This Calls For A Blog Entry

I was twenty and skinny. I looked like I was 14. I had a 1960 VW that mostly didn’t run. My apartment in Lake Worth had no air conditioning. Brutal.

I was program director at Mother. It was more like being a traffic cop.

My email often contains unexpected treasures. I am easy to find.

Dear Geoff-

I ran across your site a few years ago but did’nt feel the urge to write until I realized that time is of the essence and we’re not getting any younger (how about those cliches?).

Since you were the first PD at Mother, I figured you would be able to help me out. I grew up in South Florida and lived in Lantana when WMUM was on the air so it was about the only station we listened to and responsible for alot of my tastes in music to this day,for better or worse.

I was wondering if you have any airchecks from the station which could be posted on your site or maybe Youtube or somewhere else? I’ve been looking for years with no luck and as I’m now in my sixties I would love to try to recapture some of that special time before it’s too late.

Sorry that this sounds so dire,but I think you get my drift. Thanks for any help you can give- Pete

For readability I have added paragraph breaks to Pete’s email.

Good god! I went to WMUM sometime in 1970. What a strange trip that was!

More on that momentarily.

Hi Peter,

First, thanks for listening. Thanks for remembering. It’s been over 40 years.

Someone sent me a few airchecks while I was in Connecticut. I’m not sure they made the move. If I come across them, I will make a copy for you.

I haven’t thought about WMUM in a while. This calls for a blog entry.

All the best,
Geoff Fox

Culturally, the early 70s can be considered “the sixties.” The sixties ended when Nixon resigned.

I was working part time in Fall River, MA. I’d dropped out of college. The company I was with offered me a job in Florida at their FM station.

$160 for a six day week. Imagine.

FM was just getting a toehold. The ‘big stations’ were still all on AM. Most cars only had AM radios.

We called the station “Mother.” Our format was “underground.” We spoke in soft whispers. We played inside tracks.

We were pretty far left in our politics. It was the height of the Vietnam War. We ran PSAs for clinics helping men avoid the draft.

WMUM was located on the beach in Palm Beach, Florida. Walk out our front yard–next stop Europe! The fire red Sun rose from the sea in our large picture window every morning.

The property later became a private residence. It’s now a medium rise condo.

Our property ended at the south edge of the Lake Worth municipal beach. Hence&#185, a year round stream of scantily clad young women.

I was twenty and skinny. I looked like I was 14. I had a 1960 VW that mostly didn’t run. My apartment in Lake Worth had no air conditioning. Brutal.

I was program director at Mother. It was more like being a traffic cop. I may have fired someone for smoking a joint in the studio. Only a fuzzy memory. I make no claim at being a good administrator. I didn’t know what I was doing.

It was a quirky station. The format proved mostly unsuccessful nationwide. I moved on to more mainstream radio.

&#185 – This is my first unforced “hence” usage.

3 thoughts on “This Calls For A Blog Entry”

  1. Personally I prefer AM stations. I like the music, because it seems to be more like dop wop, instead of hard rock. They have some excellent news sttions too.

    What is Mother? I can’t read the article about WMUM, the print is to small. Can you make it a little larger? I have my settings at 800×600 too.

  2. Funny how we have lived in some of the same places…I’m originally from Ct,,moved to west coast St.Pete, Fl in ’76 then to east coast Lake Worth to live with my brother in 79…He moved to Boynton Beach about ’73 then Lake Worth and is still there.I moved to an area south of Buffalo early 80’s for a while then back to Ct in 86,,and you were on WTNH around then.I remember you mentioning all the places you had lived and worked and thought it was cool that you lived in some of the same places as me and felt a sort of kinship with you. Also coincidentally my ex moved to Ca a few years ago but ended up coming back to CT. Maybe its my turn for Ca soon lol!Lake Worth was a nice town in the 70s/80s.havent been there in years.

  3. Judy, I’m originally from So. Calif. When I met my husband online, he convinced me to move to CT. It was a mistake moving here. During the winter, I freeze. During the spring & summer, I suffer with allergies, due to the pollen in the air. It won’t be much longer before I move back to California again. I left my heart in CA. I have numerous friends and relatives. Plus I miss the food, especially produce. When I’m visiting So. CA, I must eat at Lawry’s (known for their prime rib), Farmers Market (numerous foods for any taste), North Woods Inn, Philippes (best french dip sandwiches I’ve ever tasted), I could go on & on about restaurants in the LA area. I am growing hungry just thinking about the food there. Also I like to travel to the middle of the state for fresh apricots, white peaches & cherries. They have a lot of places like Bishops and Lyman Orchards.

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