drop-ins from 1966 until well into the late 1980s. He was equally known for his familiar and flamboyant on-air self-introduction: "Hi-ya gang...Kirkie here...ha-chi-chi-chi-chi-chi!" Its news department was also legendary with Jim Briggs, George Wymer (Jack's son), G. Paul Tantum, Terry Lafferty, Doug Ritter (Doug Ritterling, who began his WING newscasting career at 17 years of age, then became a disc jockey at sister stations, WCOL-AM & 92X, Columbus), Randall Carlisle (who later gained fame as a sensational newscaster at CKLW-Windsor/Detroit), Mark Greco (Mark Giangreco, who later became a sportscaster on the NBC Television network), Bill Nance, Roy Dittman, Dave Thomas (who also worked at sister stations WCOL-FM, Columbus, and WJAI-FM, Eaton, and later became an award-winning broadcaster in Colorado), Kathy O' Connor (Dayton's first female news reporter) and Retha Phillips among others. Nance and Phillips were also 2007 inductees into the Dayton Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In the early 1960s it was at first a top of the hour "rip and read" newscast from wire services with an echoed voice shouting the dateline location at the beginning of a story (replaced in 1965 by a tone chord simulating an electronic telegraph key sounder). The newscast was also upgraded by world news actualities from Metromedia Radio, a predecessor of UPI Audio Network who bought the news-feed service in 1971. By 1968, it switched to the Drake-inspired "20-20" News (aired at 20 minutes before and after the hour) with expanded local news coverage. Top of the hour news returned in 1980 from ABC Radio's American Information Network followed by a local newscast and weather without the catchy elements of the 1960s. "High Flying WING" was the theme of a high energy upbeat jingle package in the mid-1960s produced by PAMS Productions in Dallas. In the early 1970s, the famous Drake "rum-pum" Boss Radio jingles featuring the Johnny Mann Singers were used, the same package used by then-legendary CKLW in Windsor, Ontario during the late 1960s and 1970s. Adult Radio 1410 WING In the mid-1970s FM rock stations started to chip away at AM radio's Top 40 audiences. During this transitional time, WING began to soften its format to adult contemporary as "Adult Radio 1410." "Kirkie" continued his morning show (followed by John Alexander on mid-days) with the addition of John King and Terry Dorsey doing afternoons. The highly popular mock ads and comedy sketches of the fictitious Babs Knieiven's Bar and Grill