WCAU-FM Oldies/Hot Hits/Fascinatin' Rhythms

[Gregg]

98.1, before it's current run as WOGL, an Oldies station, had been home to WCAU-FM for many years. Also owned by CBS, I can remember back several decades when it was Oldies (when Oldies weren't really that old).

Then for some reason, CBS decided to go to Hot Hits, a very contemporary Top 40 format. Hot Hits had also been successful at other CBS FM stations around the U.S. It was so contemporary that it played ONLY songs in the current top 40, nothing that was even half a year old. It had slick, fast talking DJs and jingles between every song. It was successful for a while, but then the station switched to a Disco/Urban AC format.

It was still WCAU-FM but it clearly became aimed at more of an urban audience, with a staff of both African-American and white DJs. And like today's 106.1, the music tried to be urban AC but mostly songs that also crossed over to the regular Top 40 or AC playlists. It was called "Fascinatin' Rhythms." I remember the evening DJ had a smooth, cool style... Dianne Blackman I think was her name.

Eventually it switched back to the present day Oldies format, but lost the WCAU call letters which are no longer controlled by CBS. Is my history correct? Can someone else fill in the other details? Why "Fascinatin' Rhythms"? Why not just stay Top 40 or stay Oldies?




Gregg
[email protected]

 

[fennessy]

WCAU-FM was America's pioneer all oldies radio station beginning in September of 1970; CBS would flip their New York FM almost two years later. When WCAU-FM converted to oldies from CBS-FM's Young Sound soft pop automated format, the station was totally automated with the voice of Jim Nettleton intro'ing or backselling everything 24/7; in 1972, the station began it's evolution to a totally live sound, by going live in drive times. Jim Nettleton returned to Philadelphia as Program Director ( replacing John Gehron, who'd left for WLS) and PM Drive, and Philly veteran jock Long John Wade did mornings. The next live hire was Joe Niagara in early 1974 doing evenings. In the summer of '74, Joe Niagara was moved to mornings replacing Wade, and Kevin Fennessy came in from WAMS in Wilmington to do evenings. Kris Chandler came over from WFIL to split middays with voicetracking AE Gene Manning. Dan Foley replaced Kevin Fennessy in Summer '75, and six months later, WCAU-FM converted to Disco. As with many disco formats, these stations evolved into being Urban A/C stations, building upon the black audience base. WCAU-FM's Fascinatin' Rhythm shared audience ( but not enough) with WDAS-FM.

WCAU-FM was again a pioneer station in 1981...when CHR or Top 40 returned to FM radio. Based on it's success, many other CBS O&O stations converted to the format over the next two years. WCAU-FM was first, under consultant Mike Joseph, and CBS Radio Division chief Bob Vanderheyden.

It was my understanding that up until this point. CBS had been reluctant to change the call letters of any of the FM stations. That all changed with St. Louis, Boston and LA.

In 1987, when Oldies radio again seemed viable for the station, having been so well branded as a Contemporary station, WCAU-FM became WOGL.


I'm sorry...what was the question?

 

[WTUX]

I really loved that station. I was there for the "Young Sound" days, the first round of oldies (I was nearly a 24/7 listener), even stuck in there for the disco (NOT 24/7) and Hot Hits. Strange though, when oldies returned to Philly, I went to WFIL and 102.1. Not until WIOQ flipped did I go back to 98.1. Even then, I would tune to 1540 whenever I could. After all those years as a loyal 98.1 listener. Of course by this time, I was doing a morning show on a local station and much of my time was spent listening to my own station. But in the early 90's I lost interest in 98.1 and still have not really returned after all these years. Of course, it may have to do with listening to the same 30 songs for 40 years!

 

[coops]

My favorite memories of WCAU-FM were when they were in automation and there would be a thunderstorm...you'd hear a Supremes song and the golden voice of Jim Nettleton would come on and say...there's Elvis and Heartbreak Hotel.. It didn't matter the station was great. so was facinating rhythms, which really only lasted as long as the disco era did...then came hot hits which was a breath of fresh air in philly, but by 1987 EAGLE 106 had surpassed hot hits in the ratings, thus the switch to oldies. also remember there were four oldies stations in philly at the time..q-102 switched as well and wfil was automated oldies after trying to revive the golden years of boss radio...then there was wpgr at the end of the am dial

 

[Gregg]

That's right. WOGL and Q102 for a time were locked in an Oldies Radio battle. Two stations trying to trade on the "Philly Sound."

In those days, before switching to Oldies, Q102 was always an interesting station. Maybe because it was a low-budget operation, but even when they were Top 40, it was a kind of cool, laid back Top 40. No jingles, deep playlist. Two songs from that era stand out in my mind... Gino Vanelli's "People Gotta Move" (This was before his big hit "I Just Wanna Stop") and The Miracles (without Smokey Robinson) "Do Me Baby." I'm sure slicker Top 40 stations might not have even played these almost-hits, but they were big on then-Q102.

Thanks for the WCAU-FM info. I got the time line wrong. They were Disco, then Urban AC, before the Hot Hits era.



Gregg
[email protected]