Stations still doing 'traditional' Oldies

[LibertyNT]

Not KLUV anymore
Theyve Been Classic HIts for a while now

 

[LibertyNT]

According to current and former employees, including KYW-TV's Tom Lamaine, the first Top 40 FM was Atlantic City's WOSJ-FM. It was sister to WOND. It was playing Top 40 in 1962 as part of a live, full service format. It was not a simulcast, although it did simulcast at times (public affairs/overnights).

It had several lives as ROCK 104, Sunny 104, and Classic Rock 103.7 The SHARK.

WOSJ is now WMGM-FM.

I can say I listened to ROCK 104 on a Grundig tube set when in High School in the early 70's some 100+ miles away in neighboring Pennsylvania...before Docket 80-90.

Wasnt KLIF/KNUS 98.7 The first Top 40 FM? Due do it being the Sister the the First TOp 40 Station in the world?
KLIF 1190

 

[flaradiofan]

I ran across a "gem" of an oldies show. I think it comes out of 960-AM in West Palm Beach, Florida but I listened to it over the web at www.seaviewam960.com in stereo. A friend of mine turned me on to it a few weeks ago and it is fantastic. DJ is named "Jammin Jon" and he airs on Saturdays from 1-5PM Eastern Time. It is a throwback to great radio of the 50's & 60's. He plays it ALL!!!! Doo-wop, 50's & 60's rock & roll plus he takes requests and dedications on demand both by toll-free phone and via email. It doesn't seem that he has any playlists....just pick and play....its a breath of fresh air. If you love real oldies, especially the stuff you will never hear on formatted, voice-tracked stations, I strongly recommend you check this out. I think that the rest of the time this station plays adult standards which put me to sleep, but this Saturday show is definitely worth a listen. If I hear of any more shows playing real oldies I'll be sure to post it here.

 

[jcs]

Has anybody ever checked this site out, where you can listen to forgotten oldies over the Internet? http://www.superoldies.com

 

[klutch00]

WOR-FM, for anyone who didn't listen for the 6 months they made Rock history in late 1966!

'Twas a bit longer than that. Still on in late 70/early 71, doing the Drake top 40 thing. I moved from the area in early 72, so don't remember the segue into 99X, but assume 74 or so.

Having lived through that era, Don, and also having been an avid listener to WOR-FM I can tell you he's talking about WOR-FM before the Drake invasion. The time period was around July 1966 (no DJs at the beginning because of a strike- yike!) through late 1967 (maybe around November). When the format got turned over to Drake, WNEW-FM took up the reins IMO. So in a way 'OR-FM did make rock history in the sense that they may have been the first Top 40/pop/rock station to be on the FM only side.

I heard once that KNAC Long Beach CA was a top-40 station in 1964. Can anyone verify? Also that same year, WPGC-FM went to an eighteen-hour broadcast day (6AM - Midnight). Keep in mind that from 1960 until 1964, WPGC-FM signed on and off with their AM.

 

[davideduardo]

I heard once that KNAC Long Beach CA was a top-40 station in 1964. Can anyone verify? Also that same year, WPGC-FM went to an eighteen-hour broadcast day (6AM - Midnight). Keep in mind that from 1960 until 1964, WPGC-FM signed on and off with their AM.

I think that the extended schedule came a year or so earlier. I worked at WCUY in Cleveland, and from 1959 when I started, we ran 5 to 11 PM, Monday to Saturday. At some point, the FCC required a minimum 16 hour day, and I got to sign on the station on Sunday at 7 AM and sign it off at 11 PM.

 

[cyberdad]

I think that the extended schedule came a year or so earlier. I worked at WCUY in Cleveland, and from 1959 when I started, we ran 5 to 11 PM, Monday to Saturday. At some point, the FCC required a minimum 16 hour day, and I got to sign on the station on Sunday at 7 AM and sign it off at 11 PM.

Was/is there a similar "minimum hours" rule for daytimers? I seem to recall a few of them in the 60s signing off at 5pm, even when local sunset was later than that. I also did the entire sign on-to sign off shift a couple of weekends at the old WOKL in Eau Claire Wisconsin in 1971. This was November-December when there were only about nine hours of daylight.

 

[davideduardo]

Was/is there a similar "minimum hours" rule for daytimers? I seem to recall a few of them in the 60s signing off at 5pm, even when local sunset was later than that. I also did the entire sign on-to sign off shift a couple of weekends at the old WOKL in Eau Claire Wisconsin in 1971. This was November-December when there were only about nine hours of daylight.

I'm going to look in the 1970 Broadcasting under FCC rules for minimum operating schedules. You might check at http://www.davidgleason.com/Broadcasting 1972 Yearbook Section Guide.htm in section 25, which has the FCC rules for 1972 in complete form.

 

[jh]

I'm not sure was there was a minimum for daytimers, years ago many signed off before sunset. We typically stayed on no later than 6:30pm Mon-Sat and 5:15pm on Sunday.

For full-time AMs, 2/3rds of the hours had to be before 6pm, 1/3 after, or 10am-10pm. Exception was Sunday.

For FMs, from the link David provided: “All FM broadcast stations will be licensed for unlimited time operation. A minimum of 36 hours per week during the hours of 6 a.m. to midnight, consisting of not less than 5 hours in any one day, except Sunday, must be devoted to the FM broadcast operation.”

That says it was in 1972... but I'm thinking it was before 1972 the rule for FM was changed to a minimum of 12 hours per day, with sign off no earlier than 10pm, except Sunday. I remember talking to our former engineer... who as a college student... was our station's first night dj, when the 12 hours minimum rule went into effect. (Prior to that, the station only stayed on later when there was a ball game.) I'm pretty sure he said it was in the mid-to-late 60s. He's 62, so that would fit the time period for when he was in college. After that rule went into effect, our FM stayed on until 10:15pm Mon-Sat, still 5:15 on Sunday.

 

[cyberdad]

Thanks, David and jh...

I didn't notice anything in my quick scan from the '72 yearbook, but I'll look at it in more detail when I get back from my current business trip. (Austin & Dallas).

BTW, David, I love your site. Thanks for preserving all that stuff and making it available. Fascinating!

I sort of "grew up" with White's radio logs and Broadcasting Yearbooks....and then I worked 22 years for the company that publishes Broadcasting (and Variety), from which I'm now retired. (Retired from one company and working for another...go figure!). Anyway, I had pretty much a complete set of the magazines and yearbooks from '62-'69 in my basement until they were destroyed by a flood last year.

 

[drpickle]

www.wgpasunny1100.com Sunny 1100 WGPA in the Lehigh Valley Pa. Ned Richards from 12 to 5 on saturdays plays all your 50's and 60's doo wop favorites. Monday, tuesdays, and wednesdays from 7 to 9 am BK the Dj Bobby Koch plays similar tunes with more of an emphasis on soul/r and b.

 

[Goodtimesandgreatoldies]

I have heard ALOT of rare 1950`s/60`s Oldies on WYAY-FM True Oldies 106.7 this weekend. www.wyay.com.

 

[Pronkie]

My father-in-law does sales consulting for this station in the Inland Empire.......http://www.am1510kspa.com/ They play more adult standards than "traditional oldies".......

 

[DoubleC]

KRKE Albuquerque
www.realoldies1600.com

 

[davideduardo]

I have heard ALOT of rare 1950`s/60`s Oldies on WYAY-FM True Oldies 106.7 this weekend. www.wyay.com.

And they were 21st in the spring book in 25-54. What they are doing this weekend will likely make them even less demographically attractive to advertisers.

 

[uncleDJ]

Hey gang, add one more:

WINY-1350AM, PUTNAM CT; 'JUKE BOX GOLD' with yours truly Bill Alley, 6-11am Sundays.
Streaming: winyradio.com, go to 'listen live'.

Format is real 50s, 60s and 'roots' late 40s (mainly the stylings of roots R&B that fit) and we are a classic oldies program featuring doo wap, ballads, rockabilly & country crossover, crooners, rockers, the soul/r&b crowd, the wierd, the wacky and wonderful. Just like oldies radio was when I / we were growing up...which by the way I was smack dab in the middle of Boston/NYC so I got to hear the best of the best from jocks, musicians, etc...and I carry all that stuff with me onto this little program. 1.5 years at it and it's become a heavy favorite to all who listen.

The key to oldies is PERSONALITY and lots of it...someone who knows the music, knows the feel of the sound and can put it out there will catch the listener's ear and never let it go.

And all you oldies junkies like myself have even more to celebrate these days: for as sorry a condition our nation and economy have become (and probably will continue to show) oldies done right is a safe haven for listeners...we steer clear of the heavy stuff going on and make our 5hr. escape into this music, bringing back the essence of radio back then...and folks keep saying to me 'thank you for great music and keeping my sanity'.

-Bill Alley
WINY-1350AM/JUKE BOX GOLD
Putnam CT - Sundays 6-11am
winyradio.com

 

[oldies76]

I have heard ALOT of rare 1950`s/60`s Oldies on WYAY-FM True Oldies 106.7 this weekend. www.wyay.com.

And they were 21st in the spring book in 25-54. What they are doing this weekend will likely make them even less demographically attractive to advertisers.

Anything else negative?? Give the format a break! Obviously, there is a demand for this music, otherwise station's wouldn't play them...This is a point that has been frowned upon by you far too many times in various threads and it's futile. Look at how many stations around the USA are playing more and more hits, deeper in position and via specialties.
It's NOT going to stop.

 

[davideduardo]

Anything else negative?? Give the format a break! Obviously, there is a demand for this music, otherwise station's wouldn't play them...This is a point that has been frowned upon by you far too many times in various threads and it's futile. Look at how many stations around the USA are playing more and more hits, deeper in position and via specialties.
It's NOT going to stop.

The format is fine, if the owners don't want to make money. In Summer, it was #21 25-54, and has very little audience that is of interest to advertisers.

 

[hornet61]

AMEN DR DJ...........the listeners like it, thats what matters.

 

[billyg]

The format is fine, if the owners don't want to make money. In Summer, it was #21 25-54, and has very little audience that is of interest to advertisers.

If they are no interest to major advertisers, then how are these oldies stations surviving? How about ignoring the big ad agencies and cutting deals with the smaller mom and pop and regional businesses?

Honestly David, your comments are bordering on being very troll-like. I get the feeling you're just wanting to upset other people on these forums instead of conducting constructive criticism or discussion.

How about suggestions on making these stations appeal to younger listeners? (Yeah play more 80's)