WERK JINGLES

I wish kids today could grow up with the kind of radio I had as a kid.  

As David Letterman has often said, "It all stated with a little 250 watt station in Muncie Indiana.

Let's go back to February 14, 1965.

A little low powered AM radio station signs on the air in Muncie Indiana.

It was only allowed to be on the air during the daylight hours from a massive six tower array just south of Muncie on Hi Way Three.

I could go on on on about the talent that came through those doors. Many young DJ's starting out began their careers  at WERK.


For years they captivated the audience in Muncie with their fast paced Top 40 sound. Despite the low power and operating hours, they sounded just like the big stations in Chicago.

But as FM came along, and the AM Audience dwindled, so did AM 990.

But when they signed on, they had a great JINGLE package patterned after CKLW in Windsor/Detroit


C K L W ALL HEART JINGLES



I think the jingles fit better for the W E R K  call letters and the 990 Frequency

So for us Radio Geeks, old D.J.'s and the folks in my home town. Lets take a listen.......and remember those great days


WE'RE IN LOVE....THE STATION THAT'S ALL HEART

WAKE UP AND LIVE....YOU'RE IN THE HEARTLINE GENERATION

IT'S W E R K ....RADIO 99

VIVA LA MUSIC RADIO 99 THE STATION THAT'S ALL HEART

NO WORK, ALL PLAY THIS IS RADIO 99 W E R K

DRIVE CAREFULLY, CAUSE WE LOVE YOU

HEY LOOK HERE YOU HAPPY HEARTS...THIS IS WHERE YOUR WEEKEND STARTS

"WE ALL NEED SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON"

 Those words were written in 1972 by the late Bill Withers. We were all reminded of his hit gold record "Lean On Me",  when we learned he had passed away.

I hadn't thought about that tune in a while, altho back in my DJ days I played it on the radio all the time.

But it has now taken on a whole new meaning. 

'LEAN ON ME'

Let's think about this.

We all need someone to lean on. As human beings, we crave interaction with other humans. It's part of who we are.

So now many of us are locked down. We are being told to stay in our homes. We don't go out unless it is 'essential'.

The definition of 'Essential' is absolutely necessary; extremely important.

Yesterday, I watched as our neighbors came and went, as if nothing had changed. 

Then I realized they just needed to have that interaction. They needed to get out of the house. They needed something to do. They were already getting bored. To them, it was 'essential'.

I am lucky. I have someone to 'lean on'. Penny and I do a lot of things together. We cook and I help her in the yard. We even find some televisions shows we both can enjoy. We also LAUGH. A lot.

We also have our own separate interests.

I do Woodworking. (Mostly making stuff for her) She loves to read, take care of the cat & dogs, and do her gardening. I have tropical fish, watch a ton of Star Trek, and make more stuff for her.

By the time this is all over, I am going to have the cleanest woodworking shop in town.

I also find time to write here occasionally, and over at KILL IT, CUT IT UP, AND COOK IT

And I am still trying to finish my three volume great American novel.
 
But more than anything we just lean on each other.

I hope that you have someone to lean on as I can not imagine someone going through this time alone. Stuck in the house with no one to talk to, and have nothing to do.

So my advice to you is to lean on someone. Find some interests that you can do together and separately.

Use this time to broaden your horizons. If you are going to watch TV, find some good documentaries. 

By the way, I consider Star Trek a documentary.

Read some good books. Get on the internet and LEARN something!!

Want to learn how lawn sprinklers work ?? You can find it on You Tube. Want to learn about electrical and home repairs ?? You can find it on You Tube.  

Please don't spend your time on You Tube watching Russians running into things, or watching crappy comedians who all want to be David Letterman.

Find an interest and LEARN.  

Spend your new free time wisely. The time will go a lot faster.

Got a messy home office ? Clean it.

Behind on paperwork ?? Catch Up !!!

And be thankful that you have someone......and also remember that your neighbor may not have that in their life.

Reach out and check on them. You can talk across the fence or the road. Be there for them. If they need something and you have some,
SHARE.

Check on your family. Call them on the phone. If you know how, you can do face time, Skype, or whatever they call that stuff.
 
Because if you were them (and alone)  you would want someone to lean on too.

I am also reminded of another tune I used to play on the radio.

From Gloria Gaynor :  I WILL SURVIVE

Be well, be happy, and above all BE SMART !!!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME

The Real HICKORY

Anyone who likes sports movies knows the back story on the film “Hoosiers”

Inspired by the 1954 Indiana High School Finals, we find little Hickory facing the favored team from South Bend Central. But very little is true about this movie. Yes, Hickory was a small school from out in the middle of nowhere. And South Bend Central was a powerhouse in Indiana High School basketball. They probably gave Hickory the nickname of “Huskers” to make them sound rural.

In truth, it was tiny MILAN High School taking on state powerhouse Muncie Central for the state championship.

The Bearcats of Muncie Central

The MILAN Indians

Very few people gave Milan much of a chance. Many have forgotten that Milan made it to the final four the year before, so it wasn't that they never played in a big arena. (Another departure from the movie) 

The year before on the way to the 1953 semi finals, Milan would beat Indianapolis Crispus Attucks and future Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson 65-52. (Attucks would win back to back state titles in '55 & '56) The Indians would loose in the semi final that year to none other than South Bend Central 56-37

But in 1954 it was Muncie Central playing the role of the Giant. They already had more state titles than any school in the state. (4) And had won back to back titles in '51 & '52. 

Back in those days, the final four would play two early games. 

Then the two winners would square off for the state title that evening.

In the early games, neither school was threatened. The Bearcats beat Elkhart 59-50 while Milan had a 12 point win over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer 60-48

We all know the rest of the 1954 story. That night, with the score tied (30-30) and time running out. Bobby Plump of Milan hit a 14 foot jumper over Bearcat Jimmy Barnes, and history was made at Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis. At least the movie showed this as it actually happened.

And that brings us to the story of the “real” Hickory High, and the connection to Muncie, Indiana.

In the late 1950's Westinghouse Electric joined a number of manufacturing companies building large facilities in Muncie. 

Westinghouse would erect a new sprawling plant outside of Muncie on Cowen Road.

Many of their management team came from another Westinghouse facility located in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

Most of those 'transfers' were already high school basketball fans. Sharon and nearby Farrell were a hot bed of High School basketball in the 50's and 60's. From 1950 to 1960 Farrell won 4 State titles. The fan frenzy never reached the status of the rabid Indiana fans, but fans are fans no matter where they come from. And they were all anxious to follow the mighty Muncie Central Bearcats.

But in 1961 all those western Pennsylvania fans were watching another school. A little county school located just outside of Sharon in West Central Pennsylvania. It was so small, it wasn't even considered to be a city. Just a Township. Many years later, they would incorporate under the name Hermitage. 

 They were the Hickory Hornets.

They were led by senior John Crumbacher. At 6 foot 6 he was called 'Big John' long before Jimmy Dean recorded a song by the same name. John was also a football player who would be go on to play for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Their play maker on the court was William “Bill” Lenzi. The quick guard, who also shined on the defensive end of the floor, scored 297 points his senior season for the Hornets of coach Francis “Frannie” Webster and set a school record with 25 wins out of 27 games.

In the state semifinals, he led the team with 19 points in an upset of previously undefeated WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon, making 13 of 16 free throw attempts.

However unlike the Milan and Hickory team in that movie, the fun didn't last. The Hornets would lose to the Nanticoke Rams in the final game in Harrisburg, 56-46.

The Nans defeated Hickory Township in that championship under the direction of head coach Syl Bozinski and with the help of their all-state player Kenny Legins.

The Rams won 20-straight games that season, including a tough 51-47 win over Reading in the Eastern final. It all culminated with the win over Hickory in the Class A championship game at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg.

And those Hickory players would move on with their lives, always remembering that Golden Season.

Like Milan, Hickory would have some good seasons after that Cinderella trip, but would never again return to the finals.

'Big' John Crumbacher would go on to the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship. Sadly, on the way back to Knoxville from spring break in Brooksville, Florida he would lose his life in a car accident. Also killed was fellow Tennessee team mate Tom Fisher.

Crumbacher and fellow Hickory team mates William "Bill" Lenzi, Gary Roberts, and Fred Greene would all be inducted into the Mercer County PA Hall of fame for that 1960-61 ride to the State Finals.

The people of Muncie never got over that loss to Milan.

To go along with their State Titles from '28, '31, '51, & '52 The Bearcats would win 4 more State Titles  ('63, '78, '79 & '88) 

They would also lose title games in 1960, 2006 & 2007.

The loss in 1960 may have been harder for them to take than the one in 1954 when the undefeated Bearcats, nicknamed ‘The 
Untouchables’ went into the state championship game with East Chicago Washington.

Everyone thought it was a done deal. They hardly worked up a sweat all season. But the gravy train derailed in the final and biggest game of the season. At the end the ‘Cats lost 75-59 and another state title disappeared into the night.

On the 50the anniversary of that 1954 battle, Muncie hosted an anniversary game at the Muncie Field House with Milan.

ESPN Classic broadcast the game nationally. Muncie got to show off their famous field house to the world. 

The North Walnut Street Field House rocked in opposing seas of purple and black. It was Milan and Muncie Central once again, the small-town, country kids against the big boys from the city, played in front of a Who's Who of Indiana basketball past and present and a national television audience.

Most of the 6,700 people in the field house weren't alive on that
magic night 50 years ago when Bobby Plump's last-second shot gave tiny Milan the upset victory over Central's mighty Bearcats.

They would also get a bit of revenge for that 1954 loss by beating Milan 81-40.

But they would have traded all that history and fame in exchange for that 1954 State Title.