WLKN Radio
Left to right: Kathy Jack, Randy Currier, Leslie Robbins, Bob Chase, "Mr. Lee", Jack McAdam and Jenny Mallett.
Lincoln had its own radio station, started by Frank Delle, for many years. WLKN was located on School St. when it began in the mid-sixties. In 1975, Delle added WLKN-FM and both were broadcast from Park Avenue. It closed for good in July of 1995. This staff photo was taken in February 1986.
November, 1985. WLKN staff: Randy Currier, Kathy Jack, Leslie Robbins, Lee Rand, Jenny Mallet, and Richard Gammon.
In July 1995 the Lincoln radio station (now WHMX) located on Park Avenue went off the air for good. The building that housed the studios is still standing although it's been modified over the years. It's now home to the Lincoln Food Cupboard.
In the history of Lincoln's radio station one name still stands out - Lee Rand, pictured above in an undated photo. The only DJ to have a show that measured in the Bangor Arbitron marketing book(Spring 1982), his "Solid Gold Show" and live record hops are still talked about today almost 3 decades after he left broadcasting! You can read more about him and his career at www.mrsolidgold.com and follow his Facebook page "Lee's Solid Gold Show".
While Lincoln will probably never have its own radio station again, it was "fun while it lasted", and for a time in the early 1980's was one of the most popular FM stations from Bangor to Houlton!
Photos from the Past
Sheri Clark sent in a couple of photos taken at the WLKN studios around 1980-1981. Ken DeBeck was a DJ at the station. Sheri said, "With not much for teens to do back in the day we would sometimes drive out and visit Kenny while he was broadcasting."
Ken DeBeck
Scott Washburn
A note from a former WLKN DJ
July 7, 2009 - I found your Web site while researching the one-time owner and GM of WLKN, Frank A. Delle. Frank hired me to work at the station in 1965. It was my first radio job, so I learned the ropes quickly…playing music (country, “middle of the road,” and rock) from sunup to sundown (at that time, the station was a 1,000-watt daytime station), and reading news off the AP wire. I shared hosting duties with Mark Richards.
After we shut the station down at night, Frank, Mark and myself often would stay late to record homemade commercials for businesses such as Bennett’s Paint and Hardware (I lived in the apartment over the store). On Saturday evenings, the Bennetts often invited me to their house to watch a spook show out of Danbury called “Weird.” The Bennetts had a very bright and pleasant daughter, Eva.
But the radio station – located in a mobile home between the cemetery and the dump – was a gas. When the wind blew hard, as it often did, the trailer would rock and cause the stylus to screech across whatever record was playing. I’d turn on the mic and apologize and start the song over. I guess WLKN was moved into a real building a few years later. Friendly listeners would bring us everything from fresh-baked bread to venison.
There wasn’t much to do in Lincoln then…except go to the diner (the name of which I can’t recall) and cruise around. I also frequented a restaurant counter on Main Street and chatted with a nice waitress named Connie.
I presume Frank has died? He was a lot of fun to work for. I left Lincoln in 1966.
Thanks for the venue,
Bruce Dixon
These photos of the old WLKN radio station on Park Avenue in Lincoln were taken about 1965, and were sent to us by Marc Delle, son of station founder Frank Delle.
Marc Delle also sent us these photos of the former
WLKN studio on School Street next to his family's home.
Visible in the background of the black and white photos
is the Lakeview Laundromat.