to 5,000 watts and a brand new transmitter and studio
facility in what is now Hampton, VA (city of license stayed Newport News).
Station was an NBC Blue, later ABC affiliate. In the mid-late 1950s, WGH
dumped the network programming for Top 40, with the name "Color Radio" or
alternatively "Color Channel 131." They were still trying to compete with
TV, then only black and white - so the radio had to be color! Go figure.
 From the 50s to the late 60s, many of their jingles said "WGH in Old
Virginia." Also known as Music 131, Mighty Radio, Famous 1310, the Rock of
Virginia, and 13 WGH. Station has been licensed to both Newport News and
Norfolk. From 1954 until 1971, WGH was the home of Bob Calvert, a legendary
local radio announcer who was the inspiration for Wolfman Jack. During the
mid 50s, Bob had a nighttime weekend show in which he became "Baron
Be-Bop," playing R&B music and speaking in a black-affected accent. The
show was wildly popular, and part of the reason they switched to Top 40.
Wolfman Jack at that time was working at 1270 WYOU in Newport News under a
different name. He heard Calvert's act, decided to borrow from it, and the
rest is history! WGH was the number one station in Tidewater from the late
50s until the mid-70s. The format was changed to adult contemporary in the
early 80s, but that failed to recapture the station's former glory. The
stations (AM & 97.3 FM) were sold in 1983. The new owners changed the call
letters on both stations to WNSY. (Jokingly called "We're Not Sure Yet.")
The AM format was switched to oldies. Around late 1984, the call letters
were switched back to WGH on the AM after a difficult battle with the FCC.
Once you give up three-letter calls, they don't like to give them back! The
format was switched to "Real Country" (automated satellite format). After
Susquehanna Radio took over in 1985, the AM format was switched (early
1986) to "Travelers Radio." This was automated information geared toward
tourists. In late 1986, Travelers Radio was dumped and we started
simulcasting with the FM (97 Star... in December 1986 they got WGH-FM calls
back). The simulcasts ended about 1990 when it took CNN Headline News TV
audio, syndicated and formatted for radio. This was a big hit during the
Gulf War. In March 1991, that was dumped for Real Country once again. On
May 30, 1992 country was dumped and Virginia's first only sports station
was born using the 'Sports Entertainment Network'.