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WTTS History.... Previous formats...Need Input from those who know

M

Mid West Clubber

Guest
First and foremost 92.3 had a COUNTRY format as WGCT,,,, They later changed the calls to WTTS and had a CHR format with a slight adult lean. In the late 80s they changed the name to Power 92- A CHR with a slight Rock lean,,, then they went full on Hard Rock and changed the name to Rock 92, that lasted awhile, but then they changed to a Progressive Rock format, which I beleive morphed into the current AAA format..... Am I up to speed on everything, did I leave anything out? I miss the Power 92 days... Was TTS the station that had THE POWER SOURCE sweepers, or was that Power 103 WPFR in Terre Haute?
 
Mid West Clubber said:
First and foremost 92.3 had a COUNTRY format as WGCT,,,, They later changed the calls to WTTS and had a CHR format with a slight adult lean. In the late 80s they changed the name to Power 92- A CHR with a slight Rock lean,,, then they went full on Hard Rock and changed the name to Rock 92, that lasted awhile, but then they changed to a Progressive Rock format, which I beleive morphed into the current AAA format..... Am I up to speed on everything, did I leave anything out? I miss the Power 92 days...
Click to expand...

To nitpick: (OK, partially nitpick - dates are approximate and from memory. ;D )

WTTS Call Letters History
AM 1450 (1949-51), ABC affiliate
AM 1370 (1951-84), ABC affiliate (Entertainment network starting in 1967). MOR with Top 40 at night starting in 1968.
FM 92.3 (1984-present), various rock formats (you locals can tell me what kind and when).

92.3 MHz History
WTTV-FM (1960-81), ABC affiliate (FM network 1967-81). Simulcasted with WTTS until 1967, separate adult standards format thereafter.
WGTC (1981-84), country music. Call letters and format moved to AM 1370, 1984-88.
WTTS (1984-present)
 
I remember visiting Bloomington in 1988 and hearing WTTS. It was strongly rock-leaning top 40. I noticed WTTS didn't play much Michael Jackson even though he was very popular at the time. If it played an oldie, it would be something like "Back On The Chain Gang" or even "Light My Fire."

I'd say it was about like WOKI Knoxville of the late '80s/early '90s.
 
Yeah, when they were Power 92 they didnt play anything too rhythmic or too soft. I dont even think they played much Paula Abdul and New Kids on the Block when they were popular. They did play stuff like Richard Marx and Phil Colins, that kinda AC-POP-Rock, but they played alot of Hard Rock too, lots of Guns n Roses, and Aerosmith back then. I think they were trying to be different from WBWB which had a Rhythmic-Dance lean at the time, Power 92 was very similar to WOKI Knoxville, and also WKSF Asheville.
 
I always found it interesting that Bloomington was allowed to have 2 top 40's at the time, while Cincinnati was permitted to have only one. And that's with Bloomington having so few signals overall, even for a city of its size.

Cincinnati was truly AC hell.
 
I worked at WTTS-AM in 1979 when it was owned by Sarkes Tarzian. The format was disco. No kidding. We played all music (and some spots) off ancient turntables. WGTC-FM was automated country. I remember that because the AM jocks had to change out the giant reels in the machines. The station was consulted by Jon Horton, who also supplied jocks to local clubs like Ye Olde Regulator on Walnut Ave.

Best I can recall, the staff included:
GM Charlotte Webb (sweetest lady ever)
PD Dave Nathan
Mornings with Joel Widdows
Plus Rick Allen, Walt Ferber, and me Eric Egan (Eric Page)

I know I'm missing several people, but hey, that was almost thirty years (and 30 stations) ago for me! WTTS-AM was number one in Bloomington during that era. What a blast.
 
Is Walt still in Jasper? He worked at WTTS after WWWY in Columbus.
 
Yeah, I guess Walt is still at WITZ in Jasper. He should be the grand poobah by now. Haven't talked to him since I was at WLW and contacted him for some Scott Rolen info for my Reds pre-game show. He thought I was pulling his leg till I bought up WTTS. He was commuting from Jasper (maybe) to Bloomington for that shift. His show followed mine. Funny how you remember some people. I can't always recall the names of people that've been on my morning shows.
 
Walt is a great guy. That drive from Jasper, in fact anywhere in Southwest Indiana, to Bloomington seems to take forever.

Other WTTS alumni that come to mind include Kevin Osborne who left TTS for 96STO in 1990 and returned to Bloomington eight years later to program B97. Also, Mike Fleming was CE there around the same time. Oz's advantage to getting the STO gig was Fleming returning to CE duties at WVJS/WSTO and recommending Oz for the opening.
 
1979 was a great time to be on the air in Bloomington. The movie "Breaking Away" had just been filmed and the rock quarries had been scrubbed of most of the graffiti. We used to all go skinny dipping at sunrise after we'd closed the Regulator. It was the summer Bob Knight punched a cop in Puerto Rico and "Free Bobby Knight" t-shirts were everywhere. Ray Tolbert, Kevin McHale, Kyle Macy and some of the other players on the Pan-Am team closed down the Reg with us one night. I ran the board for a couple of the tune-up games on WTTS. The Eagles also played Assembly Hall that year at $12 a ticket and Eric Clapton was at Market Square Arena. I was an 18 yr. old freshman with a two bedroom apt. on Terry Ln. Good times.
 
I worked at WTTS from 1989-1996. It went from Rock 92 to 92.3 WTTS (AAA format). What a blast it was to work there back in the day.
During my time there I got to jock alongside Rich Anton, Rockin' Robin, Downtown Johnny, Tom Roznowski, Sam Stock (rest in peace), Dave Mac (rest in peace), Kirk Ardery, Jimi Hurley, and Jason Pizzle. I hosted a few shows from Overeasy to the Rock Diner to the Hoosier Daily Three to Brave New World (Thrash Thursdays!). We had a gigantic boombox that we used to throw Rock 92 t-shirts off of during events...the days when stations had budgets to have lots of t-shirts! I got the chance to fly to London with Downtown Johnny and broadcast from the Reading Music Festival...it was sponsored by Budweiser...I don't remember much...just that I had a blast!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane...Pam Thrash
 
Cheif: Walt is on Indiana Sports Talk every weekend -- still doing play-by-play at WITZ.
 
Pager said:
... 1979 ... WGTC-FM was automated country.
Click to expand...

I thought I remembered them being GTC earlier than 1981. I worked at a station that got an "over the air" feed for I U games from 92.3 in 1976 and 77.
 
ten_four said:
Pager said:
... 1979 ... WGTC-FM was automated country.
Click to expand...

I thought I remembered them being GTC earlier than 1981. I worked at a station that got an "over the air" feed for I U games from 92.3 in 1976 and 77.
Click to expand...

The WGTC callsign in the CDBS database entry for WTTS has no date, so I was going from memory. If it was other than 1981, then I stand corrected.
 
I remember driving from Paoli one year and WTTS was pretty much full service/AC playing Elvis' "Moody Blue" shortly after he passsed away. Pretty mush a "down home" flavor of WOWO-styled programming back then.
 
My favorite TTS era was the late 80's..."Power Hits & Power Classics". Nice mix of new and old rock.
 
pamthrash said:
I worked at WTTS from 1989-1996. It went from Rock 92 to 92.3 WTTS (AAA format). What a blast it was to work there back in the day.
I got the chance to fly to London with Downtown Johnny and broadcast from the Reading Music Festival...it was sponsored by Budweiser...I don't remember much...just that I had a blast!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane...Pam Thrash
Click to expand...

Anyone know the whereabouts of Downtown Johnny? Last I knew he was in sales at WGRR Cincinnati.
I had the opportunity to work with him early in his career.
 
WCBKscott said:
My favorite TTS era was the late 80's..."Power Hits & Power Classics". Nice mix of new and old rock.
Click to expand...
Hey Scott, I noticed your at WCBK, its nice to see another Martinsville resident on this board. That was also my favorite era of WTTS, when they were Power 92, a Rock leaned Top 40. I barely remember the Power Hits and Power Classics slogan, but its starting to ring a bell. As you know WTTS puts one heck of a signal into Martinsville, it has a stronger signal here than it does in Indy or Bloomington, it has always melted your antenna here with their powerful signal. Probably the strongest FM in Martinsville next to WCBK.
 
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