Radio Days

[John FL]

Happy Independence Day!

I expressed my own musical “independence” at the record store. There was a phenomenal record store in Ft. Lauderdale near where I lived called “Peaches.” This place was huge and they had an awesome amount of music available. There were a number of formats I listened to but I felt like I was missing something. In many ways, I rediscovered the 1970’s in the 1980’s.

Years later, with the internet, I had the ability to look at music surveys of AM Radio from the mid 70’s. It was through reading accounts by those in the radio business that I first learned of a term called “Corporate Rock.” These were the ultra-safe songs such as “The Night Chicago Died” and “Billy, don’t be a hero,” and “Seasons in the Sun.” All 1974 #1 hits BTW. For years, I thought the mid 70’s sucked in comparison to other time periods. Truth is, there was lots of great music. AM Radio just wasn’t playing a lot of it. They were holding on to 45’s like life preservers.

Ironically, I heard “album cuts” on the AM station I listened to in the late 60’s and early 70’s. That happened because of competition. But there was a turn-away from that. Then the disco craze happened and so it was no wonder I felt like I needed to take another look at music from the then recent past.

I found myself buying “Best of” LP’s of great artists who may have only had just a handful of their hits played on the radio. Among my greatest “discoveries” was a group called “Electric Light Orchestra.” I recall “Evil Woman” but that was about it from the stations I listened to over time. As I listened more and more to ELO, I thought this is how The Beatles would have evolved into the 1970’s. It turned me on even more to them. There was always the hope they would have gotten back together.

When I saw “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2” and heard “Mr. Blue Sky,” I nearly jumped out of my seat. That was a song I “rediscovered” in the 80’s having never heard it on the radio. I immediately thought that song could have been on the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club” album. "Mr. Blue Sky" is a brilliant piece of music. Awesome lyrics too. I was experiencing what should have been great memories but this was all new to me because radio does, after all, have limitation in what they can air. Yes, yes...music testing...I know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swYdKF1MpWg

One album cut I really enjoyed in early 70’s days was Elton John’s “Country Comfort” from “Tumbleweed Connection.” So, 15 years later, I experienced a different side of Elton John and one I liked. Before fame and fortune, there is a humbleness and purity in an artist’s rendition of songs. At least, that’s how I see things. “Country Comfort” never saw a lot of radio airplay. Perhaps, communities such as Jacksonville were different. I never remember hearing the song on the radio, even here. Still, in my view, it's a great one from Elton John.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vlPgDhIzKM

Near “Peaches” was a radio station known as WAXY 106. I learned a lot of lessons about how radio can screw up. This was another station I visited. It was right in my neighborhood. More on that upcoming.

 

[TheBigA]

When I saw “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2” and heard “Mr. Blue Sky,” I nearly jumped out of my seat. That was a song I “rediscovered” in the 80’s having never heard it on the radio. I immediately thought that song could have been on the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club” album. "Mr. Blue Sky" is a brilliant piece of music. Awesome lyrics too. I was experiencing what should have been great memories but this was all new to me because radio does, after all, have limitation in what they can do.

To clarify, the song was a single, and experienced bigger success in England, where it peaked at #6. In the US, its success was a lot more limited, peaking at #35. That could be why you didn't hear it. But it got some airplay on "album oriented rock" stations, and yes, a lot of critics mentioned its similarities to The Beatles. ELO's leader, Jeff Lynn, was a huge Beatle fan, and produced several George Harrison albums, as well as the two Traveling Wilbury's records. A few years ago, a Beatles anthology featuring a newly discovered song, and Lynn was the producer on that as well.

In other threads, we've talked about the importance of music research. The use of older songs in movies and TV commercials will revive certain songs, sometimes even giving them popularity that exceeds what they had originally. The Foundations experienced that with "Build Me Up Buttercup" after it was used in the movie "There's Something About Mary." I think that's what happened to "Mr. Blue Sky," because the recent revival of this songs and others caused Jeff Lynn to revive ELO and do a limited tour.

 

[davideduardo]

Near “Peaches” was a radio station known as WAXY 106. I learned a lot of lessons about how radio can screw up. This was another station I visited.

WAXY, headed by former WQAM jock Rick Shaw, was a significant player from around 1981 up to around 1992. They were always in the top 10 in those years during the 80's, and often top 5. It could occasionally be in the top 3 or 4 in 25-54.

What hurt WAXY was it's RKO ownership, and the force divestiture of the stations that parent General Tire owned. This caused internal turmoil and a sense of "who's going to be steering the ship". By 1989, Ackerley had taken over the station, and it went downhill until Clear Channel bought it in 1993 in Stage I of consolidation.

 

[John FL]

WAXY, headed by former WQAM jock Rick Shaw, was a significant player from around 1981 up to around 1992. They were always in the top 10 in those years during the 80's, and often top 5. It could occasionally be in the top 3 or 4 in 25-54.

What hurt WAXY was it's RKO ownership, and the force divestiture of the stations that parent General Tire owned. This caused internal turmoil and a sense of "who's going to be steering the ship". By 1989, Ackerley had taken over the station, and it went downhill until Clear Channel bought it in 1993 in Stage I of consolidation.

I am very surprised by what you reported. Mind you, I'm not disagreeing with the ratings results. Some of these positive numbers could come from the fact that WAXY had become more contemporary as time moved along. Then they attempted a comeback at oldies but they lost their edge - their brand was tarnished. They invited new competition.

At any rate, I will offer a listener's perspective. As a reminder as well. Even though what follows is a South Florida story, I've seen decisions that result in long term consequences. Competition and radio go hand in hand. I still maintain many lessons can be learned by my remembering a very unusual but interesting radio war.

 

[John FL]

My sister came to visit me from New York and I thought, since she was in radio, she’d enjoy a tour of the station (WAXY 106 FM) so I arranged it. I’m thinking this was 1983.

It was an eye-opening experience for me. The jocks did not program their own music. Up to this point, it was the norm at the stations I listened to over the years. I was shown a computer paper printout that listed the songs to be played and it had the word “rap” scattered throughout which was the DJ’s cue to talk. I wasn’t impressed with any of this. It seemed too controlling for lack of a better word. My sister thought it was all normal stuff.

Even before owner financial problems, I detected a lean and mean operation. In comparison to the aforementioned Y-100, WAXY did not have as many jocks. It seemed everyone was on 6 or 7 days a week and they worked much longer shifts. It was revealed that Rick was not live on the weekends nor after 6PM weekdays. He had a weekday 3-8 PM shift. To me, despite the great talent lineup, there was an element of spontaneity that was missing. As you know, South Florida weather can change on a dime. Because shows were not always live, the weather was not always correct. Not good. Perhaps I was seeing or rather hearing a glimpse into radio’s future.

WAXY had established itself as a successful oldies brand. Despite that, the station began tweaking and taking a more contemporary direction. It was Greg Budell’s morning sidekick, Don Agony, who apparently had another role at the station in music research. He talked about the song “Cool Night” by Paul Davis that tested well and they decided to play it. The song was like a year old then. What kind of oldies station plays one year old songs?

Eventually, there were dayparts that sounded very contemporary. There was a “Snacktime with the Oldies” feature mid afternoon where they played vintage stuff. Eventually, they started playing classic rock at night. If the ratings remained strong through all of this, then it’s just one of those flukes. It seemed there were lots of violation of standard radio practices, namely develop a consistency in sound. It sounded like a train wreck at times to me. Through all the contemporary elements, Rick ended his show with his signature "Goodnight my Love", Ray Peterson's version. It was all very weird to say the least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xo-PO5FUkE


The reality is a competitor came on the scene in WMXJ (Majic 102,7) in 1985 featuring 50’s and 60’s oldies at that time. I saw a good number of articles that showed Magic became the dominant oldies brand in South Florida and performed very well in 25-54 up to the early 1990’s.

WAXY had made another attempt at featuring only oldies but it was too late. Magic was the champ. Magic staged one of the greatest promotional events in my view. It was the cars and stars show which I attended. They even had a plane fly by with a banner promoting Magic. WAXY bit the dust a few weeks later. Maybe this was the 90's by then. It's all a blur now.

Eventually, Rick Shaw wound up working at Magic for a good number of years. I read and/or heard Bill Tanner talk of WAXY’s obsession with Y-100 and the reason they went contemporary…at times. It was messy programming despite what appeared to be good ratings. In the long haul, I think they blew it.

Realizing this was a South Florida “radio war,” I still maintain it’s a valuable lesson for all markets. It’s the nature of radio to want to take down whoever is #1. It’s the nature of the beast. And sometimes, those who are the decision makers in radio let their egos get in the way of better judgment. It’s how I regard the WAXY vs. the WMXJ battle. I've seen these kinds of battles frequently.

The Magic brand lasted over 30 years. That should say something.

Anyway, radio is a very complex business. There are listener perceptions such as mine and then there are actual performance results. The two don’t always jive. That may not be too out of the norm. Sometimes, listeners remain loyal even when the product is not that good.

 

[davideduardo]

It was an eye-opening experience for me. The jocks did not program their own music. Up to this point, it was the norm at the stations I listened to over the years.

When I did my first Top 40 in 1964, the jocks did not program their own music. About the most they could do was slightly modify the order a couple of songs played in to do better segues or to fit a contest in between.

With the exception of progressive rock stations and some old-line MOR operations, the airstaff did not have a lot of leeway in what to play.

I was shown a computer paper printout that listed the songs to be played and it had the word “rap” scattered throughout which was the DJ’s cue to talk. I wasn’t impressed with any of this. It seemed too controlling for lack of a better word. My sister thought it was all normal stuff.

It was normal stuff. Even in the early 80's many larger stations started doing music on the computer, and by the mid-80's the practice was fairly universal given the low cost of the new PCs that were available.

Even before owner financial problems, I detected a lean and mean operation.

RKO did not have financial issues; they were big money-makers. The problem that filtered down to radio was the fact that General Tire had bribed officials in Algeria and Argentina to get business, and that disqualified them as a licensee.

In comparison to the aforementioned Y-100, WAXY did not have as many jocks.

There was nothing in the market quite like Y-100. It was making so much money and had such incredible ratings that no other local station looked as "big" as they did. It was an incredible place to work!

WAXY had established itself as a successful oldies brand. Despite that, the station began tweaking and taking a more contemporary direction. It was Greg Budell’s morning sidekick, Don Agony, who apparently had another role at the station in music research. He talked about the song “Cool Night” by Paul Davis that tested well and they decided to play it. The song was like a year old then. What kind of oldies station plays one year old songs?

Until 1988, WAXY defined itself as AC. So did WMXJ. By 1989, WAXY was calling itself "Oldies-Based AC", and WMXJ was calling itself "oldies". Everyone thought that Rick, due to his WQAM heritage, wanted to be somewhat contemporary at WAXY.

It was not till around 1988 that WMXJ became dominant over WAXY, and that had to do with the winding down of RKO and the 1989 sale of the station to Ackerley.

The reality is a competitor came on the scene in WMXJ (Majic 102,7) in 1985 featuring 50’s and 60’s oldies at that time. I saw a good number of articles that showed Magic became the dominant oldies brand in South Florida and performed very well in 25-54 up to the early 1990’s.

When WMXJ switched, they were still running lower power off one of the WRBD towers (The Rockin' Big Daddy 1470). They did not move to the Dade/Broward antenna farm until a year and a half later, and still WAXY dominated, but not by the same margins as before.

WMXJ grew up to the 90/91 period, which was of course when WAXY had gone through the forced sale and was being run by a billboard company. Still, by 1992 WMXJ was on the decline and WAXY never recovered. By 1994, Ackerley got out, and Clear put on WBGG.

WAXY had made another attempt at featuring only oldies but it was too late. Magic was the champ. Magic staged one of the greatest promotional events in my view. It was the cars and stars show which I attended. They even had a plane fly by with a banner promoting Magic. WAXY bit the dust a few weeks later. Maybe this was the 90's by then. It's all a blur now.

At that time, Clear Channel was buying out Ackerley and everyone knew the format was going bye-bye.

Eventually, Rick Shaw wound up working at Magic for a good number of years. I read and/or heard Bill Tanner talk of WAXY’s obsession with Y-100 and the reason they went contemporary…at times. It was messy programming despite what appeared to be good ratings. In the long haul, I think they blew it.

Some would say that Rick never got over first being beaten by lesser signal WFUN and then by Bartell's WMYQ and being driven out of the format by Y-100.

 

[John FL]

Some would say that Rick never got over first being beaten by lesser signal WFUN and then by Bartell's WMYQ and being driven out of the format by Y-100.

Before moving on to the next subject - the slow evolution of traditional oldies stations during the 80's and 90's and beyond, I have one more comment to make about Rick Shaw and those like him. Longevity as a radio personality is a two-edge sword. While it's great having a long employment history, there's also a risk of being stereotyped. Actors have suffered the same affliction.

While I would have no way to understand anyone's motives, I do have to wonder if shedding one's image of being a jock the parents or grandparents listened to on AM Radio comes into the equation. What we need to remember is in the 1980's, music from the 60's would not be considered that old. Oldies station did come on the rise in the 80's especially and overall, there was viability playing 20-25 year old music.

If a whole new and younger generation digs what you are doing and you get some notoriety as a result, that could prove very motivating and satisfying a need to feel successful not from decades old events but from today's accomplishments. Maybe that can help explain why a successful oldies brand had many toes in AC territory. Just a thought.

 

[TheBigA]

What we need to remember is in the 1980's, music from the 60's would not be considered that old.

Depends on how old you were at the time. That's like saying in the 60s, music from the 40s would not be considered that old. But to kids of the 60s, music from the 50s was old. That's why Elvis couldn't get a hit in the 60s. Doowop style singing was done by 1965. In fact, if you look at the 60s from a cultural point of view, it's really two decades: Early and late. The Beach Boys were over by 1967. Killed by Sgt. Pepper. The point is that in any decade, including the 80s, if you had no memory of 60s music, it was prehistoric.

 

[John FL]

My career almost always involved a great deal of travel. So, before the internet and streaming, I had opportunity to sample quite a few radio stations. I’d dial around but most often, I’d stick with oldies.

There were subtle differences among stations but not by much. For a very long time, there was a running joke and observation that these stations played the same 300 oldies for years over and over. It sure seemed that way but there were exceptions. Some companies were simply better at it than others. CBS Radio is one that comes to mind both for oldies and classic hits.

Here’s another theory for consideration. Is it possible that oldies and eventually classic hits formats have been intentionally held back to protect the cash cow in the cluster? A number of years ago, I was curious about the goings on in smaller markets so I looked at ratings reports. While I realize this is not scientific, I did find a correlation between what I considered an innovative and creative playlist and the number of stations and type stations, if any, by the same owner in that market.

Perhaps, small market radio has advantages in that there is more latitude and perhaps there are less pressures. That’s my assumption. But when there was a stand-alone classic hits station or one where the sister station was a sports or a news format, I found a wider variety of music existed to include many songs one would find on an AC format.

The other day, I was at a restaurant in Jacksonville. I was greeted with Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.” At first, I figured it was the local classic rock station that was on but it was AC WEJZ. There’s so much song overlap nowadays. I’ve heard “Whitesnake” and other rock artists play there as well. Normal fare today for AC you may say but then, if a classic hits stations was WEJZ’s sister station, I doubt that station would get a smidgen of TLC. This is reality. We’ve seen this sort of thing many times in Jax.

Here’s a real situation. Back in 2007, a guy by the name of “Bruce Kelly” was hired to replace the retiring “Rick Shaw” whom we have discussed prior at WMXJ (Magic 102.7 Classic Hits in South Florida) Most radio stations have had to deal with a “big star” leaving the station whether it’s voluntary or involuntary.

On Rick’s last show, those who were in the studio were crying. There were TV cameras and they aired a good number of listener testimonials with some added tears. Rick’s last hour was cut to make room for introducing Bruce. Among the first things Bruce said was “How do you follow that?” Well, how do you? Man, I felt sorry for him. In my view, that was terribly unfair. They could have and should have waited at least a few weeks to begin a new era. Think about the listeners who loved Rick. They would never warm up to the new guy or at least it would have taken much longer. All of it not necessary.

Bruce was PD at the former XM 80’s at 8 channel. Brilliant. Think about it. It’s 2007. Your former morning man is synonymous with oldies. What better way to change the image and direction of the station, which needed to happen, then by bringing in someone who could relate to those who grew up in the 80’s?

I wound up listening to Bruce virtually every morning via streaming. My work hours and habits were always unusual so I’d often catch him via the studio camera in the 4 AM hour. He was putting his all into it. I could tell. He introduced technology to the show. There were daily downloads on YouTube of his program. The subjects he brought up demonstrated his attempts to reach out to younger listeners. I thought he was quite clever and smart.

All his efforts were sadly for naught in my opinion. With Rick Shaw gone, I really believed Magic would have evolved more into the 80’s. It was incredible seeing what stations such as WCBS-FM was doing 10 years ago. They played vintage stuff but they were clearly updating their sound.

The music and Bruce’s banter were like oil and vinegar. For whatever listener interest Bruce generated for that Gen Xer, they would be gone when “Walk like a Man” by the 4 Seasons followed. Similarly, the Boomer listeners complained about Bruce because they couldn’t relate to him. So, Bruce lasted about a year and was replaced by someone I personally like. However, he has a long association with The Beatles. None of this made sense if the name of the game is improving your 25-54 position.

Again, this was 2007-2008. Magic’s sister station and cash cow WLYF was still playing some 70’s and they featured lots of 80’s titles too. Either Magic made a bunch of bad decisions or they didn’t want to emerge as a stronger competitor to WLYF. Perhaps it was both. Again, this is just my theory regarding how some formats are favored over others. My feeling was why hire this guy in the first place if that music sweet spot didn't advance to get new listeners to notice and stick with you.

This is radio. Many of us expect a square deal and providing the resources and opportunities to succeed. But, it doesn’t always seem to work that way.

More Radio Days to come.

 

[TheBigA]

Perhaps, small market radio has advantages in that there is more latitude and perhaps there are less pressures. That’s my assumption. But when there was a stand-alone classic hits station or one where the sister station was a sports or a news format, I found a wider variety of music existed to include many songs one would find on an AC format.

Depends on where you go. We were just having this discussion at the Philly board about WOGL. They are not your traditional classic hits station, yet they're owned by CBS. They play more rock, and more urban (the sound of Philadelphia) than you might hear on WCBS. In LA, the same company owns both KRTH and KCBS, where there are a lot of similar songs played.

As far as holding back one format in deference to another, the deciding factor is always money, not genre. But classic hits has a problem: It attracts an audience that is typically resistant to advertising. That's the conversation you hear all the time from their listeners: Too many commercials. You never hear that comment from other formats. That's driving that format to non-commercial places, like LPFM and satellite.

 

[davideduardo]

Here’s another theory for consideration. Is it possible that oldies and eventually classic hits formats have been intentionally held back to protect the cash cow in the cluster? A number of years ago, I was curious about the goings on in smaller markets so I looked at ratings reports. While I realize this is not scientific, I did find a correlation between what I considered an innovative and creative playlist and the number of stations and type stations, if any, by the same owner in that market.

It's really much more simple. Smaller markets have little money for audience research, so they program from old charts and monitors of bigger stations. So, bigger playlists.

Here’s a real situation. Back in 2007, a guy by the name of “Bruce Kelly” was hired to replace the retiring “Rick Shaw” whom we have discussed prior at WMXJ (Magic 102.7 Classic Hits in South Florida) Most radio stations have had to deal with a “big star” leaving the station whether it’s voluntary or involuntary.


All his efforts were sadly for naught in my opinion. With Rick Shaw gone, I really believed Magic would have evolved more into the 80’s. It was incredible seeing what stations such as WCBS-FM was doing 10 years ago. They played vintage stuff but they were clearly updating their sound.

Majic's biggest problem was not adapting to the exploding Hispanic population. For a while, they ignored them... even in music tests.

Again, this was 2007-2008. Magic’s sister station and cash cow WLYF was still playing some 70’s and they featured lots of 80’s titles too. Either Magic made a bunch of bad decisions or they didn’t want to emerge as a stronger competitor to WLYF. Perhaps it was both. Again, this is just my theory regarding how some formats are favored over others.

As a former large cluster owner, I can say that you develop each format to its potential. Some will simply not perform as strongly as others, so you devote less resources.

 

[John FL]

As far as holding back one format in deference to another, the deciding factor is always money, not genre. But classic hits has a problem: It attracts an audience that is typically resistant to advertising. That's the conversation you hear all the time from their listeners: Too many commercials. You never hear that comment from other formats. That's driving that format to non-commercial places, like LPFM and satellite.

I totally agree with you comment that the support a station gets depends on money. I've seen lots of manipulation, especially in Jacksonville. However, I believe there is some over generalization in your comments regarding commercials. In my little world, I hear people complain about commercials and they listen to a wide variety of formats and I've seen comments to that effect all over the radio boards.

Negativity toward commercials is something that I believe is learned behavior. Radio has done an effective job in promoting the concept of more music and that is fine. However, if the tagline goes on to say “absolutely no commercials” and I have heard that in many markets including Jax, this appears to bite the hand that feeds you.

In my view, listeners don’t need any extra encouragement that feeds into the notion more music is good and more commercials are bad.

As you and other seasoned folks would know, a good number of spots were once pitched live. As a kid, probably 90% or more of these commercials had no relevance to me. But they were entertaining. In fact, they had to be. It's not only talk ups to songs I remember, I can also recall the jock's style and ad libs doing the commercials. Some weeks, the music was so-so. Sometimes the commercials made for comic relief. But they were done so they were also memorable and made necessary impressions..

When you consider a typical hour on hit music radio that played one song followed by a couple commercials and this was done repeatedly with 2 five minute newscasts per hour to boot, the non-music programing played a significant role. That had to be pulled off right.

I mentioned talk show host Neil Rogers earlier. He did lots of live spots and mainly around restaurants. It got to the point, these sponsors dropped food off at the studio and it was like a food frenzy. The extra publicity didn’t hurt and I wound up eating at many of these places. Effective marketing I'd say and that's what it should be about.
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The first time I ever went to an Italian chain restaurant called “Carrabbas” was because I heard a Jax jock talk about it on the now defunct Cool 96.9. That was like 1999 or 2000. I’ve been there at least once or twice a month ever since. I wound up meeting some of the senior management like the district managers and those who spend $ on advertising. I've always talked up radio. At times, I've gone out of my way visiting a station's sponsor.

Today, most commercials have little or no relevance to me and a lot of it sounds like audio wallpaper. It’s on in the background but not much attention is paid to it. I don’t think that’s too effective but I’m sure there’s data that says I’m not correct or my age will be offered as an excuse. Funny thing, there is data that can support any argument you want to make.

In the end, it wasn’t the commercials that drove me away from radio. The main reason was too many stations playing too many of the same songs. It’s probably a reason “serious” music lovers like me have moved on to Sirius. Pun intended.

 

[TheBigA]

The main reason was too many stations playing too many of the same songs. It’s probably a reason “serious” music lovers like me have moved on to Sirius. Pun intended.

I read the same complaint from Sirius subscribers.

 

[John FL]

In April, 1997 I was brought to Jacksonville to work on a “temporary” project for a few months. This was for the old Barnett Bank whose headquarters was in Jacksonville. This project had us travel all over the state. It was a lot of hard work but a lot of fun too.

What I liked even more was being put up in a place in Jacksonville. Most of the team would go back home over the weekend. I was single once again so there wasn’t much to come home to. My parents were taking care of the pets so I was free. I loved the area, especially St. Augustine. Well, obviously, I put in a request for a change in assignment and the company moved me to Jax lock, stock and barrel.

The internet and PC’s were the big rage. In earlier years, I corresponded with a group of radio geeks who wrote about radio in their hometowns. We’d exchange “tapes”- that sort of thing. I had some knowledge about WAPE and it was a blast to hear it live. I hadn’t listened to CHR in over 10 years. Hoyle Dempsey was a name I knew. That whole Morning Zoo show was put together very well IMO. The music of the late 90’s was actually very good.

There was a lot of shared listening with WAPE’s older sister (Oldies) - Cool 96.9 (WKQL). This was another well-developed station. I didn’t have history with the personalities but I do recall one of them had taken ill. Tom Murphy (whom I believe was an alumnus from WAPE’s AM heyday) filled in for “Smokin’ Joe Beamer. One day, I caught Tom giving a motivational and encouraging message to Joe. Tom seemed like a genuinely nice guy. He eventually got Smokin’ Joe’s shift when he passed away. I have a feeling Tom would have preferred there was a recovery.

I also took a very strong liking to Pat Garrett who was the PD and midday host on Cool 96.9. I was lucky enough to have my own office at Barnett’s Office Park.The radio was usually on. There were some interesting features on Pat’s show. One was “My Three Songs” which had the theme music from “My Three Sons” during the 10 AM hour. 3 songs played back to back and the correct caller needed to identify the connection among the songs. I won a few times participating in that.

At noon, Pat hosted the “Cool Café” where requests and dedications were taken. I got my song played often. Pat got to know me so all that demo info usually asked for got thrown out the window for me. I can recall requesting Tyrone Davis’ “Turn Back the Hands of Time” where I said "what Cool 96.9 does so well." I think I have that one on tape somewhere. Those were fun days. I thought Pat was among the best midday hosts I ever experienced.

Cool’s morning show with Dave and Heather had the perfect balance of music and banter. There were lots of features on that show as well. One was where two listeners were pit up against each other and had to correctly name the title of a song in a few notes. I was a 5 time winner. (the max you could be). Pat wanted to have D&H's morning show simulcast on a number of Southeast radio stations.It's a shame that never materialized. The company, you might say, had other ideas.

I kept track on what I considered to be effective and creative promotions. During the holidays, Cool 96.9 did their "12 Days of Christmas: promotion. It was done quite well. It was basically a game of chance where the lucky listener got to pick gifts out of Santa's bag. They had to identify the right bag. Some prizes were clunkers. Some were quite good. Pat Garrett played Santa in a slowed taped voice. It was was one of the best, fun interactive promotions I had ever heard. That contest saw lots of discussion around the water cooler at work. Oh yes, there was such a thing as that. There would be another one that would happen not to far off into the future.

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Next: The beginning of the end

 

[John FL]

In the banking business, I saw lots of very good and talent people dismissed. Senior management will always have cause. The same happens in radio, and quite often too.

WKQL (Cool 96.9) fell into other PD hands. We were now in the early part of this century. Music “sweet spots” were advancing and I understood the reasons and necessity in doing so. What began to disturb me, however, was seeing those with impressive and successful track records discharged not being given an opportunity to shine in the market again.

Jacksonville’s massive land area can prove very challenging. The Top 5 “beauty contest” ratings winners in Jax have usually always been full market signal and heritage stations. Longevity and great signal play huge parts to success. But so does creativity and knowledge of the market.

It’s not unusual for a senior manager to want to bring in their “own people.” This wasn’t just a radio thing, I was once a victim of it myself in the banking world. Regardless of your performance, if they want you out, you’re out.

I’ve also seen people with impressive resumes ride into town with a lot of enthusiasm and vision. Sometimes they make positive changes and sometimes they fail. While a number of markets have something unique about them, such as diversity, I found Jax to have a uniqueness about it as well.

Jacksonville and northeast Florida is made up of a lot of different neighborhoods and each one has a different vibe. The west side of town has a totally different vibe than say, the intracoastal area. Add St. John’s County to the mix and that’s a whole other ballgame too. You get my point. However, I’ve seen many “outsiders” displacing those with tons of local experience. In a perfect world, some of these local folks could have been retained as well aiding the new guy. But it doesn’t really work that way. Jax is not an easy market to program.

As much as I was a fan of Cool 96.9, I stopped listening to it for the most part. The fun and personality of the station were pretty much gone. No doubt, the name of the game was to position the station better for the future. There were lots of rough programming efforts in the beginning. Finally, the music mix and overall sound of the station showed noticeable improvement in the fall of 2004. Perhaps, they turned the corner.

For years, I found it ironic that flips often occurred right after the format got its act together. In November of that year, the station flipped to Christmas music. This was pretty new stuff going all Christmas, at least in these parts. In looking back, this was like a Trojan horse. Many of us probably never expected this “gift” would be the start of a new battle.

It’s the nature of radio to flip formats. It’s normal to see loss of livelihood. We’ve probably become immune to such news. However, this all happened on Christmas Day, 2004. At the bank, we had yearly downsizing initiatives. People were let go in November or early December but not Christmas Day or even Christmas week. That event will always remain as the single most heartless thing I’ve ever experienced in radio. Mind you, this is not market #5, it was 50. All that cloak and dagger stuff was ridiculous.

We can talk about the business reasons for these decisions, but upon returning to work after the holidays, there were a number of so called water cooler discussions. Some of the ladies were teary-eyed. It was sad. I never understood why the station couldn’t simply evolve as so many others did as they changed their brand from oldies to classic hits. There were definite reasons why that happened. I’ll explain upcoming.

Next: A Perfect Format Launch

 

[John FL]

Ripple effects of 96.9 The Eagle

With a huge audience tuned in for Christmas tunes on Cool 96.9 and a substantial oldies audience already in place, it was now 96.9 The Eagle that took flight on Christmas Day, 2004. There was an extensive TV advertising blitz that took place as well. Everything clicked like a Swiss clock. The odds looked very favorable.

No matter how perfect a launch can be, it’s the listeners who are the final judge. They spoke loud and clear – they liked it and have been loyal for the past 13 years now.

We can speculate about impacts to sister stations. But then, over time, speculation is replaced with reality. The truth is when 96.9 The Eagle came on the scene, a domino effect occurred. Sister station 102.9 The Point WMXQ (80's) was negatively impacted immediately. They lasted another four years which makes you wonder. We just don’t know the real story. But I always had the feeling The Point was like machinery. There was lots of depreciation and eventually it would all get scrapped. It did its job for a number of years but its life was now over. There was no need for the station since Eagle was playing more and more 80's as time moved along.

Rock 105’s dominance was a thing of the past. Each year, their total audience continued to drop. There was a brand name change. Now it was Rock 104.5. But then Renda Broadcasting flipped WSOS from Soft AC to classic rock. That didn’t last too long either.

It seemed rock stations were coming and going. As disjointed and messy everything was, there probably was a plan behind everything. CMG wound up buying two TV stations to obviously include the local news on CBS 47 and Fox 30. In looking back, the most logical replacement for Rock 104.5/former Rock 105 had to be news/talk WOKV. The cross-promotion between the radio stations and their Action News TV simply meant good business.

WSOS was up for sale. That was never reported but it perhaps explains the flip to Classic Rock. Maybe the format was used to make the sale more attractive to someone who wanted to continue the format or maybe it was like a lot of things in radio – temporary. They added Lex and Terry perhaps to sweeten the deal. Who knows.

Lots of changes have taken place in Jacksonville radio since Cool 96.9 flipped to 96.9 The Eagle. I’ve long considered that change, the most significant event in the last 20 years in Jax radio. Very little remained the same afterwards. It became clear that no matter how popular a format may be, it always comes down to money and what the owner wants. After that as well, personality radio was becoming more of a thing of the past.

Sometimes listeners win if they get what they want. Sometimes they feel displaced. A lot has to do with how they figure in the companies goals. As I look at existing Jacksonville radio stations today, I have to ask the question, "is rock still as big in Jacksonville as it was years ago?"
That's worth exploring.

Next: Rock in Jacksonville today

 

[John FL]

While this string has focused on “Radio Days” nostalgia, I thought I’d break from that for just this one segment. There are still some ties to the past in that prior decisions can be felt today.

A few months ago, I heard iHeartMedia was planning a change on 107.3 (WWJK) (Jack-FM). My first thought was it was about time. In my view, flipping the former classic hits WJGH (Magic 107.3) to Jack FM represented the single biggest mistake I experienced in my time in Jacksonville. There was incredible potential in Magic and most agreed, the former CC pulled the plug was too soon.

So, I found out the brand is now “The River.” I should have known better but I checked it out. Perhaps I should have listened more so I looked at songs played instead to save me time and grief. It was just before the July 4th weekend that I listened while running an errand. I heard four songs as follows:

Edge of Seventeen (Just like the white winged dove) - Stevie Nicks
Top of the hour: Blinded by the light – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel
Give a little bit – Goo Goo Dolls

The former format played those first 3 songs to death. Those first 3 songs have also been heard over and over on other stations too.. The previous format played the last song but the original by Supertramp. When I returned from the store and turned the radio on, I heard The Sweet and “Ballroom Blitz.” I recall Orlando’s “Sunny” playing that song to death 5 years ago. No doubt a popular song during its time but probably more appropriate on a Saturday night with other party songs, not a Thursday morning.

I just ask, is this kind of programing going to get them big numbers? Honestly, I’ve come to the conclusion that after 5 years + with all the tweaks they’ve made to Jack FM, they haven’t been a threat to anyone. I truly feel they have no idea what to do with that great signal. Maybe, after all, this is what they want. Run cheap and make somewhat of a decent showing in 25-54.

The River has a pronounced rock lean but it’s still a lot of old, burned out stuff. It would appear they are directly competing more with 96.9 The Eagle. I still believe the full market signal at 107.3 is underutilized. It got me thinking about “real rock.” I’ve also long wondered why their CHR didn’t find a home on that great signal on 107.3. Then again, why is “Planet” on a translator signal?

Planet is a very well-known brand in Jacksonville. There's also lots of love and affection and history. Why they aren’t on either on 97.9 or 107.3 is puzzling. History will tell us the company simply didn’t want to go into a costly war with a competitor. Perhaps that’s still true. It's a helluva way to operate if you ask me being afraid to do battle.

But then, I’ve seen one particular poster talk about the fact that Jacksonville does not have a modern rock format on a full market signal. I will confess my ignorance. There’s X1029. I thought that was the home for new rock. It’s listed as Alternative. Then I do hear a lot of buzz that alternative is dead. In S. Fla, there's an alternative format that gets very low numbers, yet it goes on. There must be something in the demos it agttracts that keep it going. I'm clueless here so expertise would be welcomed.

So, iHeartMedia would be in the position to offer a real rock format on a better signal. Do they want to avoid directly competing? Or, has the Jacksonville market changed to the point that an Adult Hits format is more viable than say, an active rock format? I wouldn't know.

I had an opportunity to check Planet’s website and noticed Lex and Terry are on the station. What can anyone say? Here’s a show that was once on among the most powerful signals in NE Florida and now they air on a translator. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Anyway, it would be good to have some local input on this subject.

Next: Random Thoughts and then “The Final Chapter:

 

[TheBigA]

So, iHeartMedia would be in the position to offer a real rock format on a better signal. Do they want to avoid directly competing? Or, has the Jacksonville market changed to the point that an Adult Hits format is more viable than say, an active rock format? I wouldn't know.

When you say "active rock," do you mean a currents-based rock format? If so, I'd say the answer is yes.

 

[John FL]

Random Thoughts.

In the first part of this string, I talked about traveling to stay with mom in South Florida during Hurricane Matthew. Since April, mom has moved to a senior living facility near us in Jax. It got to a point mom couldn’t live on her own anymore. Plus, the frequent trips I made dealing with one thing or another took a toll on me.

I’ve caught a number of singers entertain the residents. As one would expect, most of the music is from the 40’s to the 60’s. Interestingly, many of the residents require memory care, but they can still recall and sing along with music that held a special place.

The other day, a singer gave a little trivia to each song he sang. Even I learned a few things. Before he sang “Over the Rainbow,” he talked about how the “money” and other movers and shakers behind “The Wizard of Oz” wanted that song edited out of the movie.

That song not only turned out to be Judy Garland’s “signature song.” But it was also #1 on the “Songs of the Century” list (20th century) by Recording Industry Association of America. Many years later, there were influential and big-name PD’s who thought “The Beatles” would be a fad. These are only two examples of how the so called experts don’t always get it right. It was the basis of many of my posts when it seemed to me, so many decisions just didn't make sense.

The last post regarding the rock format got me thinking. The only rock station that ever got my attention was WNEW-FM in NYC. It wasn’t the music that drew me in but rather it was the conversation. There was an incredible airteam of “communicators.” They could really tell a story and they had the latitude to do so.

One of the conversationalist jocks I liked a lot was a guy named “Jonathan Schwartz.” Although he was a rock jock, he was a lover of Sinatra, as I was and MOR type music. He was/is a Sinatra expert. I called him a few times while he was on the air. It was mind-blowing that he would be playing a rock album cut while talking to me about Sinatra’s appearance at the “Paramount Theater” in NYC in the 40's.

At 10 PM, Alison Steele came on the air. It became a habit to tune in to the start of her show. She would read poetry or a short story to open her show. The “nightbird” was in flight and of course we were reminded this was all in stereo. The song she played quite often segueing from her show opening was the long version of “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues. To this day, whenever I heard that song, I fondly think of Alison Steele, the nightbird.

I found Alison’s sultry voice so sexy. At the time, I didn’t know what she looked like but it’s a reminder that great radio is theater of the mind. On Valentine’s Day, 1977, Alison did a special love show of requests and dedications. Even though I had to work the next morning, I listened until 2 AM. It was all so engaging. As you listen to this aircheck (if you care to) it’s important to remember this was at the height of “Saturday Night Fever” times but FM was now proliferating. WNEW-FM was the anti- everything else on the air, including disco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LUqqueEy-4

Both WNEW-AM and all that great Big Band/Sinatra sound and WNEW-FM and their very interesting and non-conformist programming would have earned a lot of pages in “Radio Days.”

There's been great radio memories. We have lots of dementia and Alzheimer's in my family. I hope I never forgot those wonderful radio days.

Next: The Last Chapter

 

[TheBigA]

It was mind-blowing that he would be playing a rock album cut while talking to me about Sinatra’s appearance at the “Paramount Theater” in NYC in the 40's.

Why did Schwartz talk about Sinatra? Because his father was Broadway composer Arthur Schwartz. Because of this, Jonathan was a lover of that kind of music. Schwartz would also talk about his love of the Boston Red Sox at a time when the New York Yankees were winning the World Series year after year. Any New Yorker will tell you there is no team that is more hated than the Red Sox. Talking with great passion about the Red Sox isn't going to get you great ratings on a New York radio station. So ultimately, Jonathan got an ultimatum: Stop playing Sinatra or go to the AM station. In 1976, he took the latter.

Talking about Sinatra and the Red Sox was bad because there was another rock station in town. WPLJ was a less talk/more music station. WPLJ had great personalities too. They had Zacherle, Tony Pigg, Carol Miller, and Pat St. John. They were cool and hip, and didn't talk about the hated Red Sox or play Sinatra, and they got much better ratings than WNEW. So the powers that be at WNEW decided it was time to tighten things up. In the bigger scheme of things, FM was changing. Prior to 1975, FM could do pretty much anything. A DJ could play an entire album by an artist. A DJ could read poetry. A DJ could play Sinatra. But by the mid 70s, young people started to listen to FM, and that had never happened before. They were leaving AM stations like WABC and WMCA, and listening to rock stations on FM. In 1971, it was possible for WNEW-FM and WPLJ to work together and air the final concert from Bill Graham's Fillmore East. That wouldn't happen just a few years later. There was no co-operation, but competition. Competition for audience, and competition for money. That's why radio in New York changed in the mid-70s, and it would never go back to the way it was. There simply was too much at stake.