Back in 2007 I wrote a post about the ephemeral nature of radio. No matter how talented the announcer, his fame is more fleeting than others. Because, for the most part, as soon as audio is broadcast, it's gone. In my post I talked about the legacy of Frank Harden and Jackson Weaver, the morning team at WMAL 630 AM in Washington, DC for 32 years.
Although Harden and Weaver were a part of Washington culture, once they retired the morning show changed and their legacy vanished.
Fortunately, it appears I was wrong. I recently ran across this audio clip on YouTube (yes, there's video, but it's filler). "JKlem," a copywriter for WMAL back in the day posted some audio he had of a typical Harden and Weaver broadcast from 1970. It's an amazing time capsule, and although some of their most famous characters and segments are missing, it can give you a good idea of what their show was like.
At one point in time, one-quarter of the Washington area audience tuned in to Harden and Weaver. Their conversational, gentle banter made them everyone's neighbor, as you'll hear. And if you listen carefully, you'll also hear two other Washington DC radio legends -- Willard Scott and Ed Walker, AKA the Joy Boys. They do the commercial for Ted Britt Ford at 7:10, and Willard Scott returns in an ad at 16:30.
There's more to personality radio than shouting pundits. Let Harden and Weaver demonstrate.
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