Speeding Up the Turntables at WWDJ

Remember radio station WWDJ before it adopted its 24-hour religious format?

In the early 70's FM was still coming into its own, and many, if not most, cars only had AM radios. Fortunately, there were a few music stations on the AM band, although none were terribly good. The DJs talked at a manic pace well into the start of a tune, and the play lists were very limited. Worse, the stations would seldom play the longer songs which were coming into popularity, such as "Stairway to Heaven" or the full version of "American Pie."

WWDJ was a bit cooler. They would play Top 40, like the competition, but supplemented it a bit with stuff like the tunes mentioned above, as well as comedy tracks from Cheech and Chong. This won them plenty of listeners amongst teenagers who couldn't afford sound systems for their cars.

But after a while some of us noticed something. Songs played on WWDJ sounded slightly faster and at a higher pitch than the original recordings. It wasn't THAT noticeable; you had to have a good ear to detect it. (An article I read in Stereo Review said that a 6% increase in turntable speed would raise the music a half tone- eg: from a C to a C sharp). A few years later I heard a DJ on another station talk about the practice; it allowed the stations space for a few more commercials.

Shortly after the turntables began accelerating, 97DJ announced "The Last Contest." Some lucky listener would be able to choose from over 100 prize packages - everything from a fancy car to a luxury trip. We all thought The Last Contest was just a gimmick. But it really was The Last. WWDJ had become a religious station, broadcasting a steady stream of evangelists. Those without AM radios who weren't into "The Hour of Power" had one less option.