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Assassination of President John F Kennedy radio coverage

"FOUR DARK DAYS IN NOVEMBER" 
A recorded compilation of news scripts and audio actualities prepared for a nonprofit LP record of audio surrounding the coverage of the assassination of President John F Kennedy. The album was a re-creation taken from actual recordings broadcast that four day period, beginning November 22, 1963, and broadcast over WQMR and WGAY-FM radio in Washington DC. Many of the narratives were re-recorded and the music heard at the beginning of track one was taken from a needle drop transcription and not actually broadcast. The album was produced by WQMR WGAY-FM Manager, Ed Winton, who narrated the record. Proceeds for consumer acquisition of the record were given to the family of slain Dallas police officer J. D. Tippett.

Archive.org audio files  | Search Amazon.com for four dark days in november | Search Amazon.com for assassination of kennedy

WQMR, Washington, DC

http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/wqmr.htm

WQMR Silver Spring MD

Originally WGAY, on Kemp Mill Road, was owned by John Kluge, a produce distributor who eventually became METROMEDIA czar. Kluge sold WGAY, a 1kw daytimer, to country music exec Connie B. Gay who obviously kept the call letters. When the 'concert hall' format was established by GM Ed Winton February 1, 1960, the WGAY calls were kept on the FM and AM became WQMR. R A Campbell relates..."When the plans to demolish the Kemp Mill Road studios and move to the World Building were undertaken, Kluge came by to say 'goodbye' he told me he would like to keep some old award memorabilia displayed in the lobby".

WQMR, Washington, DC

There were small postal offices in downtown DC on Albermarle Street and Wisconsin Ave but the studios were on Kemp Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD and in mid 60`s on Georgia Ave Silver Spring, MD in the World Building. R A Campbell recalls his first 1962 shift at WQMR/WGAY at Kemp Mill Road, was weeknights 6pm to Midnight on FM, (AM signed-off at sunset). Prior to this the FM was running country 45's from a jukbox in a closet just outside the production studio. The jukebox was shut down and the 'great albums of beautiful music' continued through the evening. "I relieved Ken Flynn who frequently hung around to break me up during the 6:30PM news. Once he shut off the lights and I had to read the news from the illumination of the VU meter, at the right, on the Gates Yard console. I recall once I had the hiccups on a `headline news` and had to use five actualities to cover- reading one sentence intros to each. One hiccup escaped during my weather". Campbell became News Director in 1965 and left in 1967 to WRIO in Southern New Jersey as GM.

One of the original beautiful music stations was an AM station in Patterson NJ. WPAT was getting great numbers in the 'NYC ratings book' in the 1950s. Ed Winton worked with Gordon McClendon in Dallas and built up the numbers of KLIF-FM, & KABL (San Francisco) with the format. Then he moved on to WGAY with the 'Concert Hall' sound. It started out with a heavy echo to add depth, actually it sounded hollow and was dropped for a normal sound.

WQMR, Washington, DC

WQMR, Washington, DC

WQMR, Washington, DC

Bill Halvorsen's WQMR WGAY Memories