When did WJJD stop playing Top 40 in the 1960s?

[gr8oldies]

Check the format listings in Broadcasting Yearbook (remember, it is data that is "old" when published):

BROADCASTING YEARBOOK - Station and industry directory 1935-2010

"Broadcasting Yearbook" was a directory of radio and television stations and related information first published in 1935 by the editors of "Broadcasting Magazine". It includes listings of all stations, suppliers, FCC rules, group ownership, stations sales and other industry statistics. The last...

www.worldradiohistory.com

And the Radio Annual:

RADIO ANNUAL: directories from 1938 to 1964 and other annuals

The Radio Annual from Radio Daily was published from 1938 to 1964 and contains listings for radio stations, TV stations, artists and suppliers as well as industry leader articles and radio regulations

www.worldradiohistory.com

And in the SRDS "Spot Radio" in the few issues I have:

SRDS - Spot Radio Rates & Data media buyer guide

Since 1919 when SRDS was founded as Standard Rate & Data Service, they've collected and delivered the data media buyers need to connect with media sellers. SRDS started by covering newspapers, magazines and billboards. Over the decades, radio, TV were added.

www.worldradiohistory.com

And you can do a search for articles about a possible format search in Broadcasting Magazine at BROADCASTING MAGAZINE - Business magazine from 1931 to 2002 where you can select "search" and limit it to decades or even specific sets of years.

Here is one article from October 18 1965:

WJJD, after 45 days as a country
station, held a Shower of Stars show in
Chicago's McCormick Place. The sta-
tion was the only medium used to pro-
mote the show and 11,000 seats were
sold. Last month, WJJD held its sec-
ond show at McCormick Place and Mr.
Dubinetz says it "grossed the largest
gate for any unit C&W show ever held
in North America."

So it looks like somewhere around that time in 1965 it flipped to country.

And here, digging a bit more, we find it switched in February 1965:

Quick Appeal Stone Representatives
Inc., New York, noted it "experienced
much less advertiser antagonism than
expected" for WJJD Chicago which
went from a middle-of-the-road to a
country-western format only last Febru-
ary. (Broadcasting October 18, 1965)

There you go! And no Wiki misinformation.

Very nice to have access to primary sources!

 

[davideduardo]

Very nice to have access to primary sources!

Glad you enjoy it!

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

There were a few years, up until the early 1960s, where Daytime and Limited Time stations on Clear Channels like WJJD were able to sign on at 4:00 AM with Day facilities, if there were no interference complaints. As you might expect, a lot of engineers and attorneys were busy trying to stop it. Finally, around 1963, that changed to 6:00 AM, and was generally limited to no more than 500 watts. During this period, WCCW was 1000 watts Day, and was allowed to sign on at 4:00 AM, which allowed it to operate at 1000 watts PSA with David's Public Service Spanish Language programming for Cherry industry seasonal workers, for an hour before Sunrise in the Summer. Shortly after, WCCW was limited to 500 watts Presunrise.

Not sure when WJJD moved from Ballard Rd. near Greenwood Ave. to Ballard Rd. next to I-294, but it was in the early 1960s. Not sure if there were two towers or one and perhaps a drop wire near Greenwood Ave., when they went from 20000 watts nondirectional to 50000 watts directional, protecting KSL 1160 and WISN 1150 to the 20000 watt nondirectional equivalent.

The ARSA Surveys give some of the most accurate information as to when formats changed, and when certain personalities were at certain stations. When formats changed, the Surveys often either stopped or started being published. Sometimes, in house surveys were available when published surveys stopped.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

In the description of his exhibit on ReelRadio.com, disc jockey Sam Hale wrote that KSL, the station that WJJD was required to protect, was off the air during the overnight hours, enabling WJJD to sign on early. But in the month of the aircheck, KSL signed on at 6AM Mountain time (7AM in Chicago). So WJJD had to sign off at 7AM for 15 minutes until Chicago sunrise.

 

[ILOVERADIO]

It flipped in February of 1966 1965 per articles in broadcasting... see my prior post with exact dates and links.

Yes. The book author might have confused the 24/7 Chicago rockers WLS and WCFL. WLS switched to top 40 in 1960. WCFL played jazz and standards until 1965 (though the late night jazz show had Yvonne Daniel’s and Sid McCoy playing all night jazz another 2 years in 1967). Interestingly WJJD switched to country I believe in early 1965, while WCFL switched to rock in late 1965, around November if memory serves me.