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What radio station in NYC holds the record for having the most format flips?
- Thread starter MVB13
- Start date
I believe WPIX, when it was on 101.9.
Multi Flips
Multi Flips
Actually, WPIX-FM was the call sign since the plain WPIX call sign was (and is still) held by the TV station on channel 11.
@MVB13
I'm surmising / @$$uming you mean facilities ?
If so, and speaking of just the AM dial here .........
Showing my age (87), I remember rock-and-roller WMGM 1050 going 'back' to its full-service MoR days and calls of WHN. in 1962. This format change led to a rousing chorus of boos in our midst, since it left us with only three NYC stations that played our music.
Simce then, 1050 WHN went to A/C around 1972, then to Country, then to Sports, then to a Spanish format, and eventually to ESPN. (Somewhere in that confusing legacy they might've been known as 'WEVD', too.)
1560, 1330 and 970 also come to mind as prodigal chameleons.
I'm surmising / @$$uming you mean facilities ?
If so, and speaking of just the AM dial here .........
Showing my age (87), I remember rock-and-roller WMGM 1050 going 'back' to its full-service MoR days and calls of WHN. in 1962. This format change led to a rousing chorus of boos in our midst, since it left us with only three NYC stations that played our music.
Simce then, 1050 WHN went to A/C around 1972, then to Country, then to Sports, then to a Spanish format, and eventually to ESPN. (Somewhere in that confusing legacy they might've been known as 'WEVD', too.)
1560, 1330 and 970 also come to mind as prodigal chameleons.
I don't think anything in New York comes close to 101.9. According to the article in Wikipedia, there were at least 12 format flips between 1971 and 1988, when it was WPIX. Then came smooth jazz WQCD 101.9 (which lasted quite a while); AAA formatted WRXP; All News WEMP; and WRXP II.
Finally, it became WFAN FM, about 10 years ago.
Finally, it became WFAN FM, about 10 years ago.
WEVD was on 1050 between 1989 and 2003. "The Greater 1050"* began as the Jewish/multilingual station that WEVD had always been; however, it gradually replaced the ethnic programming with liberal talk shows. In 2001, the talk format was replaced by ESPN Radio through a local marketing agreement with ABC/Disney. At that time, all that was left of WEVD was the call sign, which was replaced by the current call sign (WEPN) after the station was sold to ABC/Disney in 2003.
* = Formerly "The Great 98"
While 102.7 had a bunch of adjustments 20 or so years ago (as recently written about in RadioInsight) 101.9, known as WPIX through most of those formats (a really cool new wave format circa 1979 before going back to top 40 in 1980 with Jack Da Wack) surely had a lot more in those days (anyone remember "Your X wants you back") while 102.7 was "where rock lives" for so long. Elsewhere someone wrote of Power 105 as legacy but from WRFM to WNSR to WWPR there were a lot of variations there as well (Broadway 105, Big 105,etc etc)
@ Barry @Bruce NYC and others .....
Pun intended, great calls on all the NYC stations playing musical chairs over the years. 101.9 and 92.3 seem to lead the field going into the stretch.
As many here know, 92.3 originally began as WMCA's FM. That facet could lead to additional antique wardrobes, eminating from some 70 years back.
Around 1970 I remember WPIX 101.9 imaging itself as 'slightly feverish', which to me meant a lot of harder-edged bubblegum/chicken rock. 'My Friend' by Mungo Jerry registers both as a memory and as a 'current' from them.
(Off-topic here for sure -- and probably done on this forum already -- is an undoubtedly abbreviated list of NYC stations that have been faithful during all the years. If not, I offer WOR and WBAI, plus as representing right- and left- bookends.)
'Slightly feverish' link here :
Pun intended, great calls on all the NYC stations playing musical chairs over the years. 101.9 and 92.3 seem to lead the field going into the stretch.
As many here know, 92.3 originally began as WMCA's FM. That facet could lead to additional antique wardrobes, eminating from some 70 years back.
Around 1970 I remember WPIX 101.9 imaging itself as 'slightly feverish', which to me meant a lot of harder-edged bubblegum/chicken rock. 'My Friend' by Mungo Jerry registers both as a memory and as a 'current' from them.
(Off-topic here for sure -- and probably done on this forum already -- is an undoubtedly abbreviated list of NYC stations that have been faithful during all the years. If not, I offer WOR and WBAI, plus as representing right- and left- bookends.)
'Slightly feverish' link here :
WOR wasn't always a conservative talk station. Prior to 1988, when conservative talk show host Mark Scott was added to the lineup, WOR was an apolitical general talk station. That leaves WBAI as the station that has retained its left-leaning format since its sale to Pacifica in 1960.
@Barry
Maybe one more for the O/T 'unvarying' format file.
I had been looking for something else when I came across WADO becoming an all-Spanish station in 1964.
The article said the station had *some* Spanish-language programming prior to that change. And there are many variations within what is considered Spanish-language radio programming, but still .........
(Would power-wattage changes disqualify a station from the consistency list, lol?)
Maybe one more for the O/T 'unvarying' format file.
I had been looking for something else when I came across WADO becoming an all-Spanish station in 1964.
The article said the station had *some* Spanish-language programming prior to that change. And there are many variations within what is considered Spanish-language radio programming, but still .........
(Would power-wattage changes disqualify a station from the consistency list, lol?)
According to Wikipedia, WADO was not full-time Spanish till the early 70's.
They were a music station till the early 1990's, when they became news/talk. And in 2016 they switched to their current Spanish language sports (soccer)-oriented programming.
Speaking of Spanish language AM radio, it is interesting to read that WPAT 930 AM broadcasts a syndicated radio news show from Colombia each weekday morning.
They were a music station till the early 1990's, when they became news/talk. And in 2016 they switched to their current Spanish language sports (soccer)-oriented programming.
Speaking of Spanish language AM radio, it is interesting to read that WPAT 930 AM broadcasts a syndicated radio news show from Colombia each weekday morning.
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I've always wished that I could have heard both WMGM and WINS....in their Rock days...Did at least manage to hear WMCA and WWDJ when they rocked...
I became aware of WADO in 1966....and in all of these years have never heard anything other than Spanish on 1280....
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