Rock Radio Scrapbook

AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK
For week of November 11, 2012
Edition #706

ALL-NIGHT LEGENDS, PT. #12

Talent: DON K. REED
Station: WCBS-FM New York
Date: Jnne 10, 1990
Time: 46:31 (unscoped)

(Larger view here)

For 27 years, Don K. Reed's "Doo-Wop Shop" was a Sunday night institution at WCBS-FM. It was part of what made the station so special. But that history ended with the cancellation of the show as WCBS-FM began moving away from '50s music. The final Doo-Wop Shop was August 25, 2002.

The history of Sunday night Doo-Wop in New York radio began with Gus Gossert on WCBS-FM in 1969. Gossert moved the program to WPIX-FM in 1971, left the station in 1972 and died under mysterious circumstances in 1976. Rock historian and broadcaster Norm N. Nite picked up the Doo-Wop baton in May 1973 with his Sunday night "Nite Train" oldies show on WCBS-FM. Nite left for WNBC two years later and was replaced in the Sunday night slot at WCBS-FM in June 1975 by Don K. Reed, who revived the Doo-Wop Shop name.

For more than a quarter-century, Reed played the great street corner sounds of the '50s and early '60s on Sunday nights in the popular Doo-Wop Shop. He simultaneously did a regular late-night oldies show at WCBS-FM until 1995, when he moved to the all-night slot. Reed was still burning the midnight oil when WCBS-FM switched to the Jack format in June 2005. It concluded a 34-year career at WCBS-FM for Reed, who started there during the station's "free form" days in 1971. Prior to WCBS-FM, Reed was at WLIR on Long Island where he started in 1963.

Hear Don K. Reed with the Doo-Wop Shop here.

(The Don Shuttleworth Collection)

More from The Best of Don Shuttleworth here!