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Changing the Format But Not The DJs

G

Gregg.

I can remember a few times when a radio station changed its format but kept all or most of the DJs, even if they weren't that familiar with the new sound.

1. WPLJ New York went from Album Rock to Top 40 but did it gradually. Despite AOR being very male, WPLJs DJs had a large female following thanks to likeable DJs: Jim Kerr, Pat St. John, etc. As the station transitioned to Top 40, it did it over several months. At first, all the DJs stayed in place. Kerr and St. John continued for several years. But little by little, the DJs who didn't quite fit the Top 40 direction were released.

2. WKTU New York went from Soft Rock to Disco. It did it overnight. Out went the Carole King and the Cat Stevens records, in came Grace Jones and Donna Summer. Because it flipped so unexpectedly, the DJs stayed in place for a time. The story is that an executive had been enjoying Studio 54's music and excitement. He thought it would work as a 24 hour format on a NYC station. He got the go-ahead from the company and went to Tower Records, buying 200 disco and dance/R&B albums. As you might expect, as soon as Disco 92 debuted with the Soft Rock DJs, many R&B and Latino DJs applied for jobs. As they were signed, they replaced the Soft Rock DJs one by one.

3. Country 106.7 WKHK becomes Lite FM WLTW. In this case, some of the country DJs were invited to stay with Lite-FM. Morning host Bat Johnson and his newscaster, I think she was Shirley Jackson, stayed on, along with a few other DJs. Johnson had been on the Top 40 version of 660 WNBC, so he remained on WLTW for a few years. But some of the country DJs were so identified with that sound that they did not remain. And maybe they didn't want to.

4. Howard Stern tells the story of working in Detroit in the late 70s. Of the city's four album rock stations, 106.7 WWWW was fourth in the ratings. After he was there a year and the ratings didn't rise, management decided to pull the trigger. FM Country stations were popping up in other markets and this would be the one in Detroit. The format changed over a weekend and Stern says he only learned of it by turning on the radio. No email in those days. He gave it a try but just for a week. He says he called himself "Hopalong Howie" although I kinda doubt that. You don't want to let country fans know you think the format is silly.
 
Add WPAT-FM Paterson to the list, flipping from Spanish AC to a Spanish CHR station with Bachata songs mixed in back in 2016/2017, keeping every jock.
 
March 15, 1976: A date that shall live in infamy.

WCFL Chicago switched from Top 40 to elevator music that afternoon after 11 years as a great competitor to WLS. Some jocks, notably Dick Sainte and Doug Dahlgren in AM drive, were let go. But jocks that were still under contract were kept on. Notably, Larry Lujack, who had to endure Mantovani et al until he was able to return to WLS that fall after his contract expired.
 
Add 98.1 KISQ to the list. They kept pretty much all the same DJs going from Urban AC/ Rhythmic Oldies to Soft AC.
 
Loren and Wally morning duo at 105.7 Framingham/Boston MA which went from
WVBF to WCLB/WKLB to WROR, adult contemporary, country, classic hits over the decades.
Fictional: WKRP Cincinnati whose Johnny Caravella/Dr Johnny Fever stuck around when the format went from elevator music to rock
 
Gregg. said:
this would be the one in Detroit. The format changed over a weekend and Stern says he only learned of it by turning on the radio. No email in those days. He gave it a try but just for a week. He says he called himself "Hopalong Howie" although I kinda doubt that. You don't want to let country fans know you think the format is silly.
Click to expand...
Sounds like Mr. Stern thusly invented the "Froggy Country" format. :unsure:
 
Of course n small market radio this happened all the time. Not like you had another staff just waiting in the wings! In my first commercial gig, I was 6 to noon Saturday and Sunday. I read about our format change in the local paper Friday morning. A format change that was happening at 6am Saturday morning. (A phone call would have been nice!) We went from Rock 40 to Country, and did not make any personnel changes at all.
 
WTUE, Dayton, unexpectedly flipped from top 40 to AOR one weekend in August 1975, because of the success of the University of Dayton's WVUD. All the top 40 jocks were kept, but one AOR jock was brought over from Columbus. It was interesting to hear the top 40 jocks trying to be mellow and cool. Eventually in 1976, a new consultant was brought in and WTUE became a real AOR station, and even brought a couple of people over from WVUD once those folks graduated. WTUE is still Classic Rock.
 
In Philly, early 1980s, 92.5, WIFI went from adult top 40, to Rick Carroll's Rock of the 80s alternative as I-92 (lasted less than a year), to an Urban/Top-40 hybrid under the call letters WXTU which also didn't last long, then finally to Country. Jock Mike Brophy went through all four formats, and was there many years after the flip to country (he changed his name to, I think, "Bill E" when it was I-92). I think he retired from radio at Country 92.
Some of the other top 40 jocks stayed for Rock of the 80s. For a short time, some of the Urban/Top40 jocks (I think one was Perry Johnson) stayed when the format changed to country.
 
60 WCAO Baltimore flipped from Top 40 to Country around 1984. I'm not sure any staff changed at all? They sounded just as comfortable with either format.
 
WOGL in Philly kept going from top 40 to oldies with, initially, much of the same air staff. It changed over time of course, but some holdovers stuck around for quite some time.

Not a format change, but my favorite transition was WTRK to WEGX in Philly as well. Brian Murphy on one side of the top of the hour was doing the last vestiges of the mercifully short-lived Electric 106, then abruptly was touting the new Eagle 106 in the different approach it was taking to the format.

Not sure what it one would classify WIP as, while it moved from music to sports block by block. Some holdovers, and returnees, stuck around and became part of the sports lineup initially, while the surviving music folks like Bill Webber were pushed out the door one by one, with their music shows surrounded by sports until the axe swung on them.
 
raccoonradio said:
Loren and Wally morning duo at 105.7 Framingham/Boston MA which went from
WVBF to WCLB/WKLB to WROR, adult contemporary, country, classic hits over the decades.
Click to expand...
A couple other Boston stations: in 1982 soft rock WEEI-FM became CHR Hit Radio 103 with most of the same airstaff. Then about a year later AOR WCOZ transitioned to AC, again keeping most of the AOR jocks. Some adjusted better than others, but all were shown the door about a year later when the format again changed to CHR as WZOU "The Zoo".
 
101.9 La Kalle said:
Add WPAT-FM Paterson to the list, flipping from Spanish AC to a Spanish CHR station with Bachata songs mixed in back in 2016/2017, keeping every jock.
Click to expand...
Considering that the vast majority of Spanish Dominant PPM participants in NYC are Dominican, that is really not a great change. It is more like a shift than a full format flip.
 
Dennis Quinn was at 101.9 in New York for a number of years. Top-40 (WPIX-FM) and later Smooth Jazz (WQCD.)
 
DavidEduardo said:
Considering that the vast majority of Spanish Dominant PPM participants in NYC are Dominican, that is really not a great change. It is more like a shift than a full format flip.
Click to expand...
When the change first happened, listeners complained, asking why they were playing reggaeton, etc etc, but as you said, it really wasn't a huge shift.
 
When WNCN in New York switched from classical to "active rock" (and changed calls to WAXQ) in 1993, Candice Agree made the transition from Bach jock to rock jock on 104.3, and changed her on-air name to Candy Martin.
 
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