Rock Radio Scrapbook: AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK

Talent: CHRIS CLARK
Station: WYSL Buffalo, N.Y.
Date: February 9, 1968
Time: 4:31

(l-r: Sean Grabowski, Gary Byrd, Kevin O'Connell, Jeff Heustis, Chris Clark, Jim Bradley, Paxton Mills)
Larger view here. (Courtesy: Terry Corcoran)

At 1,000 watts by day, and 250 watts by night, WYSL didn't exactly blanket the Eastern seaboard like its Top 40 competitor WKBW. But many outstanding talents passed through its doors, and listeners and employees still remember it fondly many years after its call letters disappeared from the 1400 spot on the Buffalo, N.Y., AM dial.

The roots of WYSL go back to January, 1948 when WXRA Kenmore, N.Y., signed on at 1080 on the AM dial. It was originally owned by Thaddeus Podbielniak and Edwin R. Sanders (The Western New York Broadcasting Company). George "Hound Dog" Lorenz was an announcer there until he was fired for playing too much "race music", as R&B used to be called. John W. Kluge bought the station in 1957 and promptly changed the call letters to Top 40 and the call letters to WINE. In 1960, Gordon McClendon purchased WINE, dropped Top 40 in favour of beautiful music and changed the call letters to WYSL (for "Whistle"). The station moved to 1400 in late 1961 and flipped to a Top 40 format in early 1966. WYSL continued playing hit music until it turned in its call letters September 10, 1986, and became a full-time simulcast of WYSL-FM.

Paul Palo was one of WYSL's early Top 40 jocks as Chris Clark. Palo tells Rock Radio Scrapbook about his career and the early days of WYSL:

"My life in this business started when I was 16 back in North East Ohio in a town call Conneaut and WWOW went on the air with 500 watts of daytime power. Being a nighttime relentless fan of Dick Biondi, WLS, I loved music and the power of communication. I figured this was something I could do, so after much looking thru the glass at DJs a couple of the jocks let me run the board for them on weekends and the next thing I was working Sunday morning running tapes and reading breaks etc. after much practice and help from those great guys from Virginia, Jamestown and Maryland.

I was cheap labor at $1.50 an hour. One of those guys in that little station was from Cleveland, the late Ernie Anderson who I would 20 something years later meet in LA at ABC where he was the voice of network promos "You know..On the Loveeee Boat". I worked my way up the food chain and finally got full time at around 80 bucks in 1964 after high school, But I had my own profitable business running dances and hops and bringing in rock acts like little Anthony and The Duprees which was part of my deal with the manager "free promos" as long as I promoted the station. I even had my own shirts made at my expense with the call letters.

After a year or so in Ohio one of the other jocks "Charlie Brown" Larry Snyder at WOW got a gig in Erie, PA and the next thing I was working at WWGO in Erie. In 1966 I met PD Larry Vance and got the early afternoon in Buffalo on WYSL using the name Chris Clark. (I always hated that name because my real name sounded like a radio name anyway) We were know as "little whistle" with heavy echo & lots of screaming and shouting as part of the format. We didn't even need a transmitter!! We had blue blazers with the call letters and the Bills were in the playoffs so we all had to have our hair died white and blue. That was one time I was glad they lost in the playoffs early and I am a giant Bills fan. It was then I found the real joy of hats. So here we are Jack Mindy, Tim Kelly and me sharing a big house on Elmwood Ave....now that's the sounds like an on going party. It was, we did and I won't tell.

Paul Palo with Frank Zappa (Courtesy: Paul Palo)

The hair grew back, but Uncle Sam wanted me for six months of active duty with the NY National Guard. Late in 67 Sean Grabowski was the PD, but I was hired back doing the news. Now that was something foreign to rip and read me, amidst the greatness of Ed Little, Jack Mall and Brad Messer's 20 20 news. Brad Messer was one of the most amazing talents I have seen and could have written and done TV shows or anything. He made the news compelling & interesting by his very visual creative writing. Please give an hear to singing news (see below). Jim McLaughlin was the new news director and taught me so much about news, writing and ethics of reporting. I made a lot of mistakes, but finally learned to read over that hot teletype sound effect and weather jingles and such as Paul Palo. Sean even got me back on the air and I was a man with two names depending on news or DJ.

In 1969 McLendon let the FM sidesplit to go progressive and I got the job as PD and at 7 till dawn we blasted Stones, CCR, Joni Mitchell, and anything and everything. The beginning of "Sets" and free form rock. I formulated the format from tapes of KSAN in San Francisco and CHUM-FM and anything I could steal. I always thought air personalities should have their own choice as artists. Seems to me "Jack" tries to achieve that essence even today.

We brought George Hamberger for nights from the cold of the roaming Van and Jim Santella did the evening show. Then it was really a full-time job with a shift on AM and the FM was given the calls WPHD which regardless of what anyone says had no real hidden significance. We called it frequency modulation for no particular reason. It just sounded cool. Hamberger, Santella, Freddie Mann, Carl Walters and a very young Cal Brady. I still remember the first Led Zep album, we all were just blown away...it was a defining moment for progressive radio in my mind. I love George Hamberger, but on the all night show he was a little overworked and during long cuts had an enormous alarm clock strapped on with a head band set for the length of the song so he could get in a short snooze.

Well Woodstock, more free form, "progresso" starts at WPHD (what's that?) and I am asked to take a hike in 1970. Back to news and producing kind of mini docs for WUFO, the R and B station and their two other stations in Miami and Pittsburgh. Don Blakley GM, hires me to do news at WBFO and I work with inner city kids on Jefferson Ave to hone potential radio jobs. Great people, great job.

Paul Palo at WBUF in 1978 (Courtesy: Paul Palo)

1974 - Back at WYSL for weekend stint, Kevin O'Connell PD. Also during that time (mid 70s) Cal Brady and I formed a TV production company and we began making commercials and short films on 16mm. We both learned by trial and error and got pretty good, bought cameras and editing equipment and had a few good clients. I remember we would shoot things and run down to the TV stations to get our film processed. In many ways Cal was my film school and he had more experience shooting film earlier.

1977 - Cal Brady PD at WBUF. I am morning jock until 1979 with a parrot "Big Al". My wife Linda is film critic and later becomes casting director for Francis Ford Coppola. She teaches every summer at a special Buffalo comes to Hollywood for actors and directors. Cal Brady later goes on to head up production at Channel 29 on Grand Island and production director at KHJ in LA for several years.

I also meet my life teacher Bill Pezimenti at BUF and produce and he writes the most outstanding humorous irreverent commercials ever heard in Buffalo. I kind soft-spoken man who I proud to say I am with friends today. I owe him my first.gig at TV in LA to his style of writing and creative mind and freedom to be anything.

1982 - KABC-TV Los Angeles- producer/writer for local promos for news on 14 radio stations. Worked with Ernie Anderson who I meet in Ohio years earlier. Cranky as ever. He says "Who wrote these Jokes".

1989 - Formed another production company in LA where we made documentaries, commercials and educational projects and a real estate TV show from a little space at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. We also worked in New Media and made several CD Roms on the space program and Solar System.

3 telly awards, 1 Parents choice Award for Educational CD "Voyage Through The Solar System"

Footnotes...

- I forgot the parrot "Big Al" was being taken care of by the late Bob Allen and he was the main guy who turned WBUF progressive and deserves all due credit for that. I liked Bob and his unforgettable Franklin's Furnace show.

- 1978 WBUF Dave LaRussa starts a weekly show "Anything that's Rock and Roll" He worked in the music business and was manager of a group called "Giant Sand" (which many years later spawned Calexico) in Arizona where he is still active in writing, music and human rights issues.

- Tom Hallick of "The Young and Restless" and countless staring roles on Cold Case and many TV shows was at one-time host of an experiment on WYSL into talk radio during the Larry Vance era. It was called "Talk of Buffalo" and was supposed to be confrontational and political in nature. Not sure how long the program lasted, but also remember Larry Vance doing the show as well

Well here I am Los Angeles, working with my wife casting, acting and some voiceover work. Everything I learned is the result of all the great folks in Buffalo who helped me and gave me a chance. Buffalo is always my home."

Enjoy Chris Clark on WYSL here.

(The Paul Palo Collection)

This rare aircheck showcases the talents of Brad Messer, whose 47-year radio career included time at WYSL.