WHPT 102.5 (Pre-Bone)

[gamefreak]

I was only in Elementary school but I remember listening to The Point 102.5 as a kid. Clear Channel bought up Paxson in 1998 and I remember C.C than tightened the playlist.

Then in February of 1999 Cox bought up some of the Clear Channel stations. Including WHPT 102.5, In July of 1999 Cox flipped The Point to "The New 102-5, Real Classic Rock." I still remember my moms reaction when she turned on the radio just to hear Guns N Roses,

I always wondered why Cox flipped the station. I remember it was all I listened to as a kid along with Polk County local WPCV. Was it poor ratings or what.

Also I wonder of 102.5 preformed before Bubba and the shift of music into the 90's.

 

[coolaid213]

102.5 was an absolute joke after they flipped it (it still is). Was it really 1999? Whoa... I feel old now. Anywho, Thunder may have lost the war, but they deserved to be the winner. I remember literally every person I knew making "Bone" jokes, usually centered around their 20 song playlist. We even created Bone drinking games. Cox playlists should insult the average persons intelligence, but especially the Bone during this period. They thought they could win by playing the same 20 terrible songs over and over, and they were right apparently ???

Remember those liners they used to play? "We don't play any wimpy music like Thunder, they suck"... and then they'd play some really lame 80's hair ballad. In all actuality The Bone really hasn't changed much, they just replaced some of the hair bands with some grunge bands. Who ever programs Cox's music stations deserves a swift kick... I can only imagine what kind of tone deaf 80's guy came up with the idea to play G&R's Live & Let Die 10 times a day...

 

[dwtpa97]

I even remember when 102.5 was "Quad One-Oh-Two-And-A-Half", quadriphonic album-oriented-rock. I never owned any quad equipment, but format-wise, that was a tremendous station. Great jocks, great music. But times change...

 

[badjef]

When 102.5 was WHVE, Susquahanna moved the antenna from 26th Ave E to Verna and 1,667ft new tower in January 1989. Susquahanna sold to Paxton in late 1991 and early 1992, did one of those obnoxious countdown from 10,000. The calls were changed on 570 and 102.5. 570 took the WHNZ calls and 102.5 took the WHPT calls as "The Point". PT=Point and NZ=News, get it?

Paxton sold to Clear Channel and Clear Channel swapped and sold to Cox when Clear Channel bought Jacor. The CC/Jacor deal changed the landscape of radio from NY to LA and Tampa was included in that deal as the purchase left CC with too many stations per market in some markets, Tampa being one of them. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though there was a falling out between CC and Mason Dixon as 100.7 was a Jacor prop and became a CC prop and Mason was out as they brought the back WMTX calls, previously at 95.7 where Mason was during the Metroplex/CC ownership.

Back to WHPT, when the sale was made for 102.5 to Cox, WDUV went to Cox as well and the Dove intellectual property at 103.5 went to an upgraded 105.5 in New Port Richey. CC kept another version of the Dove for Venice's 92.1 as WDDV. Now the WDDV is on 1450 in Sa-ra-so-ta! and 1320 in Venice but Dove has flown.
103.5 became WTBT with the calls that were at 105.5. 105.5 WKZM moved to 104.3 and Sa-ra-so-ta 105.5 went silent to facilitate the upgrade of New Port Ritchey.

"Thunder 103.5" and "102-5" (I don't remember if they had picked the bone name, yet or if that was after 103.5 went country) went head to head as "Rock that Really Rocks" and "Rock that Seriously Rocks", respectively.
The HD-2s of each are in a private little "war" with each other, now. It is the Rock battle in Tampa Bay, nobody but us geeks know about. I would bet there is nobody on the TV side who even know it is happening. "Thunder 103.5 HD-2" runs limited commercials and I heard Jim Kerr from Q-104.3, earlier - because I have that kind of time.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[badjef]

102.5 was an absolute joke after they flipped it (it still is). Was it really 1999? Whoa... I feel old now. Anywho, Thunder may have lost the war, but they deserved to be the winner. I remember literally every person I knew making "Bone" jokes, usually centered around their 20 song playlist. We even created Bone drinking games. Cox playlists should insult the average persons intelligence, but especially the Bone during this period. They thought they could win by playing the same 20 terrible songs over and over, and they were right apparently ???

Remember those liners they used to play? "We don't play any wimpy music like Thunder, they suck"... and then they'd play some really lame 80's hair ballad. In all actuality The Bone really hasn't changed much, they just replaced some of the hair bands with some grunge bands. Who ever programs Cox's music stations deserves a swift kick... I can only imagine what kind of tone deaf 80's guy came up with the idea to play G&R's Live & Let Die 10 times a day...

Thinking out loud, I wonder if the shorter playlist has to do with the Royalty fees being easier to figure out.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[billalm]

I believe when Cox acquired 102.5 and 101.5, they flipped the all 70's "Coast 107.3" to AAA and moved the personalities to "Jo 101.5". As a result, they flipped 102.5 from AAA to classic rock since they now had the newly created "107.3 The Bay". "The New 102-5" was terrible and everything Cedric says is true about them in that time before the called themselves "The Bone".

 

[badjef]

I believe when Cox acquired 102.5 and 101.5, they flipped the all 70's "Coast 107.3" to AAA and moved the personalities to "Jo 101.5". As a result, they flipped 102.5 from AAA to classic rock since they now had the newly created "107.3 The Bay". "The New 102-5" was terrible and everything Cedric says is true about them in that time before the called themselves "The Bone".

"The Bay" was a joke as well. I used to snore in between "107-3" and "The Bay". I hate the name "Bone". I first heard it in Knoxville, it sounded bad then. And then 102-5 adopted it. It still sounds like a bad name.

What's in a name? Plenty!

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[coolaid213]

Thinking out loud, I wonder if the shorter playlist has to do with the Royalty fees being easier to figure out.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Music licensing fees have gone way up in recent years, so I'm guessing you're right. I know stations generally pay a flat rate annually, but if they're only buying packages with 40 or 50 songs, I'm assuming that's much cheaper.

What music radio has become is absolutely ridiculous... I know they're getting a deal with those music packages, but nobody wants to hear that crap anymore... I'd rather hear them play lots of unsigned bands, instead of the same 40 tired songs that they're willing to pay for.

 

[badjef]

Thinking out loud, I wonder if the shorter playlist has to do with the Royalty fees being easier to figure out.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Music licensing fees have gone way up in recent years, so I'm guessing you're right. I know stations generally pay a flat rate annually, but if they're only buying packages with 40 or 50 songs, I'm assuming that's much cheaper.

What music radio has become is absolutely ridiculous... I know they're getting a deal with those music packages, but nobody wants to hear that crap anymore... I'd rather hear them play lots of unsigned bands, instead of the same 40 tired songs that they're willing to pay for.

You would probably be the music equivalent of a "scab" crossing the picket line for that comment.

I can't blame you, though. I turned on Q-105, this morning because everyplace I turned with a mouth was talking about the Sanford incident and Q-105 was playing Kodachrome, again.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[gamefreak]

So the consenus is that WHPT sucked ever since Cox lauched its Classic Rock format. Well that goes well with my personal opinion that The New 102-5 And The Bone sucked ass. After the format flip my Mom never touched 102.5 again.

Would Rock AC descibe what The Point 102.5 was. I remember as a kid they played Jewel, The Wallflowers, Soul Asylum mixed with The Stones, R.E.M and Springsteen. Good sounding station, wish Tampa had something like that in 2012.

The Bay at 107.3 wasn't bad either. I take it WBBY would also be considered a Rock AC. Sorta like Quality Rock 105.3 in Savannah, Ga, or what was WMMO. Before Cox made it a dumping ground for WHTQ's old music.

Tampa really needs a AAA or a good sounding Rock AC

BTW- I miss listening to Acoustic Sundays, even as a 3rd Grader I really appreiated the music played during that program.

 

[exboardop]

^ pretty much

And the stupid names, I remember the first time I heard they re-named it "the bone", I thought to myself, are you ****ing kidding me? And turned 107.3 into "the eagle", ridiculous.

And as bad as clear channel playlists are, cox's are worse.

 

[inorm99]

WQSR during the mid 70's

I even remember when 102.5 was "Quad One-Oh-Two-And-A-Half", quadriphonic album-oriented-rock. I never owned any quad equipment, but format-wise, that was a tremendous station. Great jocks, great music. But times change...

 

[dwtpa97]

Yes, it was a fantastic station.

 

[rfrus]

How about when 102.5 was WYAK with studio and transmitter at 5th st and Central Avenue in Sarasota. The tower on City Island that is now used by 1450/1280 was the 102.5 tower when it was located in a junk yard on 5th st just west of Central avenue in Sarasota. I was working for WSPB-AM/FM when we bought that tower and moved it to City Island in 1970.

 

[badjef]

How about when 102.5 was WYAK with studio and transmitter at 5th st and Central Avenue in Sarasota. The tower on City Island that is now used by 1450/1280 was the 102.5 tower when it was located in a junk yard on 5th st just west of Central avenue in Sarasota. I was working for WSPB-AM/FM when we bought that tower and moved it to City Island in 1970.

I'm confused:

Where was the 1450 antenna - before City Island?
Was 106.3 separate from 1450?
Was 1220 and 102.5 co-owned?
Was 1220 always at Birky?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[MusicMan11]

annie sommers was the PD at the Bay and hosted the acoustic brunch. Great lady who sadly passed away a couple years ago. Knew her in orlando where i believe she started the acoustic show on WMMO where she was the music director. Loved that show........


RIP annie....

 

[flwfg]

The original tower for 1450 was on the eastern end of where the building used to be on City Island...I have an old photo / post card showing it there..It was a much narrower self supporting tower, and I'm sure one of the reasons going to the 102.5 tower was height as well as width to handle the FM (106.3) antenna better.

When they were together as WQSA am 1220 and WQSR 102.5 FM they were located in the same building on Birkey... Prior to that back in the 60's it was known as WSAF but I'm not sure of location, but might assume it was same as the 2 directional towers were there for quite a while...

 

[rfrus]

The original 1450 tower was only 170 feet and the FM was side mounted. The 102.5 tower was purchased to move the FM higher. I remember very well being out there the night they took the 4-bay, horizontal only, FM antenna off the AM tower. The transmission line between bays was bent while bringing it down and had to be repaired before putting the antenna back up on the new tower.

102.5 had gone silent. WYAK was bought by 1220 WSAF in about 1967 and simulcast WSAF for a while as WSAF-AM/FM. They thought so little of FM that they signed the FM off at sunset along with the AM. When the FM transmitter was struck by lightning, they didnt get it repaired and stopped paying rent on the 102.5 transmitter site on 5th St just West of Central Avenue in Sarasota. Thats when WSPB bought the tower and moved it to City Island.

BTW WSPB signend on December 7, 1939 on 1420 with 250 watts day and 100 watts night. I have the original RCA 250D transmitter. I saved it from being thrown in the dumpster. Its in great condition. Later that year they were allowed to go to 250 watts fulltime. They were moved to 1450 in the great frequency shift in 1941. They were granted 1kw along with all of the other class IV AM stations in 1960 and operated 1kw day, 250 watts night until all Class IV stations were granted 1kw fulltime.