99.3 WJZS

[Kenny Atkinson]

One word to describe the new format


Horrible.

Some songs sound like they are being played from a cassette that sat in someones car windshield too long.Too many unrecognizable songs. The jingles don't sound good.

Last but not least this English guy they have voice tracking on Saturday Nights.

Ohh, sorry. That's Geoff Cooke.


joking on Geoff.

 

[jlehmann]

The jingles don't sound good.

The jingles sound a lot like those used before, the only difference is they don't say "The Bridge." It sounds like they were home made.

 

[McRadio]

One word to describe the new format


Horrible.

Some songs sound like they are being played from a cassette that sat in someones car windshield too long.Too many unrecognizable songs. The jingles don't sound good.

Last but not least this English guy they have voice tracking on Saturday Nights.

Ohh, sorry. That's Geoff Cooke.


joking on Geoff.

Kenny you added an "e" to his name. Do you really think he's going to let that pass? Prepare for the putdown. Be afraid.

 

[jazzjock]

One word to describe the new format


Horrible.

Being criticized by Kenny is like being mauled by a hamster!
WJZS is going through a format change, and some of the music you may not have heard before. Stick with it, listen out for some additions from the 1980s and 1990s!

Geoff COOK There is no E, and never has there been an E on the end of my name! I dont mind the publicity good or bad, I just ask you get my name right! ;D

Geoff!

 

[uncleDJ]

Geoff and JZS gang, we all know transitions are tough. I knew your old PD Steve Bianchi and have spoken with him several times in this decade, one great guy, miss his pipes!! Miss the smooth jazz too, gotta say...but I have to believe Bobb Angel and gang know what they are doing. Yes, critically speaking, the format sounds weak right now, but I'm willing to see what develops and still have you preset in the car. I'm just hoping you don't morph into yet another classic rock makeover, WAAAAAAY too many of them on the dial!

And, to add a little clout, my years as a DJ and PD at times tell me one has to give some space for development. You all in Newport have had the blessed bliss of longevity and I don't think Astro is going to let things flounder, for their sake or yours. You guys are one of the few left in this business not afraid to move in directions others won't even dare speak!

-Bill Alley, Juke Box Gold, WINY (uncleDJ)

 

[Kenny Atkinson]

Geoff and JZS gang, we all know transitions are tough. I knew your old PD Steve Bianchi and have spoken with him several times in this decade, one great guy, miss his pipes!! Miss the smooth jazz too, gotta say...but I have to believe Bobb Angel and gang know what they are doing. Yes, critically speaking, the format sounds weak right now, but I'm willing to see what develops and still have you preset in the car. I'm just hoping you don't morph into yet another classic rock makeover, WAAAAAAY too many of them on the dial!

And, to add a little clout, my years as a DJ and PD at times tell me one has to give some space for development. You all in Newport have had the blessed bliss of longevity and I don't think Astro is going to let things flounder, for their sake or yours. You guys are one of the few left in this business not afraid to move in directions others won't even dare speak!

-Bill Alley, Juke Box Gold, WINY (uncleDJ)

How about 80's and 90's rock? We have WPRV playing oldies,B101 70's and 80's but no 80,90's hits together.


just being a wise guy

 

[MarkAmbrose]

Geoff and JZS gang, we all know transitions are tough. I knew your old PD Steve Bianchi and have spoken with him several times in this decade, one great guy, miss his pipes!! Miss the smooth jazz too, gotta say...but I have to believe Bobb Angel and gang know what they are doing. Yes, critically speaking, the format sounds weak right now, but I'm willing to see what develops and still have you preset in the car. I'm just hoping you don't morph into yet another classic rock makeover, WAAAAAAY too many of them on the dial!

And, to add a little clout, my years as a DJ and PD at times tell me one has to give some space for development. You all in Newport have had the blessed bliss of longevity and I don't think Astro is going to let things flounder, for their sake or yours. You guys are one of the few left in this business not afraid to move in directions others won't even dare speak!

-Bill Alley, Juke Box Gold, WINY (uncleDJ)

How about 80's and 90's rock? We have WPRV playing oldies,B101 70's and 80's but no 80,90's hits together.


just being a wise guy

WOW...more voices from the past/present...I had the pleasure of working with Geoff Cook at 100.3, The Hawk, AKA the 24-hours of voicetracking (before it was fashionable).
Also, had the extreme pleasure of working with Steve Bianchi at WWON (now WOON), in Woonsocket, in 1979. Great guy who deserved a better roll of the dice, in this business. Just another thing that this website is great for...allowing old radio folk to get back in touch with one another...Sherman, set the wayback machine, please...

 

[uncleDJ]

Keeping an ear to WJZS...and although it appears the format is beginning to gel into a retro-male rock thing, it's hard to understand if this is a transition or a niche.

Heard some good tunes on there and others that quite frankly I never liked, and as a guy in his 50s believe some of us middle aged dudes could get into the music again if we wanted to connect with our past. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It just seems to be very stark, needing some 'oomph' from female vocalists, maybe morphing into AAA (but not like WAAF, please!) like what I helped along many years ago at WMVY-FM/Martha's Vineyard. Newporters could get into that kind of sound, it's very 'beachy' and somewhat free-form. If they weren't going to move back to their jazz roots, this would be the next logical choice.

One thing I think they know well: they can't be somebody else in the RI market. Yet there are plenty of little or non-used formats out there, including new ones that are creative (like some I've created - pardon the personal plug!)

Part II, what is becoming of AM1370? Curious to know...

-Bill Alley
JUKE BOX GOLD
WINY-135AM/Putnam CT
[email protected]

 

[DG02816]

Bill,
No idea what's going on with the 1370 CP for Charlestown, which has the WKFD call. Still think something can get done with that. I just got off the phone with Steve Bianchi a couple of hours ago; he was down this way for his nephew's graduation from Temple University. He and I go back a bit; I was his chief engineer and afternoon drive guy at 1370 Wickford in 1983, when that station was WMYD. Steve was my best man when I was first married. There's a lot of my work at the present 99.3 studio in Newport; Steve brought me in help do the FM air studio and WADK's production room. I was one of those who originally helped get 99.3 on the air in 1988 from Narragansett as WBLQ. Just hoping that it doesn't turn into another me-too hot AC/classic rock thing...

 

[uncleDJ]

Believe it or not, many moons ago, I took a little jaunt down to the old studios when it was on the market for cheap with Mike Rice who was the broker at the time. Could not get my committee jazzed up enough to pursue the station. Had designs of picking it up and doing a new format I created called 'Creation Station', a contemporary Christian meets AC format that was getting some attention back in the early 90s.

Since then I've been giving thought to one of my other formats, called Rhythm & Essence - very much a merge of a number of formats with that 'ABC' sound, the stuff that made popular music so infectiously good back in the 60s & 70s.

As for the money to do something brick & mortar, well...that's a no-go. But I'm very curious if there is any interest in doing something different in the marketplace, whether one of the 'new ideas' floating out there or going with the oldies ('48-'79...ish) that folks remember and are those 'feel good' tunes we never get enough of...

Haven't seen Steve B in awhile myself, last popped in on him before the demise of the jazz station here in Mystic.

Feel free to get in touch anytime, here or email at [email protected].

-Bill Alley
WINY'S JUKE BOX GOLD