28 Years Ago (or is it 7 Years Ago?) February 29, 1984

[John1]

February 29, 1984 was the final day for the short-lived urban contemporary format on WXTU. A 'Sadie Hawkins Day' dance was held as the last station event. At 1 pm on March 1, 1984, the station switched to "Continuous Country 92 WXTU" with Waylon Jennings "Are You Ready For The Country". Hard to believe but XTU has now been in the country format twice as long as WRCP, Philadelphia's country station for 14 years (1967-1981). There had been no country station in the city for 6 months after WFIL dropped the format Labor Day weekend Friday in 1983. (WTTM Trenton, WAMS Wilmington & WXKW Allentown filled in parts of the area.) An article from back then in the Inquirer quoted PD Doug Weldon that the station did research by zip code where there signal was strongest (suburban areas) & found going country was the best option, although at the time I remember reading it was a close choice between country or going to 'adult standards' to compete with WPEN. (Their then-Norristown based transmitter didn't do well in center city.) A few on-air people stayed, like Patty ('Pat' on XTU) Jackson, now the longtime WDAS-FM midday personality, and Mike Brophey, who had survived the station' many changes, in WIFI's adult contemporary & 'rock of the '80's' format & then WXTU's urban & country formats (he's now PD at Boston's Country 102.5).

 

[ixnay]

I remember coming home from church on Sundays during the summer of 1983 (between spring and fall semesters of college) and putting on 92.1 (when it was CHR WIFI "I-92") to listen to the remainder of that week's AT40. The station went UC IIRC in October '83.

ixnay

 

[EZway2go]

Hard to believe but XTU has now been in the country format twice as long as WRCP, Philadelphia's country station for 14 years (1967-1981). There had been no country station in the city for 6 months after WFIL dropped the format Labor Day weekend Friday in 1983.

What period was 1590 in Chester (WEEZ?) country?