Unusual station names or slogans

[davideduardo]

I saw this on eBay....

... and though about strange station names.

There was an "Armadillo" in Texas at one time, but the Walleye is, I think, even more unusual.

 

[b-turner]

The Armadillo was a early 1990s San Antonio Young Country FM that was very music intensive.

 

[MarcB]

Until 2014 when it and their FM Classic Rock sister station were sold to K-LOVE, WCCC AM 1290 in West Hartford, Connecticut was doing Classical Music as Beethoven 1290 and Beethoven dot com. Seems unusual to have a radio station branded after a performer or artist outsider of stunting. This station was on the air around 15 years. K-Love donated the station and it's now WNWW with a Religious Preaching and Teaching formnat as "Faith 94.1" (using the frequency of their FM translator).

WNTY 990 AM in Southington, Connecticut was called "Notty 99" pronounced as "Naughty 99" when they flipped to all-talk in February 2002. It was a play on the WNTY call sign. There was a little bit of innuendo with the name too as they ran an infomercial disguised as a talk show called "Let's Play Doctor" hosted by Dr. Joel Wallach. (sp?) Eventually "Let's Play Doctor" changed its name to "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" and the station dropped the "Notty 99" name. In 2003 they changed call signs to WXCT and became "eXact Radio, 990 The X". Today they are WNTY again and doing Classic Hits as "Kool 990 AM and 96.1 FM".

 

[CTListener]

Until 2014 when it and their FM Classic Rock sister station were sold to K-LOVE, WCCC AM 1290 in West Hartford, Connecticut was doing Classical Music as Beethoven 1290 and Beethoven dot com. Seems unusual to have a radio station branded after a performer or artist outsider of stunting. This station was on the air around 15 years. K-Love donated the station and it's now WNWW with a Religious Preaching and Teaching formnat as "Faith 94.1" (using the frequency of their FM translator).

WNTY 990 AM in Southington, Connecticut was called "Notty 99" pronounced as "Naughty 99" when they flipped to all-talk in February 2002. It was a play on the WNTY call sign. There was a little bit of innuendo with the name too as they ran an infomercial disguised as a talk show called "Let's Play Doctor" hosted by Dr. Joel Wallach. (sp?) Eventually "Let's Play Doctor" changed its name to "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" and the station dropped the "Notty 99" name. In 2003 they changed call signs to WXCT and became "eXact Radio, 990 The X". Today they are WNTY again and doing Classic Hits as "Kool 990 AM and 96.1 FM".

Beethoven Radio is a syndicated format. It's still available from 9 p.m. to midnight weekdays on WJMJ Hartford. Apparently, the Netherlands has a "Beethoven Network" that does the same thing, playing music by "Beethoven and his contemporaries," according to the description on its page. Beethoven Radio and its lone host, Peter van der Graaf, isn't limited to one era of classical music, though, playing everything from very early music (1200s and 1300s) to music composed in this millennium.

 

[b-turner]

As I understand it Beethoven Network originates from WFMT with 8 one hour modules of a variety of classical selections hosted by Peter van der Graaf. It is available to stations via syndication.

 

[Kent]

The Armadillo was a early 1990s San Antonio Young Country FM that was very music intensive.

KDIL 106.7 ran from about 1992 or '93 to '95. It switched to smooth jazz KCJZ in early '95.

There's a current "Armadillo" in Amarillo at 95.7. It's a Cumulus property, and it, too, plays country.

 

[BFaucett]

 

[DXingRadio]

In 2004 Harrisburg, PA had a station called "CoolPop 106.7". The slogan was "The World's First CoolPop Station" which was true, since I think it was the only one ever! Format was an eccentric CHR that still played 70's/80's tunes. Only lasted a year and was replaced with Adult Hits.

 

[JBraddock]

In Monmouth County NJ, Brookdale Community College's WBJB had a jazz format in the 80s and 90s. In the late 90s, they began running a AAA format in the evening called "The Night." When fundraising picked up at night, they adopted the AAA format full-time, but it's still called "The Night." Not sure why.

 

[CTListener]

As I understand it Beethoven Network originates from WFMT with 8 one hour modules of a variety of classical selections hosted by Peter van der Graaf. It is available to stations via syndication.

I believe you're right on that. Beethoven Radio was the name that WCCC(AM) called itself, but Beethoven Network was the source of its programming. Besides the short time slot on WJMJ, which is deep-playlist '50s-through-today pop and country most of the time, Beethoven Network programming is heard overnight on two of the three majority-classical stations I can receive here. Why Connecticut seems to be the nexus for so much classical music on radio is a mystery to me. We're not all old, white and rich, especially once you get beyond lower Fairfield County!

 

[CTListener]

Country music legend George Jones was known as "The Possum," so that name definitely fits a classic country station.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Beethoven Radio is a syndicated format. It's still available from 9 p.m. to midnight weekdays on WJMJ Hartford. Apparently, the Netherlands has a "Beethoven Network" that does the same thing, playing music by "Beethoven and his contemporaries," according to the description on its page. Beethoven Radio and its lone host, Peter van der Graaf, isn't limited to one era of classical music, though, playing everything from very early music (1200s and 1300s) to music composed in this millennium.

WLTT Wilmington NC (previously called WSFM), which is a daytime only AM but has had two different translators, the first one changed to another station, was called Bach FM from 2011 to 2013.

 

[BFaucett]

Country music legend George Jones was known as "The Possum," so that name definitely fits a classic country station.

Jones also worked at KTRM (shortly thereafter, KZZB95) in Beaumont around this time. Deejay Gordon Baxter told Nick Tosches that Jones acquired the nickname "possum" while working there: "One of the deejays there, Slim Watts, took to calling him George P. Willicker Picklepuss Possum Jones. For one thing, he cut his hair short, like a possum's belly. He had a possum's nose and stupid eyes, like a possum."

George Jones

Early years (1931–53) George Glenn Jones was born on September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, and was raised in Vidor, Texas, with his brother and f

www.cityofvidor.com

I knew Gordon Baxter (via my parents) back in the late 60s when I was a teenager. He was somewhat of a local celebrity in the Beaumont - Port Arthur - Orange, Texas area. He was an interesting gentleman.

Cheers! Bob

 

[vchimpanzee]

On the subject of animals that are or resemble rodents, classic hits WSQL Brevard NC is "The Home of the White Squirrel". Brevard is known for its white squirrels. The owner of the station is Go Nuts Radio. The logo which includes a squirrel has a very large Q-102 and a very small AM 1240.

 

[CTListener]

WLTT Wilmington NC (previously called WSFM), which is a daytime only AM but has had two different translators, the first one changed to another station, was called Bach FM from 2011 to 2013.

WBOQ 104.9 Gloucester, Mass., took those calls when it launched as a commercial classical station. It was branded, advertised and marketed as "W-Bach," which is what its announcers called it on-air. Bach and all the other composers are long gone from WBOQ, now an AC station, but the call remains.

 

[b-turner]

WBOQ was once Simon Geller's WVCA, a classical FM run by a quirky guy all by his lonesome. There are stories he started WVCA as a top 40 and a major Boston Top 40 offered him $50,000 back in the day to switch formats. He did. It seems a lady allowed him to record hundreds of hours (over 700) on classical music onto reel to reel, all back announced. It has been said he had a voice meant for silent films. When Simon sold WVCA the stipulation was the station had to retain a classical music format: W-Bach was the result.

 

[Delete My Account]

"The Phantom" - WMPS 96.1 Tunica - Memphis, as a classic based alternative rock station. May have been inspired by the pirate Phantom FM in Dublin, that later became legal.

"K-Otter" - 94.9 KOTR Cambria, California - a freeform AAA station. It later transformed into another radio animal as an outlet of "K-Pig" (KPYG, simulcasting KPIG.)

During the 2008 election, a pair of DC market AM stations were marketed as "McCain 570" and "Obama 1260" (conservative talk on 570 WTNT and liberal hosts on 1260 WWRC.)

 

[Kent]

"The Phantom" - WMPS 96.1 Tunica - Memphis, as a classic based alternative rock station. May have been inspired by the pirate Phantom FM in Dublin, that later became legal.

Cumulus is now using ”The Phantom” on 98.1 in Abilene. It’s airing a rock format.

Not a station name, but one of the most unique slogans I‘ve heard was on the old KFUO-FM 99.1, which was a classical format. “Playing the best hits of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries!” Also in St. Louis, the old KJSL 630 was, “Talk radio Hell hates.”

Around 20 years ago, Northwest Arkansas's Cool 94.3 KAMO-FM ditched its oldies format for country. The U of A's KUAF 91.3 ran ads that said, “So, you lost your oldies station? We can do one better. Our music is REALLY old!”

 

[MVB13]

Merf Radio 95.7 in Pennsylvania is an odd name for a station it's a Hot A/C station. It's logo is a dog 🐕 🐶. Another odd one is 92.3 Moose a CHR in Augusta, Maine. Mom 102.7 in Michigan is a funny one It's slogan is Always Listen to Your Mom. I also have seen OMG 106.7 which used to be in Santa Fe that was a Pop station it was also on 97.7 at some point as OMG 97.7.

 

[MVB13]

I forgot to mention in NJ there is 95.9 the Rat a rock station. Odd choice for an animal to use and they aren't really known for being tough...