1
#1vo
Guest
WIRK-FM celebrates 35 years as country next month (Sept 9 or thereabouts). Laudable feat to have pretty much the same format since 1973.
Original Staff was:
Barry Grant - mornings
Randy Marsh - mid days
Dave Roberts pd and afternoons
Gene Evans evenings
Automation overnights
As I recall it was the defining event that began the decline of AM in the Palm Beaches. Up to then the AM country stations (WEAT, WLIZ , WSWN - Belle Glade and some out of market AM's) had a big chunk of the ratings and the revenue.
Dave Roberts put together a Country music station with a less talk more music approach on a station with a killer signal 24 hours a day (all three AM's had night time issues ) and within a year "The Country "K"" was number 1.
At the same time, WIRK-AM was going through the p.d. of the month club, lowering the bar of entry for jocks and watching their once stellar ratings tumble.
Owners Rome Hartman and Joe Fields poured more promotion money into the FM, sales took off, (I think it was around that time that the stations hit their first $1,000,000 in annual revenue.), and WIRK-FM became a monster.
Original Staff was:
Barry Grant - mornings
Randy Marsh - mid days
Dave Roberts pd and afternoons
Gene Evans evenings
Automation overnights
As I recall it was the defining event that began the decline of AM in the Palm Beaches. Up to then the AM country stations (WEAT, WLIZ , WSWN - Belle Glade and some out of market AM's) had a big chunk of the ratings and the revenue.
Dave Roberts put together a Country music station with a less talk more music approach on a station with a killer signal 24 hours a day (all three AM's had night time issues ) and within a year "The Country "K"" was number 1.
At the same time, WIRK-AM was going through the p.d. of the month club, lowering the bar of entry for jocks and watching their once stellar ratings tumble.
Owners Rome Hartman and Joe Fields poured more promotion money into the FM, sales took off, (I think it was around that time that the stations hit their first $1,000,000 in annual revenue.), and WIRK-FM became a monster.