WSYB

Station Information

Call Letters: WSYB

Frequency: 1380 AM

Location: Rutland, VT

WSYB banned The Beatles!

Evidence of the Ban:

The Rutland Daily Herald on August 5, 1966, reported, "Rutland's two local radio stations announced Thursday that it's going to be a hard day's night for the Beatles over Rutland's airwaves. Both stations WHWB and station WSYB said the long-haired rock 'n' roll quartet's recordings will be banned from the turntables for at least the immediate future.... Howard Cameron of WSYB when asked if Beatles records would be played over that station, said: 'I would be in favor of banning their records also, if Mr. Lennon's statement is widely publicized and lots of people are going to hear it.' WSYB, which favors a more sedate brand of music that that produced by the Liverpool quartet, usually plays rock 'n' roll only on a regularly scheduled Saturday night show."

On August 8, 1966, the Daily Herald updated the story. "WSYB, one of the two local stations which said Thursday that Beatles music would not be played, reinstated the long-haired rock 'n' roll quartet on its Saturday night record show.... WSYB officials said they felt the remark had been misinterpreted and over-publicized. Rather than cutting religion, Lennon's comment actually criticizes people who prefer entertainment to religious experience, officials of the station said.... The eventual beneficiaries of the ban may be the Beatles, since at least one city record shop reported an upswing in Beatles record sales in the wake of the ban."

The Daily Herald noted on August 13, 1966, that "WSYB... had lifted its ban on the long-haired rock group last week."

Notes:

On July 27—mere days before the first Beatles ban began at Alabama station WAQY in response to Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" quote—the Rutland Daily Herald coincidentally ran a story about offense taken by some listeners regarding pop music lyrics.

"Local radio stations have not been caught up by the recent nationwide music censorship controversy," wrote reporter Jim Icken. "Local stations have not censored some of the recordings knocked down in the national scramble. The present record censorship problem came to light with the song 'Rainy - Day Woman Nos. 12 and 35' by Bob Dylan. A story in the July 1 issue of Time stated that many stations across the United States had banned this record because its allegedly double-edged lyrics dealt with marijuana. The report said that in teen terms, 'to get stoned today does not mean to get drunk, but to get high on drugs.' According to the story, 'rainy-day woman' is a narcotics addict's term for a marijuana cigarette." Icken then brought The Beatles into the conversation, writing, "Even the Beatles have resorted to suggestive phrases in two recent songs, 'Norwegian Wood' and 'Day Tripper,' critics say."

The article stated, "Dick Benard, program director for WSYB, state [sic] Tuesday that his station auditions 99 per cent of the records it puts on the air. He said that the station considers three items every time it plays a record: (1) it might have to answer to the Federal Communications Commission; (2) it has its sponsors to think of, and (3) it has to keep its listeners in mind. Bernard also felt, according to the article, "that music is generally swinging back to a better type," pointing to current music out by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin.

Current Info:

Correspondence:

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