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ATLANTA'S GREATEST STATIONS--FROM THE PAST

B

BIGSTICK

With the dismal shape of Atlantaradio these days, I thought I would put together a brief synopsis of what has happened to this beautiful, MAJOR market. Please chime in with memories and thoughts and why we are in this shape?

Back in the hey day not too long ago we had Z-93-amazing top 40 that sounded alive upbeat, a station that you could not get enough of, then boom DAVE FM what a joke.
94Q-Great top 40 again, with Jazz Flavors with Craig Ashwood at night.
Peach-well we know this was a disaster to blow it up call it the BULL and go country.
96 Rock- Incredible station for all of those long haired freaky people. lol Now it is Project what ever the hell that is?
Old Fox 97, I am talking about the days before Randy and Spiff, even though it was still a Gainesville only station its massive signal was listened to by many in the metro.
Power 99, this was the last true incredible top 40 before it blew up to be 99X, now Q100.
Of course we now what happened to Quixie in Dixie and that was just inevitable, but what a powerhouse in its day.
WWID 106.7, this was an amazing top 40 powerhouse as well, then it has been country, standards, AGH whatever the F that was, now news which I do not have a problem with, but they have a plethora of kinks to work out or they are going to fail miserably.

So there you go, thank you Clear Channel, Cumulus, Cox and all of the other money whores who have put an inferior product on the dial. Where is my ipod???? :'(
 
I've said many times I loved DXing 97 FOX and Wide 107 before they moved into town in the mid-80s. They played a lot of stuff that Z-93 (a good station itself) didn't play--ah, the beauty of a small market station. 94Q was chasing the nascent AC market by that time, joined by Warm 100, B98.5, and Peach as the three of them flipped from BM to AC.

Power 99 upped the game and took it from Z-93. Power 99 wasn't afraid to make their own hits instead of relying on indies and trades and other stations.

96 Rock always seemed to run hot and cold. When they played new rock alongside classic rock they were great. When they retreated into classic rock only (Pure Rock & Roll), not so much. Z93 always did better with classic rock.

If Q100 programmed like Power 99 did (play the whole chart and make some hits of your own), and Rock100.5 learned from 96 Rock's lessons (play both classic and new stuff--take some chances and introduce the listeners to some new stuff), and Dave flipped to classic hits as a clone of Z-93 at the top of its game, we'd have three really good stations.
 
I just think us boomers are not being served and need more respect. I loved when 106.7 was True Oldies, it was fun to listen too. Don't get me wrong All News 106.7 does a wonderful job now but radio needs to serve the listeners who have money to spend. Look at television,Five years ago advertisers on national networks paid $45 for each 1,000 viewers age 50-plus watching prime time. This year the figure is headed for $52 as advertisers and networks compete for older viewers. Look at CBS,NCIS,60 Minutes,and Blue Bloods these with the largest audiences age 55 and over. Radio in Atlanta needs to wake up and serve the ones with $$. All the stations here and not to mention the HD Channels, someone needs to do Oldies. And Dave FM...That is the worst sounding mess I have ever heard. Scott Shannon, where are you when we need you?
 
BRENT said:
Power 99, this was the last true incredible top 40 before it blew up to be 99X, now Q100.
Click to expand...
Power suffered when they started playing Michael Bolton in middays to try to get their demo numbers a bit older. After that, they had to blow it up.
 
Atlanta/Re: ATLANTA'S GREATEST STATIONS--FROM THE PAST

FLjack2 said:
BRENT said:
Power 99, this was the last true incredible top 40 before it blew up to be 99X, now Q100.
Click to expand...
Power suffered when they started playing Michael Bolton in middays to try to get their demo numbers a bit older. After that, they had to blow it up.
Click to expand...

I liked Z-93 but out of the two my favorite was Power 99. I remember Power 99's "On the Edge" that they played at night and loved that too. If I remember correctly, Power 99 decided to become 99X because of the popularity of their more alternative music that they were playing at night.

I loved 99X and listened to it until around '98. I missed Power 99 but 99X also kept me happy with the music they were playing during that time.
 
One of the greatest stations of my youth (I'm one of those rare Atlanta natives) was WRAS.
Owned and operated by the students of Georgia State University, WRAS hit the air in 1971 with 19,500 watts of smokin' Rock and Roll. The only Rock in town back in those days was WPLO, now V103, and WREK (Georgia Tech.) WRAS consistently had a 4-5 share in the Burch ratings and the record reps lined up down the hallways on Wednesdays to get in to push their wares.
 
amlover said:
I just think us boomers are not being served and need more respect. I loved when 106.7 was True Oldies, it was fun to listen too. Don't get me wrong All News 106.7 does a wonderful job now but radio needs to serve the listeners who have money to spend. Look at television,Five years ago advertisers on national networks paid $45 for each 1,000 viewers age 50-plus watching prime time. This year the figure is headed for $52 as advertisers and networks compete for older viewers. Look at CBS,NCIS,60 Minutes,and Blue Bloods these with the largest audiences age 55 and over. Radio in Atlanta needs to wake up and serve the ones with $$. All the stations here and not to mention the HD Channels, someone needs to do Oldies. And Dave FM...That is the worst sounding mess I have ever heard. Scott Shannon, where are you when we need you?
Click to expand...

++++1

I do not get the corporate morons who are IGNORING the REAL money in the growing 55+ demos here.
Most other markets where 55+ is king, you see top billing stations running Classic Hits, Soft A/C and even Oldies.

Atlanta is a great example of how corporate radio in a can= epic FAIL.

My Dad just bought another $300,000 home. At 71 he's doing well and living it up, but he stopped listening to the radio here about 15 years ago when what HE wanted to listen to stopped being played.

This industry is intent of suicide, I am convinced of it.
 
Part of the problem is loyalty. A well marketed product once established only needs a small amount of advertising support verses a new product. Most folks over 40 already have a "favorite" cola / toothpaste / car brand. Coke, P & G (insert car company) etc. (really big spenders) are going after the next generation of users (under 30).
 
WYAY was great back when it was Y106.7/Eagle,Fox 97 with Randy and Spiff,96 Rock were great stations back in the day,it's sad that all those great stations that were the sound track for so many peeople's lives are gone.
 
For the best technical execution of a format, Peach in the 70's was it. They delivered the Shulke format almost perfectly and had the longest time spent listening ratings in town for many years.

For pure fun, I don't think Z93 in the Ross and Wilson days could be beat. Although Ross "Boogie" Brittain was his funniest at WIIN-AM.
 
OgOgglby, I agree. The Ross and Wilson days of Z93 were fun. I still remember The Telephone Man controversy. I was in jr high or high school. All of the parents complained to Z93 that it was too racy for their kids to listen to. Of course Ross and Wilson played it to death until station management pulled the song. Here it is if you don't remember it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UexxG4RntfU

For being corny, I used to listen to WBIE. One cart after another. Every song recorded on a cart with the station owner doing the out take at the end of the song... every song 24 hours a day. I forget his name, but you can never forget the voice.
 
That person at WBIE would have been the late Jim Wilder, who was also the stations' heart and soul, and CE:
http://www.grhof.com/08 legacy jim wilder.htm

the Wilder building at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta is named after him.
 
Jim wilder was the first station manger at Kicks when it stared in I believe 1982,if that's the case Kicks is 30 years old.
 
RhubarbFan said:
Jim wilder was the first station manger at Kicks when it stared in I believe 1982,if that's the case Kicks is 30 years old.
Click to expand...
WBIE changed to Kicks I think in 1980 or 1981. WBIE had been country since 1968 (BM before that). That's (country on 101.5) the longest-running commercial format on any ATL station.
 
Og reminded me of good ol' WIIN 97. That was a cool station! Ross "B for Boogie" Brittain and Rex Patton held down mornings with visits from Carlton Quaalude III, Charles Chastain (anyone remember any of the other "regulars" from the WIIN 97 days?)
 
I believe you're right,Kicks started in 1981,Gary Kinnsey told me one time that when he started at Kicks it wasn't quite a year old. Then in 1984 WYAY Y106 stated in Gainsville and moved to Atlanta in 1985.
 
I believe it was,because ABC bought Kicks first,WYAY at the time was owned by New City Communications and then in 1994 ABC bought WYAY.
 
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