The Party is over

[austingrace]

They played the first song Party ever played and had a minute of dead air and put on WDBO. I was glued to 95.3 all week and was flipping out hearing all the old party stuff. I loved it. I have the most wanted CDS I found a few years back on amazon and ebay. I will miss the version of 95.3 from 99 until 04. I know people have a spot for the period after that but once party was gone they lost me for the most part. I loved the dj mixes though.

 

[DJ Mo]

I really enjoyed this final week of Cox's 95.3, because they didn't play the same tired songs over & over, & they let the DJs go rogue with their playlist & say their goodbyes. My favorite hour was that '00-'03 "Party" hour at around 10am on that final day.

I have all 3 volumes of "95.3 Party Most Wanted". The 3rd CD was a generic "Most Wanted Volume 3" that I got from a Camelot Music/FYE down in Miami, & I'm sure they meant that CD to be for both Party 93.1 in Miami & 95.3 Party here in Orlando. In the liner notes, it had the PDs of "WPYO" & "WPYM" listed. These CDs were originally only sold at Camelot Music/Spec's/FYE Orlando & Miami area locations. I absolutely loved both of these Dance stations.

I had a higher than usual amount of interactions with my listeners last Friday during my live radio show on 91.5FM WPRK (Fridays 5-7pm, & syndicated at other times on other FM stations), so I already feel these "Power" listeners foraging for what local options they have that's left on Orlando FM.

I think WDBO is the default programming for 95.3's "silence sensor" while the new owners & engineer(s) are working on the technical aspects to get themselves on the air soon. I'm sure there's a lot of background engineering stuff they have to do to transfer that frequency to another building & studio.

 

[JayR]

I really enjoyed this final week of Cox's 95.3, because they didn't play the same tired songs over & over, & they let the DJs go rogue with their playlist & say their goodbyes. My favorite hour was that '00-'03 "Party" hour at around 10am on that final day.

I have all 3 volumes of "95.3 Party Most Wanted". The 3rd CD was a generic "Most Wanted Volume 3" that I got from a Camelot Music/FYE down in Miami, & I'm sure they meant that CD to be for both Party 93.1 in Miami & 95.3 Party here in Orlando. In the liner notes, it had the PDs of "WPYO" & "WPYM" listed. These CDs were originally only sold at Camelot Music/Spec's/FYE Orlando & Miami area locations. I absolutely loved both of these Dance stations.

I purchased "95.3 Party Most Wanted" Vol. 1 online several years ago. WPYM "Party 93.1" promoted "A Night At Casanova's Vol. 1" back in the day. I purchased it online as well.

 

[nd2023]

If Cox wanted to get rid of 95.3’s listeners and have them remove 95.3 from their presets, it might have been better for them to go silent. Turn off the transmitter, save on the electric bill. Just file an STA for being silent!

This thread should have been called The Power Is Out. The Party has been over since 2004

 

[OriginalSample]

It's amazing how many people on Power's FB post mentioned being on vacation when they first heard the station. That's how I first heard the station in 1999 when they were still known as Party.

That was my favorite era cause they were playing upbeat Trance songs and I really got introduced to the breakbeat FL scene. Plenty of mixes and they even played Freestyle throwbacks at noon.

It just was a different time with a different vibe and scene altogether. Orlando of course, has grown immensely in the last 25 years. 436 which is a main road to the airport only had 2 lanes each way back in 99 if memory serves me well.

 

[ScottBurns]

Another example is 2 different Q102s in Philly and Greenville, Mississippi. Both use the same branding as eachother, but are owned by different companies. I was going to point this out in the original reply, but I didn't know how to word it.

And isn't there a Q102 in Virginia that is a Country station? There might even be another one in rural PA if I am not mistaken.

 

[trueicon]

I really enjoyed this final week of Cox's 95.3, because they didn't play the same tired songs over & over, & they let the DJs go rogue with their playlist & say their goodbyes. My favorite hour was that '00-'03 "Party" hour at around 10am on that final day.

I am honestly shocked they acknowledged the Party era. I wish I knew they were going to do that Party hour ahead of time! That would have been appointment listening. This was my all time favorite radio station. In those early days, they played dance music that couldn't be heard anywhere (One of the other "Fathers of Party", Phil Michaels, moved down the state to Party 93.1 Miami, and is still with the Cox Miami cluster. Wonder if Party 93.1 HD2 is still a thing?!). In the last hour, they interviewed Bartel, who was the program director at the time. (All sorts of really cool stories from that era and the music they played -- how he was handed Sonique - Feels So Good from one of their DJs at a block party and how it blew up when he played it). Someone uploaded that last hour to youtube

I wish I knew the songs played during that last hour! Or even better if someone was recording that. I looked back on their recently played song list and saw a few stunners I haven't heard in years (and I've been feverishly adding them to my Apple Music playlist). Was so surprised that I grabbed the screenshot -- Robert Miles - Children, Delerium - Silence (Tiesto remix), La Bouche - Be My Lover, Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Through This, and my favorite throwback, Sonique - Feels so good. Was anything else played that you remember? I would love for some of the older Party songs to make it to the Power Orlando web stream -- there really isn't any reason not to do that now given the competitive space it's in.

One of the very classy things they did at the very end of the broadcast was play the Eric Edwards "95.3 Party, Orlando's Party Station" liners just prior to signing off (it's at the end of that same youtube link at about 33:57)

What an amazing and VERY unexpected trip down memory lane.

 

[nd2023]

Will Calder was the PD of WPYO and he loves dance music. Of course with him in charge he wanted to pay tribute to 95.3 Party.
I too was on vacation when I first discovered 95.3 Party. My parents took me to Disneyworld and of course I played with the radio.

 

[DJ Mo]

I think only the last 10 minutes was actually live in the studio. I think the rest of that 11pm hour before 11:50pm was previously recorded material that was done live earlier in the day. Well done with transitions & seemed seemless to the average listener.

 

[DXingRadio]

And isn't there a Q102 in Virginia that is a Country station? There might even be another one in rural PA if I am not mistaken.

Yup.

Shenandoah Country Q102 - Shenandoah Country Q102

Shenandoah Country Q102, an #iHeartCountry Station playing the best new country and your all-time favorites.

shenandoahcountryq102.iheart.com

 

[OriginalSample]

To add on to TrueIcon's post where he mentions Sonique's - Feel So Good, that song along with Alice Deejay's- Better Off Alone were ground breaking on US radio. When I heard those two particular songs crossover to CHR, I knew that it was the start of a new era. I'm pretty sure they both went Top 10. Party 95.3 was always breaking new dance songs their first couple years in the US that had a lot of success. Here is their playlist from May of 2000 courtesy of the Way Back Machine :

95.3 Party Music

95.3 PARTY TOP THIRTY
1. Protect Your Mind - DJ Sakim
2. Stan - Eminem
3. Country Grammar - Nelly
4. Use Your Love - DJ X
5. Angelfalls - Ayla
6. Most Girls - Pink
7. Everyday - Agnelli & Nelson
8. The Way I Am - Eminem
9. Sonic Psyche, Prophecy
10. Masquerade - Science
11. What'chu Like - Da Brat/Tyrese
12. Toca's Miracle - Fragma
13. Purest of Pain - Son by Four
14. Far & Away - Aida
15. Blow Ya Mind - Lock N Load
16. Pepperspray - DJ 43
17. If I - Fiori
18. What's Your Fantasy - Ludicris
19. Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation
20. Music - Madonna
21. Will I Ever - Alice Deejay
22. Perfect Moment - Mary Griffin
23. Don't Think I'm Not - Kandi
24. Sky - Sonique
25. I Turn To You - Melanie C
26. Precious Little Fantasy - Precious
27. Out of the Blue - System F
28. Are You Ready to Fly - Dune
29. It Feels So Good - Sonique
30. Next Episode - Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg

 

[DJ Mo]

Wow. I had already planned to play at least 3 of these songs on my radio show on 91.5FM WPRK starting at 5pm tomorrow. Fragma, Fiori, Science, & Precious if I have time. I base my playlist off listener requests, & this list is still spot on. Thanks for sharing that list!

In case you're wondering, here's my playlist last Friday, the day after the flip:

DJ Mo Radio Fri Apr 1 with WPRK on WPRK 91.5 Winter Park

Mo Music. Mo Variety. In The Mix!(EDM, Hip Hop, Freestyle, Bass, & Old School, with a hint of Pop, Rock, Variety, & Eclectic flavor!)Official Website: http://www.djmoradio.comListen to DJ Mo Radio On Demand at: http://www.podomatic.com/djmoradioVerified Facebook...

spinitron.com

 

[FrankF]

It's a week later and WPYO is still simulcasting WDBO. I don't know what's going on there, but couldn't they have kept Power 95.3 on until this other company is actually ready to take over? When WRUM first came on the scene, it was just a straight and sudden flip from English to Spanish, but then again it was under the same ownership. People tuning around are going to start thinking WDBO is now available on a full power FM frequency.

 

[nd2023]

It's a week later and WPYO is still simulcasting WDBO. I don't know what's going on there, but couldn't they have kept Power 95.3 on until this other company is actually ready to take over? When WRUM first came on the scene, it was just a straight and sudden flip from English to Spanish, but then again it was under the same ownership. People tuning around are going to start thinking WDBO is now available on a full power FM frequency.

It’s in Cox’s best interest to alienate Power 95.3’s listeners and get it off their presets. So play a format that won’t appeal to CHR listeners. Or go silent.

 

[DJ Mo]

WDBO might inadvertently get a ratings boost in this PPM survey period, or until they put something else or new on 95.3FM.
Does SBS even have a studio in Orlando?
They might be working on building a studio from scratch, which might be why it's taking them a while to get on the air.
Perhaps they are looking to hire some of the currently unemployed Power staff who can speak fluent Spanish for local talent, & are waiting on their non-compete.
Just a radio nerd speculating from the outside here while doing my independent thing on these FM airwaves.

In case you were interested & missed it, here's my playlist for my Friday 4/8/2022 show:

DJ Mo Radio Fri Apr 8 with WPRK on WPRK 91.5 Winter Park

Mo Music. Mo Variety. In The Mix!(EDM, Hip Hop, Freestyle, Bass, & Old School, with a hint of Pop, Rock, Variety, & Eclectic flavor!)Official Website: http://www.djmoradio.comListen to DJ Mo Radio On Demand at: http://www.podomatic.com/djmoradioVerified Facebook...

spinitron.com

 

[davideduardo]

WDBO might inadvertently get a ratings boost in this PPM survey period, or until they put something else or new on 95.3FM.

Remember, to have combined ratings (Single Line Reporting) a station has to be in full simulcast for the entire 28 day survey period. And the station has to request it.

Otherwise, they will appear separately.

Does SBS even have a studio in Orlando?

They could easily just originate out of a studio in Miami or San Juan. There is no longer a requirement for a local studio.

They might be working on building a studio from scratch, which might be why it's taking them a while to get on the air.

It's already been announced that mornings will originate in San Juan at Mega.

Perhaps they are looking to hire some of the currently unemployed Power staff who can speak fluent Spanish for local talent, & are waiting on their non-compete.

Doubtful. SBS likes to hire people who have a strong track record in Spanish radio.

 

[Identnut]

It's already been announced that mornings will originate in San Juan at Mega.

I knew that afternoons would come from Mega, but didn't you mention Gangster and Funky would be too Puerto Rican for the Mainland?

I thought that WODA's morning show would be a better choice, as it's not nearly as political, and let's face it, WODA is the flagship station for reggaetón in the USA, much like Hot 97 or V-103 is for hip-hop or Z-100 and KIIS are for pop music.

 

[DJ Mo]

Remember, to have combined ratings (Single Line Reporting) a station has to be in full simulcast for the entire 28 day survey period. And the station has to request it.

Otherwise, they will appear separately.

They could easily just originate out of a studio in Miami or San Juan. There is no longer a requirement for a local studio.

It's already been announced that mornings will originate in San Juan at Mega.

Doubtful. SBS likes to hire people who have a strong track record in Spanish radio.

I have not read anywhere on this thread about any of this info.
This is news to me, besides the studio not being local.
You must be in touch with someone there, unless you have read something somewhere else that's not mentioned on this thread or I might have completely missed the info in a previous post.
Thanks for the update!

 

[Identnut]

I have not read anywhere on this thread about any of this info.
This is news to me, besides the studio not being local.
You must be in touch with someone there, unless you have read something somewhere else that's not mentioned on this thread or I might have completely missed the info in a previous post.
Thanks for the update!

I knew about WMEG's afternoon show being syndicated because Molusco announced it himself. I've heard nothing from Gangster and Funky.

 

[davideduardo]

I knew that afternoons would come from Mega, but didn't you mention Gangster and Funky would be too Puerto Rican for the Mainland?

I heard that they were planning to use a local San Juan talent to do Orlando's mornings but not Funky & Gangster. Again, just a rumor but knowing SBS quite possible.

A lot of this is rumor at the moment. Any of the speculations are possible. SBS loves to get people talking about their stations, so they should be very happy now.

I thought that WODA's morning show would be a better choice, as it's not nearly as political, and let's face it, WODA is the flagship station for reggaetón in the USA, much like Hot 97 or V-103 is for hip-hop or Z-100 and KIIS are for pop music.

I never thought of WODA being the "flagship" for reggaetón as it is way too Boricua for mainland tastes, as evidenced by comparing playlists.