30 years ago...

[channelsurf]

August 15, 1975 was the date that 94.5-WCOZ debuted their "modified progressive rock" format. At the time, the other existing FM rockers, in the Boston area, were amazingly WBCN and WAAF. 1550AM-WNTN, was also programming progressive rock, at the time, as well, but that would end, a few months later, in January, 1976. WCOZ lasted as a rock station, until October, 1983. Previously 94.5 had been progressive rock from late 1967, until August, 1969, as WHDH-FM. WHDH-FM became beautiful/elevator music in August, 1969, and that format continued, when the call letters changed to WCOZ (Cozy), in early 1973, until August, 1975.

 

[epsilon]

> August 15, 1975 was the date that 94.5-WCOZ debuted their
> "modified progressive rock" format. At the time, the other
> existing FM rockers, in the Boston area, were amazingly WBCN
> and WAAF. 1550AM-WNTN, was also programming progressive
> rock, at the time, as well, but that would end, a few months
> later, in January, 1976. WCOZ lasted as a rock station,
> until October, 1983. Previously 94.5 had been progressive
> rock from late 1967, until August, 1969, as WHDH-FM. WHDH-FM
> became beautiful/elevator music in August, 1969, and that
> format continued, when the call letters changed to WCOZ
> (Cozy), in early 1973, until August, 1975.
>

WCOZ really ended (at least as I enjoyed it) in July of 1980 when they decided to concentrate on the young male demographic to the exclusion of everyone else and switched to a self-described "Kick Ass Rock'n'Roll" hard AOR format.

 

[pqgeorge]

People got pretty tired of John Sebastian's (WCOZ's GM) same 300 "Kick-ass Rock and Roll" tunes with the same liner cards.... you know..... "94 and a half C-O-Z, with fewer commercials...and no disco", "Don't forget the new C-O-Z belt-buckle...available at Strawberries or just give us a call here at C-O-Z". The jocks had absolutely no personality whatsoever, due to the liner cards and the very short playlist. I mean, how many times can you listen to "Alabama Get Away, Get Away" or "Stairway To Heaven" et.al. . Sure, it was the number one station for teens and college kids. But, those coveted demos grew up and got quickly turned off of COZ. As a result, C-O-Z quickly morphed to "The Best Show In Boston" in early 1984. And then by September of that year, C-O-Z was no more. It became WZOU "Boston's Zoo", Top 40. Today, that station is WJMN ("Jam'n 94.5"), playing music (hip-hop) you'd NEVER think of hearing on WCOZ. ("Hip-Hop" is today's disco music.) WCOZ before it was Sebastianized was a very good AOR station and actually played some good oldies that fit the format. I liked the sound (modified progressive rock) that Clark Schmidt put on 94.5 in 1975. The jocks were excellent and that station had a very good "sound", better than WBCN. Once the "Kick ass" days came in 1980, everything on COZ was on overdrive and quickly after couple of great "books", it was dropping like flies.


> WCOZ really ended (at least as I enjoyed it) in July of 1980
> when they decided to concentrate on the young male
> demographic to the exclusion of everyone else and switched
> to a self-described "Kick Ass Rock'n'Roll" hard AOR format.
> <P ID="signature">______________
Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts</P>

 

[fccfight]

Re: 30 years ago...All Led Zeppelin all the time

interesting that Sebastian didn't move to oldies and do an ALL ELVIS format in the 1980s after his Zeppelin thing got tired...


> People got pretty tired of John Sebastian's (WCOZ's GM) same
> 300 "Kick-ass Rock and Roll" tunes with the same liner
> cards.... you know..... "94 and a half C-O-Z, with fewer
> commercials...and no disco", "Don't forget the new C-O-Z
> belt-buckle...available at Strawberries or just give us a
> call here at C-O-Z". The jocks had absolutely no
> personality whatsoever, due to the liner cards and the very
> short playlist. I mean, how many times can you listen to
> "Alabama Get Away, Get Away" or "Stairway To Heaven" et.al.
> . Sure, it was the number one station for teens and college
> kids. But, those coveted demos grew up and got quickly
> turned off of COZ. As a result, C-O-Z quickly morphed to
> "The Best Show In Boston" in early 1984. And then by
> September of that year, C-O-Z was no more. It became WZOU
> "Boston's Zoo", Top 40. Today, that station is WJMN ("Jam'n
> 94.5"), playing music (hip-hop) you'd NEVER think of hearing
> on WCOZ. ("Hip-Hop" is today's disco music.) WCOZ before
> it was Sebastianized was a very good AOR station and
> actually played some good oldies that fit the format. I
> liked the sound (modified progressive rock) that Clark
> Schmidt put on 94.5 in 1975. The jocks were excellent and
> that station had a very good "sound", better than WBCN.
> Once the "Kick ass" days came in 1980, everything on COZ was
> on overdrive and quickly after couple of great "books", it
> was dropping like flies.
>
>
> > WCOZ really ended (at least as I enjoyed it) in July of
> 1980
> > when they decided to concentrate on the young male
> > demographic to the exclusion of everyone else and switched
>
> > to a self-described "Kick Ass Rock'n'Roll" hard AOR
> format.
> >
>

 

[epsilon]

> . Sure, it was the number one station for teens and college
> kids. But, those coveted demos grew up and got quickly
> turned off of COZ.

I was working at WRKO at the time, and when COZ pulled an 18 share in 12+ with their first "Kick-Ass" book, it hastened RKO's exit from music programming.

 

[Oldbones]

>
> I was working at WRKO at the time, and when COZ pulled an 18
> share in 12+ with their first "Kick-Ass" book, it hastened
> RKO's exit from music programming.
>

Are you sure it was an 18 share 12+? I seem to recall it being closer to a 12 (certainly nothing to sneeze at!). IIRC, then-sister station WHDH was a solid #2 with something like a 10.

 

[ErieLackawanna]

> (snip) As a result, C-O-Z quickly morphed to
> "The Best Show In Boston" in early 1984. And then by
> September of that year, C-O-Z was no more. It became WZOU
> "Boston's Zoo", Top 40.
(snip again)
> > WCOZ really ended (at least as I enjoyed it) in July of
> 1980
> > when they decided to concentrate on the young male
> > demographic to the exclusion of everyone else and switched
> > to a self-described "Kick Ass Rock'n'Roll" hard AOR
> format.
> >

actually, The Best Show in Boston was the WHDH package in the mid 80's, with Jess in the Morning, Addams&Doyle in the afternoon, and Kennedy & Supple in the middays. (The Best Show in... originated at KIMN in Denver - great, uptempo jingle & imaging package) lyrically, the jingle package included several full 60 "sings" that covered the greater Boston area from Framingham to the Cape to Gloucester and more.

i was saddened when i returned from San Diego in late '78 to find that COZ had become something that no longer resembled the 94 1/2 that existed when i joined the navy in '77.

great talent found a home on 'COZ at the onset (after "the concert from Fantasy Park" around Labor Day,'75)... Clark and Ken (from 'BZ-fm) at the beginning, along with Lisa Carlin, Leslie Parmenter, Mark Parenteau, Robert Desedario, and even the Duke of Madness, Jerry Goodwin. then after Clark left, Geets (George Taylor Morris) came along to do mornings.

when the "zoo" idea was put to bed at 440 Stuart St, interim GM Bud Stiker implemented a hallway "fine" system - $.25 for each time someone was heard referring to WZOU as "the zoo."

some very great & talented radio people wandered the halls of that side (the FM) building... (the other side being 850 WHDH - another thread for another time?)
Talents such as production & voice-over WIZ Jim Cutler (who became an interim PD and had to cover the board himself at 0200 on a couple of no-show occasions), and Tom Doyle (who did the 94.5 thing upon his return from SanFran), and of course the Messrs. Morin & Krantz.

 

[epsilon]

> >
> > I was working at WRKO at the time, and when COZ pulled an
> 18
> > share in 12+ with their first "Kick-Ass" book, it hastened
>
> > RKO's exit from music programming.
> >
>
> Are you sure it was an 18 share 12+? I seem to recall it
> being closer to a 12 (certainly nothing to sneeze at!).
> IIRC, then-sister station WHDH was a solid #2 with something
> like a 10.
>

Maybe it was a 12 share in 18+. My memory isn't what it used to be!

But I do remember everyone fudging their shorts when the book came out.

 

[BoardModerator]

I'm a bit young to remember COZ very much, but WZOU was great in the late 80's early 90's........Scott Mckenzie/ Ron Engelman/ Steve Rivers, JR, Andrea Phillips, Human Numan, Karen Blake, Arty the One Man Party, Marc Clark...........great sounders too. Love that Lucy Hill on traffic. Bring back the Zoooooooooooou



> > > I was working at WRKO at the time, and when COZ pulled
> an
> > 18
> > > share in 12+ with their first "Kick-Ass" book, it
> hastened
> >
> > > RKO's exit from music programming.
> > >
> >
> > Are you sure it was an 18 share 12+? I seem to recall it
> > being closer to a 12 (certainly nothing to sneeze at!).
> > IIRC, then-sister station WHDH was a solid #2 with
> something
> > like a 10.
> >
>
> Maybe it was a 12 share in 18+. My memory isn't what it used
> to be!
>
> But I do remember everyone fudging their shorts when the
> book came out.
>

 

[Jay_F]

> > . Sure, it was the number one station for teens and
> college
> > kids. But, those coveted demos grew up and got quickly
> > turned off of COZ.
>
> I was working at WRKO at the time, and when COZ pulled an 18
> share in 12+ with their first "Kick-Ass" book, it hastened
> RKO's exit from music programming.
>


In the early 80s here in Las Vegas I remember reading a newspsper article (not a trade, just a regular newspaper) about WCOZ and how successful it's "kick ass" rock format was. That's how big of a story it was when they had double digits.

Interestingly, John Sebastion is one of the few PDs from that era who is still an active programmer. He currently progams a country station in Nashville WSM-FM which he re-branded as "The Wolf". When he first got to Nashville everyone was critical of him and his decisions, the Nashville radio-info board was brutal towards him. Yet he has turned the station around, hence his nickname "the Turnaround King".