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Courtney Off The Air
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Claims Harassment, Alan Courtney Is Off The Air

From The Fort Lauderdale News / Sun Sentinel

By FRED ANDERSON

(Staff Writer)

One of South Florida's favoite night people—Alan Courtney —had his microphone cut off Friday night.

Courtney swears he'll be hack on the air with another station by the end of next week.

His boss at radio station WQAM, Miami, says he hopes Courtney does—so he can get an injunction against his former star and the new employer.

PAY CONTINUES

And while the verbal bombs are flying, Courtney's $22,500-a-year pay from WQAM goes merrily along until Sept. 30.

The proprietor of the three  hour (11 p.m. to 2 a.m.) nightly gabfest had eight years with the station brought to a crashing finish Friday afternoon when he was told he was "going on vacation" as of that moment.

Two hours earlier, Dade Circuit Judge Harold Vann had ruled Courtney will be a free agent when his current WQAM contract expires Sept. 30.

ENFORCEMENT SOUGHT

The station had taken him to court to enforce a clause in his original contract, which was for two years, forbidding Courtney from going to work for another broadcasting outlet, radio or TV, within a 35-mile radius, for 18 months after leaving WQAM.

The announcer's second contract was for three years, and for the last three years, the deal has been on a 12 month basis with the station having an option.

Courtney said he told Jack Sandler, station manager and vice president in February he was quitting come September.

CONTRACT OFFERED

Sandler claims at that time he offered another one-year re newal at $23,000 a year.

But Courtney said Friday it wasn't the money—he just got tired of Sandlers "continual harassment." Sandler claims he wrote Courtney two memos in the past two years, while he counsels other announcers "almost every day."

The veteran night owl told The News he expects to meet with officials of both WINZ and WKAT, both Miami, early next week and to be back on the air over one or the other by week's end.

REPLACEMENT HIRED

Meanwhile, Sandler said he has hired a replacement who will be on the air in Courtney's well-worn time spot tonight.

The new man is Lee Vogel, who has been working for station KSTP, Minneapolis-St. Paul, where Sandler said he recently won "the highest prize in broadcasting," a Peabody Award, "for his fight against communism."

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I am looking for the following WQAM jingle packages. I will trade for them or pay cash for dubs.
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  • PAMS Series 17 “The New Frontier” (I am missing many cuts, especially the instrumental cuts.)
  • PAMS Series 18 “Sonosational” (I am missing many of the instrumental cuts.)
  • PAMS Series 25B “The Happy Difference” Sonovox version. (I need the entire package).
  • PAMS Series 25D “Cheerleaders” Sung with Male vocals (I need the entire package)
  • PAMS Series 28 “Happiness Is” (Missing several cuts.)
  • Ullman “Onederful” (I need the entire package)
  • Futursonic Time and Temperature Jingles (Used in the early sixties for the automation (I need all)
  • Pepper “Fun” (I need the entire package)
  • CRC Holiday Series (I need the entire package)
  • The 1963 package of jingles sung by a group called the Skipjacks. It may have been a series called “Station Break” by Tucker productions. There are over 1000 cuts including a complete set of time and temperature jingles replacing the Futursonic jingles.
     

 

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