Interesting Format Flips

[RadioFreeAtlanta]

Most of you probably know of this site but for those that do not, check out formatchange.com. It is a great site to check out recordings of stations that have flipped; they have a decent stash of Atlanta flips.

Some of the more interesting flips is one outta Detroit. A station switches from classical to alternative; the interesting take on this is that they do it in the middle of an opera song using "Closer": http://www.formatchange.com/1051-wqrs-flips-from-classical-to-modern-rock-the-edge/

Also, another station outta Baltimore kills a Top40 station in a most interesting death knell:
http://www.formatchange.com/chr-wbsb-b104-becomes-hot-ac-wvrt-variety-1043/

The kicker was a switch out of DC. Heritage WHFS, alternative, switches to Espanol... no warning whatsoever: http://www.formatchange.com/991-whfs-becomes-el-zol-991/
I would have been mad as hell had I heard this live.

Hearing a station switch formats has always been fascinating; I think the way 99X was debuted in 1992 has to be one of the best and classiest way to say hello to 99X and goodbye to PPPPPPPower 99. 8)

 

[a.completeunknown]

Back in the late 60's till mid to late 80's WHFS was a killer free-form type station. Then it devolved into cookie cutter alternative. By the time it went Spanish, nobody cared. It had already died a slow death.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

At the time of the B104/WBSB Baltimore flip, I was working at an ad agency in Baltimore. The morning of the flip, I attended a breakfast hosted by the station at the Cross Keys Inn. GM Jim Foxx talked about B104's history and the impending change. Then we heard the flip--as recorded on the format change website--off the radio through the banquet hall speakers. When it was over, everyone applauded politely.

 

[jabba17]

I would have liked to have been there when WKLS flipped from BM to 96 Rock...

Except for the fact that I don't like Project and getting rid of 96 Rock was a mistake, I thought that signing off with "Baba O'Riley" was cool--first and last song played on 96 Rock.

There's something to be said for a direct flip without a long period of stunting.

 

[agentUrge]

Ahhhh. Now the significance of starting Rock 100.5 off with that song makes all the more sense.

That first switch you listed was amazing. Excellent.

 

[lipripper]

If memory serves..
The "Who" was the first artist played on 96Rock.
But wasn't the song, "Won't Get Fooled Again?"
I hate getting old when the brain cells start disinegrating.

 

[mr13013]

I would have liked to have been there when WKLS flipped from BM to 96 Rock...

Actually, it wasn't that cool. We signed off "That's Klass" at 10 PM and started ripping out the reel to reel machines and some of the cart racks to make way for the vinyl. The turntables were rarely used and made a big thump when you stated them. It took a while to get some decent equipment and move out of that hotel.

 

[Surfer]

Eventually somebody will come up with the idea that turning off the transmitter is a viable format flip. ;D

 

[grmf]

If memory serves..
The "Who" was the first artist played on 96Rock.
But wasn't the song, "Won't Get Fooled Again?"
I hate getting old when the brain cells start disinegrating.

Baba O' Riley, but don't feel bad it was 1974.

On a lessor side note, Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen was the first CD played.

 

[jabba17]

If memory serves..
The "Who" was the first artist played on 96Rock.
But wasn't the song, "Won't Get Fooled Again?"
I hate getting old when the brain cells start disinegrating.

Baba O' Riley, but don't feel bad it was 1974.

On a lessor side note, Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen was the first CD played.

Or "Laser Disc", as the 96 Rock DJs liked to call CDs at the time in an attempt to be cool. Peeved me since "Laserdisc" stood for something else--the original video disc system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laserdisc ) and pre-dated CDs by about 5 years.

 

[grmf]

Or "Laser Disc", as the 96 Rock DJs liked to call CDs at the time in an attempt to be cool. Peeved me since "Laserdisc" stood for something else--the original video disc system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laserdisc ) and pre-dated CDs by about 5 years.

Ah, yes, the "Laser Lunch"