RADIO HISTORY PT2

[thebeach33445]

Hi everyone:

Again thank you guys for all of your help even though we are in tough radio times. I was wondering if you all can help me with a few more FM question that I have:

1. Would anybody know the format of WHBS 106.3 before it became WVTY?

2. Would anybody know when WDUV "THE DOVE" went from Beautiful music to Soft AC? I am guessing 1999?

3. Is there any history of WMLD 97.9? I saw this in the Tampa Bay call letter history site.

4. Does anybody know the history of WSPB 106.3 before they went to AC WMLO?

5. Would anybody know what format was on WAMR 92.1 FM and when WRAV 92.1 went to Beautiful music?

6. Would anybody know what format was on WCCF 92.7 from the sign on in 1970 to 1979?


Thanks a lot for taking the time to read my posts and for your help on the answers!!

T.J.

 

[RMarino]

Wow, some tough questions.

#2 Yes, WDUV was technically B/EZ until 1999 when Cox took over the format. At that time, the Clear Channel clone WDDV was still B/EZ.

#4 I'm not sure when WSPB-FM became WMLO, but the format and presentation of WSPB-FM's soft rock format (a.k.a. Wonderful 106) in the late '70s was identical to WMLO's format in the early '80s. Their format slowly became hotter in the mid '80s which led to the start of WSRZ Z-106 in 1986.

 

[Mike_Serio]

t.j.

Let me help a bit with question #2.

I was still in high school at the time (Dunedin) and hung out at the station...

I remember that there were a LOT of legal and FCC hoops that had to be cleared for the station make it to the air... Broadcasting Yearbook says they did so on 9/1/78. Bud Paxson owned it along with 1470 WWQT. 106.3 WHBS was licensed to Holiday. To meet FCC rules, Bud kept space in a real estate office on US 19 just over the Pinellas/Pasco line which placed it in the "city of license" The transmitter site was further north on Springer Drive just south of Gulfview Square Mall in Port Richey. The studios were located in a small office park on Enterprise Road in Clearwater. (That complex was later torn down to make way for the Lowes at the 580 and US 19.) The station was yet another hybrid of the beautiful music format with about a 50/50 mix of non-rock vocals from the 50's and 60's mixed with light rock of the early 70's. On Saturday night, Jim Stanley hosted "The Make Believe Ballroom" takin' requests and playin' the hits. The station also aired Sid Marks "Sounds of Sinatra." Otherwise, it was fully automated. At that time, it was up against the well established WGUL-AM 1500, 107.3 WWBA, Joy 101, and WDUV to the south. I don't think it ever garnered over a two share. But it WAS a good advertising choice for West Pasco businesses!

As I recall, it was 1983 when Bud sold WWQT and WHBS to a trio of investors. A radio engineer named Gary Hess was the managing partner and served as the GM... but one of the two old guys with the real money was Martin Spector from Miami... the man behind Spec's Music! The AM became WFNN with ABC Talkradio's line up... Owen Spann, Dr. Susan Forward, Dr. Toni Grant and Michael Jackson. The FM calls were changed to WVTY "Variety 106" and the music shifted as well. The instrumentals were dropped and they dug deep into Spector's own record collection to create the stations music library. It was 100 percent vocals coming from the same era... but they dug deeper and played some of the artists who never made it out of Sinatra's shadow.

My time there ended in June of 84... I hope Frank F jumps in here and fills in more of the story !!!

 

[Ferreri]

Mike, you are amazing! Wow, great history lesson! Thanks for jogging my memory. Around 1985, 1470 and 106.3 were purchased from Hess and his group by The Times Publishing Company of Erie, Pennsylvania. They publish the Erie Times News. Art Arkalian owned an AM and FM in Erie with the calls, WLVU. Arkalian was good friends with the family that owned the Erie Times and convinced them to purchased the Holiday station as an investment based on information that the facility could be in line for an upgrade. Arkalian sold his Erie properties and retired to Florida and oversaw 106.3/1470 from his home south of the Bay area. Meanwhile, I had worked for Carl Marcocci in Erie and at WAZE in Clearwater. It was Carl who suggested to Arkalian that he talk with me regarding Holiday. 106.3 floundered around as adult contemporary and in 1988 we launced All Vocals From Memory Lane. Target was 45-65. Keying on Sinatra, Bennett, and that ilk. A younger Music of Your life, if you will. The AM on 1470 was brokered to two Greek brothers who did programming for the Greek community mainly in Tarpon Springs. The upgrade didn't happen as quickly as the newspaper company had expected resulting in a ten year project. For the upgrade to happen, 106.3 Holiday and 97.1 in Beverly Hills had to swap. Scott Miller was our contract engineer and helped us get on the stick next to ch. 10's on the Pasco/Pinellas line. In the meantime, Erie Times had entered an agreement with a broker to sell the station. The broker, inturn, flipped it to Cox. Marcocci ended up with 106.3. There were more moves, conditions, and players involved, however, much much too complicated to outline on this blog. Clear Channel even had a stake in all this as they ended up with 620 in the deal.
On September 11, 1998, Cox took over at 97.1 and launched WSUN-FM with a format of oldies headed by Scott Robbins. Scott was a great friend and I still remember him calling me and apologizing. That's the kind of guy he was.

 

[ErieDJGuy]

Hey, Frank! Hope all is well.

Having worked for Art Arkelian in the late 70's, IIRC, Art had sold the Erie properties, WWYN and WWFM in 1974 or so to Don Kelly.
Don was the one who actually created the WLVU calls in 1975. Art, in 1974, bought WWCB-AM in Corry, PA (where I worked from '77-'79),
and put WYSS-FM outside of Meadville, PA in 1979 (also where I worked for 6 months that year.) By the early 80's, Art was in Naples and owned a station there.

Here in Erie, in 1985, the WLVU calls went away, as did the Beautiful Music format, as the station changed to WXKC (Classy 100), a format and calls it has kept since then.

I seem to recall Art returning to Erie in the late 80's or so, as he was involved with Channel 66 into the early 90's. I hear these days that Art works sales part-time up here for Connoisseur. I'd imagine he still spends time in Florida. Maybe not.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

Sounds like Tampa Bay was dominated by WLCY back in AM daze. Did they ever have any serious competition from an AM fulltimer? Was there a WFUN to their WQAM?

 

[rfrus]

I worked at WSPB in the late 60's-early 70's. At that time the AM and FM simulcast. You bought the AM and got the FM for free. At times they would break off the FM when they ran baseball on the AM and football on the FM. They would run the FM out of the very small production room, not easy with a Gates Studioette console and only one cart machine. It was about 1970-71 they bought the old WYAK, 102.5 tower that was on 5th street in downtown Sarasota and moved it to City Island to move the FM higher. The FM had been side mounted on the AM tower and was only at 150 feet. That tower is still in use by 1450 today.

 

[Ferreri]

Hey, Frank! Hope all is well.

Having worked for Art Arkelian in the late 70's, IIRC, Art had sold the Erie properties, WWYN and WWFM in 1974 or so to Don Kelly.
Don was the one who actually created the WLVU calls in 1975. Art, in 1974, bought WWCB-AM in Corry, PA (where I worked from '77-'79),
and put WYSS-FM outside of Meadville, PA in 1979 (also where I worked for 6 months that year.) By the early 80's, Art was in Naples and owned a station there.

Here in Erie, in 1985, the WLVU calls went away, as did the Beautiful Music format, as the station changed to WXKC (Classy 100), a format and calls it has kept since then.

I seem to recall Art returning to Erie in the late 80's or so, as he was involved with Channel 66 into the early 90's. I hear these days that Art works sales part-time up here for Connoisseur. I'd imagine he still spends time in Florida. Maybe not.

Thanks, John. Good to hear from you! Thanks for the clarification on the LVU calls. Always associated them with Artie. Honestly, they were never my choice. People thought it was WLUV and with WDUV in the market there was confusion. Plus, WGUL. Too many "U"s in the market. Right, Times had Naples and another in Williston (Gainesville) that Artie was involved with, however, Williston went dark. Had no idea of Art's where abouts. Hope he is doing well.

 

[David Sharp]

Hi Frank...refresh my memory...I seem to remember Cox's "take-over" of 97.1 was "less than pleasant." In fact, I think there was a "forced removal" of some staffers. Is this right? Or is my memory playing tricks?

 

[thebeach33445]

Thank you all for your responces to some of my questions!! They have been a very big help in my research!!

T.J.

 

[Ferreri]

Hi Frank...refresh my memory...I seem to remember Cox's "take-over" of 97.1 was "less than pleasant." In fact, I think there was a "forced removal" of some staffers. Is this right? Or is my memory playing tricks?

It was more abrupt than we anticipated. The station was actually under contract to be sold to a broker. The broker had a deal in place with Cox and moments after the closing the Cox people were in the building. No one was removed by force, however, there were a couple Pasco officers on hand.

 

[Dave Dark]

Sounds like Tampa Bay was dominated by WLCY back in AM daze. Did they ever have any serious competition from an AM fulltimer? Was there a WFUN to their WQAM?

WALT 1110 Tampa was the forerunner of real Top40 radio.. NEW WALT RADIO..Then came Sam Rahall and he launched the "Even Newer WLCY Fun radio 138.. they fought tooth and nail for a while