April 2, 1969 – WOR-FM – Sebastian Stone + News – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
April 2, 1969 – Maybe not so much what was going on in the rest of the world, but what was going on in your little corner of it.
This day; Spring, right in the middle of Manhattan. Turning your radio up.
Whole different world then; different issues, different music. We had a war and some of us were getting to be “that age” where we were probably going to be getting “that notice” from our local draft board – and that was the bubbling fear, tucked somewhere in the pit of our stomachs. But it was Spring, for god’s sake – time of infinite possibilities and you wanted to be part of it. You had Winter and days of sitting at home, frozen solid – you didn’t really want to go out anyway. But Spring showed up and it was your signal to join the world; all was hopeful now, even if the news wasn’t as promising as you were.
The world kept on going, and even in New York there was big news – NYPD arrested eleven people in connection with alleged bomb threats against Department stores. One of those arrested was Robert Collier who had been sentence to 21 months after being convicted with three others in 1965 of conspiracy of smuggling explosives in what officials said was a plot to blow up the Statue Of Liberty, the Washington Monument and The Liberty Bell. Further details were expected to be released in an afternoon news conference.
Former President and General Dwight Eisenhower was to be laid to rest in Abilene Kansas later on in the afternoon.
And the Food and Drug Administration declared 78 antibiotic combination products ineffective and gave their manufacturers 30 days to show why their products should not be withdrawn from sales.
All that going on, but it was still Spring and WOR-FM was covering your town with music, just like it did on April 2, 1969.
