Remember Our Radio Station?

Did you know that Wrinkle Point once had its own radio station? Well, it’s true.  It was quite a while ago, but it was a godsend. 

Back then, coming to Wrinkle Point with your parents during the winter was a punishment. There was only one TV station—Channel 6 out of New Bedford. But if it was foggy, you could never get any reception. The only local radio station was WOCB and all they played was old people’s music, like songs from Perry Como, Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey. 

As a kid this was just horrible. Sometimes you could get Dick Summer on WBZ or Murray the K (a.k.a. the fifth Beatle) on WINS in New York, but reception was poor and the only radio we had was a small transistor.

Eventually, WOCB started broadcasting from the Sail Loft on Saturday nights for 2 hours with Dick Pleasants (who was still on the air on WUMB in Boston up until a few years ago).

But there was also WKPT, which was broadcasting out of Porter Lane by John Wilcox. Now John was an unusual kid (just ask Denny Cleland), but somehow, he was able to hook up a transmitter to his turntable and he put an antenna out of his second-floor bedroom. At that time, second-story houses were rare at Wrinkle Point Point, and John started broadcasting rock and roll. You had to tune your AM radio to the low end and you couldn’t be very far away from John’s house to get it, but it was good music and something to do. 

So, when you drive by 47 Porter Lane, turn on your AM radio around 530 and you might hear John spinning Rumble by Link Wray and the Wraymen—which was the only instrumental ever banned from public radio!