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A Question from the 93.9 past.

T

thebeach33445

Hey Guys and Gals:


I have 3 questions for you all about the 93.9 past.

1. When did WGOS Country start and end? Does anybody know what it was before country? I found on a dx radio site that it was WAHS in 1958.

2. Did 93.9 Have a progressive rock format as WBUS and when? Was it called the magic bus as well?

3. Does anybody know when the Jazz format (the magic bus) start?

Thanks for your help!!!

T.J.
 
I don't remember exactly when WBUS started, but I believe it was in the late 60s or early 70s.
It was a progressive jazz station. In November 1976 it flipped its calls to WWWL and became "Love 94 FM....Music to share with a friend". It was a "Mellow Rock" format. Most of the DJs at the new station were from WFUN which had flipped to an "Easy Listening" format in January of that same year. I remember hearing the term "Musical Bus" but not "Magical".
 
The country format as WGOS was on in 1966 when I got my first FM radio. I don't have any dates but they probably changed format when WGMA and WWOK came on the scene. When the calls changed to WBUS it was for a short lived "Business News" format with stock market reports etc.

After that came "The Magic Bus" which was the progressive rock format and then "The Music Bus" which was the Jazz format.

WWWL Love 94 with the "Mellow Album Rock" format was probably the most unique format I ever heard. My wife loved the station the PD who came up with it was Rick Peters. I don't know the man or where he got the idea but it was a winner for awhile. The A/C format the station did after that went nowhere but they were lucky to become a very successful "Smooth Jazz" station.
 
Re: to mike

Hey Mike:

Thanks for that info!!! That helps me big time on my research of 93.9. I did not konw they had a business new format or that when Love 94 started it was "Mellow Album Rock" (sort of what rock AC it today)before it was AC. Was it alot like WMMO 98.9 in Orlando?

I hate to be a pest but do you know the approximate years when the business news, progressive rock and the jazz formats started? It would be a great help. If you don't no problem.

THANKS AGAIN!!!
T.J.
 
t.j. said:
1. When did WGOS Country start and end? Does anybody know what it was before country? I found on a dx radio site that it was WAHS in 1958.
Click to expand...

Before Country ("Wild GOoSe"), it was GOSpel (hence the calls)....It used to have the calls WAHR-FM not WAHS (for owner Alan H. Rosenon)...1490 had been WAHR-AM, but 93.9 had also had a few calls in between if memory serves me right.....One of them would've been WMET-FM, and according to an article that came out when WMET-AM went Spanish, that said that the programing would be simulcast on WMET-FM (typical in the early days of FM)...This would (technically, but not quite) make 93.9 the first Spanish FM in Miami.
 
to radio sanchez

Hey radio sanchez:

THANKS for this info too!!!! You are really have a great memeory of radio this far back!!! This really helps a lot for my research!!! Do you happen to know approximatly what years the country format was and as well as the gospel format. OH was it southern gospel?? I am thinking WGOS Country-1966-1968. I guess the WAHS calls I found where a type-o mistake. Thanks for that one!! I found on another site that 93.9 had the WLRD calls in 1950. This was taken from a 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook.

THANKS AGAIN!!!

T.J.
 
Re: to radio sanchez

t.j. said:
Do you happen to know approximatly what years the country format was and as well as the gospel format. OH was it southern gospel?? I am thinking WGOS Country-1966-1968. I guess the WAHS calls I found where a type-o mistake. Thanks for that one!! I found on another site that 93.9 had the WLRD calls in 1950. This was taken from a 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook.T.J.
Click to expand...

I don't have the years, but the 66-68 figure would be about right (for the WGOS call letters anyways). WLRD is also correct, I believe that's what 93.9 started with.

(glad I can be of service)
 
Hey radio sanchez,

I also found your info on WGOS interesting. I always wonder how certain things come about and I didn't know that one!

T.J. I'm a bit fuzzy on the exact dates so I can't be a lot of help there. Sorry to hear you didn't know about the "Mellow Rock" days of Love-94. It was a great format and the one that put the station on the map. I'd be guessing here but I'd say the Mellow Rock lasted from around 1974 to 1980 but I could be a little off on that. It was a good format if you liked more than just the Top 40 but didn't want to hear hard Album Rock.

The station played music from Kenny Loggins, Melissa Manchester, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Chicago, Gene Cotton, Michael Johnson, and the Moody Blues. It was a nice mix of hits and album cuts, some of which you couldn't hear on any other station in South Florida.

It wasn't my favorite station but I appreciated it for being something different and I did listen once in awhile.
 
TO OLDIESAHOLIC

Hey Oldies:

Just want to make sure of one thing, you said LOVE 94 WWWL went on in November 1976, (That is correct?) I saw on Wikapedia it said it went on in 1975 and Mike said he heard Love 94 in around 1974. I also found a site that said a jock by the name of Lee "Baby" Simms was on WWWL IN 1974.

THANKS!!

T.J.
 
It could have been 1976 I don't know the exact date.

As for Lee Baby Sims I think he was on 96.3 WMYQ....?
 
Mike Sheridan said:
It could have been 1976 I don't know the exact date.

As for Lee Baby Sims I think he was on 96.3 WMYQ....?
Click to expand...

Lee worked for WMYQ first then had a little stay at WWWL. If memory (or what is left of it) is correct, he did nites at WWWL & I believe he dropped the "Baby" from his name. I guess the higher ups figured you can't be a baby on a jazz station ;)
 
TJ:
I'm pretty sure of the 1976 starting date because WFUN closed early in January of that year, and some of the new on air staff was from WFUN. I believe Russ Oasis and G Michael McKay were there in the beginning.
 
Hey Oldiesaholic:

Thanks for that info!!! I figured on your date 100%!! because of the info about WFUN.

Thanks again for your help!!!

T.J.

P.S: Something I need to ask you since you a oldies buff:

Did Majic start its oldies format in 1985 or 1987? AND how many oldies formats did WSRF 1580 have and when?

THANKS!!
 
t.j. said:
Did Majic start its oldies format in 1985 or 1987?
Click to expand...

Majic did not start Oldies in 1985....It became Majic in 85 (it had been Rocker WCKO "K-102"), but the first format was Adult Top 40....Somewhere I have old tapes I did of Majic playing "Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young and "Dancing In The Sheets" by Shalamar.

The "All Classic Oldies" started in 1987, after a brief flirtation with Classic Hits (60s-80s).
 
Hey Radiosanchez:

Thanks for the info. Now that I remember what you said about the songs, I think I saw that posted on here many moons back on another topic.

Thanks Dude for the clear up!!

T.J.
 
Lot's of misinformation about WBUS (which was freeform underground rock during the Democratic convention in 70). Was Morning Jock on WSHE from 74-76. Was the PD of WLVE (softrock) from 76-80. Was VP/Programming for WSHE from 83-86. Put WMXJ into OLdies (as VP/Programming/Sconnix) in 86 through the sale to Jeff Pilot in the 90's. Ask away. It was an interesting time to be in FM radio in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

Rick Peters
Bluewater Broadcasting
 
Let's see Randy (Oatmeal) Odeneal, Scott (Rug) Nixon. Sconnix. What an outfit. Been there. Done by that.
 
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