Since the mid 2000’s WISL Radio has broadcast live from Shamokin’s Anthracite Heritage Festival of the Arts on Memorial Day weekend. Each year is a little different, however one thing that remains consistent is WISL Morning Mayor, Tom Kutza is the host of the program.
Courtney Roberts, Bernie Flynn, Al Michaels, Jeff Mattox & Tom Kutza at the 2022 WISL Reunion.
Every year we have been able to provide some WISL history mixed in with other interviews including political figures, local entertainers and WISL listeners. This year, we decided to take a slightly different approach. In 2021, we unveiled our WISL Studio Museum in the Shamokin Museum located at Bamse Coffee at 150 East Lincoln Street. With this focus on the history of WISL, we felt it would be appropriate to focus our broadcast as a WISL Reunion Show.
The response was incredible and we were able to bring quite a few WISL alums together to reminisce about their time at Shamokin’s hometown station. In this exhibit, we present the entire WISL Reunion Show. Listen as Tom Kutza chats with Bernie Flynn, Courtney Roberts, Al Jeffries, Dave Leonard, Chris Roberts, Bob Woodley, James Wagner, Edward Washuta, Joe Anthony and Mikey D in this incredible reunion.
Many big names in radio had their start at some small market radio station. They learned the ropes by working the late shifts, engineering sporting events and remote broadcasts and running public service and religious programming on Sunday mornings. These jobs certainly weren’t glamorous by any means, but for a young person wanting to get their big break, any chance to get behind the mic was worth it, even if you were only reading the weather.
WSOX “Oldies 96.1” Logo
South Central Pennsylvania radio listeners will recognize the name Bob Rudy from his nine years at Oldies 96.1 (WSOX) as half of the “Mad Dog and Rudy Morning Show”. However, few people know that on Christmas Day in 1980, Bob was starting his radio career at WISL.
Bob Rudy remembers:
“Christmas Day (Dec. 25th) 1980. I drove from Etters (Yocumtown) to Shamokin every Sunday evening to do 6:00 PM till Midnight. Live rip-and-read news, sports and weather at the top and bottom of each hour from that teletype machine down the hall, which I believe, was probably one of the first….probably delivered by Marconi. Music 6-8:00, ran a 12” reel-to-reel tape with “Make believe Ballroom” from 8-10:00, then back to music (45 rpm records) from 10:00-Midnight.
I remember being hired by Bernie Flynn.
I couldn’t get my first break (without experience) in the Harrisburg area, but Carol O’Leary’s husband Jim was a part owner of WISL and suggested I call Bernie. Carol was the General Manager of WTPA-FM 104.
After a few months of doing Sunday evenings at WISL, I got my foot in the door with Ben Barber at WIOO-AM 100 in Carlisle. At this point I started doing sign-on at WIOO (about March 1981) until 12:00 Noon, driving home for about 2-3 hours, then heading up to Shamokin to do 6-Midnight. That summer, I filled in a few times (Saturday nights) at Magic 93 in Mechanicsburg (after the QV93 days). At this point I was doing Saturday night in Mechanicsburg, Sunday morning in Carlisle, and Sunday evening in Shamokin…while working a full-time job (outside of radio) during the week.
Eventually, I gave up all three jobs to go part-time at WTPA-FM 104.“
Bob Rudy at KOOL 94.9 in Harrisburg
Bob would work for over sixteen radio stations over the next three decades, and become one of the most recognized voices in Central Pennsylvania radio.
The Pet Guardians Logo
Today, Bob teaches part-time at Elizabethtown College in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He teaches courses on topics that include, International communications, Multicultural Communications, Persuasion and Interpersonal Communication. Bob has also broken into the world of internet broadcasting with his “Pet Guardians Radio” at www.mypetradio.com. They offer an eclectic selection of music and help get the word out about “The Pet Guardians” a great non profit organization that helps find homes for amazing animals. Check out www.petguardians.com to learn more about the great work they are doing.
In August of 1964. WISL radio and Shamokin were catching their piece of the national spotlight, (at least on some level), in the pages of a well known teen magazine. That summer Teen Life Magazine brought their traveling record hop parade to town, just in time for Shamokin’s Centennial celebration. Teen Life Magazine had their own DJ, “cleverly” named T.J who’s job was to travel from town to town across the United States and host record hops, many times bringing a music start or two with him.
from left to right: Doug Moody, Tom Kutza, Kenny Dino, T.J. and Diane Christian
This time, it was Shamokin’s turn. Along with SMASH Records A&R man Doug Moody, T.J. met T.K, (better known as Tom Kutza) and Bernie Flynn of WISL radio. According to Tom, quite a crowd showed up for the even which included live performances from Kenny Dino, a singer who was trying to build a career for himself at the time. Dino’s only chart record was a 1961 release entitled “Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night”, which peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot-100. Dino’s career included a list of strike-outs which included turning down a chance to duet with a young singer named Paul Simon, as well as having his record company refuse to allow him to record the song “Suspicion” which would become a huge hit for Terry Stafford.
Also in Shamokin that night was Diane Christian. Diane was in a number of vocal groups in the early 1960s including The Rosettes, Diane & The Darlings and the Chic-Lets. By early 1964 she was pushing a solo record on SMASH called “Has Anybody Seen My Boyfriend” which did not receive any national attention.
from left to right: Ron Schreffler, Vinny D, Bernie Flynn, Jake Berkheiser, Tom Berkheiser and an unidentified record hop attendee
The local music attraction that night was a group called the Tremelos, not to be confused with the English group, The Tremeloes who had a string of hits in the 1960s including “Silence Is Golden” and “Here Comes My Baby”. This Tremelos group consisted of some local boys; Ron Schreffler and brothers Jake and Tom Berkheiser. Schreffler would later join the group D’Kool & The Kasuals, a band of coal region guys who were signed to and recorded for the Cameo/Parkway label in Philadelphia. The band toured all across the region promoting their biggest hit “She’s Good To Me”.
SMASH records logo
Tom Kutza remembered the “slimy” record promoter who went by the name Vinny D. (pictured along with Bernie Flynn and The Tremelos). Tom recalled that he wore a gold ring on his finger with the letters “V” and “D” embossed on it. According to Kutza, they were staying at a local hotel in Shamokin and surprise everyone in the morning by skipping town without paying their hotel bill.
Regardless of the moral deficiencies of the Teen Life Magazine entourage, Tom said that everyone had a great time at the hop. Tom and Bernie even got their pictures in the August edition of Teen Life, turning the tow young DJs into national celebrities of sorts. Tom told us that after the magazine was published he started receiving “fan” mail from the young female readers, wanting to know more about the “DJ that digs the Big Beat”. Tom was happily married by that time and wanted to stay that way, so those letters only live on in legend.
Here is the original Shamokin portion of the write-up from the August 1964 edition of Teel Life Magazine. We hope you enjoy the 1960s teen speak.
WINNERS IN SHAMOKIN: Shamokin, Pennsylvania is celebrating its 100th birthday come the end of June. Shamokin has also something extra-special to celebrate – their own prize-winning DJs, TOM KUTZA and BERNIE FLYNN, who melt the hot wax as they spin the winners over WISL. Tom and Bernie dig the Big Beat. I can testify to that. The boys had me stomping up a storm when I invaded their territory, together with DOUG MOODY, that curly-headed, blue-eyed A & R Promo Sales Chief for SMASH records. It was a SMASH NITE at the TEEN LIFE Record Hop, emceed by Tom. Bernie and Yours Truly. Doug supplied the SMASH records. For days before the TL hop, Tom and Bernie blasted away over WISL warning one and all not to miss the TL-SMASH Hop… obviously all of Shamokin heard the warning and came to our Hop. It was a wonderful kind of madness. Between dance sets we had LIVE entertainment. KENNY DINO was greeted as though her was a BEATLE, or something. Anyway, Doug and I will be back in the Shamokin-Mt. Carmel area soon. Keep tuned to WISL for dates.
EXHIBIT
This is a PDF of the original “Dialing The DJs with T.J.” Teen Life Magazine spread.
This is how McDonald’s was getting the Big Mac sandwich into the minds of millions of customers in the Mid 1970′s. The original concept, “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun” began as a simple single word heading designed for college newspapers, but quickly grew into a song, a television advertisement and a promotion that had radio listeners trying to say the ingredients as fast as they could for a chance to win prizes. While many still remember the slogan today, the original campaign was ended in 1976, after a mere year and a half run.
1970’s McDonald’s Bumper Sticker
The local McDonald’s on route 61 in Coal Township caught the fever and called on WISL Radio to create some radio buzz over their signature sandwich. Here we find your favorite WISL DJ’s calling on contestants to say the Big Mac ingredients in three seconds or less for a chance to win their choice of a Big Mac T-Shirt or five Big Mac sandwiches. This was certainly a tall task, something even the DJ’s themselves had a hard time doing. Don’t feel bad though, even if they couldn’t get the words out in time they would still walk away with a coupon for a free Big Mac of their own. Everyone was a winner on WISL Radio!
