1978-1985 was a period of the changing of the guard at WREB.
In 1978, talk show host Tracy Cole was sidelined due to a serious illness.
In 1979, the recently hired John T. McRedmond unexpectedly left the station and went to California.
In 1980, Barbara Heisler, the longtime, esteemed announcer, talk show host, and interviewer, secured a morning show at WPTF in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1982, Wayne Denis, Sports Director and longtime station fixture, along with talk show hosts Willard Womack and George Murphy, went on to pursue other interests.
In 1983, Richard Lavigne, the station’s News Director since 1956, retired.
Change is inevitable. The station lost a lot of talent, personality, and voices that were ingrained in their listeners like family. There was an infusion of new blood to fill the void. Jonathan Evans was a talented talk show host who filled Mr. McRedmond’s morning show. Also, Ron Chimelis, who owned the Chicopee Herald newspaper, and Helen Oates were hired to host talk programming. Russ Connor had his late-day sports talk show.
One of the highlights of the period included a 1978 on-air show with Butch & Maeve, the husband and wife duo playing Irish music. The station broadcast Holyoke Millers daytime baseball games from Mackenzie Stadium. In 1979, the station set up at Critters’ n Cages to broadcast all day from the store at 1500 Northampton Street.
Mayor Ernest J. Proulx declared Thursday, June 26, 1980, “Holyoke Elder Appreciation Day.” Willard Womack from the radio station arranged the festivities to coincide with the weekly farmers’ market at Veterans Park. WREB and P. B. Bresnahan Insurance co-sponsored the event.
Talk show hosts Jonathan Evans swam to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation (1980), and George Murphy rode the Mt. Park roller coaster many times to raise funds to clean the Civil War monument in Veterans Park (1981). It was his first time riding a roller coaster.
For the second year in 1981, broadcaster George Murphy and local golf pro Jeff Barnett announced the final round of the Tr-State Golf Tournament at Wyckoff Park Country Club. Their announcing stand was set up at the 18th hole where they interviewed golfers, completing their rounds.
Willard Womack and Jonathan Evans received awards from the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs for their coverage of consumer-related issues.
On November 15, 1982, the station moved from 560 Dwight Street to One Court Plaza, the former Gleason’s Rathskeller Restaurant location, and current home of Holyoke Media.
In October 1983, the Massachusetts Association of Broadcasters named WREB “Radio Station of the Year” for its community service, contributions, and programming. This was a deserving award. After proceeding this far in this blog’s presentation, my biggest takeaway is the meaning WREB held for Holyoke’s heart and soul. Much like the Holyoke Transcript newspaper, WREB connected people to their city, keeping residents well-informed about events, politics, and the city’s direction.
The final sunset for WREB nears and will be presented in the story's final chapter.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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