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The first variety hits format appeared in Chicago in 1994...

H

hitradio

Guest
Cadillac Jack takes credit for it on his Jack FM website... Bob FM in Winnipeg also wants the credit, but let us not forget about "Bill," the quirky classic-hits/hot AC that appeard on 107.9 back in 1994 for roughly a year!

Remember the wide playlist? Remember that "Bill" played songs from the past thirty years, mixed in with a current or two? Remember that Bill "played what he wanted"?

Suburban Chicago radio seems to be a breeding ground for new formats... I give credit to suburban Chicago radio for having successfully commercialized in the US:

Variety Hits (Bill)
Jammin Oldies (Heart and Soul)
Current Dance (Energy)
70s (Y-107.9)
80s (80s Channel) Yes... Star in Columbus did 80s, but they mixed the songs with 90s and 70s.
 
>
> Suburban Chicago radio seems to be a breeding ground for new
> formats... I give credit to suburban Chicago radio for
> having successfully commercialized in the US:
>
> Variety Hits (Bill)
> Jammin Oldies (Heart and Soul)
> Current Dance (Energy)
> 70s (Y-107.9)
> 80s (80s Channel) Yes... Star in Columbus did 80s, but they
> mixed the songs with 90s and 70s.
>
and all of em are doing so well these days
 
> and all of em are doing so well these days

NOT A FAIR STATEMENT. 3 of those 5 formats were victims of either corporate indebtedness or Big Sticks trying to copycat. Biggest flattery is to imitate. I'd agree that Chi-town suburb sticks have provided great innovative formats that sounded better than any other copycat attempts then or since!!!

WXXY - best 80's format ever to hit the airwaves
Energy - best dance format presentation without the BPM burnout effect

Radio isn't as good without them, especially Chicago's radio dial. It's sad when I prefer Central Illinois cornfield CHR's and other stations over the big city up north, anyday, most stations!!! Right now I like our radio dial much better. It's not "city glamorous" down here but it sounds good. Chicago should outshine us in radio programming like they used to. I used to look forward to trips to the city because of the radio I'd get. Now I can't wait to get back home. Here's to the little company who did make a difference - Big City Radio. You made the airwaves fun again. Too bad for debt!
 
Actually, Bill's format was on from about April 1997 to July 1997. Bill played his favorite songs. It was a couple of tapes that looped over and over again. That was a very messy format flip. I remember LaLey starting up just before the 4th of July.





> Cadillac Jack takes credit for it on his Jack FM website...
> Bob FM in Winnipeg also wants the credit, but let us not
> forget about "Bill," the quirky classic-hits/hot AC that
> appeard on 107.9 back in 1994 for roughly a year!
>
> Remember the wide playlist? Remember that "Bill" played
> songs from the past thirty years, mixed in with a current or
> two? Remember that Bill "played what he wanted"?
>
> Suburban Chicago radio seems to be a breeding ground for new
> formats... I give credit to suburban Chicago radio for
> having successfully commercialized in the US:
>
> Variety Hits (Bill)
> Jammin Oldies (Heart and Soul)
> Current Dance (Energy)
> 70s (Y-107.9)
> 80s (80s Channel) Yes... Star in Columbus did 80s, but they
> mixed the songs with 90s and 70s.
>
 
...actually, one could argue that the real prototype was WIND's "50s, 60s & Now" format of the early '70s -- Debbie Reynolds' "Tammy" sandwiched inbetween Barry White and The Who?? ;-) ...<P ID="signature">______________
King Daevid MacKenzie. How Radio is done. No brag, just fact.
WLSU, Wisconsin Public Radio, La Crosse
http://ultimajock.blogspot.com
"Fear and God do not inhabit the same space." DICK GREGORY</P>
 
> Cadillac Jack takes credit for it on his Jack FM website...
> Bob FM in Winnipeg also wants the credit, but let us not
> forget about "Bill," the quirky classic-hits/hot AC that
> appeard on 107.9 back in 1994 for roughly a year!
>
> Remember the wide playlist?

No, cant say I do.

The first Variety Hits station WAS in Chicago and it WAS 1994, but it was 103.5 FM. When they were stunting in between changing from "The Blaze" to "Rock 103.5", they stunted with all sorts of music.

Garth Brooks, Nirvana, Abba, Steve Miller etc. "We evaluate everything" was the slogan, and it lasted for a few weeks. It really was as close to Jack-FM as it's ever gotten in this town. In actuality, it was beter and more eclectic than Jack-FM.
 
> Radio isn't as good without them, especially Chicago's radio
> dial. It's sad when I prefer Central Illinois cornfield
> CHR's and other stations over the big city up north, anyday,
> most stations!!!

It's worse when I'd rather listen to a rock station from Belivdere than any of Chicago's rock stations. (Although, I do listen to Nine quite a bit via WDEK)

-A <P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
I've always thought that suburban and smaller market radio was better.

More freedom for jocks to be a personality and more freedom to program.

Also, smaller the station...the more room for tunes....
 
> I've always thought that suburban and smaller market radio
> was better.
>
> More freedom for jocks to be a personality and more freedom
> to program.
>
> Also, smaller the station...the more room for tunes....
>
I find that true as well that suburban and small market stations are well programmed than the major market stations. For top 40 radio, I would always listen to WNDV South Bend when going to my brother's place in north central Indiana and at times try to find a way to get it in at home in Gary, though that's difficult when I'm in the primary contour of WXRT. For AC I listen to WNSN South Bend and that's usually no problem here because of no 1st adjacent in Gary interfering with WNSN. I will do what I can at times to get out of markets stations in in Gary.
 
> Cadillac Jack takes credit for it on his Jack FM website...
> Bob FM in Winnipeg also wants the credit, but let us not
> forget about "Bill," the quirky classic-hits/hot AC that
> appeard on 107.9 back in 1994 for roughly a year!
>
> Remember the wide playlist? Remember that "Bill" played
> songs from the past thirty years, mixed in with a current or
> two? Remember that Bill "played what he wanted"?
>
> Suburban Chicago radio seems to be a breeding ground for new
> formats... I give credit to suburban Chicago radio for
> having successfully commercialized in the US:
>
> Variety Hits (Bill)
> Jammin Oldies (Heart and Soul)
> Current Dance (Energy)
> 70s (Y-107.9)
> 80s (80s Channel) Yes... Star in Columbus did 80s, but they
> mixed the songs with 90s and 70s.
>

"Radio Bill" rocked hard!!! I loved it.

"Do you like this song? Wait another five hours, and you'll hear it again!"
"Bought and sold more times than the average politician. WYSY, Aurora-Chicago."
"This is WYSY, Aurora-Chicago...for now."

In fact, there were a few tribute sites up after it went to Spanish. It really was the original "Jack".<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
Re: The first variety hits format appeared in Chicago: 1980's WRXR?

My vague memory tells me it was WRXR at 95.5fm in the mid 1980's - yes or no?

> Cadillac Jack takes credit for it on his Jack FM website...
> Bob FM in Winnipeg also wants the credit, but let us not
> forget about "Bill," the quirky classic-hits/hot AC that
> appeard on 107.9 back in 1994 for roughly a year!
>
> Remember the wide playlist? Remember that "Bill" played
> songs from the past thirty years, mixed in with a current or
> two? Remember that Bill "played what he wanted"?
>
> Suburban Chicago radio seems to be a breeding ground for new
> formats... I give credit to suburban Chicago radio for
> having successfully commercialized in the US:
>
> Variety Hits (Bill)
> Jammin Oldies (Heart and Soul)
> Current Dance (Energy)
> 70s (Y-107.9)
> 80s (80s Channel) Yes... Star in Columbus did 80s, but they
> mixed the songs with 90s and 70s.
>
 
Re: The first variety hits format appeared in Chicago: 1980's WRXR?

> My vague memory tells me it was WRXR at 95.5fm in the mid
> 1980's - yes or no?
>

YESSSS! I almost forgot about WRXR! It sure was Jack before Jack. They called it something like "Rock n' Roll's greatest hits" or something like that.
 
Re: The first variety hits format appeared in Chicago: 1980's WRXR?-----NO.

> > My vague memory tells me it was WRXR at 95.5fm in the mid
> > 1980's - yes or no?
> >
>
> YESSSS! I almost forgot about WRXR! It sure was Jack
> before Jack. They called it something like "Rock n' Roll's
> greatest hits" or something like that.
>

WRXR 1st Gen Jack? Not really.

RXR stood for Rock N Roll.

They were a Hybrid Classic Rocker, Oldies and a smattering of current rock hits. When they signed off they were pretty much a younger hip Classic Rocker.

Another slogan of "All Time Rock N Roll".

Not a Jack. Not even close. It was strictly a variant of Rock radio.

Engineer Bill for WYSY did, indeed, program the then non existent IPOD on 107.9 when COX sold to CBS (was over the limit and 107.9 was the most signal challenged) which immediately spun it to SBS which was not ready to launch the format. (No studios being the #1 issue at the time)<P ID="signature">______________

"Z"
Music Coordinator/Technical Support</P>
 
Bill? Who owned 107.9 at the time? Does an aircheck exist from that station? Cassette? Wire?

CJ
 
> Bill? Who owned 107.9 at the time? Does an aircheck exist
> from that station? Cassette? Wire?
>
> CJ
>

This is all going by memory, so I may have some details wrong...

WYSY 107.9 was doing a 70's hit format, and was owned by Cox. Cox swapped the station, and some cash with Infinity for a property in Orlando.

Infinty was then to merge with CBS, and had to divest some stations. WYSY was one they chose. They pulled the plug on the 70's format and let the staff go in preparation for a sale to SBS (Spanish Broadcasting System). The transfer of control was delayed, and to keep the station on the air (and on the cheap), they came up with "Radio Bill". Bill (who's last name escapes me) was the Chief Engineer for the station, and they basically took a bunch of random songs and looped them, with "Bill" voiceovers in-between the songs.

It is very much like the "Jack" format of today. Mile wide, inch deep, and no hype. It was very cool. There were no commercials at all.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
The transfer of
> control was delayed, and to keep the station on the air (and
> on the cheap), they came up with "Radio Bill".

Doc,

I thought the transfer took place, but, SBS was not ready to go on air. They had no studios in the market because this was their 1st signal purchase and, the deal did not include the studios or studio equipment.

Is this a bad flashback man? (grin)<P ID="signature">______________

"Z"
Music Coordinator/Technical Support</P>
 
> The transfer of
> > control was delayed, and to keep the station on the air
> (and
> > on the cheap), they came up with "Radio Bill".
>
> Doc,
>
> I thought the transfer took place, but, SBS was not ready to
> go on air. They had no studios in the market because this
> was their 1st signal purchase and, the deal did not include
> the studios or studio equipment.
>
> Is this a bad flashback man? (grin)
>

You could very well be right. My mind isn't what it used to be. My recollection was that Infinity held onto the station until SBS was ready, which took longer than expected.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
The transfer of
> control was delayed, and to keep the station on the air (and
> on the cheap), they came up with "Radio Bill". Bill (who's
> last name escapes me) was the Chief Engineer for the
> station, and they basically took a bunch of random songs and
> looped them, with "Bill" voiceovers in-between the songs.
>

His name was Bill Towery - the Production Director for WCKG - all the way back to the WAGO days. He passed away a few years later.
 
Re: The first variety hits format appeared in Chicago: 1980's WRXR?

>
> YESSSS! I almost forgot about WRXR! It sure was Jack
> before Jack. They called it something like "Rock n' Roll's
> greatest hits" or something like that.
>

"95 point 5 WRXR, Chicago's ONLY Rock and Roll Classic Hits Station." was the positioner. It aired unfortunately from only 1986-1987. Lots 'o Motown, current/classic rock and some other oldies.

Great station!
 
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