Don Lancer
1980

In 1971, the KYW Newsradio format was about 6 years old. What we have is a complete 30 minute segment of the station featuring Don Lancer. The first voice we hear is that of Bill Gregory. It's Sunday, January 10, 1971. In this clip, there's a report from KYW's Harrisburg's correspondent Sandy Starobin. Sandy was previously with the Philadelphia Inquirer and passed away at 50 from cardiac and idabetic problems. This segment aired from 2 to 2:30 pm. At the end of the aircheck, the ID is done by Harry Johnson.

We had originally dated this aircheck as October of 1971 as that is what the tape box had written on it. However, after we received the following e-mail from William Brown of New York City, we changed our mind. Brown wrote:

I had the opportunity to look at a New York Times index for 1971 of the various items in the news (U.N. mediator's trip to Israel, the Dubrow's murder) touched on in KYW airchecks of, respectively, Don Lancer at the 2:00 hour, Bill Gregory before him around 1:50 (who was heard doing the weather at the start of the aircheck with Lancer), and Harry Johnson after Lancer's shift ended (Johnson did the KYW/Group W I.D. at the end of the Lancer aircheck), all of which you'd cited as October 1971, and found that the 'checks in question were actually from January 1971 (probably Jan. 8, 9 or 10, I'm not sure; the ad mentioning a sculpture show at the Philadelphia Civic Center going through Feb. 7 was one sign, also a mention of New Year's). The month of those 'checks notwithstanding, I enjoyed them nonetheless, and to you I say: Keep up the good work. Shortly afterwards, he e-mailed again saying: Actually, having listened to the Harry Johnson aircheck, I have determined his, Don Lancer's and Bill Gregory's airchecks to be from January 10, 1971, a Sunday. The reference to Sunday mass in Jay Lloyd's report was the tipoff.

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From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Audio originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Gerry Wilkinson
Photo originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Roger Hendler
Used with the permission and authority of KYW Newsradio, Broadcast Pioneers member Roy Shapiro, General Manager
All Rights Reserved by KYW Radio

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com