Behind the Music: Station Flips

[firepoint525]

WMPS went country on March 6, 1978.

So Rick Dees would not have missed much, had he stayed there, right? ;D

103 went back to rock on May 2, 1986 at 3 pm.

I seem to recall that that date fell on a Friday, right? I didn't hear it, but I read in the Commercial that the first song after the flip was to be "Layla," and later read (again in the Commercial) that the last song as "Z-103" was "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. This flip did not come as a surprise, since, as I said, it had been mentioned in the paper ahead of time that it was going to occur. But, I, too, still miss the old WZXR call letters. :'(

On the subject of Michael Jackson, interesting to note that the old WZXR Rock 103 used to play "Beat It" because of Eddie Van Halen's solo in the middle of it! But something tells me that they would not go near anything by Michael Jackson these days!

 

[Zeke_Terry]

On the subject of Michael Jackson, interesting to note that the old WZXR Rock 103 used to play "Beat It" because of Eddie Van Halen's solo in the middle of it! But something tells me that they would not go near anything by Michael Jackson these days!

I bet if it would guarantee a raitings boost they'd play it. It's better than some of the stuff they STILL play.

 

[robgrayson]

Note from the old 'ZXR trenches... We played "Beat It"; but annouced it as being "Eddie Van Halen with Michael Jackson on vocals".

 

[cscott]

Yes Firepoint the EGR birth was a Friday sometime around noon. We had a small party but nothing elaborate since it was daytime. As for the WZXR call sign's sentimental attachment to Rock, you might not know that WZXR was Memphis' first FM country station, using Drake Chenault's Great American Country format until the birth of Rock 103 in the summer of 1977.

As for Dees question about missing out on the WMPS flip to country, he was either gone or soon would be from Q and headed for LA. Just for the record, losing Dees was the blow that put MPS on life support, but truthfully, HBQ had been for some time a much better programmed and marketed station. GM Dick French and PD John Long built a strong station loaded with excellent Drake type jocks, and were only missing a couple of power jocks. Losing Dees exposed WMP structural programming and marketing weaknesses which had been there a long time. And from an even higher perspective, remember the time all this took place. During the mid-70's the AM band was spiraling downward like a giant boulder. WMPS, WHBQ, WDIA and WREC were all struggling to hold share against newly reformulated FM 100, newly launched Urban giant K-97, WQUD 104 (RVR),Rock 103 as well as the market's usual 25-54 leader, easy listening WEZI 105.9. So the death of MPS was fist but Q was bound for the same morgue in time. Some other terrific broadcasters were at the helm of some great AM stations at that time. Due to the leadership of Dean Osmundson and Les Acree, WMC AM survivied well past the arrival of KIX 106 in May of 83. Chuck Scruggs and his staff kept WDIA strong long after we launched K-97. And GM Bill Thomas had a amazing understanding and passion for WREC at a time when it would have been much easier to see it gecome a victim of the times.

CS

 

[sjs1959]

Craig, a couple of K-97 questions. First, was it 1977 or 1978 when it flipped from classical WMPS-FM to disco K-97, and when did Ron Olson come over from FM100?

thanks!

 

[cscott]

SJS---neither 77 or 78. The chronology of Plough's launch of the entire FM division began in earnest with my employment as VP Programming in early 76. The first mission was to research, design, staff and launch new Urban FM's in Memphis, Atlanta and Baltimore. The advance work was done over the summer of that year with launch of WHRK K-97, WVEE V 103 in Atlanta occuring the same weekend during mid October of 1976. Baltimore's WXYV V 103 launched the following spring. K-97 began as a totally automated station with voice tracks from WMPS staff. K 97 became a major success out of the gate, as did Atlanta and Baltimore. Truthfully, if you launched a reasonably well programmed, well though out new FM in the mid to late 70's and didn't score with it, you had to be pretty awful.

When I was named GM of the station in February 1981, we made the move to elevate the staffing to a new level. Thus the hiring of Ron Olson. K-97 had an historic 16.9 Arbitron that fall.

 

[briancraig]

Just to be 100% accurate, KWAM 101.1 was actually the first FM Country station in Memphis under Eddie Bond starting around 1969 or 1970.

Jerry Lawler was once the night time dj.

They were still 100% country on the FM in 1974, but later started airing paid religion and gospel music and gradually eliminating the country music. WZXR started playing country in December of 1975.

 

[sjs1959]

SJS---neither 77 or 78. The chronology of Plough's launch of the entire FM division began in earnest with my employment as VP Programming in early 76. The first mission was to research, design, staff and launch new Urban FM's in Memphis, Atlanta and Baltimore. The advance work was done over the summer of that year with launch of WHRK K-97, WVEE V 103 in Atlanta occuring the same weekend during mid October of 1976. Baltimore's WXYV V 103 launched the following spring. K-97 began as a totally automated station with voice tracks from WMPS staff. K 97 became a major success out of the gate, as did Atlanta and Baltimore. Truthfully, if you launched a reasonably well programmed, well though out new FM in the mid to late 70's and didn't score with it, you had to be pretty awful.

When I was named GM of the station in February 1981, we made the move to elevate the staffing to a new level. Thus the hiring of Ron Olson. K-97 had an historic 16.9 Arbitron that fall.

thanks! I also seem to remember in 75 and 76, leading up to that point, WMPS-FM ran a jazz show on Sunday nights with Clay Yager. It was very different and it was excellent programming, but you blew everyone away with K-97. Thanks again for the info!!

 

[cscott]

Brian....I had heard those stories about early KWAM but didnt have any of the facts as you did. I knew they were gospel around the time ZXR went Country. Thanks for the info.....

 

[Tynosaur]

...around the time ZXR went Country

God, I'll never forget that danged Shaeffer 904 and the InstaCarts that had the "Star Spangled Banner" in our Top 10. Of course it gave Mike Edwards and Kerry Darr a start...and I got to know Lee Bailey and hear some of his wonderful tales, so it wasn't a total loss.

But it did put at least three guys out of work before it even started - Mike Mitchell, Joe Byers, and Art Scott.They were hired in anticipatin of WREC-FM going live country with the calls change and had to play easy listening for the few weeks before it was decided to automate instead. I don't know which was the worse punishment for them...playing that music or losing their jobs!

 

[AlbumOldies]

Craig,

What's keeping Memphis from getting a station like Rock 103/Eagle 103 that plays decent NEW rock as well as the older stuff (I am refraining from using the term "classic" because I have grown to hate the classic rock format with its seemingly 100 song, 10 artist playlist)? My album collection grew to its size largely because of the music I heard on FM100 in its progressive rock days and later due to what I heard on Rock 103.

This week I bought the Nicole Atkins CD "Neptune City" because of a one hour show I saw on Direct TV that featured her and I haven't put it down since I got it. I fully believe FM100 and Rock 103 would have loved this album. What a heck of a note I found out about it on TV and not FM radio.

 

[cscott]

First a couple of qualifying comments so you will better understand my limited perspective. I moved away from Memphis in 2000. I was last employed in local management there in 1988. I'm not sure I would be qualified to offer thoughts about the local landscape other than from the historical view.

The birth of many of Memphis' long time successful FM stations occured long before deregulation. Back before deregualtion, when owners could not share their costs across additional stations, station managers operated with a competitive mindset of "they're taking bread off our table." It was a throat-hold, head on war to win. As a result you either won or lost with no room to survive. The WMPS WHBQ war was not about survival; it was about winning. The economics of radio deregulation provided the industry and marketplace with more variety and more options. Deregulation also meant fewer frontal format attacks.

With the arrival of deregulation, niche formats could find a place to survive since part of their costs were absorbed by as many as 7 sister stations in the cluster. You didnt have to score a 10 share to survive. Without deregulation we would not have seen Oldies stations, Smooth Jazz, Hispanic and even religious stations would probably have gone away.

Fast forward then to today. Although it's been a while since I was there, at one time there were 3 variants of rock on the radio. Look at the number of CHR/AC versions and there are tons of Urban options on both bands. When the planning took place to launch K97 and KIX106 it was solely to take down their AM competitors. ROCK 103 was simply refilling a gaping hole. Today the competitive band is loaded with lots of format options. Maybe you don't like them but there are options.

As far as new options, and narrow versions of past stations, based on new CD's or new artists..... I'll resort to no comment on that one because my personal musical tastes have always been totally silent when it came to creating new stations and new formats.