Archive for September, 2006

The Dick Summer (re) Connection- Chapter 14

Saturday, September 30th, 2006

You know the sound a juicy hamburger makes, when you bite into it… slowly… right next to a microphone turned up to stun ? If you don’t you missed “Summertime, live from the ‘Skyline Studio’ on WIBC in Indianapolis.” “Skyline Studio” was a bit of a stretch. It was just a small studio built on top of a one story drive-in restaurant called “Merrill’s Hi Decker.” But it was like a rock and roll stairway to heaven up there.
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The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 13

Sunday, September 24th, 2006

Quickie quiz…what famous pretend tv newscaster liked to describe his start in broadcasting as…”It all started at a 500 watt station…” (No fair going to Google.) For those of you who have perhaps wisely managed to avoid spending any time in the broadcasting business, here’s a little context. Fire hose AM stations like (the late, great) WNBC and WNEW in New York pour 50,000 watts of power from coast to coast at night. 500 watt stations are more like water pistols that sometimes squirt half way across the sandbox. Everything has to start somewhere, and like the famous pretend tv newscaster, I also started my career at a 500 watt station…WNRC in New Rochelle.
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The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 12

Sunday, September 17th, 2006

The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 12

“Mouth vs. Ear” was something like a combination lunch period food fight and study hall at the Robin Williams High School for Wayward Wise Guys. Barry Manilow and Pat Cooper played. So did battalions of New York City Cops and Firefighters … and thousands of people who were just tired of living all week under adult supervision. It was a Friday night fun free for all. It didn’t start out that way. NBC had to do a couple hours of “Talk” every night on their New York station, WYNY-fm. Naturally they wanted to do it when they figured talk would do their music ratings the least harm.
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The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 11

Tuesday, September 12th, 2006

The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 11

She’s a cigar smoking, truck driving, witchy woman. Man, what a woman. Her real name is Lisa, but her friends call her Olga. Olga the Witch … long black hair, voice like a purr with fur, and a long slow motion smile. I didn’t see Olga walk into the studio. I just looked up, and she was suddenly just standing there in studio 2b at WNBC. Probably just my imagination. The 10PM to Midnight portion of my show was music, and Midnight to 2 AM was talk. I always liked to have “ordinary” people who did extraordinary things as guests on the talk portion. So I asked for mail from folks who figured they qualified.
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The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 10

Saturday, September 9th, 2006

The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 10
“Mid-Town Manhattan’s Midnight Ladies” and “Summer’s 10 Non Political Media Facts”. Plus a PodProgram promo.
Ladies First:
Picture please: Dick “the college kid” Summer standing in the lobby greeting visitors to the NBC New York radio and television studios. Marble floor. 8 hours. Smile anyway. “Good afternoon Mr. Steve Allen.” “Good evening Mr. Bill Cullen.” “Sorry sir, you need an NBC Pass to use these elevators.” That last comment was about the extent of “security” at NBC in those days. Zap ahead a few years and put yourself in my size 10½ s, walking into that same lobby,
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The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 9

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006

The Dick Summer (re) Connection – Chapter 9

I have three stories for you this time:

1- I was just sitting in NBC Radio’s studio 2B, Rockerfeller Center New York, minding my own business. It was around 10 PM on a sultry summer evening in New York. I had earphones (cans) on, and I didn’t hear her walk in the door. Unlike during the day when there were tours, nighttime dress at WNBC was pretty much the same as it is at radio stations all over the country: sport shirt, jeans, and in my case stocking feet.
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