WPBC was the station my father listened to. Near 10 or 100 on your radio dial, it was on in our house and in our cars. I remember riding around with him on Saturday afternoons in his new Ford Maverick, listening to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on that great Philco Ford AM radio. My dad was not a “radio person” by any means. Even so, when WPBC left the air in November, 1972, it was a BIG deal to him!
This tape was made less than 2 months before WPBC was sold to Fairchild, becoming Oldies outlet WYOO. I was only 8 years old when this recording was made, so the caliber of my equipment leaves much to be desired. It was obtained using an Atlantic “shoebox” portable cassette recorder with built-in AM radio. Source tape was an inexpensive Audio Magnetics C-60 “bag” cassette. I’m amazed the tape has held up this well after 47 years.
Recordings of WPBC are relatively rare. Not everyone had a tape recorder back in those days. Even if they did, how many people record and then save tape of a radio station for nearly 5 decades? Here’s a sample of WPBC during their final weeks, playing the prettier popular music for easier listening on 980 AM. You’ll hear 2 of WPBC’s staff announcers as well as owners Bill and Becky Ann Stewart, voicing the commercial for Schiller’s Bavarian Style Supermarket in Shoreview. Also included are spots for Perkins Cake and Steak House and one for Merit Chevrolet “on St. Paul’s east side” which was produced over at WCCO.