OK, when WHTT Flipped Back in '86, did you tune into Kiss or Zou instead?

[mistermicrophone]

I was always a Kiss listener because of their dance-heavy playlist and of course the Kiss classics ("There But For The Grace Of God," "Shame," etc.). Needless to say, once Steve Rivers took over Kiss, it basically became WCOZ III ('ZOU, of course, was WCOZ Jr.).

Good God, I hated WCOZ!

Needless to say, I am no longer a Kiss listener since John Ivey destroyed what little was left of the Kiss heritage sound back in 1994. Now Kiss 108's idea of Kiss classics are "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - great disco songs, as Uncle Dale once said of "Stairway To Heaven."

What does Ivey have to do with TODAY'S playlist??? You Shook Me All Night Long & Pour Some Sugar On Me are two records that test through the roof with W25 - 34, TODAY. So they are played outside of nights...what's wrong with that??

The problem is that a "Kiss Classic" should refer to a song that was played when Kiss was a dance station, something they are known for. "Pour some Sugar on Me" is more like a WHTT or WZOU classic. I mean, I know what they mean, but still. They may be "Classics" but not "Kiss Classics."

Ummm...the only "problem" seems to be with radio geeks like us. The station still is a ratings and revenue monster.

 

[Garrett]

Relax man, we're just having fun visiting the old days. There's no need to be uptight about it. Kiss 108 of today is good for what it is supposed to do. But today's audience has changed

 

[chrish]

I diug out the spot tonight, I was bored, Comast cable and internet were down for maintenance and my condo assn can't agree to trim the trees in the courtyard so my satellite path is gone again.
Spot said "Better hit music" Kiss 108-FM

 

[BoredModerator]

I think it depends upon your age back in the day. I was, well younger then, and I didn't really care for Matty, thought he was dry and boring. I thought Scott & Ron's Morning Zoo, and then JR's show were more entertaining. Now I think Matty is the best morning show host and when I listen to old tapes of the Zoo, I realize that'd I'd probably lean towards Kiss these days.

Mix is kind of like the Zoo these days, I give them credit, they are local and don't VT any shows. Lander's show is just odd and sounds like it's all recorded well in advance. Sometimes I'm shocked when a current event is mentioned.

I do wish the Scott & Ron Morning Zoo ('89-91) had a longer run.

 

[Signpost]

The REAL difference between Kiss and Zou (at least in the 1986-88 pre-Sunny Jo at ZOU era), was that WZOU had a very very very TIGHT playlist! They had 30 or 40 songs, and that was it. Oh, they had a good musical selection, but you could only listen for so long, and I think that's what they were going for. And, you didn't get a remixed version of a song, you got EXACTLY the released single. Meanwhile, Kiss108 had a much more loose playlist. WXKS would play what WZOU was playing but then they'd throw in something from David Bowie, or Aerosmith or Beastie Boys. There was NOTHING that was too dangerous for them to throw in. Plus they continued to break out new dance tracks. Kiss 108 NEVER played it safe, and this, I think is how they survived. They simply took more risks, and had better known talent.

Audio was different too! Both stations were heavy on compression, but Kiss always seemed to have just a bit more base, and ZOU had a slightly better signal into Brighton Center and to the west. Unlike WHTT, neither one ever had reverb. Early on, WZOU relied far more on Jingles than Kiss 108 did until later. And if I recall, it was orignally WZOU that used Ernie Anderson for voice-overs.

You nailed it, Garrett - thanks! I'm always trying to convey the heritage today's Kiss 108 is built upon - no one seems to remember or "get it". It was a CHR in the vanguard, it was great, and its influence is dismissed by today's programmers who are unable to grasp how such a freewheeling, spirited, rule-breaking station could dominate as Kiss108 did back then. At one point, I remember Kiss108 scoring a 9 share 12+ making it #1 in Boston. I don't believe it was ever below #6 12+ since its inception in 1979.

 

[Garrett]

I diug out the spot tonight, I was bored, Comast cable and internet were down for maintenance and my condo assn can't agree to trim the trees in the courtyard so my satellite path is gone again.
Spot said "Better hit music" Kiss 108-FM

Fuzzie memories:

There are three distinct Kiss commericals from their history that I remember.
The oldest was a remnant from their disco era which ran until about 82. On that one they had music fromt the Weather Girls "It's raining Men." That one was sort of Monty Python type animation. Hard to explain without seeing it.

The next one was the Kiss Cash Call Jackpot promo with a much younger but more heavy set, long haired Dale Dorman burried and cash, and the stuffed inthe Kiss van. That was early 80s, 83 or 84.

Finally, was a very fast paced Kiss commerical with music from the group "Allo" (sp?). This one showed some very young well dressed yuppies in it, and theme of that one was "just a little Kiss!" This was 86 and beyond, and its the last Kiss 108 commercial I remember before going to San Diego. I believe that one to have been a consulted spot.

 

[jimcutler]

When WCOZ flipped to WZOU in September of 84, a restaurant below the station "SARGE'S" refused to serve us. They were really pissed that their friends at COZ were fired. Incredible Bob Campbell is still incredible and he posts here now and then. A lot of the original ZOU jocks had a reunion dinner last year and everyone agreed that: because of station ownership and management in place, there was NO way to win. There was ALREADY a very successful KISS and WHTT. They were already there first. The reason Blair Radio (the owners) put WZOU on in the first place was because of New York's Z100. With Z100 coming on the air and going from worst to 1st in one book, the Blair plan demanded the same from WZOU. But when Z100 first appeared CHR had been gone from NY for a long time and there was a real need for a station like Z100. Boston ALREADY had HOT-HITS WHTT and Kiss....there wasn't a dearth of CHR like there was in NY, there was plenty of it! You can't come into a market as the third CHR and hit #1 in one book unless the two stations already entrenched there screw up. HTT and KISS were strong. WZOU debued with under a 2-share and the program Director was fired. Management went thru 5 PDs over the next year and during that time it couldn't have stunk working there more. We all had non-compete clauses so we couldn't quit. If we quit we had to sit out for a year at no pay or sell our home and move. So it was bozo after bozo each with a promise and a plan to knock off KISS and HTT. Harry Nelson finally came in and brough humanity back to the workplace, he changed it to Z-94. I bolted for WHDH just after Ardman Broadcasting bought it in 87. They had moved WZOU from 440 Stuart to congress Street. All during my 3 years at WZOU I can't think of a single jock (save maybe one) who wasn't an outstanding person. This little slice of 3 years was even before the good years you guys are talking about. It was just a tiny unimportant flash in Boston Radio history. But the jocks as people were very cool. Sonny was our mortal enemy and the pranks back and forth would fill a book. He would often call and say "I'm going to court to "Zouuu" you!" Sonny, too was an amazing and cool person.

 

[Retro]

Even though I wasn't a big fan of WZOU through the 80's, I am often hearing that they were the little station that could! Seems like people have fond memories of working at ZOU and I think can be commended for.

 

[Signpost]

I remember COZ getting ready to flip to ZOU.. Dave Gariano had a bunch of promos running with the new morning show (Morin & Kranz ?) trashing Kiss 108 & WHTT. I remember saying to him "y'know.. people in this town like Kiss 108. I know how radio wars work, but i don't think in this case you're going to win anyone over by trashing Kiss108."

 

[Retro]

But its typical for the underdog to always attack the top rated station though. I guess that is just the way it goes.

 

[Garrett]

When WCOZ flipped to WZOU in September of 84, a restaurant below the station "SARGE'S" refused to serve us. They were really pissed that their friends at COZ were fired. Incredible Bob Campbell is still incredible and he posts here now and then. A lot of the original ZOU jocks had a reunion dinner last year and everyone agreed that: because of station ownership and management in place, there was NO way to win. There was ALREADY a very successful KISS and WHTT. They were already there first. The reason Blair Radio (the owners) put WZOU on in the first place was because of New York's Z100. With Z100 coming on the air and going from worst to 1st in one book, the Blair plan demanded the same from WZOU. But when Z100 first appeared CHR had been gone from NY for a long time and there was a real need for a station like Z100. Boston ALREADY had HOT-HITS WHTT and Kiss....there wasn't a dearth of CHR like there was in NY, there was plenty of it! You can't come into a market as the third CHR and hit #1 in one book unless the two stations already entrenched there screw up. HTT and KISS were strong. WZOU debued with under a 2-share and the program Director was fired. Management went thru 5 PDs over the next year and during that time it couldn't have stunk working there more. We all had non-compete clauses so we couldn't quit. If we quit we had to sit out for a year at no pay or sell our home and move. So it was bozo after bozo each with a promise and a plan to knock off KISS and HTT. Harry Nelson finally came in and brough humanity back to the workplace, he changed it to Z-94. I bolted for WHDH just after Ardman Broadcasting bought it in 87. They had moved WZOU from 440 Stuart to congress Street. All during my 3 years at WZOU I can't think of a single jock (save maybe one) who wasn't an outstanding person. This little slice of 3 years was even before the good years you guys are talking about. It was just a tiny unimportant flash in Boston Radio history. But the jocks as people were very cool. Sonny was our mortal enemy and the pranks back and forth would fill a book. He would often call and say "I'm going to court to "Zouuu" you!" Sonny, too was an amazing and cool person.

Wow,
I had never realized that ZOU was CHR before WHTT went away, I always assumed that ZOU switched to Top 40 after HTT went away. I recall listening in on 94.5 during the WHTT era and thinking "wow, this is really boring, what's all this strange stuff they're playing?" Oh, that was about 1984 or 84 I think.

And I could be wrong about this, but I don't remember hearing anybody from WHTT ever jumping to WZOU. Am I wron about this?

 

[Retro]

Yeah, WZOU was #3 back in the '84-'86 era. Even tweaked to become Top 40/Rock for a while too, that is playing no Rhythmic hits at all. Kiss on the other hand was heavy on those and light on the rock, as we all know. And as far as I know, nobody from WHTT jumped to either Zou or Kiss at all.

 

[Garrett]

Yeah, WZOU was #3 back in the '84-'86 era. Even tweaked to become Top 40/Rock for a while too, that is playing no Rhythmic hits at all. Kiss on the other hand was heavy on those and light on the rock, as we all know. And as far as I know, nobody from WHTT jumped to either Zou or Kiss at all.

Well, I know that Karen Blake worked at Kiss and WZOU. Also wasn't the wife of the guy on WHTT mornings working at Kiss?

It's interesting, Top 40 without Rythmic, that would have been considered Hot AC today, huh? Seems like a lot of Top 40 stations from then would have been called Hot AC or Adult Top 40 today. I bet Mix 98-5 would have just been considered Top 40 if it had been around during 1986.

 

[Retro]

I wonder what Mix would have sounded like had they entered the market back in 1986? When they started in the early 90's, they debuted without much fanfare and breaking the mold of what Hot AC should be by playing Rythmic music as well as Michael Bolton.

I remember their positioners being something like "if you've outgrown the rap stations, but are not ready to retire to the sleepy stations, tune into Mix 98.5, More variety without the hard rock or rap!"

Now I know that isn't exactly what they said, however it was something like that anyway.

 

[radiorama1]

I wonder what Mix would have sounded like had they entered the market back in 1986? When they started in the early 90's, they debuted without much fanfare and breaking the mold of what Hot AC should be by playing Rythmic music as well as Michael Bolton.

I remember their positioners being something like "if you've outgrown the rap stations, but are not ready to retire to the sleepy stations, tune into Mix 98.5, More variety without the hard rock or rap!"

Now I know that isn't exactly what they said, however it was something like that anyway.

I remember that cheezy TV commercial that they put on just after they flipped from ROR...

It went something like: ...

With that girl "sometimes I lean towards this" [JON SECADA] (with her ACTUALLY LEANING)

And other times I lean towards THIS [SUPREMES]

And other times I lean towards THIS [MICHAEL BOLTON]

MIX 98.5... "Boston's Best Mix" .... DREADFUL haha

Can you imagine if for ONE hour during, say, afternoon drive they went back to playing what they played back in 91? By the end of the hour, they wouldn't have any listeners left!

 

[dsturdy5]

I think it depends upon your age back in the day. I was, well younger then, and I didn't really care for Matty, thought he was dry and boring. I thought Scott & Ron's Morning Zoo, and then JR's show were more entertaining. Now I think Matty is the best morning show host and when I listen to old tapes of the Zoo, I realize that'd I'd probably lean towards Kiss these days.

Mix is kind of like the Zoo these days, I give them credit, they are local and don't VT any shows. Lander's show is just odd and sounds like it's all recorded well in advance. Sometimes I'm shocked when a current event is mentioned.

I do wish the Scott & Ron Morning Zoo ('89-91) had a longer run.

I started listening to ZOU just as Scott and Ron were wrapping up. Was it Scott and Ron or JR who played "Get Your Head Out of Bed?" at precisely 6:00 each morning? I was in my formative years then, just starting to "get" different radio sounds, labels, etc and at that point (very early 90's) ZOU was the best station out there. I liked a little bit of everything and ZOU provided that. I remember the arguments on the school bus as to which was better, ZOU or KISS. Those were heated debates...fought by adolescents.

 

[radiorama1]

I think it depends upon your age back in the day. I was, well younger then, and I didn't really care for Matty, thought he was dry and boring. I thought Scott & Ron's Morning Zoo, and then JR's show were more entertaining. Now I think Matty is the best morning show host and when I listen to old tapes of the Zoo, I realize that'd I'd probably lean towards Kiss these days.

Mix is kind of like the Zoo these days, I give them credit, they are local and don't VT any shows. Lander's show is just odd and sounds like it's all recorded well in advance. Sometimes I'm shocked when a current event is mentioned.

I do wish the Scott & Ron Morning Zoo ('89-91) had a longer run.

I started listening to ZOU just as Scott and Ron were wrapping up. Was it Scott and Ron or JR who played "Get Your Head Out of Bed?" at precisely 6:00 each morning? I was in my formative years then, just starting to "get" different radio sounds, labels, etc and at that point (very early 90's) ZOU was the best station out there. I liked a little bit of everything and ZOU provided that. I remember the arguments on the school bus as to which was better, ZOU or KISS. Those were heated debates...fought by adolescents.

It was JR...

I remember the song ended with "So eat them grits, and spray them pits.. while JR in the mornin'... PLAYS THE HITS!"

gheesh.

I enjoyed the team of Mike Adams (the same Mike Adams that is now on Magic 106.7, NOT the "Mikie" Adams on EEI) and Chrisitan Paul... during the 87,88 era (?) ... Paul did a SPOT ON impersonation of Fred Rogers... every morning "Mr. Rogers" *wink wink* would "knock on the door" *wink wink* and come in to read the birthdays... FUNNY STUFF!!!

 

[Kodos]

Was it Scott and Ron or JR who played "Get Your Head Out of Bed?" at precisely 6:00 each morning?

That was JR. He was a great morning guy. I was a loyal ZOU listener back in the day. Loved the music, the jocks, the sound. They really hit their stride once Rivers arrived.

 

[radiorama1]

They even held JR over(and Chris Zito, his sidekick at the time) for a short time after 94.5 flipped to Jamn'... then after about a year or so JR was replaced by Baltazar... (w/ a few months of "fill-in morning host" Marc Clark in between the two)

I remember RIGHT AFTER THE FLIP to Jamn'... it was more rhythmic...

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AT THE VERY BEGINNING... Jamn' played:

1) "Too Turned On" by Alisha... I remember Karen Blake coming out of that song one afternoon asking a female listener on the phone what she thought of the new sound/station (reply: "Oh I love it!")... that was the very first day I heard Jamn'... I even remember exactly where I was driving when I heard that... since ZOU used to play this song CONSTANTLY I had no idea the change had happened until The Madam came on... I was like, "Jamn'?? What the heck?"

2) "Cantaloop" by US-3... (I remember JR comin' out of the song telling Chris Zito "Wow what a GREAT record...)

3)"Nasty Girl" by Appolonia

and... believe it or not...

4) ********The REMIX of "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora (the more "Disco-y" version) !!!.... I S*it you not!!! (which I assume they played because it was a heavy current on ZOU right before they flipped... maybe they wanted to try to keep ZOU's audience sticking around... they did drop it after about a month after the flip)... also the song was from one of the TMNT movies, which was real hot at the time also...

 

[B-Rock]

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AT THE VERY BEGINNING... Jamn' played:

1) "Too Turned On" by Alisha... I remember Karen Blake coming out of that song one afternoon asking a female listener on the phone what she thought of the new sound/station (reply: "Oh I love it!")... that was the very first day I heard Jamn'... I even remember exactly where I was driving when I heard that... since ZOU used to play this song CONSTANTLY I had no idea the change had happened until The Madam came on... I was like, "Jamn'?? What the heck?"

2) "Cantaloop" by US-3... (I remember JR comin' out of the song telling Chris Zito "Wow what a GREAT record...)

3)"Nasty Girl" by Appolonia

and... believe it or not...

4) ********The REMIX of "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora (the more "Disco-y" version) !!!.... I S*it you not!!! (which I assume they played because it was a heavy current on ZOU right before they flipped... maybe they wanted to try to keep ZOU's audience sticking around... they did drop it after about a month after the flip)... also the song was from one of the TMNT movies, which was real hot at the time also...

I believe it. When Sunny Joe White crossed town and started programming Jam'n, it was all dance. I remember tuning in the day they flipped and heard them play "Independence" by Lulu - nobody else was playing that song and it wasn't very good.

The dance music didn't last for very long... and soon enough, Jam'n was playing hip hop songs that nobody else was playing. Remember that melee downtown when they brought in the College Boyz?

Back to the topic question: In 1986, I was tuned into Kiss, along with RI-104, which played a very cool assortment of music and sounded larger than life.