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Can You Believe It Will Have Been 25 Years?

M

MediaLover

This spring will mark 25 years since Jammin' 92.3 and 107.9 The End both went off the air and replaced by 92.3 The Beat and KISS 107.9 (later Z107.9).

Around the same time, WZLE would dump its Christian music format for CHR as KISS 104.9.

Since then, 92.3 would flip to Alternative for a ten-year run before becoming Sports as The Fan, 104.9 became WCLV from 2001 until 2022 when it started simulcasting WKSU, and KISS moved to 96.5.

Z107.9 is still going strong to this day as is the KISS format. Jammin' Oldies died a quick death after two years.
 
MediaLover said:
This spring will mark 25 years since Jammin' 92.3 and 107.9 The End both went off the air and replaced by 92.3 The Beat and KISS 107.9 (later Z107.9).

Around the same time, WZLE would dump its Christian music format for CHR as KISS 104.9.

Since then, 92.3 would flip to Alternative for a ten-year run before becoming Sports as The Fan, 104.9 became WCLV from 2001 until 2022 when it started simulcasting WKSU, and KISS moved to 96.5.

Z107.9 is still going strong to this day as is the KISS format. Jammin' Oldies died a quick death after two years.
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How's this for strange bedfellows:

In 1999, an entity called AMFM Inc. (the sum of a merger between Chancellor and Capstar) had a Cleveland cluster of the following stations:

WRMR 850 (standards - now WKNR ESPN 850)
WKNR 1220 (sports - now WHKW 1220 The Word)
WJMO 1490 (classic R&B - now WERE)
WZJM 92.3 (rhythmic oldies aka "Jammin' Oldies" - now WKRK 92.3 The Fan)
WZAK 93.1 (urban AC)
WDOK 102.1 (soft AC)
WQAL 104.1 (hot AC)

This lasted a year until AMFM merged with Clear Channel (now iHeart), and CC had to unload the AMFM CLE cluster

850 and 1220 went to Salem (and years later 850 would be sold to Good Karma)
92.3, 102.1 and 104.1 went to CBS (which years later merged with Entercom becoming what is today Audacy)
1490 and 93.1 went to Radio One (now known as Urban One)
 
And "Action" Jackson was able to jump to WMJI after "Jammin' Oldies" bit the dust. Listened to him on 92.3 and always thought he'd be a good fit for 'MJI.
 
Jammin' Oldies was definitely some fresh air in a stagnant Cleveland radio environment when it premiered. They had some upbeat TV ads, and the air talent could have some fun on the air.

However, they could have done better with the playlist -- it didn't take long for the repetitiveness to settle in. They had a few decades of music to represent, but only chose a fraction of format-suitable songs.
 
I don't know if I'd say KISS is going strong. It's going, but so is everything else in town.

As far as 92.3 The Beat is concerned, I loved the original crew before it became the Billy Bass/Action Jackson station. Of course, that original crew was the Jammin' 92.3 crew, so it was like finding a staff too late. It's like saying "I loved the original New 102 crew before they all left," because they were all the Soft Rock 102.1 staff with a new music playlist. 92.3 The Beat, in the very beginning, also had a very fun on-air presence, in terms of bumpers and idents. That hourly ident that they started out with would never make it on the air today, and if you remember it, you know exactly why. Once AMFM fully took over and stripped it of that original identity, it started to go downhill.

I'm not sure of the timelines, but wasn't this also the same time that Q104 had Saturday Night Fever and Mix 106.5 had Boogie Nights, or were those all at different times?
 
1999 also saw Larry Morrow leave Q104/WQAL after almost 15 years. He joined when it was still Easy Listening, and stayed after the switch to Hot AC.
 
Think of all of the great radio personalities that we had in Cleveland at one time on music radio. Jeff and Flash, Kid Leo, Denny Sanders, Danny Wright, Tim Byrd, Billy Bass, Trapper Jack, John Lanigan, Lynn Toliver, etc etc. All of these very talented people were either pushed out of the business or quit and went on to other careers. Now when I listen to music radio, I hear just "announcers" if any human being at all. This was always the appeal of local radio vs. streaming stations or just listening to music files. These people were your companions. The blame for the demise of broadcast radio sits squarely on the shoulders of the ownership groups who gutted their staffs and removed one of the main advantages that they had over any other listening option.
 
^ Right. At one time, just about every Cleveland station was live and local around the clock. In addition to having that "companion", it was possible to call in to request a song or win a prize on a contest.
 
I am part vampire so many a time I was up well into the early AM hours listening to the DJs from local and far off stations. Talked to quite a few far off ones and blew their minds when they found out I was listening in NE Ohio. I gathered tht many of them never got many or any calls during their overnight shifts. I remember some DJ on a station in South or North Carolina playing a Paul Davis song [and on which he gave out incorrect info] and wondering if he was still alive....he died in 2008. I called the station, he answered, and was thrilled that someone was listening to him all the way from Ohio and he ended up putting me on the air for about 15 minutes talking about various singers that had passed away and talked to him for about 30 minutes off air.
 
MegaBlue said:
I don't know if I'd say KISS is going strong. It's going, but so is everything else in town.

As far as 92.3 The Beat is concerned, I loved the original crew before it became the Billy Bass/Action Jackson station. Of course, that original crew was the Jammin' 92.3 crew, so it was like finding a staff too late. It's like saying "I loved the original New 102 crew before they all left," because they were all the Soft Rock 102.1 staff with a new music playlist. 92.3 The Beat, in the very beginning, also had a very fun on-air presence, in terms of bumpers and idents. That hourly ident that they started out with would never make it on the air today, and if you remember it, you know exactly why. Once AMFM fully took over and stripped it of that original identity, it started to go downhill.

I'm not sure of the timelines, but wasn't this also the same time that Q104 had Saturday Night Fever and Mix 106.5 had Boogie Nights, or were those all at different times?
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Jammin' Oldies came at the tail end of Saturday Night Fever and Boogie Nights. Those two shows and Friday Night 80's all ended not too long after The Beat signed on.

Even WJMO dumped Solid Gold Soul and flipped to Gospel, which remains to this day, even going from 1490 to 1300.
 
MegaBlue said:
I don't know if I'd say KISS is going strong. It's going, but so is everything else in town.

As far as 92.3 The Beat is concerned, I loved the original crew before it became the Billy Bass/Action Jackson station. Of course, that original crew was the Jammin' 92.3 crew, so it was like finding a staff too late. It's like saying "I loved the original New 102 crew before they all left," because they were all the Soft Rock 102.1 staff with a new music playlist. 92.3 The Beat, in the very beginning, also had a very fun on-air presence, in terms of bumpers and idents. That hourly ident that they started out with would never make it on the air today, and if you remember it, you know exactly why. Once AMFM fully took over and stripped it of that original identity, it started to go downhill.

I'm not sure of the timelines, but wasn't this also the same time that Q104 had Saturday Night Fever and Mix 106.5 had Boogie Nights, or were those all at different times?
Click to expand...
Kiss and 107.9 (along with 107.3) are way down the list in the ratings. Primarily because young people no longer listen to the radio for new music, plus 107.9 plays the censored versions of rap/hip hop, where the language is an important part of the music's appeal. WMMS' strength is no longer music, but the drive time talk shows and sports play-by-play. Cleveland - RadioInsight
 
107.3 is actually doing better than both Kiss and 107.9. Ratings for what is now Alternative Cleveland is the best since the time the Cavs won the NBA Finals. Don't count out the station just yet.
 
MediaLover said:
107.3 is actually doing better than both Kiss and 107.9. Ratings for what is now Alternative Cleveland is the best since the time the Cavs won the NBA Finals. Don't count out the station just yet.
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Here's the comparison in the latest Nielsens:

WNWV 2.9 cume 138,200
WENZ 2.4 cume 128,000
WAKS 2,2 cume 165,100

Still not exactly setting the world on fire. Alternative formats on FM are changing format all over the country. Look, I love a lot of alternative rock, but the vast majority of their target audience just plain does not listen to the radio. But I wish them luck.
 
radiofollower said:
Here's the comparison in the latest Nielsens:

WNWV 2.9 cume 138,200
WENZ 2.4 cume 128,000
WAKS 2,2 cume 165,100

Still not exactly setting the world on fire. Alternative formats on FM are changing format all over the country. Look, I love a lot of alternative rock, but the vast majority of their target audience just plain does not listen to the radio. But I wish them luck.
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At least they are doing better than the entire existence of JenY.
 
radiofollower said:
Here's the comparison in the latest Nielsens:

WNWV 2.9 cume 138,200
WENZ 2.4 cume 128,000
WAKS 2,2 cume 165,100

Still not exactly setting the world on fire. Alternative formats on FM are changing format all over the country. Look, I love a lot of alternative rock, but the vast majority of their target audience just plain does not listen to the radio. But I wish them luck.
Click to expand...
Radio does not sell based on cume. It sells on rating (not share).
 
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