AM Stations that "abbreviated their frequency" in slogans

[anotherguyTN]

In Memphis WHBQ 560 went by 56 WHBQ when they were top 40 and they go by Sports 56 as a sports talk station now.

And just up the dial from them, WMC even had the jingle "WMC dial 79."

I think WMPS in Memphis called themselves The Great 68 during at least part of their top 40 days.

 

[fybush]

How about the AMs near the top of the dial that really fudged their frequencies to sound better? In the mid-70s, WWWG here in Rochester was at 1460, but their promotional materials all called it "3WG/AM 1500." When there's a quarter of an inch between "14" and "16" on the right side of the dial in the car, who can tell the difference, right?

 

[LKellerIII]

How about the AMs near the top of the dial that really fudged their frequencies to sound better? In the mid-70s, WWWG here in Rochester was at 1460, but their promotional materials all called it "3WG/AM 1500." When there's a quarter of an inch between "14" and "16" on the right side of the dial in the car, who can tell the difference, right?

"
Rock 16 KLIV" (1590) in San Jose. They had a cool logo, in which the "K" in rock was stylized to look like a "16." As Michael Hagerty pointed out, KRLA, which used their actual frequency (1110) became "Hit Radio 11" for awhile.

But before digital read-outs, FMs were even more guilty of rounding off, or did something clever with the number to the right of the "point." My favorite was probably KLOS "95 1/2."

 

[michael hagerty]

How about the AMs near the top of the dial that really fudged their frequencies to sound better? In the mid-70s, WWWG here in Rochester was at 1460, but their promotional materials all called it "3WG/AM 1500." When there's a quarter of an inch between "14" and "16" on the right side of the dial in the car, who can tell the difference, right?

"
Rock 16 KLIV" (1590) in San Jose. They had a cool logo, in which the "K" in rock was stylized to look like a "16." As Michael Hagerty pointed out, KRLA, which used their actual frequency (1110) became "Hit Radio 11" for awhile.

But before digital read-outs, FMs were even more guilty of rounding off, or did something clever with the number to the right of the "point." My favorite was probably KLOS "95 1/2."

True about the FM's, and continues to this day. KRTH 101 is 101.1, but they never say that...and Power106 is at 105.9.

 

[cd637299]

About the FM's----

I kinda feel/felt sorry for those FMs whose freq ended in .7----how many rounded *up* and how many rounded *down*? I can never imagine in Miami "Y-101," although they could have done it.

cd

 

[firepoint525]

About the FM's----
I kinda feel/felt sorry for those FMs whose freq ended in .7----how many rounded *up* and how many rounded *down*? I can never imagine in Miami "Y-101," although they could have done it.

FM 100 (digital 99.7) in Memphis has kept their same name for probably at least 40 years now! But the FM 100 brand works in Memphis, and is probably getting pretty close to being considered a "heritage" name by now. When their brand works that well, they would be crazy to change it! About all that they have ever changed is their logo a few times over the years. My favorite logo of theirs was probably the one that they used in the '70s and '80s, but that was probably also my FM 100-listening heyday! 8) http://www.fm100memphis.com/

 

[FredLeonard]

In Detroit...

Keener 1310
The Big 8 (CKLW)

In Philly...
Wibbage Radio 99
WHYY FM91 (90.9)

In New York...
Musicradio 77 WABC

Of course, since almost all radios now have digital tuner displays, there is no advantage - and some disadvantage - to abbreviated frequencies. But with dials and slide-rule tuners, close enough was good enough.

 

[firepoint525]

On the "coast-to-coast" board, under my topic "worst radio station nicknames," I posted about "Moo 102" and "PC 103," two different names for the same station at the same frequency! And they had these two different nicknames back-to-back! They went from being "Moo 102" straight to being "PC103." :

 

[cd637299]

Interesting about 102 & 103 there. WLTA 99.7 Atlanta was also FM 100, then Warm 100.....but I think it works for 99.7 as a frequency (like WMC) more than maybe another xxx.7...who knows.

cd

 

[davideduardo]

True about the FM's, and continues to this day. KRTH 101 is 101.1, but they never say that...and Power106 is at 105.9.

Power 96 in Miami is actually 96.5. But the "Power 96" is really a brand, so they have kept it... while fellow Miami station Y-100 has become Y 100.7 for most purposes.

 

[cd637299]

True about the FM's, and continues to this day. KRTH 101 is 101.1, but they never say that...and Power106 is at 105.9.

Power 96 in Miami is actually 96.5. But the "Power 96" is really a brand, so they have kept it... while fellow Miami station Y-100 has become Y 100.7 for most purposes.

Y did indeed go as Y 100.7 for a few months, maybe two years....but some habits are hard to break. The slogan not only went back to Y100, but even the logo today looks somewhat like that original one from 1973 (prior to the "dolphin" logo)---the "Y", that is.

cd

 

[spiritof67]

In St. Louis:

55-KSD (1970's) and 55-KUSA (1983-92) (550 kHz)
"Worth 59" WRTH (1960's-1988) (590 kHz)
"OK-63" (in the 1970's) and "Soul 63" (Early 1990's) KXOK (630 kHz)
"73 Country" KWRE Warrenton, MO (730 kHz)
Variations of "77" for WEW (770 kHz)
"Rock 13" KXLW and KADI (1975-8), "OJ-13 KKOJ" (1978-9) (1320 kHz)
"Love 14" (1980's), "Super Soul 14" WESL (1990's) (1490 kHz)
Variations of "16" for KATZ (1600 kHz)

And one of the more unusual ones:

AM "13.8" KWK (1380 kHz) (1978-84)

 

[Wright County Guy]

An old one from the Twin Cities: WPBC was "near 10 or 100 on your dial". Actual dial positions: 980-AM and 101.3 FM.

KDWB, then AM-630, was "Formula 63" in its early days. In the 80s, they were K-63 as an oldies outfit.

Currently, True Oldies station WDGY/740AM uses "74 WDGY".

 

[cd637299]

That KWK as "13.8"---wow that's a strange one, but I suppose it wanted to sound like an FM frequency!

Not unlike WINZ AM 940 Miami in 1975, "The AM that Sounds Like an FM." Not exactly a glowing reflection on the AM band, is it?

cd

 

[boombox]

In Seattle, KJR 950's main slogan was "KJR Seattle, Channel 95" during its heyday during the 1960's.

When Seattle station KING 1090 started their Top 40 format some time during the late 1960's (can't remember the year), they called themselves the "Big 11".

As for fudging the frequency, local 80's alternative rock station KJET was on 1590 but their liners always said "16-00, KJET", and 1600 was the frequency shown on their bumper stickers.

There may have been other stations that abbreviated their calls, but I can't remember them offhand. There was a station in Oregon (Seaside, a big resort town on the coast) whose slogan was "KSWB, Radio 93!". They were Top 40 at the time (late 1960's - early 70's). They play oldies now on a different frequency (840).

 

[buster2]

"55 Phoenix, K-O-Y! (Now 550 KFYI and KFYI.com!)

Also in Phoenix and on the FM side, KMLE 107.9 has been "Camel Country 108" for years. And there's "98, K-U-P-D", which is actually 97.9.

I had a professor in college who owned a tiny AM in rural Oklahoma. It was at 1530 AM. He wanted to brand it as "Radio 1-5-3". He said stations at the high end of the dial used to do that. I had never heard that anywhere growing up in Phoenix. It seemed very out of date to me in 1984.

 

[frnkp2000]

"55 Phoenix, K-O-Y! (Now 550 KFYI and KFYI.com!)

Also in Phoenix and on the FM side, KMLE 107.9 has been "Camel Country 108" for years. And there's "98, K-U-P-D", which is actually 97.9.

I had a professor in college who owned a tiny AM in rural Oklahoma. It was at 1530 AM. He wanted to brand it as "Radio 1-5-3". He said stations at the high end of the dial used to do that. I had never heard that anywhere growing up in Phoenix. It seemed very out of date to me in 1984.

1400

It was out of date for 1984...more common in the 50's and 60's to do that. I used to work at the "Fun 140!" (AM 1400)

 

[keys2]

Here in Cincinnati, the station on 550 has long been known as 55KRC. During 1230 WUBE-AM's Top 40 days in the late 60s they were known as 1-2-3 WB. And 700 WLW occasionally referred to themselves as "Sound 7" back in the day.

Up the road in Dayton, WONE used the common phrase "Channel 98" back in their Top 40 days.

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the higher AM frequency stations in LA tended to use the full frequency reference whereas the lower frequency stations were the ones more likely to abbreviate their frequency. I always found this kind of interesting. It seemed somewhat regional to me. I noticed a lot of stations in the south dropped the zero whereas up here in the Midwest not so much, especially in the upper frequencies.

Dropping the zero from the upper frequencies sounded more awkward to me as well. Down in St. Pete WLCY 138 for some reason sounded more awkward than saying 1380. To say 147 or 155 sounds more clumsy to me than 1470 or 1550. On the other hand, 89 WLS and 77 WABC sounded much more natural than saying 890 or 770. Go figure.

 

[radiorob2.0]

How about the 1490's that, at some point, rounded up to 15.

WOLF Syracuse, NY
WFKY Frankfort, KY
WOMI Owensboro, KY

 

[NoWayNoCC]

Here in Cincinnati, the station on 550 has long been known as 55KRC. During 1230 WUBE-AM's Top 40 days in the late 60s they were known as 1-2-3 WB. And 700 WLW occasionally referred to themselves as "Sound 7" back in the day.

And of course there was the best one of all, Clu 132.