does anyone remember all night truckers radio

Bill Mack on WBAP for decades out of Ft Worth not Dallas. Grew up listening to him and all his make believe characters. Had lots of good guests on as well. Used to use Orange Blossom Special as his theme music. That's what got me into fiddle playing.

 

The "trucker channel" or whatever it it's called on satellite radio sucks and is a test of anyone's intelligence to listen to many of the shows there. WBAP and Bill Mack was and will always be king of the "all night AM radio. Too bad it's gone. That show couldn't work today. There are too many "types" of drivers now that didn't exist in the 70's. Too many different music tastes today and what it takes to entertain many today would have embarrassed the crap out of Bill Mack.

It's hard to program meaningful and entertaining content for a nearly 24/7 channel and "road dog" channel proves this but they could bring in some better hosts to do better 3 hour shows, 4 per weekday, and rerun them at night and weekends. But the hosts and shows I've struggled to listen to for more then 5 minutes are pretty weak and difficult for many to listen to.

 

WWL 870 New Orleans was a long haul truckers station during about 1971 thru the early 1980's. The hosts were Charlie Douglas, Dave Nemo, Big John Parker & called themseves the "Road Gang." My favorite advertisement on that station was "Melton Truck Lines, home of the Running Rabbit." Back then their trucks had a picture of a jack rabbit on the truck & trailer. That was before Melton moved the headquarters to Tulsa, OK.

Another good one in the old days was WSM in Nashville, TN which was popular with long haul truckers. The Grand Ole Opry could be heard all over North America on Saturday nights.

Just remembered another one long haul truckers liked, but don't remember the call sign. It was an AM station out of Del Rio, Texas. Had some good old country and gospel music and advertised religious stuff that was "absolutely free", just send $5.95 for shipping and handling. Wolfman Jack was on that station then also.

 

Mike Hoyer I think that's how you spelled his last name, anyway I think their call letters were W.H.O. in Des Moines,Iowa. and was it W.W.V.A in Wheeling, W.VA.? There was another good one out on the west coast but can't remember the details. Let's not forget Ralph Emory on clear channel 650 WSM who did the all night thing years before he went to tv. An Arkansas trooper stopped me one moonlit night as I was strolling along I-40, he said everybody on the CB has been talking about me sitting here, don't you have your CB on? I said no I was listening to "OLD TIME COUNTRY MUSIC THE WAY IT USE TO WAS"(WWL). Just think all this great music was on AM radio and better than satellite except for the fading and loosing signal. These were great times.

 

STexan and Chinatown I'm sorry for double stating some of the info, I was to slow typing.lol

 

I'm glad you did that because the name Ralph Emory slipped my mind.

 

Used to stay up late to listen to Charlie Douglas when I was a kid,Way before I started driving. I thought it was one of the neatest things listening to a radio show about truckers and playing good country music and when the drivers would call in or charlie would send a driver a message over the air from his family or company!!!! The good old days when I was young!!!! Robert