Honestly, I can't really blame the guy for running his radio station like this. I would probably do exactly the same thing if I had the money.
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Shortest-lived formats
- Thread starter knapfordsouthern1
- Start date
Have to throw this one in again, August 1983 til mid-January 1984, this station changed my life forever:
Then it was reduced to this:
Only learned recently that the station was sold that January which was a big reason for the format change, ultimately that still wasn't successful in the long term changing to 93 Rock in January 1986.
Then it was reduced to this:
Only learned recently that the station was sold that January which was a big reason for the format change, ultimately that still wasn't successful in the long term changing to 93 Rock in January 1986.
There were a few other very short-lived "Classy" stations. I have never figured out who came with this silly idea, but if you declare yourself "classy", you aren't. I never knew of any educated intelligent actually-classy people who would ever want to tune into something as truly tacky as a station called "classy"!
You are correct, the Classy/Class brand name has not aged well for radio. It was a signature of consultant George Johns. He had a number of clients in the 1980s that ran this format. He built it on the template of KVIL/Dallas which was a hugely successful FM AC starting in the 1970s (and well into the 1990s).
Class/Classy did launch very successfully in some markets, but it was an expensive format to execute. These stations were promotionally active and pushed personality more than most ACs on FM at that time. The problem in just about all cases was ratings slipped over time when the AC audience fragmented as more-music-focused/highly researched competitors came along (and they did because AC was so profitable).
Greensboro NC had a station called Classy but it was beautiful music and, as far as I know, not personality-oriented. It lasted several years in the late 80s.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Just making clear there was at least one case of other uses.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
After it became KEDG, the late J.J. Jackson almost hired me to do production and utility, but he was unaware of GM Bill Ward's fixation on the "K-Lite" format that was dumped at 100.3 to make way for Pirate Radio.
As a result, Ward never signed my contract ... but I did get to hang out with everyone the last night.
Ironically, "The Edge" was sold out when Ward pulled the plug, and "K-Lite" never achieved that in the five years before it became KSCA, essentially reverting to the KEDG format (but without any of us). I held a grudge against Ward until his death ... mostly because he announced the "K-Lite" format on my 33rd birthday.
The template may have been KVIL, but KVIL never called themselves "classy" on the air during the time after I moved to Dallas (1984). But they hardly needed to...back in those days, the KVIL call letters meant more in the market than any slogan or nickname would.
I listened to KVIL starting with my move to Dallas in the summer of '69. I watched KVIL's dominance to rule the market. Later, KLLS in San Antonio paid to do the KVIL format. They were Class FM and top of the hour was "San Antonio spells class K-L-L-S". It did not last many years. It sounded much like KVIL.
A commercial classical format centering on well known classical music and void of playing whole symphonies, used the moniker "Class FM". I thought they should do a liner "You've got Class, Class FM"
A commercial classical format centering on well known classical music and void of playing whole symphonies, used the moniker "Class FM". I thought they should do a liner "You've got Class, Class FM"
Country 1320 WGMA Hollywood, Florida blowing out the entire staff to become WADY "The Lady on 1320 For Singles Only". I was hired for 7p-Mid. When I saw what they planned I quit before going on. The music wasn't bad, basic Adult Contemporary you could hear on lots of better AM and FM signals. It was just the approach was much too sleezy for radio in 1979. 1320 went silent in about 3 months. Advertisers didn't want to be associated with it. The station was sold and came back as WLQY Lucky 13 playing Adult Standards.
Speaking of WCXT, after Citadel took over and before their new (current) tower site was ready, they ran commercial-free classic country for a few months (October/November 2005 to April 2006). So the classic country format actually lasted longer than the Whip!
This one goes back to approx. January 1979, at (around) the height of disco-mania. KIOI/San Francisco (branded back then as K-101) flipped to an all-disco format for only about one month. It wasn't a stunt, because after that they returned to Adult Contemporary.
I mentioned 99.5 in Detroit...that frequency was home to yet another "Class" act, WCLS, that lasted most of 1984 and maybe the first half or so of '85. Liggett already operated successful AC stations with WFMK in Lansing and WHNN in Saginaw/Bay City and apparently thought they could have similar success with WCLS. FMK and HNN, though, didn't have three (WNIC, WOMC and WMJC - then four after WDRQ became WLTI in the spring of '85) other FM AC stations to compete against '85). WCLS was sold again in mid-'85 and became WDTX, then WDFX in 1988.
Sounds like the "Classical's Greatest Hits" tight-playlist format of familiar excerpts and overtures that WCRB Waltham/Boston had before going non-commercial. I think the library consisted of about 250 pieces.
I remember a letter to the editor stating that classical stations should play the entire work and not just a part of it.
I think people are more likely to listen to what is familiar and that might have to be an excerpt.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
And I bet nothing changed as a result.
Was the letter writer one of these guys?
Not a USA example so I hope you'll forget the intrusion. In 1996, the local radio station that a couple of friends of mine worked for in the UK was being sold to a new media group. On the day that the investors met to sign the papers and transfer the station, my friends decided to unilaterally adopt an 'All Kylie, All Day' format, playing nothing but songs by Kylie Minogue. When the station manager tried to stop them they barricaded themselves in the studio. All in all they managed about 6 hours of non-stop Kylie Minogue before they had made their point and stepped aside to let the regular jocks in. Best programming that station put out in its whole existence! It was re-branded for real a couple of weeks later.