A Who’s Who of Indianapolis Radio is expected to be on-hand for
the “Naptown Rock Radio Wars” book release party. The book is authored by local historian David Fulton.
More than a hundred are expected to attend the party to be
held 4p Saturday, Jan. 26 at Smee’s Place Bar & Grill in Indy. The book release party will also feature a
screening of the film documentary at 6:30pm. The showing of the film will be dedicated to
the memory of "Big" John Gillis who 'signed off' for the last time in
November.
The book and film offer an excellent historical perspective
of the Indianapolis Radio Wars in the 60s and 70s. The battles included AM powerhouses WIBE and
WIFE and WNAP-FM.
It was a fight to the death . . . well, maybe not to the
death, but it was definitely a battle that would change not only the listening
habits of tens of thousands of Hoosiers but also the entire culture of the
Indiana state capital city. It had repercussions throughout the nation as the
first major war of AM radio versus FM radio. It was Forty-fives versus album
cuts and the good guys versus the bad boys and Naptown would never be the same.
Two brilliant and fierce broadcasting competitors went head to head: Richard
Fairbanks, who for almost two decades owned WIBC-AM 1070, the 50,000-watt radio
behemoth, versus Don Burden, the young upstart broadcasting impresario who
swaggered into town and launched the glitzy, promotion-oriented though
relatively low-powered WIFE-AM 1310. How was the war fought? What were the
strategies? Who were the personalities both in the limelight and behind the
scenes? And who, in the end, would win Naptowns rock radio wars?
The event is open to the public and many Indy radio
personalities are scheduled to attend, including Chris Conner, Red Porter, Al
Stone, Bill Shirk, Jimmy Mack, Freddie Fever, Allen Deck, Scott Wheeler, Mike O’Brien,
“Big Kahouna” and Art Baker.
Books and t-shirts will be available for purchase. Food and
drink will be available. All ages welcome! Feel free to drop in anytime during
these hours.
ORDER THE BOOK: Click Here.
For more information and reservations, phone (317) 876-0202.
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