JAMN' 94.5 - THE EARLY DAYS

[only1moore]

Here's another piece of history I just found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjhNGBE3KY

 

[Retro]

I almost forgot about Jam'n using Today's Hottest Music positioner. Notice how most of the music that they play now is not the core artists (ie, are CHR/POP now) that were in the original commercial?

 

[MikeyBos]

At the time of the format switch, Vinnie was doing a regular shift on Saturday nights from 6 pm to 10 pm (leading into the Stopless Music Jam, which was their weekend mix show at the time) as well as Club Classics on Sunday nights from 8 pm to midnight. As such, he would substitute for Kid Valentine when he was on vacation and host the Downtown Top 30 Countdown (or Throwdown after the format switch). If memory serves me correctly, Valentine's departure pre-dated Vinnie's so there was also a brief period during which Vinnie hosted the countdown every week immediately prior to its ultimate demise - perhaps early fall '93??

You all forgot Vinnie Paruzzi who was there when it was WZOU, he did "Sunday Night Club Classics" from 1991, even when they switched to Jammn 94.5 he continued to stay there for about two months after.


Artie The One Man Party used to host Saturday nights 6pm-10pm until about 1992, then Marc Clark used to host Saturday nights on both WZOU and when they switched to Jamn 94.5. Both were on 6pm-10pm


Kid Valentine used to have that "Top 30 Throwdown" He used to Broadcast that live Saturday afternoons 2pm-6pm at Tower Records. When Jammin 94.5 came about, Marc Clark took over that countdown for two weeks. That was the BOMB!!!!

Hmmm... I thought it was Vinnie Paruzzi that broadcasted the Top 30 Throwdown from Tower (during the WZOU days)... ???

 

[MikeyBos]

The original weekday lineup was as follows:

5:30 - 9 am
JR with Chris Zito
Also, forget who the traffic girl was but she stayed on with Marc Clark until Balthazar and Pebbles were put in place.

9 - 11 am
Erick Anderson
I believe he was the MD at the time of the format switch? I also believe he was gone not terribly long after.m

11 am - 3 pm
Karen Blake
She had moved up from nights to afternoons in early 1992 when Valentine was hired and since moved up to middays in early/spring 1993?

3 pm - 7 pm
Dallas Kincaid

7 pm - midnight
Kid Valentine

Overnights
Marc Clark??

I have airchecks from immediately prior to and immediately following the "format change." These airchecks confirm all of the above lineup with the exception of Erick Anderson which is purely from my own memory - could possibly be wrong.

Also, interesting and noteworthy is that all non-rhythmic titles had already been purged from the playlist even in the final days of 94.5 WZOU, so in fact the format switch truly happened prior to the re-branding as Jam'n 94.5. I have airchecks from about a week before the switch when they were still calling themselves 94.5 WZOU with the classic 'ZOU jingle from the 90s but the playlist was already 100% rhythmic and in fact nearly identical to airchecks I have from just a couple weeks after the change.

Over the course of the next year and a half, Marc Clark would basically cover each and every shift between the departure of the old ZOU jocks and the arrival of the new Jam'n jocks. Once the full new lineup was in place, it looked like this:

6 - 10 am
Balthazar and Pebbles

10 am - 2 pm
Mike Mcgowan

2 pm - 6 pm
Lady D

6 pm - 10 pm
Ralphie Moreno

10 pm - 2 am
Mark Jordan ("Between the Sheets" slow jams show)

Overnights
Marc Clark??

Mark Jordan was the first to go when the slow jams show was removed from the lineup. I believe Marc Clark then took over the 10 pm to 2 am shift??

Once, Mike left around 1997 or 1998 to move to Kiss 95.7 in Hartford, I believe Ralphie moved up to middays to make room for Ramiro, the Freakin' Puerto Rican, in the nighttime slot. I believe Ralphie was next to go in 1999 or 2000 when Deirdre Dagata was placed in middays. Then Lady D left sometime by the end of 2000 making way for Ramiro in PM drive and Kobe on nights?? Balthazar would eventually leave in fall 2001. Ramiro then moved to mornings, Kobe to afternoons and Bobbie Blaze moved up from late night to evenings??

My memory may be a bit foggy at this point, but I think this is a fairly accurate history of the Jam'n jocks through 2001-2002. Please let me know if I missed anyone or got anything wrong.

THE ORIGINAL WEEKDAY LINEUP (JOCKS):

-MORNING DRIVE: J.R. W/ CHRIS ZITO (Team stayed on from WZOU, replaced about 6 months later IIRC, by Baltazaar (at first W/OUT PEBBLES, who was still at WILD at the time IIRC)... however, in between J.R. and Baltazaar, I BELIEVE Mark Clark held down morning drive for about a month (?)

-MIDDAYS: MIKE MCGOWAN, I think (?)

-AFTERNOON DRIVE: If memory serves me correctly, I believe it was Karen Blake, like I said above, I distinctly remember hearing Jamn' 94.5 for the first time in the afternoon, and "The Madam" was DEFINITELY the DJ on duty that day! I know for a fact, later on Jo Jo Kincaid was added to fill the afternoon drive slot, and perhaps at that time they moved The Madam to nights? ???

-NIGHTS: I think eventually the first nighttime DJ on Jamn' was Ralphie Marino, but I don't believe he came on board right away... I can't remember who this was... perhaps it was Diana Steele? ???

Just goes to show how very different Jamn' 94.5 was BACK IN THE DAY! 8)

 

[radiorama1]

The original weekday lineup was as follows:

5:30 - 9 am
JR with Chris Zito
Also, forget who the traffic girl was but she stayed on with Marc Clark until Balthazar and Pebbles were put in place.

9 - 11 am
Erick Anderson
I believe he was the MD at the time of the format switch? I also believe he was gone not terribly long after.m

11 am - 3 pm
Karen Blake
She had moved up from nights to afternoons in early 1992 when Valentine was hired and since moved up to middays in early/spring 1993?

3 pm - 7 pm
Dallas Kincaid

7 pm - midnight
Kid Valentine

Overnights
Marc Clark??

I have airchecks from immediately prior to and immediately following the "format change." These airchecks confirm all of the above lineup with the exception of Erick Anderson which is purely from my own memory - could possibly be wrong.

Also, interesting and noteworthy is that all non-rhythmic titles had already been purged from the playlist even in the final days of 94.5 WZOU, so in fact the format switch truly happened prior to the re-branding as Jam'n 94.5. I have airchecks from about a week before the switch when they were still calling themselves 94.5 WZOU with the classic 'ZOU jingle from the 90s but the playlist was already 100% rhythmic and in fact nearly identical to airchecks I have from just a couple weeks after the change.

Over the course of the next year and a half, Marc Clark would basically cover each and every shift between the departure of the old ZOU jocks and the arrival of the new Jam'n jocks. Once the full new lineup was in place, it looked like this:

6 - 10 am
Balthazar and Pebbles

10 am - 2 pm
Mike Mcgowan

2 pm - 6 pm
Lady D

6 pm - 10 pm
Ralphie Moreno

10 pm - 2 am
Mark Jordan ("Between the Sheets" slow jams show)

Overnights
Marc Clark??

Mark Jordan was the first to go when the slow jams show was removed from the lineup. I believe Marc Clark then took over the 10 pm to 2 am shift??

Once, Mike left around 1997 or 1998 to move to Kiss 95.7 in Hartford, I believe Ralphie moved up to middays to make room for Ramiro, the Freakin' Puerto Rican, in the nighttime slot. I believe Ralphie was next to go in 1999 or 2000 when Deirdre Dagata was placed in middays. Then Lady D left sometime by the end of 2000 making way for Ramiro in PM drive and Kobe on nights?? Balthazar would eventually leave in fall 2001. Ramiro then moved to mornings, Kobe to afternoons and Bobbie Blaze moved up from late night to evenings??

My memory may be a bit foggy at this point, but I think this is a fairly accurate history of the Jam'n jocks through 2001-2002. Please let me know if I missed anyone or got anything wrong.

Wow, quite a memory you have there... I VAGUELY remember Erick Anderson, I think you just may be right about him being the pd, as well as holding down the midday shift at the beginning.

One error I noticed in your post though: Mark Jordan held down the 10pm-2a shift until very early 1998, then it was Deirdre Dagata who took over that shift I think sometime in March or April of 98? (I am 100% positive about that, as I have MANY airchecks (all dated) of Mark Jordan mc'ing "The Friday Nite Slam Jam" w/ Roy Barboza... my favorite show at the time!) 8)

 

[radiorama1]

Oh, also I meant to pose this question to the forum:

Can an insider that was with WZOU during the final days tell me what "Planet Z" was?

I distinctly remember a series of promos/teasers that ran on WZOU I would say, within a month of the flip to Jamn'... It went something like:

VOICE: "What Is Planet Z?... Sometimes, it's .... " and a clip of a dance song, forgot what it was, would play... then VOICE "Sometimes, it's..." and then the very beginning of "Connected" by the STEREO MC'S played. "Other times, it's..." and yet another song clip, sorry I can't remember what this one was though...

The promo finished with something like "NEXT STOP....... PLANET Z" ... or something along those lines.

Alas, "Planet Z" , whatever it was, never made it to the airwaves on 94.5, as the flip happened just a few weeks after those promos began running.

So what I have wondered all these years is, what EXACTLY was this "Planet Z" going to be? A contest? A new mixshow of some sort? Perhaps a "listener club" (in the same vein as Kiss 108's "Kiss Club") ?

Anyone? ???

 

[Retro]

Now wasn't planet Z a song by the B-52'?

Also, lets not forget that Artie The One Man Party used to be their in during the early 90's also.

Then they had that afternoon guy too, I do not remember what his name was, however he took over PM drive when Sunny Jo White left.

 

[Garrett]

Wasn't Jam'n Originally supposed to be "Jam'n Z94," but they couldn't get the WJMZ calls?
Imagine, we'd still be calling it "Z94" today if that had happened!

 

[Retro]

They were going by "94.5 WZOU" when they flipped. I doubt that they were aiming just to be known as Jam'n 94, although that is kinda catchy too.

 

[radiorama1]

Now wasn't planet Z a song by the B-52'?

Also, lets not forget that Artie The One Man Party used to be their in during the early 90's also.

Then they had that afternoon guy too, I do not remember what his name was, however he took over PM drive when Sunny Jo White left.

Now wasn't planet Z a song by the B-52'? It was and you know something, I'm not 100% sure on this but I think that may have just been one of the snippets used in the promo, now that I think of it!!

...The truth is out there somewhere...

As for Artie-The-One-Man-Party, I believe he did spend quite a bit of time at 94.5 , but I think he may have left when the flip to Jamn' happened, but I'm not positive about that... I do know this: before his regular airshift at Kiss 108 years later, I think he received some sort of "tryout" at Kiss right after he left 94.5 ... it was a sunday afternoon, and I distinctly remember him on the air at Kiss as simply "Artie" ... but I only heard him that one time. (I forget the exact year, maybe it was '93?) ... then I believe he spent a bit of time at a dance station in New York (KTU perhaps?), after that he came back and held down the regualr 6p-10p shift at Kiss 108.

IIRC, Human Nueman was the afternoon guy at WZOU before Sunny Joe ... he was the guy who would play Billy Joel's "Only Human" before the Top Of Hour Legal ID, and then would tell a joke! ... after Sunny Joe I'm pretty sure it was Tom Jefferies (back for his second stint at the station) ...

Just goes to show how important it was back in the day to a station's imaging to have a certain personality in a certain time slot... Nowadays, (with the exception of "morning drive" ie. Matty, Howard Stern, Loren & Wally, etc.) I don't think it matters all that much... read a liner card, play three songs, sweeper, commercials, come back, read a liner card, three more songs...

Not a knock on the on-air personalities of today by any means... they have the talent... but with rare exception, they are kept on a short leash by pd's and management.

 

[Retro]

Yeah, even Bill O'Brien (PD of Kix 106 - WWKX Providence) did a weekend gig at WZOU as well. Artie also did a quick stint at WWKX also, then they were both let go.

Another weekend jock at 'ZOU was Kristie Weimer also.

 

[Retro]

And oh yeah, speaking of Human Newman, one of his jokes that sticks with me even today was "if you tell a cow a joke and he laughs, does milk come out of his nose?"