Custom versions of songs for individual stations

[nd2023]

Today I heard KC101 play Lady GaGa - Just Dance. In the first line of the song, the words "RedOne, Konvict, GaGa" were replaced with "KC 101 point three". And when I heard it on 106.1 BLI, the words were replaced by "106.1 BLI, GaGa"

A few years back when Freek-A-Leek was on the charts, almost every station replaced the station name mentioned in the first verse with their own station name.

Any other songs being customized for individual stations?

 

[cheffo200]

Lady GAGA also did the same for Z-100.

 

[Nate Wesley]

I remember two late '80s hits that had WBLX-FM "93-BLX" plugs--"Girlfriend" by Pebbles, and "I Want to Be Your Man" by Zapp & Roger.

Both hip-hopper 'BLX and CHR 97.5 WABB-FM (both of Mobile, AL) got custom Petey Pablo "Freak-A-Leak" versions.

 

[vaboi-83]

Gaga did it for Q94/Richmond as well.

 

[TheMusicMan]

The label must have been behind the Gaga edits. I've heard the station shout-out intros on Z100, KIIS, WFLZ, Channel 955, B92...

 

[lovejamminoldies]

WNCI as well.

 

[story@11]

This has become somewhat common for the labels to do for heavy hitting stations. I find the edits annoying but most PD's will cream when they hear their station and a custom version. After they cream they increase spins. Which is exactly what the label expects. Here in Nashville The Party will play them occasionally (although Nashville isn't considered a major market). Those country folk record custom versions all the time. It is crazy to hear "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band on 3 different stations with 3 different station mentions.

 

[TenInARow]

96-5 KISS FM in Cleveland has the Gaga custom too. "Kiss FM - Ninety..Six..Fiive...GaGa" It's smart for these stations to run the customs when they can, especially a catchy one like Gaga's. When the comp plays it, listeners are used to the custom and either sing that part or expect it and are let down when it's not there.

 

[BRH]

WDOD, 96-5 The Mountain in Chattanooga had a custom Lady GaGa edit as well. I'm guessing this was a label move and it seemed to have worked well, so I bet we'll see it more often.

 

[mr.ric]

Gaga did the same thing for Hot 95-7 in Houston.

 

[nightfly61]

Lady GAGA also did the same for Z-100.

...and Cleveland's "Kiss FM.....ninety six-five...ga-ga"

 

[nightfly61]

They shoulda had her do 'em for "Poker Face" while she was at it, but backed off both of 'em to maybe every other hour they aired.
WMMS, Cleveland had one for Eddie Money's "I Wanna Go Back" when it came out way back '87ish. Started out...instead of "I...was listenin' to the radio", it was, "I...was listen-in' to M-M-S"

WGCL, Cleveland, had Thorogood do a line they sloppily edited into Willy & the Hand Jive..."Doin' the hand jive on 'GCL".

WGCL also had a version of Billy Idol's "Hot In The City" that instead of him yelling "NEW YORK" he yelled "CLEVELAND".

 

[ChrisInMI]

When Amber's "Sexual (Li Da Di)" was on the charts, 93.1 WDRQ (still a rhythmic-leaning CHR at the time) played a custom version in which the line "The way I feel is sexual" in the chorus was replaced with "DRQ is so sexual."

Another Detroit example I know of goes way back to 1979 when the Pointer Sisters' "Fire" was a hit, and the "Big 8" (though it no longer went by that moniker by then) redid the opening lines as "I'm riding in your car... you turn on CKLW..." Custom versions of songs for individual stations were actually very common in the '60s and '70s.