• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

AM Top 40, The End

firepoint525 said:
I'm trying to determine if top 40 on AM radio was able to hold on a little longer than it did in the big cities. WENK in Union City, TN, was top 40 until late 1982/early 1983, when the format migrated over to its then-new FM sister station KF-99. WENK then became a mix of AC and oldies, eventually going over completely to oldies. They have been ever since. Ironically enough, WENK now plays (as oldies) much of the same music that they played (as a top 40) in the '60s, '70s, and early '80s.

They got some competition from then-WALR-FM in 1980-82 when WALR played a mix of rock and top 40 at the time, which could best be described as "rock 40." I don't think anyone could get away with a playlist like that now.
Click to expand...

WHVL-AM 1600, in Hendersonville, NC, became Top-40 in 1977 and remained Top-40 until 1986 when it was sold and the calls were changed to WTZQ and the format changed to oldies.
 
mmnassour said:
To drag up something from deep south Texas:

KRGV 1290 and KRIO 910 dominated the Brownsville/McAllen/Harlingen market for years and years, right up to the early 80s. They held on forever, then quickly collapsed as one FM practically took over. Today KRIO and KRGV (now KRGE) are both non-profit religious broadcasters in Spanish.

Gosh, I miss KRGV-AM. There were some excellent folks who worked down there. I remember actual vinyl being played there as late as 82!
Click to expand...

I could often pick up KRGV at night, in Western North Carolina, in the late 70's/early 80's. They were a great sounding Top-40.
 
HadYourPhil said:
Here's one for the books: In (I believe) 1983 or late '82, Houston had no CHR/Top-40. Jon Lander came in and flipped KKBQ 790 to CHR. They actually had a couple of good books before they flipped the FM to CHR. That easily has to be the last AM to flip to Top-40/CHR!
Click to expand...

If my memory is correct, KKBQ-AM, then became KBTL, all Beatles radio.
 
MsMusicRadio said:
Norfolk had a truly legendary TOP 40 in WGH . Their AM competition was WNOR at 1230 and a station at 1350 ( forget the calls) . When did the music die on this trio?
Click to expand...

1350 was WCVU and than WKLX as I recall....
 
In Boston...1030-WBZ left the format in 1968, after 680-WRKO flipped to Top 40 in 1967.
1510-WMEX left the format in 1975 and WRKO dumped Top 40 in 1980.

In Albany, NY...1540-WPTR dumped Top 40 in 1980, and 980-WTRY dumped the format in early 1984.
 
Birmingham:

WVOK---flipped to country in 1976, just as WVOK-FM signed on.
WERC---morphed to AC/full service in 1980, went to news-talk in 1982. Began FM simulcast in '09.
WSGN---moved towards what today would be called Hot AC in 1981; changed to big band/nostalgia in '84; became AM simulcast partner of WZZK in '85.
 
Charles1 said:
Birmingham:

WVOK---flipped to country in 1976, just as WVOK-FM signed on.
WERC---morphed to AC/full service in 1980, went to news-talk in 1982. Began FM simulcast in '09.
WSGN---moved towards what today would be called Hot AC in 1981; changed to big band/nostalgia in '84; became AM simulcast partner of WZZK in '85.
Click to expand...

WERC "morphed" to bright AC/Sports/Full service in 1972 just as Mooney Broadcasting Bought it. Doug Layton was on mornings as well as calling the Crimson Tide games, Frank Lewis (Giardino) middays, Jan Jeffries afternoons, Neil Miller evenings and yours truly as PD. We had a fully staffed news room all day and evenings, even on weekends.

Prior to that, as WBRC, it was MOR.
 
kruxman said:
"KRUX went AC in late 1974"

I lived in Phoenix from 1973-1977 and I don't remember KRUX ever being AC. I know that right before KRUX went all-news for about a year in 1975, they were definitely Top-40 and being programmed by John Long and Christopher Haze.
Click to expand...

KRUX under GM Larry Mazursky went "chicken rock" (which would be Hot AC today) in mid-74 when John Mac Flanagan went to KFRC. The model was WGAR in Cleveland, John Lund's very successful gold based adult Top 40.
 
kruxman said:
If my memory is correct, KKBQ-AM, then became KBTL, all Beatles radio.
Click to expand...

KKBQ 790 kept the call letters until 1998 when it switched to KBME (The "Best Music Ever") with a standards format. The All Beatles station in the Houston area in the early 1980's was KYST 920 Texas City, which used KBTL in their imaging, calling itself "Beatle Radio Number 9 KBTL." They never switched call letters during that time (about two years) and switched to Tejano music in 1985.
 
mleach said:
How could I forget Buffalo's WKBW 1520. Top 40 until around 1981/1982 then to a mix of AC and oldies with some talk thrown in. Of course by 1987 WKBW became WWKB and afterwards the live jocks didn't last very long on "KB" thus begins the game of musical formats on Buffalo's 1520.

I seem to recall reading on another site where as recently as 1986, WKBW radio was still very popular in Buffalo and it wasn't long after that when KB was sold. Maybe that change of calls from WKBW to WWKB more/less "killed" them?
Click to expand...


What was the second or thrd AM Top 40 inBuffalo?
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom