WDGY-AM
Remembering Bill Diehl (1926-2017). For Bill Diehl airchecks and more (click here))
WDGY-AM, affectionately known as "Wee Gee," was a defining force in Minneapolis–St. Paul radio during the 1960s and 1970s. With its high-energy Top 40 format, charismatic DJs, and a lineup of rock and pop hits, WDGY helped shape the musical tastes of a generation.
The Soundtrack of a Generation From the moment the Beatles hit American airwaves to the disco grooves of the late '70s, WDGY was there, spinning the biggest records of the day. The station's playlists featured legends like The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, and countless one-hit wonders that filled transistor radios and car stereos across the Twin Cities.
Legendary DJs Who Became Household Names WDGY's success was driven by its roster of unforgettable DJs:
- Bill Diehl – Known as the “Round Mound of Sound,” Diehl was more than just a radio voice; he was a cultural icon, newspaper columnist, and concert promoter.
- Jim Dandy – His energetic and upbeat style made him a favorite among teen listeners.
- Johnny Canton – A staple of WDGY through the late '60s and '70s, beloved for his voice and connection with fans.
- Bobby Rivers, Scott Burton, and Bob Shannon – Each contributed their own unique flair, helping to create the magic that made WDGY unforgettable.
WDGY's Unique Style Fast-paced delivery, catchy jingles, and listener contests were hallmarks of WDGY's style. The station had a personality-driven approach, with DJs often engaging directly with callers and creating a real sense of community among listeners.
End of an Era In 1977, WDGY made a major format shift to country music, bringing an end to its Top 40 legacy. Though the station changed, its influence on Minnesota’s radio landscape was indelible.
Today, the WDGY call letters can be found in the Twin Cities at FM 92.1, FM 103.7, 107.1HD2, and AM 740. The owners, on-air personalities, and employees are local.
Airchecks
7/14/1938: WDGY's (1180 AM) coverage of Howard Hughes landing at Minneapolis' Wold-Chamberlin Field to re-fuel for the last leg of his around the world flight. This coverage was also broadcast over the Mutual Broadcasting System. (provided by Todd Kosovich)
12/6/1940: WDGY-AM (1180 AM *) "Streamline News" with Benedict Hardman. Newscast consisted of European war news (Italian base in Albania taken over by Greek army, German airplanes flying over Great Britain, etc.) and local news and weather. WDGY mention and morse code sounder at the end. (Stan Turner Archives courtesy of TCMediaNow).
Note: In 1940, WDGY broadcast on 1180 kHz. The station moved to its longtime home frequency of 1130 kHz in 1941.
1948: Live broadcast from Don Leary's Record and Radio Store in Minneapolis (audio quality is a bit rough) (aircheck and photo provided by the Minnesota Historical Society with special assistance from Greg Borgen of WDGY-AM)
1956: Jingles (provided by Stuart Held)
9/7/1956: Herb Oscar Anderson including WDGY's attempt to contact the planet Mars and more.
1957: WDGY-AM (1130) - Programming aircheck sampler including the Don Kelly Show (includes Ray-O-Vac battery commercial), Dan Daniel Show (includes Burnett’s Vanilla commercial), Stanley Mack Show (includes Grandma's Molasses commercial), Bill Armstrong Show (includes Phillips 66 commercial), Bill Bennett Show (includes Coca-Cola commercial), and Bill Diehl Show (includes Hi-Spot Lemon Soda commercial). Plus, weather cast, police radar report, “Front Page News” with Joseph Della Mava including a commercial for Twin City Federal, a bulletin, “Quarter Hour Headlines” with Ralph Martin, and Night Beat with George Rice including an interview segment with Jayne Mansfield. (provided by Curt Lundgren)
1/25/1959: WDGY-AM (1130) - Aircheck of Dave Reau from January 25, 1959.
The aircheck includes a newscast, jingles, top songs, and commercials for the Pioneer Press, Greater Minneapolis Safety Council, and Hills Brothers Self Service Shoe Store. The aircheck includes the song Donna by Ritchie Valens. This aircheck was only eight day before Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in an airplane crash.
1960: :CRC Jingles (provided by Mark Durenberger and Mark Fuller)
1960: CRC Jingles (provided by Mark Fuller)
Early 1960s: PAMS - "Little Girl" Liners (provided by Mark Fuller)
1960s: Various jingles from the 1960s including singing jingles for Perry St. John, Johnny Canton, Scott Burton, Diamond Jim Dandy, George Young and more. (provided by Jonathan Sucha)
1/6/1961: Bill Diehl including lots of great jingles.
1961: Peter May from 1961. Includes commercials for US Navy and US Marines (provided by Curt Lundgren)
7/27/1961: Peter May from July 27, 1961 (provided by Curt Lundgren)
7/31/1961: Peter May from July 31, 1961. Includes commercial for the Furniture Barns (provided by Curt Lundgren)
1963: Perry St. John (provided by Mark Fuller)
7/3/1963: Hal Raymond (provided by Stuart Held)
7/10/1963: Bill Diehl (provided by Phil Kitchen)
1964: Sam Babcock with a portion of the "Tall Tiger Top 50 Survey" from 1964. Includes a partial newscast and commercials for Firestone, Greater Minneapolis Safety Council and Danceland in Excelsior. (provided by Curt Lundgren)
February 1964: Bill Diehl interviews Bob Reed and Tony Andreason from The Trashmen (a popular 1960s Twin Cities rock & roll band).
5/30/1964: Bill Diehl - Includes a newscast and commercials for Vern Donnay's Brookdale Estates and Dayton's Top 10 Club. (provided by Curt Lundgren)
July 7 & 8, 1964: Sam Babcock counting down the "Tall Tiger Top 50." Included are many commercials and jingles. You will also hear the influence The Beatles had on the station's programming. (provided by Phil Kitchen) Phil says that the aircheck was recorded on a Wollensak tape recorder with an audio cable clipped to the speaker terminals of a Setchell Carlson tube table radio.
11/10/1967: George Young (provided by Curt Lundgren)
5/25/1968: Diamond Jim Dandy. Part 1 with newscasters George Young - Part 2 with newscaster Curtis J. Johnson. - #1 - #2
9/6/1969 Diamond Jim Dandy Includes commercials for Minnesota Dragways, Mennen Dry Deodorant and Schell's Beer. (provided by Curt Lundgren)
1971: Jimmy Reed
1972: Donald K. Martin (provided by Donald K. Martin)
December 1972: Boom Boom Bailey
1973-1974: Mark Anderson (provided by Al Arneson)
March 1973: Mark Anderson (provided by Al Arneson)
March 1973: Mark Anderson (provided by Al Arneson)
3/20/1973: Boom Boom Bailey (provided by Al Arneson)
3/22/1973: Michael (provided by Al Arneson)
6/2/1973: Curt Perry (provided by Al Arneson)
5/2/1972: Charley Van Dyke and Donald K. Martin (provided by Donald K. Martin)
11/13/1973: WDGY-AM (1130) - Charlie Van Dyke and Donald K. Martin. Includes newscast and commercials for Anacin, Eastern Airlines, GAC Finance, Target, Fairview Chrysler Plymouth, Joyous Christmas LP at Beneficial Finance, Hansord Pontiac, Xerox, Sears, First Minnehaha National Bank, and Quality Mercury. (provided by Danny Sigelman)
11/22/1973: Michael with newscast. (provided by Al Arneson)
11/28/1973: Charlie Van Dyke & Donald K. Martin (provided by Al Arneson)
11/28/1973: Johnny Canton & Donald K. Martin (provided by Al Arneson)
6/19/1974: Michael + newscast with Burt Ross (provided by Al Arneson)
6/21/1974: Boom Boom Bailey (provided by Al Arneson)
September 1974: Wolfman Jack live in studio on the Jimmy Reed Show (provided by Jeff R. Lonto)
May 1975: Catman (Tom Barnard)
July 1975: Catman (Tom Barnard) (provided by Jay Philpott)
October 1975: Catman (Tom Barnard) (provided by Jay Philpott)
11/9/1976: Diamond Jim Dandy and Johnny Canton (provided by Curt Lundgren)
1977: Catman (Tom Barnard) (provided by Jay Philpott)
7/7/1977: Catman (Tom Barnard) Final show. Includes commercials for Y-11 Album Special, Coca-Cola, The Amazing Rhythm Aces at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, Y-11 Count The Winners weekend, 7-11 fight against Muscular Dystrophy, Supertramp "Even in the Quietest Moments" album discounted with Butterfinger or Baby Ruth wrapper, and Black Sunday (movie). (provided by Alan Stone)
1977: Gary Stone - Country Format (provided by Curt Lundgren)
1/1/1978: Paul Johnson including newscasts with Ron Rohr. (provided by Danny Sigelman)
October 1978: Jimmy Reed - Country Format (provided by Jay Philpott)
June 1981: Hal Hoover (provided by Jay Philpott)
Jay Philpott writes, "Hal worked at KQRS from about May 1977 to February 1981. On his last show, he hinted that he would be back on Tuesday 'somewhere over the radio.' That turned out to be a six-month stint at WDGY. He debuted on Stereo 101 during the Minnesota State Fair exactly six months after leaving KQRS. Apparently, KQ was OK with him working at WDGY, but held him to the six month non-compete before he could go to KDWB-FM. He stayed at 101 for about three years and went back to KQ in '84 as KDWB-FM started sliding back to CHR. He left KQ about '85 or '86 and worked at KJJO Hot Rockin' 104 for a couple of years there before heading up to Duluth where he worked for KKCB, B-105. He's out of radio now and in the automotive business."
10/20/1984
Paul Johnson (provided by Curt Lundgren)
Includes an NBC Radio newscast plus commercials for Rapid Sports Center, Anheuser Busch LA Beer, Sanka Brand Decaf Coffee, and Mita Copier
1986: Rick Stephenson, James Doohan (Star Trek's Scotty) and an excited caller (provided by Rick Stephenson)
1989: Rick Stephenson and Charlie Bush (provided by Jeff Sibinski)
1990: Station Promo (provided by Jacob Hammond)
9/18/1990: Sports Warp with Guy Green and Greg Harrington (provided by Brian Veys)
January 1991: Sports Warp with Guy Green and Greg Harrington (1991) - #1 - #2 (provided by Brian Keenan)
6/8/1991: News Radio/Sports Radio IDs and various promos. (provided by Jeff R. Lonto)
1992: WDGY-AM - KDWB-FM (630/101.3) Rare station IDs that mention both call letters (provided by Jeff R. Lonto)
2006: WDGY Radio Rey ID (630 AM) - Spanish Programming
2008: WDGY Jingle (740 AM) - True Oldies Channel
9/5/2010: WDGY (740 AM) - "The WDGY Classic Weekly Countdown" with Larry Ravenswood featuring the top 10 songs from the WDGY 30 Star Survey from Sept 4, 1970.
9/5/2010: WDGY-AM (740) SPECIAL ON THE BEATLES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR ONLY MN CONCERT
On August 21, 1965, The Beatles performed their only concert in Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium. In 2015, WDGY-AM aired a special program hosted by Dennis Mitchell (Breakfast with The Beatles), featuring an extensive recording of The Beatles' press conference as heard on WDGY hosted by Johnny Dollar, a recreation of the songs performed, interview with an unhappy police inspector, and more. Listen to the program HERE. (Provided by Jacob Hammond)
CELEBRATING THE RADIO CAREER OF PAUL GEIGER
WDGY Radio personality Paul Geiger retired in 2021 after 43 years on the air. Geiger spent most of the last decade working at WDGY-AM/FM. He previously spent 26 years at WLTE where he hosted the "Saturday Night Cruise" program. He kicked off his career in Montana and later worked in Menomonie, WI.
WLTE-FM (102.9) - Paul Geiger - Saturday Night Cruise 1992 (provided by Tom Oszman)
WDGY-AM (740) - Paul Geiger - October 18, 2013 (provided by Jacob Hammond)
WDGY-AM (740) - Paul Geiger and Jeff Butler live at the Back To The 50s car show - June 17, 2016. (provided by Jacob Hammond)
WDGY-AM/FM (740 - 107.1 HD2) - Paul Geiger's final show including special guests - February 12, 2021 - Part 1 - Part 2 (provided by Jacob Hammond)
REMEMBERING JOHNNY CANTON
From The Pavek Museum of Electronic Communication website: When Johnny Canton visited a Warrensburg, Missouri, radio station as a teenager, it inspired him to begin a broadcasting career that has lasted nearly fifty years and has made him an important figure in Twin Cities radio and television. He got his first on-air job at age 16 at KLEX AM in Lexington, Missouri, and for the next several years worked in radio at stations in Colorado, Kansas City, Pennsylvania, Rochester, and Cleveland. In 1966 he joined the staff of WDGY as music director and became a much-loved and widely popular rock ‘n’ roll disc jockey and concert emcee. After 11 years at WDGY, he moved to WCCO FM (WLTE 102.9 Lite FM). The former host of Bowling for Dollars on KSTP TV and Bowlerama! on KMSP TV, he has appeared in numerous national and regional television and radio commercials, as well as such films as Airport and Mad Dogs and Englishmen. He has participated in many charity golf tournaments and other community events, and has been president of the advertising and production firm Canton Communications. One of his many claims to fame is that he was the first DJ to play John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
A video and photos of Johnny Canton, who was inducted into the MN Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2006, can be found on the Pavek Museum website.
- 1959: KCMO-AM (Kansas City, MO) - Johnny Canton with actor Eddie Bracken, singer/actor Johnny Desmond
- 1962/1963: WRAW-AM (Reading, PA) - Production elements voiced/produced by Johnny Canton
- 1963: KUDL-AM (Kansas City, MO) - Johnny Canton
- 1964: WHAM-AM (Rochester, NY) - Johnny Canton
- 1965: WHAM-AM (Rochester, NY) - Johnny Canton interview on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
- 1966: WIXY-AM (Cleveland, OH) - Johnny Canton
- Johnny Canton personalized jingles and liners (intro by Canton)
- Various interview (snippets) (intro by Canton)
- 1966: WDGY-AM (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - Johnny Canton (provided by Aaron Mintz)
- 1967: WDGY-AM - Johnny Canton
- 1968: WDGY-AM - Johnny Canton - Interview with Roger Miller and Andy Williams
- 1968: WDGY-AM - Johnny Canton - Interview on Dick Clark's American Bandstand (intro by Canton)
- 1971: WDGY-AM - Johnny Canton (provided by Curt Lundgren)
- 1973: WDGY-AM - Johnny Canton & Donald K. Martin (provided by Al Arneson)
- 1974: WDGY-AM - Johnny Canton interviewing John Lennon on October 8, 1974 (by Tom Oszman of TCMediaNow)
- 8/28/1975 Johnny Canton (provided by Danny Sigelman) Includes a newscast, WDGY promos, and commercials for Schuler Shoes, Larry Reid's Bloomington Chrysler Plymouth, Craft Village, Montgomery Ward, and West Photo. Note: There is storm static on the recording.
- 1976: WDGY-AM - Diamond Jim Dandy and Johnny Canton (provided by Curt Lundgren). Includes a newscast with Mark Anderson and commercials for Pannekoeken Huis, WDGY Incredible Contest, Holiday Village Stores, Dayton's, Levi's for Feet, Goodman Jewelers, 1977 Subaru, Northwestern Bell, Winn Stephens Datsun North, Dolomite ski boots and WCCO-TV Scene Tonight.
- 1979: WCCO-FM (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - Johnny Canton (provided by Al Arneson)
- 1983: WCCO-FM - Johnny Canton, Charlie Bush, Tim Russell - 6-7 AM - #1 - #2
- 1998: WLTE-FM (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - Johnny Canton (provided by Al Arneson)
- 2006: WLTE-FM - Johnny Canton
- Star Tribune Story MPR Story
Promo card from early 1960s
WDGY-AM T-Shirt from the 1970s-1980s - provided by Bob Vesely:
Billboard - 1990 provided by Jeff R. Lonto)
PHOTOS
The following WDGY-AM North Country Radio images are scanned from a children's book called "Careers with a Radio Station" (written in 1983 by Mark Lerner with photographs by Milton J. Blumenfeld). Click on photos to enlarge.
Andrea Jo Atkinson, Announcer
Ron Rohr, News Director
Jim du Bois, Music Director
Russ Bohaty, Sports Director
Bonnie Vogan, Researcher
Gary Stone, Program Director
Rose Nebo, Account Executive
Ken Stone, Sales Manager Sheri Ettinger, Account Exec.
Barry Siewert, Production Director
Don Dahl, Chief Engineer
Barb Gehlen, Traffic Manager
Paula Halker, Steve Douglas, Continuity
Judy Dibble, Promotions Director
Lucy Meyers, Promotions Assistant
Dale Weber, General Manager
