HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Sixty years ago, Bill Gargano turned on WHTC’s microphone and started talking, inviting listeners to call the station.
His idea of a radio show designed aimed at letting people get things “off their chest and onto the radio” turned into a show so neighborly, listeners often felt as if they were talking over the backyard fence – back when that was a pretty typical experience in and around Holland.
(Listen to the anniversary show: Hour 1 and Hour 2.)
Gargano arrived in Holland after working in Sault Ste. Marie’s radio station. He arrived in 1952, then left — but returned in 1959, after a stint at a Wisconsin radio station. He carried the idea of the talk show from Wisconsin, where he’d help start just such a program.
Gargano remembers being impressed with Holland’s small-town atmosphere and how clean the city was. He liked the idea of the Wisconsin talk show, but it was a hard sell for his boss, Sandy Meek, who thought it was an oddball idea that wouldn’t fly in Holland.
Still, Meek gave Gargano a week to test the idea.
The phones lit up, and soon, the daily show, which they called Talk of the Town, had a sponsor: Grocer Paul Baker.
In 1962, Juke VanOss arrived at WHTC and began alternating hosting duties with Gargano.
“We just sat there and talked,” Gargano said. “Nothing special.”
Somehow, the show that started out as a one-topic discussion forum turned into a clearinghouse of neighborly advice on housekeeping, yard and garden tips, occasional guests, and an almost endless conversation about food. The recipes featured on the show filled more than one cookbook produced by VanOss and Gargano — and most of those were sold as fundraisers for such non-profits as the then-Ottawa Shores Humane Society (now Harbor Humane).
The infamous recipe story, of course, ended up being featured in a 1997 book by Van Oss: “Poodle Bread & Other Interesting Recipes and Household Hints,” happened when a listener overheard part of a phone call, from a woman asking where she could get her poodle bred. The listener called in to get the rest of that Poodle Bread recipe, and the rest is history.
Gargano recalled the era in which Datsun cars seemed pervasive, though not everyone was a fan. A Talk of the Town caller asked for reviews of the car, but one listener, misheard the question and called to say dachshunds weren’t very nice and the questioner should pick a different breed.
Pretty soon, Talk of the Town was extended to a 45-minutes, then two full hours, keeping time with the community in ways that larger stations often do not.
Kevin Oswald, station manager and sales director for WHTC and its sister station, 92.7 The Van, grew up when Talk of the Town inspired a lot of talk around town.
“I can remember Bill Gargano and Juke VanOss sharing hosting duties,” Oswald said. “It was on in every household in this community, I think, because everybody talked about it — ‘Did you hear such-and-such or so-and-so or this or that or the other thing on Talk of the Town the other day?’”
At times, Gargano recalled, people would call in with community news, or ask if they or their event could be featured — and that’s how the interviews started. He remembers a few who evolved into regular guests: a teacher from Holland Christian Schools, talking about reading being fundamental; a veteran, some nutritionists.
“We only allowed about one per week, we never had ’em every day,” he said. “We had politicians, also.”
His favorite memory, Gargano said, is “the fun I had. The fun Juke and I had. Juke came in and took over in 1962. We had a lot of fun with listeners.”
One frequent caller was a real character — a man named Charlie, who, Gargano said, “was very different. He was unusual and he was fun. He always had something to say, something to talk about.”
One day Charlie called to share news with listeners that he’d be marrying his housekeeper.
“After a few weeks, she absconded with his Social Security check. He told the story on the radio. Poor old Charlie. He was a nice guy,” Gargano said. Rarely did Gargano or Van Oss go about meeting up with listeners, he said.
But Gargano was well-known to area students: He ran the station’s spelling bee, something Oswald, remembers well seeing a show recorded when he was a sixth grader at Apple Avenue school.
Talk of the Town was, and is, the kind of radio Brent Alan, WHTC’s sister station 92.7 The Van’s brand manager, says he heard while growing up. Alan pulled together the nomination for VanOss’ 2009 induction into the Michigan Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
“My mom had [talk radio] on all the time,” he told Gary Stevens. “There’s many people that do so many good things behind the scenes and that’s one thing Talk of the Town does really well – showcases a lot of those people.”
Talk of the Town is ever entwined with the one and only Juke Van Oss, who was consistently mostly non-partisan and mild mannered.
“He did so many jobs here,” Alan said. “He’d say, ‘This is the best two hours of my day.’”
Gary Stevens said he liked the idea that Talk of the Town as a program where people can “get things off their chests and onto the radio.”
Talk of the Town’s old-time radio feel includes an element most stations long-ago dropped: live community announcements. At WHTC, that’s “What’s New Around Holland,” and Patty Vandenberg has been announcing births, community events, and obituaries for many of her 40 years at the station.
She started out scheduling commercials, typing up the logs kept by on-air people documenting when commercials aired, and answering phone calls. She ended up filling in for Kay Felker, the original announcer, after Felker developed a severe case of laryngitis. After several days of Vandenberg subbing, Felker decided she’d rather have Vandenberg do the show. It was nerve-wracking, Vandenberg said, but ultimately pretty satisfying. These days, every now and then, someone recognizes her by the sound of her voice.
Another regular Talk of the Town feature is Jan Meeuwsen’s Tuesday’s morning visits. She started out doing short phone interviews with morning host Ken Showers — but before long, her popularity led to an hour on Talk of the Town and a regular Saturday morning “Ask the Gardener” show.
Ed Ver Schure, who took over Talk of the Town a few weeks after VanOss died in March 7, 2016, said Meeuwsen is his favorite guest. The two shared many a boisterous conversation — including a few conversations about dog cologne — and lots of laughter.
The show also has a very serious side. Ver Schure earn a Michigan Association of Broadcasters community involvement award for his Nov. 28, 2018, interview with Jeff Elhart, on mental health, suicide awareness and prevention, as well as the Be Nice. campaign — something WHTC continues to support.
Ver Schure has been off the air with an illness since July. As a host, he often regaled listeners with fun facts about music and cars — and food. Since Ver Schure has been off the air, Gary Stevens has been running Talk of the Town.
In a 2003 interview with Juke VanOss, the last time Gargano visited WHTC’s studios, the two men reminisced about Talk of the Town’s early years. VanOss praised Gargano for creating the show, and Gargano handed the praise right back:
“You kept it going,” he told VanOss.
Stevens noted Tuesday, during Talk of the Town’s 60th anniversary show, some regret that early shows are “lost to the mists of time.”
“We look forward to moving [Talk of the Town] forward,” Stevens said. “How much longer? We don’t know, but we’ll keep on going.”
