WMAL Fires Chris Core, D.C.'s Longest Running Talk Host

Washington Post ^

[milestogo]

WMAL Fires Chris Core, D.C.'s Longest Running Talk Host

Three years ago, I started a profile of Chris Core, the longtime talk show host on WMAL, like this: "In three decades on the radio in Washington, Chris Core has survived five station owners, four general managers, six program directors and a revolution in talk radio."

But Core didn't survive his sixth station owner. After 33 years on the air here, Core was let go this afternoon in a massive nationwide bloodletting by Citadel Broadcasting, which last year bought ABC Radio, including three Washington stations.

Citadel, which reported big losses last quarter and blamed the deteriorating audience for radio, also scrapped the format of one of its other D.C. stations, Smooth Jazz 105.9 FM, which at 3 p.m. became True Oldies, with a heavy 60s emphasis.

Core, whose morning talk show on 630 AM changed its political colors in recent years, moving to a more emotional flavor of conservatism to match the station's syndicated talk lineup of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, was remarkably sanguine about the move when I spoke to him just now.

"It is what it is--business," he said from his Maryland home. "Nothing personal. If the station had their druthers, they wouldn't do this. But they didn't have their druthers. Over time, you can see where this business has been heading."

AM radio listening has been in decline across the country, but especially in Washington, and especially since all-news WTOP moved from its longtime home at 1500 AM to 103.5 FM. For many younger listeners, AM radio is a relic, something they might use to listen to an occasional ballgame, but that's about it.

[meowmeow]

also scrapped the format of one of its other D.C. stations, Smooth Jazz 105.9 FM, which at 3 p.m. became True Oldies, with a heavy 60s emphasis.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

That's our dinner music!

What a sucky day! The market looks like sh!t and our romantic dinner station was scrapped. I hate the world.

[EverOnward]

Sorry to hear Chris Core got fired. I'll miss listening to him. I wish him well.

I thought someone had changed the smooth jazz station on me at work -- this morning I listened to smooth jazz and then out of nowhere the 60's and 70's rock. I'll miss the smooth jazz format. Geez. Everything's going to h3ll.

[mkjessup]

Washington D.C. radio used to be quite the kaleidoscope of formats, flavors and tastes, I remember when that evil thing called ‘Rock n’ Roll’ came to life at 1600 AM on WINX in Rockville Maryland, the building had a giant neon winking ‘eye’ where Rt 355 and Rt 28 intersected, you couldn’t miss it, day or night.

And friends I have in Bangor Maine tell me they can still pull in WTOP @ 1500 AM in the early morning hours, and WMAL (630 AM) used to have a signal that could be picked up all the way in Miami if atmospheric conditions were right.

And of course WRC-AM at 980 was the broadcast home for a while for noneother than Willard Scott, who resurrected the ‘Joy Boys’ theme with Ed Walker, that was good clean fun the whole family could enjoy.

Other notable personalities I recall are Johnny Holliday (WWDC) and Eddie Gallagher (WASH), I used to be able to do a fair imitation of Gallagher’s voice, and my high school friends and I used to select numbers at random out of the local phone book, and call up the unsuspecting victim and I would pretend to be Eddie Gallagher calling to see if the person knew the “exact amount in the WASH Cash Call Jackpot?”, and no matter what amount they guessed, I would tell them they “missed it by 10 cents!” - it’s a miracle we didn’t cause somebody a heart attack, lol

And of course there is the one and the only Doug Tracht aka ‘The Greaseman’ who took over at the WWDC (DC-101) morning gig after Howard Stern took off for New York, The Grease (IMHO) had 100 times the talent of Stern, but he didn’t have to be filthy or obscene to have you laughing yourself silly.

Washington-Metro has to be one of the most unique radio markets anywhere in America.

[ProfessorGage]

As of six month ago, Grease was back on the air in DC. I was stunned to find him. He’s on an AM station, and he’s doing exactly and precisely the same routines that I first heard him doing in 85. Kind of sad. I guess he’s still there.

[GAB-1955]

I remember the good days at WMAL: Hardin and Weaver in the morning; Felix Grant with real jazz at night; Larry Krebs on the police beat; Terps and Redskins football. That was the classiest station on the dial.

Then, in their ‘silver period’, my wife and I loved John Lyons and Trumbull and Core. I still smile thinking about the taxi driver who reviews movies FROM THE TITLE ALONE; Jackie Bill; W-HAPPY announcer Dennis Clayton; the Hump every Wednesday at 5 p.m., and of course, Andy Parks and his guest flight attendants.

I haven’t been able to listen with the same sense of enjoyment since. I like Rush, but a little of him goes a very long way, and I am not driving long enough to listen anymore.

This, and Bill Buckley died. Darn.

[mkjessup]

As of six months ago, Grease was back on the air in DC. I was stunned to find him. He’s on an AM station, and he’s doing exactly and precisely the same routines that I first heard him doing in 85. Kind of sad. I guess he’s still there.

Oh I wouldn't call that sad, I'd call that 'knowing your niche' and enjoying what you do. Doug Tracht has had a remarkable career, his days at WAPE-AM in Jacksonville Florida (aka 'The Big Ape') are legendary, I consider him one of those figures in broadcasting that are truly 'larger than life'.

I remember one of Grease's routines when he tells the story of taking a vacation in Mexico with his ex-wife 'Estelle', and how they came upon a scene with a man blindfolded, standing before a wall, with Mexican soldiers being given rifles, and he says "An EXECUTION! Estelle! Bring the NIKON!"

He says "the Commandante begins the countdown, 5, 4, 3, and suddenly a soldier puts down his rifle and says 'Senor Commandante', I am feeling ill and cannot do this today' so the Commandante' looks into the crowd and says "Does anyone here know how to fire a Springfield rifle?"

"...being a combat marksman, I put my arm up and said "YEAAHHH buddy!" and the Commandante' puts the rifle into my hands and says "you see ze heart over the chest of the blindfolded man? aim for that heart when I say 'zero', si'?"

I said "AbsoLUTEly!" and I thought to myself, 'they always leave one rifle unloaded so everyone can think they didn't kill the condemned man, but I'm not bothered, so I decide to show off my marksmanship a little, so when the Commandante' counts down '5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ZERO!' I pull the trigger and give 'em a HEAD SHOT! RIGHT between the eyes, the man goes down HARD!

Then the Commandante' walks over to me and says 'Senor? Did YOU shoot the man between the eyes instead of at the heart on his chest?', and I said "You know it! How do you like THAT kind of precision rifle work eh?"

And the Commandante' says "You stupid GRINGO! We were testing a bullet proof VEST!"

UH-ohhhhhhhh...... LOL

[mkjessup]

I remember the good days at WMAL: Hardin and Weaver in the morning; Felix Grant with real jazz at night; Larry Krebs on the police beat; Terps and Redskins football. That was the classiest station on the dial.

No arguments there FRiend, Hardin and Weaver were among the best ever to crack open a microphone and I remember Felix Grant too.

Do you perhaps remember a somewhat 'rogue' broadcaster by the name of Barry Richards on WHMC-AM in Gaithersburg?

As Lou Costello might have said, "he was a baaaaaad boy!" lol

[ProfessorGage]

I loved his Clint Eastwood and gay lover bits the best. Especially when he threw in Stallone.

[mkjessup]

Hysterical!!! I remember that one of his coded phrases for the male reproductive equipment was 'the hydraulics', and one morning he calls up some construction outfit in Waldorf Maryland called 'Don's Hydraulics' (I know you can see where this is going) and the girl answers the phone "Good Morning, Don's Hydraulics" and Grease plays her like a violin, he says "I'm calling from DC-101, we may have need for Don's Hydraulics, and it's our understanding that Don has the largest hydraulics in town, is that true?"

The girl says, "well I've been told that", and Grease says "But you haven't personally seen the hydraulics yourself?" and she says "No, I just work here in the office", and Grease finishes her off and asks "Would it be fair to say that after you've had Don's Hydraulics working for you, that you're just spoiled for anyone else?"

The girl says "welll, I suppose you could say that" and Grease says "hobble-doo-hobbble-doo-haaaahhh, you just DID!"

[ProfessorGage]

Remember his “All the Inbred People” song, sung to the tune of “All the Lonely People”?

Bill Ray Bodine
big ole tattoo says he’d rather be dead than be red
Lives in a tool shed
works on the highway...

[mkjessup]

LOL, sorry to say I don’t remember that one, but somewhere on the web there is a site with almost every routine Grease ever did available free for download, I’ll have to try and find it!

Of course my all time favorite is when he wonders “what it must be like, to strap on a gun, pin on a badge, and become a LAAAWWWWWW-*MAN* !!!!” :) — great stuff!

[leadhead]

I remember the good days at WMAL: Hardin and Weaver in the morning;

In the 60s, I drove to work listening to them. Miss Janitor, Phil Dirt, Chuck Roast were Weaver's character voices (he also did the Smokey the Bear PSAs). Even the commercials were funny- The Lotus Chinese Restaurant was always introduced with the "Wong" time, because Sam Wong owned it.

Those were the days! Not the Sturm und Drang of today. They were followed by the Don McNeil Breakfast Club for years. But Paul(the pause) Harvey is still there!

[ProfessorGage]

Oh, shoot! Which bit always began with the Batman theme music? Fudge Man is coming to mind. Was that a bit? And if so, what was it all about (other than the obvious)?

[leadhead]

Sorry to hear Chris Core got fired. I'll miss listening to him. I wish him well.

I'm sure Westwood or XM will pick him up. He's been in the business long enough to have loads of contacts to sponsor him. His buddy, Arch Campbell got the ax years ago but has still found a niche in town. Funny it comes about a week after his co-host after Trumbell, Brook Stevens, died.

[mkjessup]

I vaguely remember Fudge Man, but what I find amusing is that when I went to Google up 'Fudge Man' with a search condition of "Grease", Google found this very thread we're posting in, and YOUR comment at #16 was picked up by Google 14 minutes ago.

So if the Grease ever Googles himself,

YO GREASE!!! It's MKJ!!! We talked back in '90, remember?

[hmmmm, crickets chirping, lol]

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

Already posted:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978423/posts?q=1&;page=1#1

[jimfree]

I hadn’t heard about Brook. I do remember that she had a chronic health problem. I enjoyed hearing her sing with a big band.