Back in 1973, WCCO-AM 830 was the 10,000 pound gorilla of Twin Cities radio. This 50,000 watt heritage station was always #1 in the ratings by a large margin. The other stations all competed for second place. At the time, WCCO’s 10:00PM news attracted a larger audience than all of the local TV stations combined! Their format was Full Service, as it had been for decades. Legendary personalities like Charlie Boone, Roger Erickson, Howard Viken, Steve Cannon, Franklin Hobbs, and many others made ‘CCO the station Minnesotans turned to more than any other.
For many years, WCCO aired a program called “Honest to Goodness.” Hosted by Steve Edstrom and Ray Christensen, this show aired from 9:06 to 10:00 each weekday evening. Listeners would send in cards, requesting to be called by the program hosts. Steve and Ray would then select a card, call the person, and ask them a trivia question. If the listener answered correctly, they would win the jackpot which started at $8.30. If they gave a wrong answer, the jackpot would be increased in increments of $8.30. A bottle of Old World Panel Care from Plywood Minnesota was always given as a consolation prize. Occasionally, “Abner the Engineer” would drop in a special sound effect, signifying a contestant had won the “bonus” prize for that night’s show. Over time, “Honest to Goodness” became a very popular program. Since WCCO’s clear channel signal reached across the country at night, the station received cards from listeners far away from Minnesota.
The recording is a bit “choppy.” I was only 8 years old when I made it and trying to save tape since I had less than 20 minutes left on the cassette. I’d hit the pause button whenever I thought too much tape was being wasted on unnecessary material. It has been cleaned up as much as possible. This is a long file (15.8MB), but worth the time it takes to download. Recordings of “Honest to Goodness” are somewhat rare. You won’t find many floating around the Internet. At the conclusion of the show, you’ll hear a live news adjacency spot for the Chester E. Groth Music Company. Then, the “Your Nighttime Neighbor to the Nation” Legal ID, followed by the introduction of WCCO newsman Dick Chapman.
This was recorded from my home in Apple Valley, Minnesota, using a Spartan-Atlantic “shoebox” cassette recorder with built-in AM radio. Source tape is an Audio Magnetics C-60 Compact Cassette. A fancy term for a cheap “bag cassette” which typically cost 3 for $1.99 or less.
WCCO_AM_Honest_To_Goodness_February_1973
“Honest to Goodness” was originally hosted by Dick Chapman and Randy Merriman. The only reason I know that is because Edstrom and Christensen would occasionally refer to the Handy Dandy Dick and Randy Accounter Counter.
That would make for a great question if they ever brought back HTG–you could never find the answer on the Internet!
Hi Scott!
I was in 3rd grade when I recorded that clip. I’d go to my school library and page through the World Book Encyclopedia, trying to find the answers to the questions. Fun show, and definitely educational as well.
If I remember correctly, WCCO ended Honest to Goodness in 1974 to make way for CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
Thanks so much for posting this, Drew!
I’ve been looking for this for YEARS! (I thought my younger brother would remember the show, but he only remembers CBS Radio Mystery Theater and I don’t recall that at all.) It’s been impossible to find anything about Honest to Goodness, since I couldn’t remember the name. I just happened across it today, and what a treat then to find your page and recording and hear these guys again. 🙂
I’m 4 years older than you. In ’73, I was listening in the dark in bed in St. Paul, with a small red transistor radio on the pillow next to me, the volume low so my mom wouldn’t hear it, take away the radio, and tell me to go to sleep AGAIN.
Thanks for the memories!
Hello Gene,
I remember when CBS Radio Mystery Theater replaced Honest to Goodness. That was a sad day for me! The other WCCO feature I loved was “UFO, Fact or Fiction.” That aired later in the evening during Franklin Hobbs’ show.