I’m not sure who nicknamed my WGOE logo the “WGOE Adhesion Circle” but after I designed it for WGOE’s general manager, Barry Coffman, in the mid 1970s, it quickly took on a life of its own—exactly what you hope for when you design a logo.
I don’t recall exactly why I chose the subject matter, but I do recall that visual elements such as palm trees, neon, flamingos, and art deco era objects (the radio) were, at the time (believe it or not), trendy (and tacky).
I do remember the origin of the typeface: When I was working as the designer of the Ten O’Clock News at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. in 1973, I designed a letterhead for a coworker’s music sideline (Larry Bryant’s Capitol Boogie) using a crude, neon-like typeface I designed for that purpose. I guess it stuck with me because it showed up a year or two later as the call letters “WGOE”.
Though the station is long gone, WGOE’s reputation as one of Richmond, Virginia’s first AOR stations (album-oriented rock), made it a symbol of that time and its young listeners. So recently, when I found the original negatives for the art in my files, I had some WGOE Adhesion Circles printed up. Now, when someone sees it on the the back window of my car and asks me about it, I can pull one from the glove compartment and hand it over, in every case, to a laugh and a smile.
Haha… so track me down around town, or, I offer them on EBay (see the link below).
Flashback to the WGOE Adhesion Circle Promo…
Here, from a 1976 radio publication, is a profile of Richmond in those days…
Harry Kollatz Jr. shares a bit of WGOE history in his book “True Richmond Stories: Historic Tales from Virginia’s Capital” (American Chronicles). I recommend it highly:
You can order a 1970s era WGOE Progressive Radio Richmond adhesion circle here…
You can order a T-shirt here…
WGOE Premium Circle-T, $24.99…
WGOE Long Sleeve Circle-T, $31.62…
Here’s another logo from my attic…
The Fan District of Richmond, Virginia…
Posted in JUNE 2021 / Chuck Green is the principal of Logic Arts, a design and marketing firm, a contributor to numerous magazines and websites, and the author of books published by Random House, Peachpit Press, and Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007-2021 Chuck Green/Logic Arts Corporation. Contact.
Hello, Chuck.
When did you write this piece? I just found it. I never knew who designed the “adhesion circle.’ So it’s great to know now.
I was the guy who wrote, voiced and produced that radio promo, mixing in some other voices from our station. That was Barry, as the “arbiter of fine taste.”
I think Barry came up with the “adhesion circle” name as sort of a take-off on bumper stickers, and we ran with it.
I have seen the spot on YouTube before and so glad it’s still around.
When I was in Richmond, I lived closed to the Fan District on Grace Street.
Feel free to contact me if you wish. I live in the NYC area now.
Greetings, Chuck, from a Payne’s Grey November day in Richmond, Vee-A:
Oh, would that I have known of your design when I wrote a history column about WGOE for Richmond magazine way back in March 1994. It’s not online anywhere but is collected — minus an evocative image of the ‘GOE crew – in my “True Richmond Stories,” published by the History Press/Arcadia.
I’ve posted some hastily made images of the original Facebook. I really need to get this one scanned.
Cheers, and thank for your writing.
Thanks for this Harry.
I have a copy of “True Richmond Stories” on my shelf and I recommend it highly.
I’ll add a link to it on the page and here: https://www.amazon.com/True-Richmond-Stories-Virginias-Chronicles/dp/1596292687
I lived in Richmond 1968-1971 and WGOE was my go to station. The music was always exactly what I wanted to hear. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been in Richmond but WGOE was one of those things that have stuck with me for all these years.
Hello, Chuck.
I’ll try again. In early 2023, I wrote a comment to you that I was the writer, producer and voice of that “WGOE Adhesion Circle” promo.
I hope you’re still active and churning out material. Whether or not, all the best.
-Pat O’Neill
Tarrytown, NY
Thanks for that Pat. I think your earlier post is below. Great to hear you…
I was employed by WGOE right our of VCU. The station was playing the same top-40 music of other stations in town.
One of the jocks, John Stevens and I pitched management on an alternate rock format. We were told if we could sell sponsorship, we could do it.
We christened the program Saturday Subway and it ran for two hours every
Saturday. It’s success allowed us to convince ownership to make the format switch for the entire broadcast week.
Richie Havens Alarm Clock was the first song played on Saturday Subway.
Those were wild and crazy times as we were given freedom by ownership as long as we made money for them. We made WKRP in Cincinnati look tame!!
The plot thickens! Thanks for that Paul.
Feel free to post this on Facebook’s Fans of WGOE page.
Check it out.
Back in the early 70’s I had a WGOE 1590 Tshirt with the Keep on trucking logo on the back. Would like to get another one to wear around if possible
WGOE radio did a remote from my fathers clothing store Berry Burk in the late 1960s and although it did not produce much business it was amazing how many heard the remote and told me about the following Monday when I went back to school.
WGOE was my favorite station as I had tired a bit of WLEE and WEET radio was off the air. I grew up in Richmond and WGOE is one of my favorite memories of that time. I still remember the DJs, Jess Buboy, Charlie Granger, Bob Griggs and someone else. I believe their slogan was YOU ARE NEVER MORE THAN TWO MINUTES AWAY FROM MUSIC AT WGOE.
Thanks for this Gary.
WGOE 1590 AM had two fairly distinct eras in the 1960s and 1970s, and the air staff changed accordingly. AI found a surprisingly good paper trail. (Take it with a grain of salt–it is AI.)
WGOE returned to the air in 1964 as a 5,000-watt daytime station. In the mid-to-late 1960s it was essentially a Top 40/pop station. Among the early DJs were:
Jess Duboy
“Gentleman” Jim Granger
Charley Flowers
“Bachelor” Bill Meade
Tom Ogburn
Larry Lewis
Bill James
Bob Mann (later known as Jay August)
Around 1969–71 the station began evolving into the WGOE many Richmonders remember most vividly: the progressive/free-form rock station that eventually called itself “One Station Underground.”
The principal personalities from that period include:
John Stevens — one of the central figures in the progressive format and WGOE music director; he had previously been involved with VCU’s “Ugly Show.” He later became a major personality at WMMR in Philadelphia.
Jay August — formerly “Bob Mann”; morning DJ and news director. He remained at WGOE until about 1979.
Ken Booton — also used the character/name “Melvin the Big Green Frog.” He and August appear to have been particularly influential in shaping early progressive WGOE.
Doug Stell
Jim Letizia
Les Smith
Chuck DuCoty — subsequently became WGOE program director/operations manager and later had a substantial career in Baltimore radio.
Paul Shugrue — later one of Richmond’s best-known rock-radio figures at WRXL/XL102 and WVGO.
Pat O’Neil
Ellen Burchill
Steve Forrest
Lauren Foate
Rod Holt
Dave Russlander — weekend shifts around 1973–74.
One industry directory listing for WGOE from the early 1970s, lists the station at 104 West Franklin Street in Lexington Towers, format “Progressive,” with Michael Murray as general manager, Norman Shockley as program director, John Stevens as music director and Jay August as news WGOE 1590 AM had two fairly distinct eras in the 1960s and 1970s, and the air staff changed accordingly. I found a surprisingly good paper trail.
WGOE that had people like Frank Zappa dropping by and broadcast Bruce Springsteen’s May 31, 1973 session at Alpha Audio.