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The Long & Winding Road.....
- Thread starter top4odj
- Start date
> It's hard to believe, at least for me, that it was 25 years
> ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
Hi Stu - It's been quiet around here lately ! Thanks for posting something !
Having arrived aqui en el Sur de Florida at the end of 1987 I wasn't around for the legendary TOP 40 days of I-95 and 96X. I hear that all three CHRs (including Y-100) prospered in some way at the time whether it was ratings, personalities, buzz, street cred, etc. What were the general (or exact if anyone knows that) lifespans of I-95 and 96X ? Obviously 96X died in February of 1981, but then it came back again during the Summer Of 1985 based on some of your recent posts. When did it eventually become POWER-96 ?
When I arrived in December of 1987 (from the U.K.) HOT-105 was still playing TOP 40 music, and so was POWER-96 to a certain extent. POWER migrated towards urban contemporary in 1988, and HOT followed suit sometime later that same year (or maybe early on in 1989).
I was actually hoping (predicting) that Cox would flip PARTY-93.1 to a TOP 40 format to compete directly with Y-100.7, but that obviously didn't happen one year ago yesterday. I'm still convinced that South Florida can support two hit music radio stations if programmed properly. I can help ! ;-}
THE MAJOR
> ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
Hi Stu - It's been quiet around here lately ! Thanks for posting something !
Having arrived aqui en el Sur de Florida at the end of 1987 I wasn't around for the legendary TOP 40 days of I-95 and 96X. I hear that all three CHRs (including Y-100) prospered in some way at the time whether it was ratings, personalities, buzz, street cred, etc. What were the general (or exact if anyone knows that) lifespans of I-95 and 96X ? Obviously 96X died in February of 1981, but then it came back again during the Summer Of 1985 based on some of your recent posts. When did it eventually become POWER-96 ?
When I arrived in December of 1987 (from the U.K.) HOT-105 was still playing TOP 40 music, and so was POWER-96 to a certain extent. POWER migrated towards urban contemporary in 1988, and HOT followed suit sometime later that same year (or maybe early on in 1989).
I was actually hoping (predicting) that Cox would flip PARTY-93.1 to a TOP 40 format to compete directly with Y-100.7, but that obviously didn't happen one year ago yesterday. I'm still convinced that South Florida can support two hit music radio stations if programmed properly. I can help ! ;-}
THE MAJOR
Although I am too young to remember the CHR wars of the early 80s (the first CHR station of my youth was 95.5 WOVV, but then again, the station was a glorified Hot AC station back in the mid to late 80s), the best CHR station I have ever heard was a Florida station. It was when WFLZ was the Power Pig, as it existed in the early to mid-1990s. A poster on the Tampa Bay board has a great tribute to the station at www.thepowerpig.com.
> Although I am too young to remember the CHR wars of the
> early 80s (the first CHR station of my youth was 95.5 WOVV,
> but then again, the station was a glorified Hot AC station
> back in the mid to late 80s), the best CHR station I have
> ever heard was a Florida station. It was when WFLZ was the
> Power Pig, as it existed in the early to mid-1990s. A
> poster on the Tampa Bay board has a great tribute to the
> station at www.thepowerpig.com.
YES ! After Hurricane Andrew demolished Homestead I lived and worked in Tampa for a little less than a year in 1993 into the early part of 1994. 'The Power Pig' was one fantastic hit music station. Even my fellow co-workers at the time - many of which were hardly TOP 40 fans - enjoyed listening to it at work.
Nowadays 93.3-FLZ still receives overwhelmingly favourable feedback, and that could explain why it's consistently one of Tampa's TOP 5 stations ratings-wise.
93.3-FLZ also has a blowtorch for a stick. I can occasionally pick it up early in the morning way down here in Homestead when atmospheric conditions permit. But even on a typical day its signal reaches as far east as the outskirts of Melbourne (on the opposite coast), as far north as the Ocala-Gainesville area, and as far south as the middle of the Everglades along Alligator Alley.
THE MAJOR
> early 80s (the first CHR station of my youth was 95.5 WOVV,
> but then again, the station was a glorified Hot AC station
> back in the mid to late 80s), the best CHR station I have
> ever heard was a Florida station. It was when WFLZ was the
> Power Pig, as it existed in the early to mid-1990s. A
> poster on the Tampa Bay board has a great tribute to the
> station at www.thepowerpig.com.
YES ! After Hurricane Andrew demolished Homestead I lived and worked in Tampa for a little less than a year in 1993 into the early part of 1994. 'The Power Pig' was one fantastic hit music station. Even my fellow co-workers at the time - many of which were hardly TOP 40 fans - enjoyed listening to it at work.
Nowadays 93.3-FLZ still receives overwhelmingly favourable feedback, and that could explain why it's consistently one of Tampa's TOP 5 stations ratings-wise.
93.3-FLZ also has a blowtorch for a stick. I can occasionally pick it up early in the morning way down here in Homestead when atmospheric conditions permit. But even on a typical day its signal reaches as far east as the outskirts of Melbourne (on the opposite coast), as far north as the Ocala-Gainesville area, and as far south as the middle of the Everglades along Alligator Alley.
THE MAJOR
I agree with all your sentiments. The Power Pig, highlighted by Bubba the Love Sponge's show, was fascinating to listen to. Not only was it top-notch musically - I remember in its dying days that Bubba was playing everything from AC/DC (Classic Rock) to Dance recurrents - but its jocks were akin to local Howard Sterns. The station was rowdy and rauchy, often making the listener wonder what would happen next.
Unfortunately, 'FLZ has descended into a run-of-the-mill CHR station, as corporate ownership has absolutely killed the station's uniqueness. There's little difference between 'FLZ and any other CHR station in any other moderate-sized-to-big city.
I agree concerning 'FLZ's signal. While I lived in Gainesville for awhile, I had no problem picking it up (and speaking of Gainesville, another Heritage CHR, WAPE/Jacksonville, was highly listenable from there). I've picked up 'FLZ as far East as Cocoa Beach (actually, the signal is somewhat stronger in Cocoa than it is in the Orlando metro area), but I have never picked it up in Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, or Dade Counties. The only Tampa area station that I have picked up in Palm Beach County is 107.3 The Eagle, which I picked up about a month and a half ago near the Jupiter Lighthouse.
> YES ! After Hurricane Andrew demolished Homestead I lived
> and worked in Tampa for a little less than a year in 1993
> into the early part of 1994. 'The Power Pig' was one
> fantastic hit music station. Even my fellow co-workers at
> the time - many of which were hardly TOP 40 fans - enjoyed
> listening to it at work.
>
> Nowadays 93.3-FLZ still receives overwhelmingly favourable
> feedback, and that could explain why it's consistently one
> of Tampa's TOP 5 stations ratings-wise.
>
> 93.3-FLZ also has a blowtorch for a stick. I can
> occasionally pick it up early in the morning way down here
> in Homestead when atmospheric conditions permit. But even on
> a typical day its signal reaches as far east as the
> outskirts of Melbourne (on the opposite coast), as far north
> as the Ocala-Gainesville area, and as far south as the
> middle of the Everglades along Alligator Alley.
>
> THE MAJOR
>
Unfortunately, 'FLZ has descended into a run-of-the-mill CHR station, as corporate ownership has absolutely killed the station's uniqueness. There's little difference between 'FLZ and any other CHR station in any other moderate-sized-to-big city.
I agree concerning 'FLZ's signal. While I lived in Gainesville for awhile, I had no problem picking it up (and speaking of Gainesville, another Heritage CHR, WAPE/Jacksonville, was highly listenable from there). I've picked up 'FLZ as far East as Cocoa Beach (actually, the signal is somewhat stronger in Cocoa than it is in the Orlando metro area), but I have never picked it up in Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, or Dade Counties. The only Tampa area station that I have picked up in Palm Beach County is 107.3 The Eagle, which I picked up about a month and a half ago near the Jupiter Lighthouse.
> YES ! After Hurricane Andrew demolished Homestead I lived
> and worked in Tampa for a little less than a year in 1993
> into the early part of 1994. 'The Power Pig' was one
> fantastic hit music station. Even my fellow co-workers at
> the time - many of which were hardly TOP 40 fans - enjoyed
> listening to it at work.
>
> Nowadays 93.3-FLZ still receives overwhelmingly favourable
> feedback, and that could explain why it's consistently one
> of Tampa's TOP 5 stations ratings-wise.
>
> 93.3-FLZ also has a blowtorch for a stick. I can
> occasionally pick it up early in the morning way down here
> in Homestead when atmospheric conditions permit. But even on
> a typical day its signal reaches as far east as the
> outskirts of Melbourne (on the opposite coast), as far north
> as the Ocala-Gainesville area, and as far south as the
> middle of the Everglades along Alligator Alley.
>
> THE MAJOR
>
I seem to recall hearing an old promo on powerpig.com that claimed the station "reaches the beaches and bakes the lakes". There's an aircheck in there as well from not long after the station flipped from oldies, in which a caller said something to the effect of "Are you serious? This is great! I've had to listen to Orlando stations to hear the music I like!"
My point is that while WFLZ is a blowtorch, those two metros (Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando/Space Coast) are pretty close to each other, so it's not uncommon for listeners to go between the two.
All things considered, however, WFLZ was one kick-@$$ station, and no one has even come close to replicating that quality to the best of my knowledge.<P ID="signature">______________
The Radio Blog: regular updates are a good thing.
http://theradioblog.blogspot.com</P>
My point is that while WFLZ is a blowtorch, those two metros (Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando/Space Coast) are pretty close to each other, so it's not uncommon for listeners to go between the two.
All things considered, however, WFLZ was one kick-@$$ station, and no one has even come close to replicating that quality to the best of my knowledge.<P ID="signature">______________
The Radio Blog: regular updates are a good thing.
http://theradioblog.blogspot.com</P>
> I agree with all your sentiments. The Power Pig,
> highlighted by Bubba the Love Sponge's show, was fascinating
> to listen to. Not only was it top-notch musically - I
> remember in its dying days that Bubba was playing everything
> from AC/DC (Classic Rock) to Dance recurrents - but its
> jocks were akin to local Howard Sterns. The station was
> rowdy and rauchy, often making the listener wonder what
> would happen next.
>
> Unfortunately, 'FLZ has descended into a run-of-the-mill CHR
> station, as corporate ownership has absolutely killed the
> station's uniqueness. There's little difference between
> 'FLZ and any other CHR station in any other
> moderate-sized-to-big city.
>
> I agree concerning 'FLZ's signal. While I lived in
> Gainesville for awhile, I had no problem picking it up (and
> speaking of Gainesville, another Heritage CHR,
> WAPE/Jacksonville, was highly listenable from there). I've
> picked up 'FLZ as far East as Cocoa Beach (actually, the
> signal is somewhat stronger in Cocoa than it is in the
> Orlando metro area), but I have never picked it up in
> Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, or Dade Counties. The only
> Tampa area station that I have picked up in Palm Beach
> County is 107.3 The Eagle, which I picked up about a month
> and a half ago near the Jupiter Lighthouse.
YES - 'The Pig' exuberated a lot of rowdiness and raunchiness back then - material that no station could get away with today post-corporate ownership and post-Janet 'Miss Jackson If You're Nasty' Super Bowl debauchery. Nowadays 93.3-FLZ is just an ordinary CHR station - just like 'The Big Ape' and KISS-FM in Jacksonville, XL-106.7 in Orlando, WILD-95.5 along The Treasure Coast, and Y-100.7 here in South Florida. You may find it strange, but that's actually the way that I like it. I'm an ordinary person. Here's how ordinary I am. I have XM Satellite Radio at home, and I almost exclusively listen to '20 On 20'.
As far as 'The Big Ape' out of Jacksonville I remember back in the late-1980s and early-1990s being able to pick up its blowtorch of a signal as far south as Alligator Alley in the middle of The Everglades (the magnet of 100,000 watt radio station signals from all over the great state of Florida). I think since then they either moved to a new (shorter) tower or repositioned it because its signal is no longer that strong towards the south and southwest. (Melbourne actually has its own low-power urban contemporary station now at 95.1 FM.)
THE MAJOR
> highlighted by Bubba the Love Sponge's show, was fascinating
> to listen to. Not only was it top-notch musically - I
> remember in its dying days that Bubba was playing everything
> from AC/DC (Classic Rock) to Dance recurrents - but its
> jocks were akin to local Howard Sterns. The station was
> rowdy and rauchy, often making the listener wonder what
> would happen next.
>
> Unfortunately, 'FLZ has descended into a run-of-the-mill CHR
> station, as corporate ownership has absolutely killed the
> station's uniqueness. There's little difference between
> 'FLZ and any other CHR station in any other
> moderate-sized-to-big city.
>
> I agree concerning 'FLZ's signal. While I lived in
> Gainesville for awhile, I had no problem picking it up (and
> speaking of Gainesville, another Heritage CHR,
> WAPE/Jacksonville, was highly listenable from there). I've
> picked up 'FLZ as far East as Cocoa Beach (actually, the
> signal is somewhat stronger in Cocoa than it is in the
> Orlando metro area), but I have never picked it up in
> Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, or Dade Counties. The only
> Tampa area station that I have picked up in Palm Beach
> County is 107.3 The Eagle, which I picked up about a month
> and a half ago near the Jupiter Lighthouse.
YES - 'The Pig' exuberated a lot of rowdiness and raunchiness back then - material that no station could get away with today post-corporate ownership and post-Janet 'Miss Jackson If You're Nasty' Super Bowl debauchery. Nowadays 93.3-FLZ is just an ordinary CHR station - just like 'The Big Ape' and KISS-FM in Jacksonville, XL-106.7 in Orlando, WILD-95.5 along The Treasure Coast, and Y-100.7 here in South Florida. You may find it strange, but that's actually the way that I like it. I'm an ordinary person. Here's how ordinary I am. I have XM Satellite Radio at home, and I almost exclusively listen to '20 On 20'.
As far as 'The Big Ape' out of Jacksonville I remember back in the late-1980s and early-1990s being able to pick up its blowtorch of a signal as far south as Alligator Alley in the middle of The Everglades (the magnet of 100,000 watt radio station signals from all over the great state of Florida). I think since then they either moved to a new (shorter) tower or repositioned it because its signal is no longer that strong towards the south and southwest. (Melbourne actually has its own low-power urban contemporary station now at 95.1 FM.)
THE MAJOR
Again, I agree with most of your comments. I'd still like to hear unique CHR stations. Not only are they incredibly interesting to listen to, but they make for great radio. A station like the Power Pig made listening to the radio a priority, an event. It is too bad I can't think of a single CHR station left these days.
Speaking of the Big Ape, they always had an impressive stick. Middayer Tony Mann, who is STILL there after all these years, used to give out the station's number and brag that he was taking calls from Hilton Head to Daytona. I doubt the station ever reached Hilton Head, but I have picked up the Big Ape as far south as Indian River County. I have never picked it up anywhere around the Everglades, however.
> YES - 'The Pig' exuberated a lot of rowdiness and
> raunchiness back then - material that no station could get
> away with today post-corporate ownership and post-Janet
> 'Miss Jackson If You're Nasty' Super Bowl debauchery.
> Nowadays 93.3-FLZ is just an ordinary CHR station - just
> like 'The Big Ape' and KISS-FM in Jacksonville, XL-106.7 in
> Orlando, WILD-95.5 along The Treasure Coast, and Y-100.7
> here in South Florida. You may find it strange, but that's
> actually the way that I like it. I'm an ordinary person.
> Here's how ordinary I am. I have XM Satellite Radio at home,
> and I almost exclusively listen to '20 On 20'.
>
> As far as 'The Big Ape' out of Jacksonville I remember back
> in the late-1980s and early-1990s being able to pick up its
> blowtorch of a signal as far south as Alligator Alley in the
> middle of The Everglades (the magnet of 100,000 watt radio
> station signals from all over the great state of Florida). I
> think since then they either moved to a new (shorter) tower
> or repositioned it because its signal is no longer that
> strong towards the south and southwest. (Melbourne actually
> has its own low-power urban contemporary station now at 95.1
> FM.)
>
> THE MAJOR
>
Speaking of the Big Ape, they always had an impressive stick. Middayer Tony Mann, who is STILL there after all these years, used to give out the station's number and brag that he was taking calls from Hilton Head to Daytona. I doubt the station ever reached Hilton Head, but I have picked up the Big Ape as far south as Indian River County. I have never picked it up anywhere around the Everglades, however.
> YES - 'The Pig' exuberated a lot of rowdiness and
> raunchiness back then - material that no station could get
> away with today post-corporate ownership and post-Janet
> 'Miss Jackson If You're Nasty' Super Bowl debauchery.
> Nowadays 93.3-FLZ is just an ordinary CHR station - just
> like 'The Big Ape' and KISS-FM in Jacksonville, XL-106.7 in
> Orlando, WILD-95.5 along The Treasure Coast, and Y-100.7
> here in South Florida. You may find it strange, but that's
> actually the way that I like it. I'm an ordinary person.
> Here's how ordinary I am. I have XM Satellite Radio at home,
> and I almost exclusively listen to '20 On 20'.
>
> As far as 'The Big Ape' out of Jacksonville I remember back
> in the late-1980s and early-1990s being able to pick up its
> blowtorch of a signal as far south as Alligator Alley in the
> middle of The Everglades (the magnet of 100,000 watt radio
> station signals from all over the great state of Florida). I
> think since then they either moved to a new (shorter) tower
> or repositioned it because its signal is no longer that
> strong towards the south and southwest. (Melbourne actually
> has its own low-power urban contemporary station now at 95.1
> FM.)
>
> THE MAJOR
>
> I seem to recall hearing an old promo on powerpig.com that
> claimed the station "reaches the beaches and bakes the
> lakes". There's an aircheck in there as well from not long
> after the station flipped from oldies, in which a caller
> said something to the effect of "Are you serious? This is
> great! I've had to listen to Orlando stations to hear the
> music I like!"
>
> My point is that while WFLZ is a blowtorch, those two metros
> (Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando/Space Coast) are pretty close to
> each other, so it's not uncommon for listeners to go between
> the two.
>
> All things considered, however, WFLZ was one kick-@$$
> station, and no one has even come close to replicating that
> quality to the best of my knowledge.
>
Does anyone know what happened to the Power Pig's PM Drive guy, Jeff Thomas? I had heard that he went to work in L.A., but I never heard him on the air any of the times I have been out to L.A.
> claimed the station "reaches the beaches and bakes the
> lakes". There's an aircheck in there as well from not long
> after the station flipped from oldies, in which a caller
> said something to the effect of "Are you serious? This is
> great! I've had to listen to Orlando stations to hear the
> music I like!"
>
> My point is that while WFLZ is a blowtorch, those two metros
> (Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando/Space Coast) are pretty close to
> each other, so it's not uncommon for listeners to go between
> the two.
>
> All things considered, however, WFLZ was one kick-@$$
> station, and no one has even come close to replicating that
> quality to the best of my knowledge.
>
Does anyone know what happened to the Power Pig's PM Drive guy, Jeff Thomas? I had heard that he went to work in L.A., but I never heard him on the air any of the times I have been out to L.A.
> Again, I agree with most of your comments. I'd still like
> to hear unique CHR stations. Not only are they incredibly
> interesting to listen to, but they make for great radio. A
> station like the Power Pig made listening to the radio a
> priority, an event. It is too bad I can't think of a single
> CHR station left these days.
Gosh I absolutely love this TOP 40 radio discussion !
I think if I were a TOP 40 radio station programmer (not owned by a major corporation - in fact since this is a dream let's just say that I actually own the station) I would make myself the main morning deejay and build a wacky 'Morning Zoo' show around me and my zany cast of characters. I don't know - maybe sort of like a Rick Dees type of morning show. I would obviously use my 'Major Hitwaves' / 'The Major' moniker. After 'The Major's Morning Zoo' is over at 9:50 AM weekday mornings we would go to continuous hit music marathons through the rest of the day and into the night with at least 55 minutes of amazing hit music every single hour ! I'd have a two-minute commercial break on the '20s and a three-minute break on the '50s. I'd obviously play the hottest hits in the land, but I wouldn't repeat any single hit song within a four-hour time-period (more than double the current length of your typical CHR). I'd squeeze in 13 hits in a typical hour - 10 of them currents, and 3 of them 'classics' from the past 15 years. Oh yeah I'd do all of this without bragging about how much better my station is over all of the other stations, but I would have a MASSIVE top-of-the-hour station identification announcement done by a guy with a ridiculously deep and powerful voice (such as the guy that does the movie previews at the theatre). My deejays would have very little to say, as they would merely just play the hits.
I can dream, can't I ?
THE MAJOR
> to hear unique CHR stations. Not only are they incredibly
> interesting to listen to, but they make for great radio. A
> station like the Power Pig made listening to the radio a
> priority, an event. It is too bad I can't think of a single
> CHR station left these days.
Gosh I absolutely love this TOP 40 radio discussion !
I think if I were a TOP 40 radio station programmer (not owned by a major corporation - in fact since this is a dream let's just say that I actually own the station) I would make myself the main morning deejay and build a wacky 'Morning Zoo' show around me and my zany cast of characters. I don't know - maybe sort of like a Rick Dees type of morning show. I would obviously use my 'Major Hitwaves' / 'The Major' moniker. After 'The Major's Morning Zoo' is over at 9:50 AM weekday mornings we would go to continuous hit music marathons through the rest of the day and into the night with at least 55 minutes of amazing hit music every single hour ! I'd have a two-minute commercial break on the '20s and a three-minute break on the '50s. I'd obviously play the hottest hits in the land, but I wouldn't repeat any single hit song within a four-hour time-period (more than double the current length of your typical CHR). I'd squeeze in 13 hits in a typical hour - 10 of them currents, and 3 of them 'classics' from the past 15 years. Oh yeah I'd do all of this without bragging about how much better my station is over all of the other stations, but I would have a MASSIVE top-of-the-hour station identification announcement done by a guy with a ridiculously deep and powerful voice (such as the guy that does the movie previews at the theatre). My deejays would have very little to say, as they would merely just play the hits.
I can dream, can't I ?
THE MAJOR
> > It's hard to believe, at least for me, that it was 25
> years
> > ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> > began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
>
> Hi Stu - It's been quiet around here lately ! Thanks for
> posting something !
>
> Having arrived aqui en el Sur de Florida at the end of 1987
> I wasn't around for the legendary TOP 40 days of I-95 and
> 96X. I hear that all three CHRs (including Y-100) prospered
> in some way at the time whether it was ratings,
> personalities, buzz, street cred, etc. What were the general
> (or exact if anyone knows that) lifespans of I-95 and 96X ?
> Obviously 96X died in February of 1981, but then it came
> back again during the Summer Of 1985 based on some of your
> recent posts. When did it eventually become POWER-96 ?
Good evening Major......as usual, i'll try to answer your questions to the best of my radio-corrupted mind:
96X Round 1: October 1st, 1975 to February 15th, 1981
I-95 FM: January 1981 thru (I believe, but am not exactly sure) early to mid 1986 when it went to a lost period, being called "95INZ". It was a cross between an A/C and ummm....errr.....gawd, it was so bad, I don't think they even know what they were!
96X Round 2: June 1985 to August 1986. In that time, it was known as 96X then Power Hits 96X (as the transformation away from 96X begun)then finally Power96 taking the torch in August 1986.
>
> When I arrived in December of 1987 (from the U.K.) HOT-105
> was still playing TOP 40 music, and so was POWER-96 to a
> certain extent. POWER migrated towards urban contemporary in
> 1988, and HOT followed suit sometime later that same year
> (or maybe early on in 1989).
>
> I was actually hoping (predicting) that Cox would flip
> PARTY-93.1 to a TOP 40 format to compete directly with
> Y-100.7, but that obviously didn't happen one year ago
> yesterday. I'm still convinced that South Florida can
> support two hit music radio stations if programmed properly.
> I can help ! ;-}
>
> THE MAJOR
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Stuart Elliott/TOP 40 DJ</P>
> years
> > ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> > began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
>
> Hi Stu - It's been quiet around here lately ! Thanks for
> posting something !
>
> Having arrived aqui en el Sur de Florida at the end of 1987
> I wasn't around for the legendary TOP 40 days of I-95 and
> 96X. I hear that all three CHRs (including Y-100) prospered
> in some way at the time whether it was ratings,
> personalities, buzz, street cred, etc. What were the general
> (or exact if anyone knows that) lifespans of I-95 and 96X ?
> Obviously 96X died in February of 1981, but then it came
> back again during the Summer Of 1985 based on some of your
> recent posts. When did it eventually become POWER-96 ?
Good evening Major......as usual, i'll try to answer your questions to the best of my radio-corrupted mind:
96X Round 1: October 1st, 1975 to February 15th, 1981
I-95 FM: January 1981 thru (I believe, but am not exactly sure) early to mid 1986 when it went to a lost period, being called "95INZ". It was a cross between an A/C and ummm....errr.....gawd, it was so bad, I don't think they even know what they were!
96X Round 2: June 1985 to August 1986. In that time, it was known as 96X then Power Hits 96X (as the transformation away from 96X begun)then finally Power96 taking the torch in August 1986.
>
> When I arrived in December of 1987 (from the U.K.) HOT-105
> was still playing TOP 40 music, and so was POWER-96 to a
> certain extent. POWER migrated towards urban contemporary in
> 1988, and HOT followed suit sometime later that same year
> (or maybe early on in 1989).
>
> I was actually hoping (predicting) that Cox would flip
> PARTY-93.1 to a TOP 40 format to compete directly with
> Y-100.7, but that obviously didn't happen one year ago
> yesterday. I'm still convinced that South Florida can
> support two hit music radio stations if programmed properly.
> I can help ! ;-}
>
> THE MAJOR
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Stuart Elliott/TOP 40 DJ</P>
Major-
While I agree with your zest for good TOP 40, I have to disagree a couple of your "wishes". I wouldn't limit the "Human Factor" to just the Morning Zoo. In my opinion, this is what ruined radio. Sure, people turn on and tune in to hear the hits...BUT...If your talent is good enough, then they should be able to shine. I'm not saying Music takes a back seat, i'm saying to bust up the "jukebox" effect. That's what Sirius & XM are for. Commercial breaks...2 stops an hour at :20 & :50 for 4 Minutes Max each stop. In the 70's we broke at :10, :20, :35 & :50, for 2-3 minutes a stop. When I was at 96X working over-nites...we started the "sweep" at the 1st song following the I.D. record as well as the 1st song following the "bottom of the hour". Before then, it was unheard of to go from one song to the next or "sweeping", without at least saying "96X" (or what ever the stations name was). These days, stations go as many as 4 songs (which I think is to many without any station identification, you want people to know who they're listening to). As to format <snikkah>, If I were king, i'd do 70's radio again today, only as it was...A BLAST! There are so many songs from the 70's, you could go for days, even weeks without repeating anything. To me, the less repetition, the more fresh it would sound. I'd want to give the "Oh wow, I remember that song" without burning any one song out, making people listen to want to hear that song again. I too, can dream!!! And I still do!! LOL
Regards,
> > Again, I agree with most of your comments. I'd still like
>
> > to hear unique CHR stations. Not only are they incredibly
>
> > interesting to listen to, but they make for great radio.
> A
> > station like the Power Pig made listening to the radio a
> > priority, an event. It is too bad I can't think of a
> single
> > CHR station left these days.
>
> Gosh I absolutely love this TOP 40 radio discussion !
>
> I think if I were a TOP 40 radio station programmer (not
> owned by a major corporation - in fact since this is a dream
> let's just say that I actually own the station) I would make
> myself the main morning deejay and build a wacky 'Morning
> Zoo' show around me and my zany cast of characters. I don't
> know - maybe sort of like a Rick Dees type of morning show.
> I would obviously use my 'Major Hitwaves' / 'The Major'
> moniker. After 'The Major's Morning Zoo' is over at 9:50 AM
> weekday mornings we would go to continuous hit music
> marathons through the rest of the day and into the night
> with at least 55 minutes of amazing hit music every single
> hour ! I'd have a two-minute commercial break on the '20s
> and a three-minute break on the '50s. I'd obviously play the
> hottest hits in the land, but I wouldn't repeat any single
> hit song within a four-hour time-period (more than double
> the current length of your typical CHR). I'd squeeze in 13
> hits in a typical hour - 10 of them currents, and 3 of them
> 'classics' from the past 15 years. Oh yeah I'd do all of
> this without bragging about how much better my station is
> over all of the other stations, but I would have a MASSIVE
> top-of-the-hour station identification announcement done by
> a guy with a ridiculously deep and powerful voice (such as
> the guy that does the movie previews at the theatre). My
> deejays would have very little to say, as they would merely
> just play the hits.
>
> I can dream, can't I ?
>
> THE MAJOR
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Stuart Elliott/TOP 40 DJ</P>
While I agree with your zest for good TOP 40, I have to disagree a couple of your "wishes". I wouldn't limit the "Human Factor" to just the Morning Zoo. In my opinion, this is what ruined radio. Sure, people turn on and tune in to hear the hits...BUT...If your talent is good enough, then they should be able to shine. I'm not saying Music takes a back seat, i'm saying to bust up the "jukebox" effect. That's what Sirius & XM are for. Commercial breaks...2 stops an hour at :20 & :50 for 4 Minutes Max each stop. In the 70's we broke at :10, :20, :35 & :50, for 2-3 minutes a stop. When I was at 96X working over-nites...we started the "sweep" at the 1st song following the I.D. record as well as the 1st song following the "bottom of the hour". Before then, it was unheard of to go from one song to the next or "sweeping", without at least saying "96X" (or what ever the stations name was). These days, stations go as many as 4 songs (which I think is to many without any station identification, you want people to know who they're listening to). As to format <snikkah>, If I were king, i'd do 70's radio again today, only as it was...A BLAST! There are so many songs from the 70's, you could go for days, even weeks without repeating anything. To me, the less repetition, the more fresh it would sound. I'd want to give the "Oh wow, I remember that song" without burning any one song out, making people listen to want to hear that song again. I too, can dream!!! And I still do!! LOL
Regards,
> > Again, I agree with most of your comments. I'd still like
>
> > to hear unique CHR stations. Not only are they incredibly
>
> > interesting to listen to, but they make for great radio.
> A
> > station like the Power Pig made listening to the radio a
> > priority, an event. It is too bad I can't think of a
> single
> > CHR station left these days.
>
> Gosh I absolutely love this TOP 40 radio discussion !
>
> I think if I were a TOP 40 radio station programmer (not
> owned by a major corporation - in fact since this is a dream
> let's just say that I actually own the station) I would make
> myself the main morning deejay and build a wacky 'Morning
> Zoo' show around me and my zany cast of characters. I don't
> know - maybe sort of like a Rick Dees type of morning show.
> I would obviously use my 'Major Hitwaves' / 'The Major'
> moniker. After 'The Major's Morning Zoo' is over at 9:50 AM
> weekday mornings we would go to continuous hit music
> marathons through the rest of the day and into the night
> with at least 55 minutes of amazing hit music every single
> hour ! I'd have a two-minute commercial break on the '20s
> and a three-minute break on the '50s. I'd obviously play the
> hottest hits in the land, but I wouldn't repeat any single
> hit song within a four-hour time-period (more than double
> the current length of your typical CHR). I'd squeeze in 13
> hits in a typical hour - 10 of them currents, and 3 of them
> 'classics' from the past 15 years. Oh yeah I'd do all of
> this without bragging about how much better my station is
> over all of the other stations, but I would have a MASSIVE
> top-of-the-hour station identification announcement done by
> a guy with a ridiculously deep and powerful voice (such as
> the guy that does the movie previews at the theatre). My
> deejays would have very little to say, as they would merely
> just play the hits.
>
> I can dream, can't I ?
>
> THE MAJOR
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Stuart Elliott/TOP 40 DJ</P>
> Major-
>
> While I agree with your zest for good TOP 40, I have to
> disagree a couple of your "wishes". I wouldn't limit the
> "Human Factor" to just the Morning Zoo. In my opinion, this
> is what ruined radio. Sure, people turn on and tune in to
> hear the hits...BUT...If your talent is good enough, then
> they should be able to shine. I'm not saying Music takes a
> back seat, i'm saying to bust up the "jukebox" effect.
> That's what Sirius & XM are for. Commercial breaks...2
> stops an hour at :20 & :50 for 4 Minutes Max each stop. In
> the 70's we broke at :10, :20, :35 & :50, for 2-3 minutes a
> stop. When I was at 96X working over-nites...we started the
> "sweep" at the 1st song following the I.D. record as well as
> the 1st song following the "bottom of the hour". Before
> then, it was unheard of to go from one song to the next or
> "sweeping", without at least saying "96X" (or what ever the
> stations name was). These days, stations go as many as 4
> songs (which I think is to many without any station
> identification, you want people to know who they're
> listening to). As to format , If I were king, i'd do 70's
> radio again today, only as it was...A BLAST! There are so
> many songs from the 70's, you could go for days, even weeks
> without repeating anything. To me, the less repetition, the
> more fresh it would sound. I'd want to give the "Oh wow, I
> remember that song" without burning any one song out, making
> people listen to want to hear that song again. I too, can
> dream!!! And I still do!! LOL
>
> Regards,
I failed to mention that my 'dream' radio station is open to suggestions. ;-}
Apparently what my station needs is a crazy lunatic late-night guy, and not the type of sexual-inuendo-filled late-night guy (catering to teens) that various CHRs and other like stations have today. I need a late-night guy that's actually sarcastic in a hilarious way and says and does funny things in-between the 'jukebox effect'. OK we may have to bring it down to perhaps 48 minutes of hit music every hour from 7 PM to Midnight so that the crazy lunatic late-night guy has some breathing room to be creative.
Would my 'dream' radio station work here in South Florida ? Perhaps. Perhaps not. This is a weird radio market. I may have to move it down here to Homestead - 'Serving The Extreme Bottom Of Mainland Florida Including The Luxurious Paradise Of The Upper Keys With 100,000 Watts Of Fun In The Sun And Smash Mouth Hits ...'
THE MAJOR
>
> While I agree with your zest for good TOP 40, I have to
> disagree a couple of your "wishes". I wouldn't limit the
> "Human Factor" to just the Morning Zoo. In my opinion, this
> is what ruined radio. Sure, people turn on and tune in to
> hear the hits...BUT...If your talent is good enough, then
> they should be able to shine. I'm not saying Music takes a
> back seat, i'm saying to bust up the "jukebox" effect.
> That's what Sirius & XM are for. Commercial breaks...2
> stops an hour at :20 & :50 for 4 Minutes Max each stop. In
> the 70's we broke at :10, :20, :35 & :50, for 2-3 minutes a
> stop. When I was at 96X working over-nites...we started the
> "sweep" at the 1st song following the I.D. record as well as
> the 1st song following the "bottom of the hour". Before
> then, it was unheard of to go from one song to the next or
> "sweeping", without at least saying "96X" (or what ever the
> stations name was). These days, stations go as many as 4
> songs (which I think is to many without any station
> identification, you want people to know who they're
> listening to). As to format , If I were king, i'd do 70's
> radio again today, only as it was...A BLAST! There are so
> many songs from the 70's, you could go for days, even weeks
> without repeating anything. To me, the less repetition, the
> more fresh it would sound. I'd want to give the "Oh wow, I
> remember that song" without burning any one song out, making
> people listen to want to hear that song again. I too, can
> dream!!! And I still do!! LOL
>
> Regards,
I failed to mention that my 'dream' radio station is open to suggestions. ;-}
Apparently what my station needs is a crazy lunatic late-night guy, and not the type of sexual-inuendo-filled late-night guy (catering to teens) that various CHRs and other like stations have today. I need a late-night guy that's actually sarcastic in a hilarious way and says and does funny things in-between the 'jukebox effect'. OK we may have to bring it down to perhaps 48 minutes of hit music every hour from 7 PM to Midnight so that the crazy lunatic late-night guy has some breathing room to be creative.
Would my 'dream' radio station work here in South Florida ? Perhaps. Perhaps not. This is a weird radio market. I may have to move it down here to Homestead - 'Serving The Extreme Bottom Of Mainland Florida Including The Luxurious Paradise Of The Upper Keys With 100,000 Watts Of Fun In The Sun And Smash Mouth Hits ...'
THE MAJOR
R
Radio-X
Guest
> It's hard to believe, at least for me, that it was 25 years
> ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
>
I was about a month old at that time, and my parents were living in Baltimore then, but I somehow have that last five minutes of 96X. I think my version started out with the song "Just because it's two o'clock, don't mean that were gonna stop" (who sings that, by the way?). Then the GM, Bob Alan(?) goes on with a prerecorded tape, the Beatles "Long and Winding Road", then the tearful "WMJX, Miami" and then the xmtr cutoff. Pretty sad, in a way.
Just wondering a few things:
-What were the last few days like there?
-Was there any sort of gathering at midnight, or were you the only one there?
-What happened to all the 96X stuff after the station signed off. Did it sit until the new tenants came in the building/xmtr, or was it sold off?
-Did 96X have a bumper sticker/logo, and are there any pics of it lying around the 'net?
-There any pics of *anything* at 96X on the 'net?
I dunno...call me a history geek, but I just find the history of 96X sort of interesting and unique...
Thanks,
Radio-X<P ID="signature">______________
Formerly shocking, rocking, and angering the R-I community as radiodxrichmond!</P>
> ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
>
I was about a month old at that time, and my parents were living in Baltimore then, but I somehow have that last five minutes of 96X. I think my version started out with the song "Just because it's two o'clock, don't mean that were gonna stop" (who sings that, by the way?). Then the GM, Bob Alan(?) goes on with a prerecorded tape, the Beatles "Long and Winding Road", then the tearful "WMJX, Miami" and then the xmtr cutoff. Pretty sad, in a way.
Just wondering a few things:
-What were the last few days like there?
-Was there any sort of gathering at midnight, or were you the only one there?
-What happened to all the 96X stuff after the station signed off. Did it sit until the new tenants came in the building/xmtr, or was it sold off?
-Did 96X have a bumper sticker/logo, and are there any pics of it lying around the 'net?
-There any pics of *anything* at 96X on the 'net?
I dunno...call me a history geek, but I just find the history of 96X sort of interesting and unique...
Thanks,
Radio-X<P ID="signature">______________
Formerly shocking, rocking, and angering the R-I community as radiodxrichmond!</P>
Radio-X, I have interjected answers to your questions into your post. I hope this is what you're looking for.....KEEP ON Xin'
> > It's hard to believe, at least for me, that it was 25
> years
> > ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> > began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
> >
>
> I was about a month old at that time, and my parents were
> living in Baltimore then, but I somehow have that last five
> minutes of 96X. I think my version started out with the song
> "Just because it's two o'clock, don't mean that were gonna
> stop" (who sings that, by the way?)**Don't Stop The Music by Yarbrough & Peoples . Then the GM, Bob
> Alan(?) goes on with a prerecorded tape, the Beatles "Long
> and Winding Road", then the tearful "WMJX, Miami" and then
> the xmtr cutoff. **( I figured I'd at least sign off correctly with the station I.D. as well as get in the last word)** Pretty sad, in a way. **(Yep, it was like losing my best friend...their were few dry eyes at that moment).**
>
> Just wondering a few things:
>
> -What were the last few days like there?
There were alot of mixed emotions. On one hand, alot of people were going to be out of a job. Sure, some had "feelers" out, but a small percentage actually knew they had a new home to go to. Reality of the situation really didn't hit till that Friday (Feb. 13th...cowinkidink or what??) for most of the staff & Saturday (Feb. 14th) for the Air staff.
>
> -Was there any sort of gathering at midnight, or were you
> the only one there?
I would venture to say that about 85% of the entire 96X staff was on hand. Many clearing out what was left of their stuff, alot gathered in the request room which only a window seperated that room and the main On-Air studio. Who ever was in the request room, pretty much just watched who ever was on air at the time, mostly in a weird look, like "wow, this can't be happening".
>
> -What happened to all the 96X stuff after the station signed
> off. Did it sit until the new tenants came in the
> building/xmtr, or was it sold off?
>
Thanks to corprate knowhow (can you sense the sarcasim??), there were a few security guards & a couple corprate types on hand. As soon as I shut down the transmitter at 12:03am, the Corprate people were tagging each piece of furniture & equipment that was there. It was eventually either split amongst other stations in the chain, or put into storage for future use by the company.
I managed to get: The last cart played on 96X (The Long & Winding Road, which to this day I still have), 3 Gold Records (Bruce Kelly-Former PD, divied them up amongst the air staff) & a casio zillion function calculator that the Chief Engineer from the Charter chain gave me (I guess because I dabbled in engineering at the station, it was a parting gift lol)
> -Did 96X have a bumper sticker/logo, and are there any pics
> of it lying around the 'net?
Yes, you can find it in 2 places (just copy/paste the links), My AOL web page @ http://hometown.aol.com/top4odj/
or on Yahoo @
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vintage_SoFla_Radio/
>
> -There any pics of *anything* at 96X on the 'net?
See above. Those are really the only 2 places I know of. There isn't alot, but anything is a memory.
>
> I dunno...call me a history geek, but I just find the
> history of 96X sort of interesting and unique...
>
I guess in some way, we're all geeks. The history of 96X is an interesting one, and i'm glad to be able to share the venture in any way.
>
>Regards,
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Stuart Elliott/TOP 40 DJ</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by top4odj on 02/16/06 03:15 PM.</FONT></P>
> > It's hard to believe, at least for me, that it was 25
> years
> > ago today, at roughly 12:03AM, that I signed off 96X. It
> > began 4 years 4 months of silence at 96.3 on the dial.
> >
>
> I was about a month old at that time, and my parents were
> living in Baltimore then, but I somehow have that last five
> minutes of 96X. I think my version started out with the song
> "Just because it's two o'clock, don't mean that were gonna
> stop" (who sings that, by the way?)**Don't Stop The Music by Yarbrough & Peoples . Then the GM, Bob
> Alan(?) goes on with a prerecorded tape, the Beatles "Long
> and Winding Road", then the tearful "WMJX, Miami" and then
> the xmtr cutoff. **( I figured I'd at least sign off correctly with the station I.D. as well as get in the last word)** Pretty sad, in a way. **(Yep, it was like losing my best friend...their were few dry eyes at that moment).**
>
> Just wondering a few things:
>
> -What were the last few days like there?
There were alot of mixed emotions. On one hand, alot of people were going to be out of a job. Sure, some had "feelers" out, but a small percentage actually knew they had a new home to go to. Reality of the situation really didn't hit till that Friday (Feb. 13th...cowinkidink or what??) for most of the staff & Saturday (Feb. 14th) for the Air staff.
>
> -Was there any sort of gathering at midnight, or were you
> the only one there?
I would venture to say that about 85% of the entire 96X staff was on hand. Many clearing out what was left of their stuff, alot gathered in the request room which only a window seperated that room and the main On-Air studio. Who ever was in the request room, pretty much just watched who ever was on air at the time, mostly in a weird look, like "wow, this can't be happening".
>
> -What happened to all the 96X stuff after the station signed
> off. Did it sit until the new tenants came in the
> building/xmtr, or was it sold off?
>
Thanks to corprate knowhow (can you sense the sarcasim??), there were a few security guards & a couple corprate types on hand. As soon as I shut down the transmitter at 12:03am, the Corprate people were tagging each piece of furniture & equipment that was there. It was eventually either split amongst other stations in the chain, or put into storage for future use by the company.
I managed to get: The last cart played on 96X (The Long & Winding Road, which to this day I still have), 3 Gold Records (Bruce Kelly-Former PD, divied them up amongst the air staff) & a casio zillion function calculator that the Chief Engineer from the Charter chain gave me (I guess because I dabbled in engineering at the station, it was a parting gift lol)
> -Did 96X have a bumper sticker/logo, and are there any pics
> of it lying around the 'net?
Yes, you can find it in 2 places (just copy/paste the links), My AOL web page @ http://hometown.aol.com/top4odj/
or on Yahoo @
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vintage_SoFla_Radio/
>
> -There any pics of *anything* at 96X on the 'net?
See above. Those are really the only 2 places I know of. There isn't alot, but anything is a memory.
>
> I dunno...call me a history geek, but I just find the
> history of 96X sort of interesting and unique...
>
I guess in some way, we're all geeks. The history of 96X is an interesting one, and i'm glad to be able to share the venture in any way.
>
>Regards,
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Stuart Elliott/TOP 40 DJ</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by top4odj on 02/16/06 03:15 PM.</FONT></P>
> Gosh I absolutely love this TOP 40 radio discussion !
My sentiments exactly!
> I think if I were a TOP 40 radio station programmer (not
> owned by a major corporation - in fact since this is a dream
> let's just say that I actually own the station) I would make
> myself the main morning deejay and build a wacky 'Morning
> Zoo' show around me and my zany cast of characters. I don't
> know - maybe sort of like a Rick Dees type of morning show.
> I would obviously use my 'Major Hitwaves' / 'The Major'
> moniker. After 'The Major's Morning Zoo' is over at 9:50 AM
> weekday mornings we would go to continuous hit music
> marathons through the rest of the day and into the night
> with at least 55 minutes of amazing hit music every single
> hour ! I'd have a two-minute commercial break on the '20s
> and a three-minute break on the '50s. I'd obviously play the
> hottest hits in the land, but I wouldn't repeat any single
> hit song within a four-hour time-period (more than double
> the current length of your typical CHR). I'd squeeze in 13
> hits in a typical hour - 10 of them currents, and 3 of them
> 'classics' from the past 15 years. Oh yeah I'd do all of
> this without bragging about how much better my station is
> over all of the other stations, but I would have a MASSIVE
> top-of-the-hour station identification announcement done by
> a guy with a ridiculously deep and powerful voice (such as
> the guy that does the movie previews at the theatre). My
> deejays would have very little to say, as they would merely
> just play the hits.
I'd also make every shift like a morning show, with the exception of middays (almost what WNBC was like in the early 80s). I'd love to replicate the tawdriness of WFLZ, and have a high energy night jock like Bubba, a whole cast in the afternoon revolving around a Heritage jock, and a Morning Zoo type of concept...
My sentiments exactly!
> I think if I were a TOP 40 radio station programmer (not
> owned by a major corporation - in fact since this is a dream
> let's just say that I actually own the station) I would make
> myself the main morning deejay and build a wacky 'Morning
> Zoo' show around me and my zany cast of characters. I don't
> know - maybe sort of like a Rick Dees type of morning show.
> I would obviously use my 'Major Hitwaves' / 'The Major'
> moniker. After 'The Major's Morning Zoo' is over at 9:50 AM
> weekday mornings we would go to continuous hit music
> marathons through the rest of the day and into the night
> with at least 55 minutes of amazing hit music every single
> hour ! I'd have a two-minute commercial break on the '20s
> and a three-minute break on the '50s. I'd obviously play the
> hottest hits in the land, but I wouldn't repeat any single
> hit song within a four-hour time-period (more than double
> the current length of your typical CHR). I'd squeeze in 13
> hits in a typical hour - 10 of them currents, and 3 of them
> 'classics' from the past 15 years. Oh yeah I'd do all of
> this without bragging about how much better my station is
> over all of the other stations, but I would have a MASSIVE
> top-of-the-hour station identification announcement done by
> a guy with a ridiculously deep and powerful voice (such as
> the guy that does the movie previews at the theatre). My
> deejays would have very little to say, as they would merely
> just play the hits.
I'd also make every shift like a morning show, with the exception of middays (almost what WNBC was like in the early 80s). I'd love to replicate the tawdriness of WFLZ, and have a high energy night jock like Bubba, a whole cast in the afternoon revolving around a Heritage jock, and a Morning Zoo type of concept...
> > I seem to recall hearing an old promo on powerpig.com that
>
> > claimed the station "reaches the beaches and bakes the
> > lakes". There's an aircheck in there as well from not
> long
> > after the station flipped from oldies, in which a caller
> > said something to the effect of "Are you serious? This is
>
> > great! I've had to listen to Orlando stations to hear the
>
> > music I like!"
> >
> > My point is that while WFLZ is a blowtorch, those two
> metros
> > (Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando/Space Coast) are pretty close
> to
> > each other, so it's not uncommon for listeners to go
> between
> > the two.
> >
> > All things considered, however, WFLZ was one kick-@$$
> > station, and no one has even come close to replicating
> that
> > quality to the best of my knowledge.
As a teen I listened to Q-105 in their heyday and then Power Pig came in and "broke the mold" as I entered my 20's. Unfortunately nothing happened around 2000 or since when FLZ's notoriety wained. Maybe something will happen but won't get my hopes up. Maybe we can all swap some tapes and recall the better days of radio.
Also WAPE would bleed in occasionally as did Hot 105 and Coast 97.3 on a good day here in Tampa.
> Does anyone know what happened to the Power Pig's PM Drive
> guy, Jeff Thomas? I had heard that he went to work in L.A.,
> but I never heard him on the air any of the times I have
> been out to L.A.
After FLZ, Jeff paired with Jennifer Jordan (from middays) and did mornings on sister Star 95.7. Afterwards I'm not sure where they went but are currently on Q-102, WKRQ Cincinnati. Now that CBS is starting to stream their music stations, it shouldn't be long until we can hear them.
>
> > claimed the station "reaches the beaches and bakes the
> > lakes". There's an aircheck in there as well from not
> long
> > after the station flipped from oldies, in which a caller
> > said something to the effect of "Are you serious? This is
>
> > great! I've had to listen to Orlando stations to hear the
>
> > music I like!"
> >
> > My point is that while WFLZ is a blowtorch, those two
> metros
> > (Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando/Space Coast) are pretty close
> to
> > each other, so it's not uncommon for listeners to go
> between
> > the two.
> >
> > All things considered, however, WFLZ was one kick-@$$
> > station, and no one has even come close to replicating
> that
> > quality to the best of my knowledge.
As a teen I listened to Q-105 in their heyday and then Power Pig came in and "broke the mold" as I entered my 20's. Unfortunately nothing happened around 2000 or since when FLZ's notoriety wained. Maybe something will happen but won't get my hopes up. Maybe we can all swap some tapes and recall the better days of radio.
Also WAPE would bleed in occasionally as did Hot 105 and Coast 97.3 on a good day here in Tampa.
> Does anyone know what happened to the Power Pig's PM Drive
> guy, Jeff Thomas? I had heard that he went to work in L.A.,
> but I never heard him on the air any of the times I have
> been out to L.A.
After FLZ, Jeff paired with Jennifer Jordan (from middays) and did mornings on sister Star 95.7. Afterwards I'm not sure where they went but are currently on Q-102, WKRQ Cincinnati. Now that CBS is starting to stream their music stations, it shouldn't be long until we can hear them.
> After FLZ, Jeff paired with Jennifer Jordan (from middays)
> and did mornings on sister Star 95.7. Afterwards I'm not
> sure where they went but are currently on Q-102, WKRQ
> Cincinnati. Now that CBS is starting to stream their music
> stations, it shouldn't be long until we can hear them.
Thanks for the update. Jennifer Jordan was a good jock too. Too bad they ended up in Cincy; sorry if that offends anyone from that area. But compared to living in the Tampa Bay area, living in Cincinnati has to be a drag.
> and did mornings on sister Star 95.7. Afterwards I'm not
> sure where they went but are currently on Q-102, WKRQ
> Cincinnati. Now that CBS is starting to stream their music
> stations, it shouldn't be long until we can hear them.
Thanks for the update. Jennifer Jordan was a good jock too. Too bad they ended up in Cincy; sorry if that offends anyone from that area. But compared to living in the Tampa Bay area, living in Cincinnati has to be a drag.
> I'd also make every shift like a morning show, with the
> exception of middays (almost what WNBC was like in the early
> 80s). I'd love to replicate the tawdriness of WFLZ, and
> have a high energy night jock like Bubba, a whole cast in
> the afternoon revolving around a Heritage jock, and a
> Morning Zoo type of concept...
Hey man as a competing hit music radio station Owner, GM, PD, and Morning Zoo host I think I'd actually listen to your 'dream' station as well ! A good PD should always listen to his competition - not to replicate or borrow (steal) ideas - but to see what can be done differently and better. That's why Y-100.7 needs some competition here in South Florida.
Too bad there's no known 'Fantasy Radio Station' game out there on the Internet (a la 'Fantasy Football'). This could get interesting ... and addicting !
Scott - Thanks so much for playing along !
Stu - I need you for my crazy lunatic late night guy position !
THE MAJOR
> exception of middays (almost what WNBC was like in the early
> 80s). I'd love to replicate the tawdriness of WFLZ, and
> have a high energy night jock like Bubba, a whole cast in
> the afternoon revolving around a Heritage jock, and a
> Morning Zoo type of concept...
Hey man as a competing hit music radio station Owner, GM, PD, and Morning Zoo host I think I'd actually listen to your 'dream' station as well ! A good PD should always listen to his competition - not to replicate or borrow (steal) ideas - but to see what can be done differently and better. That's why Y-100.7 needs some competition here in South Florida.
Too bad there's no known 'Fantasy Radio Station' game out there on the Internet (a la 'Fantasy Football'). This could get interesting ... and addicting !
Scott - Thanks so much for playing along !
Stu - I need you for my crazy lunatic late night guy position !
THE MAJOR
> Scott - Thanks so much for playing along !
Anytime! The problem here in South Florida is that the corporations do not think our demographics lend themselves to CHR radio, nevermind competition. With corporate concentration and demassification, having more than one station with the same market with the same format is rare indeed (CHR/Rhythmic seems to be an exception to that rule). The only market in the entire state of Florida that has two CHRs is Jacksonville, and one of its CHRs is extremely cheaply run and of poor quality. Moreover, most corporate types would point out the fact that both of South Florida's CHR stations - Wild and Y - are middle of the road at best in terms of ratings. What they would fail to recognize is the rather bland presentation of both stations. I think we would all agree that if an 'FLZ-type CHR station ever hit West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami, it would rack up the ratings!
Anytime! The problem here in South Florida is that the corporations do not think our demographics lend themselves to CHR radio, nevermind competition. With corporate concentration and demassification, having more than one station with the same market with the same format is rare indeed (CHR/Rhythmic seems to be an exception to that rule). The only market in the entire state of Florida that has two CHRs is Jacksonville, and one of its CHRs is extremely cheaply run and of poor quality. Moreover, most corporate types would point out the fact that both of South Florida's CHR stations - Wild and Y - are middle of the road at best in terms of ratings. What they would fail to recognize is the rather bland presentation of both stations. I think we would all agree that if an 'FLZ-type CHR station ever hit West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami, it would rack up the ratings!
- Status