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WRXP - Best NYC Radio Stunt Of All Time?

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

As we prepare to hear what is expected to be a stunting period on 101.9 FM upon the start of Merlin's LMA of the station from Emmis - a period that can last anywhere from a weekend to a fortnight - does anyone want to share their memories of what they feel is the best stunting of a New York City radio station?

The radio geek that I am, my vote would have to be for WKTU during the week of February 6, 1996. After they blew up country WYNY, they simulcasted five different sister stations across the country for five days. (Of course, these days, with Internet radio, such novelty might wear off.)

Second place would be 105.1's "all-Broadway" format before flipping from Mix 105 to Big 105.
 
I don't think there is a stunting period...Maybe over the weekend and monday the launch of the new format (the scenario for Chicago what I read) or it is tommorow: 'boom' there it is.
It's useless to stunt for a couple of weeks when you going news/talk.
 
If 101.9 is going to hit the ground running with their new format before a single on-air personality (outside of Jeff McKay) is announced, then I certainly give Merlin more credit than I originally allotted them.

By the way, a correction in my original post: The "all-Broadway" stunt was actually a precursor to the "Buzz" (WDBZ) format, which, after briefly reinstating their WNSR calls from their 80's heyday, then gave way to Big 105. (I know Anita is probably going to want to kill me for not remembering The Buzz... sorry! ::) )
 
According to the Daily News article this morning there will be music for a couple of weeks. Doesn't say what kind.
 
Well this wasn't a stunt, but when WYNY 103.5 country was on its last day, from 1 pm to 7 pm that Sunday they had the most intense farewell show, except for maybe 77 WABC's last music day. WYNY had all of the hosts come in that Sunday afternoon, everyone said goodbye, some cried, Shelly Sonstein read names of everyone that worked there, even behind the scenes people, Randy Davis did a great job as the host, Dan Daniel was just fabulous.
 
mets18 said:
According to the Daily News article this morning there will be music for a couple of weeks. Doesn't say what kind.
Click to expand...

Music geared to women in their 30s and 40s. Probably sounding like Lite FM.

I think there needs to be a competitor to Arbitron. It obvious that the PPM meters are only accounting for women, various ethnic groups and the plus 50 crowd,. Younger folks under 50 that our white males or non-ethnic minority groups are clearly under represented. Secondly the ones wearing the meters I suspect are mildly retarded and love hearing the same beat to death songs no matter the format. For example who are these idiots giving Q-104.3 such high ratings. I love classic rock to but that is one painful listen.

As far as stunting, I think the worst stunt was X-107. Before going all Spanish they played old commercials for days it seemed.
 
Who was it that did hours and hours of just a heartbeat? Maybe Howard Stern just before startup at Sirius. In any case 101.9 will kill off all their present listeners so they can do two weeks of bird calls and no one will care. Their new target is said to be MILF's (Soccer Moms) in their 30's and 40's. A couple weeks of wall to wall 70's Disco would hold them until the talk starts and then they'll go back to PLJ. This reminds me of the WQIV 4 channel stereo waste of time. LOL
 
Ejxit said:
Who was it that did hours and hours of just a heartbeat? Maybe Howard Stern just before startup at Sirius. In any case 101.9 will kill off all their present listeners so they can do two weeks of bird calls and no one will care. Their new target is said to be MILF's (Soccer Moms) in their 30's and 40's. A couple weeks of wall to wall 70's Disco would hold them until the talk starts and then they'll go back to PLJ. This reminds me of the WQIV 4 channel stereo waste of time. LOL
Click to expand...

That's exactly what 103.5 KTU did before they debuted on that frequency. Before that they spent the week simulcasting stations from elsewhere in the country.
 
"Who was it that did hours and hours of just a heartbeat?"

That's a classic stunt that stations all over the country have used in past format flips. Then there's the ticking clock that went to a cuckoo clock striking the top of the hour just as the new format officially kicked off. One station in Toronto that was switching from CHR to all-news bowed out by playing, in order from the beginning to the end, every song that ever hit #1 on their charts over the 20+ years they played the hits. Then at 6 AM on the appointed day the news started, and it's never stopped since (they've done much better as a newser than as a hit machine). They did NOT do what WINS allegedly did in April of 1965 at the end of its music programming, say "we'll be back with more music right after the news"...incidentally, I've heard a lot of airchecks of WINS' last day as a music station and never heard that line--did anyone there actually say that on the air or is that an urban legend?

The classiest end to a format remains WABC's swan song with Dan Ingram and Ron Lundy on May 10, 1982--nothing will beat that for warmth, poignancy or nostalgia.
 
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