Late ’88

During the late 1980’s record companies were slowly phasing out vinyl records and promoting compact disc technology and cassette singles. While working at WRCO, I was challenged with getting the new music. We were subscribers to a music industry magazine known as the Gavin Report. Record companies would send all of the subscribing stations new music. Music was coming to us in all of the formats and what we did not get for free was purchased locally in downtown Richland Center at the Music Shop. I was the fearless late morning/afternoon jock on the WRCO airwaves. That year June and I bought a house in Little Willow, and it was about 12 miles from the radio station. There were many white-knuckle rides to WRCO between the wildlife and bad winter roads. When I began doing the early 5 am shift in the spring of 1990, it was an adventure every morning from November through March in my 2-wheel drive Chevy S-10 with barn lime weight in the back. Only once was I late before a County Truck driver saved me with sand under my wheels so I could spin up a small hill and around a hairpin turn.

The music of the late 1980’s is not always my favorite era, however, on this Saturday’s Those Were the Days radio show I will make the case that the fall of 1988 had some memorable ditty’s. Some of my top mix tape choices include Love Bites-Def Leppard, Don’t Be Cruel-Cheap Trick, I Hate Myself For Loving You-Joan Jett, Kokomo-Beach Boys, Fallen Angel-Poison, Bad Medicine-Bon Jovi, Sweet Child O’ Mine-Guns N’ Roses, Desire-U2. In Your Room-Bangles, Simply Irresistible-Robert Palmer, and Forever Young-Rod Stewart. All of those songs were in the Top 40 in mid-October 1988.

I hope you can drop by for a few minutes or all six hours this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9, WRCO.com, or by downloading the Civic Media app. My Those Were the Days show just celebrated 39 years of being on the air. It is now heading into the 40th year! I can’t believe how the time has flown. One other anniversary of note is that WRCO first signed on October 18th of 1949. We will celebrate 76 years of a having a local voice Saturday night.

Phil