This may be one of the rarest and most unusual KDWB airchecks of the late 1970s. Immediately following Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” which aired each Sunday from 7-10PM, KDWB would split the AM and FM signals. This in itself was a rare occurrence. I believe this was the only time that Doubleday split the simulcast during the “FM 101 and AM 63” era of September, 1976 to September, 1979. Notice the Legal ID given is for KDWB-AM. The board operator made a mistake here. This program was being aired exclusively on the FM station.
“Blueberry Bill” claimed to broadcast from a ballroom. The music he played was considered “retro” at the time: classic hits from the big band era. A radical departure from KDWB’s Top 40 programming for sure. You’ll also notice some light static in the signal as Bill speaks. I’m guessing a Marti or similar remote pickup system was being used to relay the broadcast from the ballroom to the KDWB studios (?) I lived only a few miles from KDWB-FM’s transmitter in Eagan, so their signal was always full-scale and solid at my location.
If anyone knows more about this show, please share with us. I was a devout listener of American Top 40, so I’d hear it come on each week after Casey had finished the countdown. Other than that, I know very little about this late Sunday night feature. I just happened to catch this on tape since I was recording AT40. When it ended, I let the cassette roll until the tape ran out a few minutes later. You can hear the tape go into the leader at the end of this aircheck.
This was recorded from my home in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Equipment used was a Sears AM/FM/cassette monaural portable unit and a Realistic Concertape C-60. Nothing fancy, but the recording somehow managed to survive for 41 years!
KDWB_FM_Blueberry_Bill_June_3_1978