Classic Charleston Radio- WSSP Fly 94 FM - August 1992

You know I am asked all the time what the catalyst was that got me into becoming a successful wedding DJ. Well, for one, it was the intrigue and mystery of being behind the microphone and blending songs together while on the air that allowed my interest to peak. The overall catalyst to get me into radio and DJing was Mitch Zatto.  If you clicked over to my About page, you may have read more about this amazing broadcaster, who became a great mentor to me.  I am here to tell you that it can be extremely difficult to predict how your life may actually end up. You may very well meet someone unexpectedly who could alter the course and trajectory of your life.  What you are about to hear is an outstanding piece of production that represents a small, but influential piece of Charleston, SC radio history created by a guy who would forge a path for my life. It would become a path in my life that I could never have imagined or predicted as pre-teen kid.

It was probably about one month before I graduated from high school in 1992. I found myself in the midst of working at the only restaurant job I would ever have in my life; a pizza delivery driver at Pizza Hut. Back then, we had no Google maps and we relied on a book of xeroxed maps to get those hot pizzas out to hungry customers. I remember going into my shift that would begin in the late afternoon, and this shift would extend into the late evening hours. The radio in my 1976 Chevrolet Scottsdale stepside pickup truck was anything but sophisticated, but was blaring something special. It had begun to blare hot noise. What is this hot noise you ask? It was WSSP - 94.3 FM.  "The hot noise" WSSP - 94.3 FM broadcasted from a small brick building in the booming metroppolis of Goose Creek. One of the first songs I heard was "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.  Ah yes, you could tell it was the spring of 1992 because of the Wayne's World soundtrack all over the radio. That iconic song by Queen would make it's way up the Hot 100 over 16 years after its release.  We were in the midst of a truly epic time in contemporary hit music, and to be honest, all genres of music in general. I am not sure if 1992 could have ever been as legendary as 1991, but by the spring of 1992, it almost sounded like 1991 had not even ended as of yet. For more perspective on why 1991 could have been the one of the greateest years in 90s music <--CLICK HERE

Back in the early 1990s, deregulation had not yet begun to destroy the radio industry. That would not begin to happen until February 8, 1996 when the Telecommunications Act of '96 got signed into law.  Believe it or not, you could probably bump into the owner of a lot of Charleston area radio stations in the mall or at the grocery store, but let's get back to my story. My pizza delivery job would only last a few months, but during my shifts I would continue to have the radio blaring in my truck. During the summer of 1992, I felt as though I was switching between 96 WAVE and WSSP - Fly 94.3. It turns out that WSSP- Fly 94.3 began as an offshoot, a sister station (if you will) of WSSX - 95.1 FM. By the spring of 1992, WSSX - 95.1 FM had begun to shift to a more adult hits format. WSSP - 94.3 FM became the perfect radio station for the young Gen X crowd in 1992.  I still don't know if I will ever be able to put into words how incredibly awesome the music scene had become in the early 1990s. But, I will try as that is the reason that my blog is online; to talk about all wedding DJing and music. 

Airchecks Were Difficult To Record In 1992

An "aircheck" was a recording created by an on-air DJ that could be used to create a demo to get a job, or it may be a recording by the program director of the radio station. The program director would use this recording to conduct a critique of the DJ's on-air performance, usually in a meeting. Either way, it was very difficult to get a hold of these types of recordings. However, my friend and mentor Mitch Zatto would come up with a way to get high quality recordings of radio shows in the 80s and 90s. He purchased a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) and rigged it so he could record what was on the radio to the higher quality tape inside a VCR tape. Not only did the higher quality tape create a much better recording than a standard cassette tape, but the tape was protected more inside from the elements, which allowed for preservation. Then, all of a sudden in the summer of 2022 pulled the tape out of storage and worked his magic and recorded from VCR into his computer, burned to CD and sent to me. If you are curious about some of the music in rotation on WSSP - Fly 94.3, be sure to click the links down below.

The Best Era Of Dance Music - Part 1
The Best Era Of Dance Music - Part 2

This Is A Very Powerful Aircheck

Being a former radio junkie, I tend to listen to the radio much differently than the casual listener, so when I heard this aircheck for the first time, I was blown away. The imaging and sweepers were everything I remember about the jingle package created by my mentor Mitch Zatto. The music you'll hear during this aircheck is a reminder of the golden era we were in as it pertains to music. The most notable part of the aircheck was toward the beginning where the Anheuser-Busch commercial ends and sweeps into one of the most underrated alternative rock songs of the summer of 1992. You might remember the song; "Divine Thing" by the Soup Dragons. It's a song that actually was getting minimal airplay over on 96 WAVE, but when you look at the overall songs in rotation on Fly 94.3, "Divine Thing" fit perfectly, especially for a Saturday night. On the aircheck you'll hear the great Marrs London (aka Billy Hammond) and a young Party Marty. While I cannot seem to find Billy Hammond these days, you can find Marty Mitchell on Mix 95.9 in Charleston, SC on air. He also serves as production director for his radio station cluster too.

To be honest, this aircheck hit me so hard that I drove over to Stephanie Dr in Goose Creek where the old radio station used to be and sat there and thought about how different the world was 30 years ago. In August 1992, I was 2 months removed from high school with my entire life ahead of me. Like most 18 / 19 year olds, time was still going by slow for me, and I had not yet determined where my life would be going. By February 1993, I would meet Mitch Zatto and would forge a friendship that would last over 30 years and change my life forever.  

I am very glad that I made the decision to build out my wedding DJ blog to include both vintage radio broadcasts, as well as my audio production. With all of this content combined into one blog, you are able to see my full body of work and get to know me even more. Thank you for stopping by my blog. If you are interested in hiring me to be your wedding DJ, please click on Contact and fill out a form. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Where is Billy Hammond?

One more thing. If your name is Billy Hammond and you had a stint in Charleston, SC radio in the early 90s at WSSP - 94.3 FM, please fill out a contact form and contact me, and I can put you in touch with Mitch Zatto.