Worst blunders in Cincinnati radio history

[keys2]

I do laugh. If you did hear it, it had to be a joke.

"Bad Girls" was released in May of 1979. That's exactly when WEBN had just made a major shift to rock even harder than before. Spring 1979 was when WEBN hired famous consultant Lee Abrams, dropped artists like Joni Mitchell, John Denver, Randy Newman, America, Carole King, etc. from its playlist, and started using the slogan "The Rock & Roll Station."

This was also when they hired an artist to create a new logo for the call letters. The familiar WEBN logo we all know today, and the commitment to play an even higher percentage of hard rock, happened at precisely the time "Bad Girls" came out. If you heard that song on WEBN, it was played as a gag.

That was when 94.1 SAI-FM was starting to clean EBN's clock. WEBN had been stuck in their eclectic early to mid-70s sound playing a lot of that folky, dopey music that they were so fond of. Along came SAI-FM with a tight, upbeat, more rock-oriented AOR sound and it quickly caught on. The station was originally programmed by Tom Owens I believe (who eventually ended up at EBN).

Similar thing happened in Columbus when Q-FM-96 came along and forced the old, eclectic rocker WCOL-FM out of the format. Here in Cincy WEBN was smarter. They quickly got back on track and sometime in the early 80s SAI-FM went country, eventually changing calls to WKXF.

 

[NoWayNoCC]

Taft has a Federal tradmark/copyright on "Q102" and never enforced it.

Back in the '70s they couldn't have enforced it. Nowadays, any corporation can go crying to the courts because some station in some other market "steals" "their" name (even if the name wasn't already being used in that market). Not so 30 years ago.

 

[wolfgang]

I have a current blunder....Alan Cutler.....eeeeesshhhhhh

 

[gr8oldies]

In the early 80s, WKRQ successfully got WIMA-FM (I think WIMQ) to stop using "Q102". It became WIMT and "T102".

 

[radioboymark]

Taft has a Federal tradmark/copyright on "Q102" and never enforced it.

Back in the '70s they couldn't have enforced it. Nowadays, any corporation can go crying to the courts because some station in some other market "steals" "their" name (even if the name wasn't already being used in that market). Not so 30 years ago.

On this point, you are wrong. Programming at WKRQ had convinced sales and mgt. that to properly sell the station, they had to have sole ownership of the brand. Somewhere in the files of WKRQ Radio, there is a Federal Trademark Registration for use of "Q102" as a slogan or brandname for radio broadcasting purposes. This was and still is enforceable, unless the owners allowed it to lapse. It is my understanding that the owner of a Federal Trademark Registration can get a summary judgement over just about any disputed use, unless the other party can somehow show prior use. Only then, it would be allowed in some smaller geographic area.

Doesn't CC have the same registration for the term "KISS" as a radio brandname?

 

[NoWayNoCC]

In the early 80s, WKRQ successfully got WIMA-FM (I think WIMQ) to stop using "Q102". It became WIMT and "T102".

That's because there may have been some very, very small signal overlap. (They were both pretty strong stations.)

 

[Rusty Muck]

Doesn't CC have the same registration for the term "KISS" as a radio brandname?

They do. But Gannett was the one who trademarked "Kiss-FM" from KIIS A/F in LA. When Jacor bought the station, they inherited the TM. But KIIS was already being simulcast on two other stations in the region at the time (which still is the case today), and that started after KIIS-AM became "Xtra Sports 1150."

CC has enforced the Kiss TM before. Back in 1999 in the Cleveland market, Radio One converted newly acquired alt-rocker WENZ/107.9 to hip-hop as "Kiss 107.9" and promised new calls. Two weeks later, CC flipped rimshot CCM WZLE/104.9 to "Kiss 104.9," and then started the fight. Because "Kiss-FM"s were already in Dayton and Cincinnati (and was supposed to be put on sister station WMMS/100.7 several months earlier, but didn't), CC claimed use of the brand name in Ohio.

After four months, Radio One gave up. "Kiss 107.9" became "Z-1079" and kept the WENZ calls. WZLE became WAKS and soon migrated to the most powerful FM signal in town on 96.5...

- Nathan Obral

 

[jcs]

Re: Huge blunder in Dayton Radio...

I'm not sure how many years it's been for sure, maybe five...Mix 107.7 WMMX did an evening show, back when they were still live. They promoted it as something like "The best party songs". It ran from 7-Midnight, seven days a week. I don't know how many songs were used for the five hour show, but you would actually hear a few repeat during the same show, and then hear it again the following night. And none of these songs were current. They were all like 70's and early 80s songs. They did it for three months or so. Anybody recall this horrible bit of radio?

KingOfNoMedia, are you thinking of WMMX's "Dance Party" starring Rick LaBeau (sounds like an old Bengals coach!) every Saturday night at 9?

 

[jcs]

Here are mine:

1. WAQZ 97.3 airing Howard Stern from 2001-06
2. WCKY 1530 switching from nostalgia to oldies in late 2002 or early 2003
3. WCKY 1530 switching from oldies to liberal talk radio sometime after #2
4. WPFB 910 (Middletown) switching from nostalgia to talk May 8, 2002
5. WMOH 1450 (Hamilton) going from being a community station to an ESPN affiliate
6. WEBN 102.7 not caving in to a certain decency group's demands to clean up the station (some of you may disagree, but there are people with morals, don't you know!)

 

[FM AM]

Here are mine:
6. WEBN 102.7 not caving in to a certain decency group's demands to clean up the station (some of you may disagree, but there are people with morals, don't you know!)

No need....Just like you and me, so-called "people with morals" have pre-sets and on/off switches on their radios, too.

 

[RATCISDJ94]

Casey..."one of America's 5,823 truly great night time disc jockey's"...Casey was truly entertaining much like Jon R. W. Whalen. Casey would later appear on The Dating Game.

Scott did AM drive for Yes 95. Initially they had the following line up:

Jim Scott - 6 AM to 10 AM
Doug Silver - 10 AM to 2 PM
"Fast" Eddie Coyle - 2PM to 6PM
(Female voice...don't recall name) 6PM - 10PM
Bill Jeffries - 10PM to 2PM
Barry James - 2PM to 6 AM

Great moments in Cincinnati Radio History:

Casey Petrowkski
YES 95 - didn't Jim Scott do mornings?
WEBN playing DISCO in the late 70's ("I'm Robin Wood.. here's Donna Summer with Bad Girls on WEBN" - don't laugh I heard it)
and then the all disco station (I think it was 103.5) with Pat Barry doing afternoons.

Pat's last day at Q102.. leaves an old pair of shoes in Mark Sebastian's box with the note: "Just try to fill these!"

WEBN suing WKRQ because it wasn't 102, it was 101.9 FM.

The biggest blunder though was never on air. Taft has a Federal tradmark/copyright on "Q102" and never enforced it.

 

[Toddy-0]

Q102 trademark issue, from the USPTO.GOV website:
Word Mark Q102
Goods and Services IC 038. US 104. G & S: RADIO BROADCASTING SERVICES. FIRST USE: 19750701. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19750701
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Design Search Code
Serial Number 73100566
Filing Date September 21, 1976
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Registration Number 1071619
Registration Date August 16, 1977
Owner (REGISTRANT) TAFT BROADCASTING COMPANY CORPORATION DELAWARE RADIO STATION WKRQ 1906 HIGHLAND AVE. CINCINNATI OHIO 45219
(LAST LISTED OWNER) AMERICAN RADIO SYSTEMS CORPORATION CORPORATION ASSIGNEE OF DELAWARE 116 HUNTINGTON AVENUE BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS 02116

Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record ELISA P ROSEN
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 8 (6-YR).
Renewal 1ST RENEWAL 19980619
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

and now some of the former uses of "Q102" in any form:

Word Mark Q102 PHILADELPHIA
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 037. US 104. G & S: RADIO BROADCASTING SERVICES. FIRST USE: 19890320. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19890320
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 01.15.02 - Electricity; Lightning; Sparks (jagged lines)
26.05.02 - Plain single line triangles; Triangles, plain single line
27.03.05 - Objects forming letters or numerals
Serial Number 73812639
Filing Date July 13, 1989
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Owner (APPLICANT) PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTING INCORPORATED CORPORATION VIRGINIA 10800 MAIN STREET FAIRFAX VIRGINIA 22030
Attorney of Record RICHARD K. OLSON, JR.
Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE "PHILADELPHIA", "102", AND "Q" APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date January 25, 1991

Word Mark PEACE ON THE STREETS Q102
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 038. US 104. G & S: radio broadcasting services. FIRST USE: 19920501. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19920501
(ABANDONED) IC 042. US 100. G & S: promoting the public awareness relating to the elimination of crime and violence. FIRST USE: 19920501. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19920501

Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 07.11.09 - Brick walls; Fences (including barbed wire and chain link); Garden equipment, fencing; Gates; Walls
26.17.13 - Letters or words underlined and/or overlined by one or more strokes or lines; Overlined words or letters; Underlined words or letters
Serial Number 74392159
Filing Date May 19, 1993
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Owner (APPLICANT) PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTING, INCORPORATED CORPORATION 10800 Main Street Fairfax VIRGINIA 22030
Attorney of Record Nelson Blitz
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date September 11, 1995

 

[jcmccoy]

That female voice in Yes 95's lineup was some chick named Michelle- and I cant even believe I remembered that!

 

[RATCISDJ94]

Thanks JC....In about 83 or so the station would change format from CHR to A/C and calls to WLLT...The New W-Lite.

What stood out to me about Yes 95 was how Heftel seemingly spared no expense. A solid line up of DJ's and I believe they did a million dollar giveaway to kick things off when they first went on the air. The sound quality was very clean but still loud.

Their competitor Q102 seemed to have a harder compression ratio, more reverb (announcer mike) and some of their music was dubbed to cart after increasing the pitch control on some of the songs (perhaps to make the songs more exciting and to fit more music into a given hour or qtr. hour. The Q also had a solid airstaff.

It was interesting to listen back and forth between The Q and Yes 95 to see what each was doing to compete.

That female voice in Yes 95's lineup was some chick named Michelle- and I cant even believe I remembered that!

 

[Toddy-0]

And W-Lite, broadcasting from the old French-Bauer building, would be the sponsor of.....Lite-Up Cincinnati!

 

[FRR]

Taking Dusty off WSAI and putting Springer on.

 

[jcr]

Ken Rogers was the original morning voice on YES 95 when it signed on in August of 1980, Jim Scott did not arrive at YES 95 until March of 1981. Pat O'Brien from Q102 was hired as the original operations manager for YES 95

 

[RATCISDJ94]

Yep, your right about Ken. I'd forgotten him. Where did he end up?

Ken Rogers was the original morning voice on YES 95 when it signed on in August of 1980, Jim Scott did not arrive at YES 95 until March of 1981. Pat O'Brien from Q102 was hired as the original operations manager for YES 95

 

[jcr]

440.com shows him under Eddie Rogers, and he eventually went to work for the Ford Motor Company

 

[gr8oldies]

Pat Holiday (formerly of CKLW, now running CHUM) was in Cincy around that time, as I recall. Was that Yes 95 or somewhere else?