Remember When ....

[IT_Guru]

Atlanta radio was fun to listen to? While growing up in Atlanta here are a few things I remember. Feel free to add other changes that I don't remember:

AM
590 - Played country and simulcasted WKHX-FM
610 - Was country as WPLO
640 - Signed on as WPTF and played music
680 - Was WCNN with CNN Headline News 24/7
790 - Was Top 40 WQXI and switched to oldies
920 - Was WGST and were actually good
1160 - Signed on in East Point
1190 - Was classical
1340 - Play urban oldies
1550 - Was Gospel

FM
92.9 - Was Top 40 Z-93
94.1 - Was 94Q WQXI
94.9 - Was Peach
95.5 - Moved from Athens as WNGC to become 95-5 The Beat
97.1 - Was Fox and played 70's, 80's & 90's before becoming oldies
97.5 - Became Hot 97
98.5 - Played all 70's on the weekends
99.7 - Was Power 99
102.3 - Was Oldies Lake 102 playing the 50's and 60's
104.7 - They signed on playing AC
107.5 - Signed on and played Jammin' Oldies
107.9 - Moved in from Macon and became Hot 107-9

Back then seems like I didn't have nearly enough presets for all the stations I listened to and now, I've got so many unused presets

 

[juleebella]

105.7 - WGST FM - much clearer signal than AM, and the Kimmer sounded so much better.

Atlanta radio is the absolute pits anymore.

 

[BDBopper]

I know the Planet Radio thing is infamous here but I actually listened to 105.7 all the time. Pete Davis was really nice in the evenings (especially during the 96 political conventions cracking jokes about it all). Anyone remember Gary Burbank on weekends and late nights? That was hilarious stuff! And 105.7 was a great source for weather info at night and during off hours when Mellish was not available and someone was always live from The Weather Channel.

 

[lilburncommunityradio]

I second the opinion that Atlanta Radio Stinks now!
If its not Am religious, or Talk, its noise on the FM dial that you cannot understand.
This is not rocket science.. Radio used to be great! Now its just cheesy.
I really believe its time to look into XM.

 

[PST]

I know the Planet Radio thing is infamous here but I actually listened to 105.7 all the time. Pete Davis was really nice in the evenings (especially during the 96 political conventions cracking jokes about it all). Anyone remember Gary Burbank on weekends and late nights? That was hilarious stuff! And 105.7 was a great source for weather info at night and during off hours when Mellish was not available and someone was always live from The Weather Channel.

I never watched TV at night circa 1996 - usually because I had Pete Davis on. And the Kimmer's bits from the 1996 Olympics may have been when the show was at its peak. GST just seemed like such a great station in those days - but then again i doubt a lot of 14-17 year olds were really listening to Paul Harvey.

Was Gary Burbank the syndicated guy based out of Cincinnati? I don't remember if that was him or not, but man that was some of the funniest stuff i ever heard on radio.

When i was a few years younger than that, I grew up listening to J.J. Jackson in the morning on FOX, since that was what the school bus driver had on in the bus and since that was what my mother listened to waking up. I can remember Randy Marsh (Randy Randy Marsh Marsh) the drive-time guy. And of course Big John did the mid-day. i was a little upset when J.J. was replaced by Randy and Spiff, but I got over it enough to march in the "Louie Louie Marching Band."

I was lucky enough to do a Career Day with Kelly McCoy at B98.5 when I was in the sixth grade. I think I still have the tape of my "radio debut" in a box somewhere.

 

[aand]

And what ever happened to Dale O'Brien? He was at 98.5, then 94.9, heck, I think he was at a couple of others to, but where is he now?

 

[Freebird Fantasia]

Be careful about posting anything negative about WGST. The moderator doesn't like it and will lock the thread.

 

[middlega]

Although I think that a lot of the fond recall about radio past is heavily influenced by "James Dean Syndrome", your list failed to mention at least a couple of stations that I think really ought to be on there.

106.7 as WWID-FM Gainesville's Wide 107
and 106.1 (or was it a few ticks up the dial at that time, maybe as 107.1?) WZLI-FM Toccoa.

 

[BIGSTICK]

I second the opinion that Atlanta Radio Stinks now!
If its not Am religious, or Talk, its noise on the FM dial that you cannot understand.
This is not rocket science.. Radio used to be great! Now its just cheesy.
I really believe its time to look into XM.

I have two words

CLEAR CHANNEL

 

[bdcsi]

Atlanta radio was fun to listen to? While growing up in Atlanta here are a few things I remember. Feel free to add other changes that I don't remember:

AM

640 - Signed on as WPTF and played music

IT Guru.... you are close. You were hearing WPTF on 680.. WPTF is located in Raleigh and has been on that freq since 1929. They are a 50kw that WCNN had to protect during the overnight hours. Before sunup, they were heard pretty plainly in NE Atlanta as the WCNN night pattern looks rather phalic pointed SW from North Atlanta. Sometimes you could hear WCNN in Mobile at night, but not in Alpharetta!

BD

PS....640 was going to be the home of WQXI AM, but in a last minute deal.. 920 programing moved to 640.

 

[Mike_Rose]

IT Guru was correct. 640 played R&B oldies when it first signed on the air in the 1980's before Jacor moved WGST there from 920 around 1988.

 

[OgOgglby]

That was when Michael Hollis, owner Air Atlanta airlines and an Atlanta attorney, got the CP for 640 with the intention of flipping it to the highest bidder. I worked for him briefly as a board op before the sale to Jacor. He aired the satellite format Heart and Soul, which I enjoyed a lot. The ratings were good, about a 2.5 share, with NO promotion...not even a request line. I saw that the numbers were good all across the demos, from teens to 25-54, in just two books.

So I went in to his law office/studio for my shift one day with the numbers and asked Mr. Hollis if I could make a pitch. He said sure, took me to the Commerce Club down the street, and I showed him the book. I said, "Would you be interested in taking the profit from the 640 sale, buy another station, and put this same soul format on? If you can get a 2.5 share with no promotion after just 6 months, imagine what it would get with some promotion?" He politely listened, but never did anything. He stayed out of radio from then on, as far as I know, which shows how smart he really was.