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WZNS 92.9 Dillon SC Z 93 July 1992
- Thread starter stevations
- Start date
That was back when Z93 was still rockin' pretty good, but would slowly start to ease off the harder rock and slowly start to sound more like what today's rock oriented classic hits stations sound like... Scott has lots of stories about Z!!!! CC
C
CarolinaFM
Guest
everyone who worked at Z93 has lots of stories....what year did they change from AC to rock?
CarolinaFM said:...everyone who worked at Z93 has lots of stories....
Ain't THAT the damn truth. ;D
If memory serves me correct Z93 signed on Labor day weekend 1991, but they were dark for some time before they changed formats... I am thinking and Scott can correct me since he more then likely knows more, but WEGX signed on April of 1994, but just like Z93 Eagle started out with new format since they were off the air... CC1
S
Scooter Lesley
Guest
OK...no holdin' back! I like to tell my stories, but I also like to read other stories, from markets, other than GSP, especially if they involve Sales People or Consultants.
Let's Roll!
Let's Roll!
CrazeeCarroll1 said:If memory serves me correct Z93 signed on Labor day weekend 1991, but they were dark for some time before they changed formats... I am thinking and Scott can correct me since he more then likely knows more, but WEGX signed on April of 1994, but just like Z93 Eagle started out with new format since they were off the air... CC1
Hi CC,
Z93 existed before the Rock format. Here is a short clip of them on YouTube during their Hot AC or AC days from 1989.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3PzwP_Ozy8&feature=relmfu
BTW: I could have sworn that they were Top 40 or close to it sometime during the late 80s.
Robyn
hey Robyn you are correct... Z93 started out as AC in Feb or March of 86. They must have used the same music service that WSCQ used at that time because the mix was right with each other with both stations pretty much playing the same songs in order of each other... They bragged about being the most powerful station in Eastern SC. I am not sure about YOP 40, but I know near the end of z93 they were actually using some sort of satellite country format before going silent right around or after Hugo came through..... Z was silent till around August of 91 when testing started for the launch of the rock version of Z93. The launch of Z93 was labor day weekend and the rest was history... CC
I don't think so. I remember hearing Barbra Streisand during the early days of their tall tower.RobynWattsV2.0 said:CrazeeCarroll1 said:If memory serves me correct Z93 signed on Labor day weekend 1991, but they were dark for some time before they changed formats... I am thinking and Scott can correct me since he more then likely knows more, but WEGX signed on April of 1994, but just like Z93 Eagle started out with new format since they were off the air... CC1
Hi CC,
Z93 existed before the Rock format. Here is a short clip of them on YouTube during their Hot AC or AC days from 1989.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3PzwP_Ozy8&feature=relmfu
BTW: I could have sworn that they were Top 40 or close to it sometime during the late 80s.
Robyn
Then WGFG went country and I don't know whether the Florence area had any soft music. Maybe WJMX-AM. But I couldn't hear Joy 92 due to a religious station. I called the 800 number after hearing "Shout" by Tears for Fears and the DJ said they were Hot AC. Amazing what was "hot" back then. When I mentioned Streisand, the DJ said something about some worthless duet (my opinion) with Don Johnson. Anyway, I didn't live there, so it wasn't a big deal.
"Toy Solders" by Martika was the only other song I remember. That actually seems very conservative now.
C
CarolinaFM
Guest
ok, here's a story from 88 or 89. Kent Compton was one of the jocks at Z-93...this is when they were AC. For a summer promotion, they were giving away a souped up Camaro..20k car back in those days...pretty nice for a station in Dillon, SC. The station was owned by the infamous Ellek Seymour, owner of Resort Broadcasting. Anyone who worked there still refers to it as Last Resort Broadcasting. Seymour would not only dark this 100k fm, but also the freaking flagship station of the Baltimore Orioles, a legendary station. His ownership is where most of the best stories come from.
He was a shady and scary guy. So the station had spent the summer giving away 93 keys. On the chosen date, probably Labor Day weekend, all the key winners met at a hotel in Myrtle Beach. Everyone got a chance to start the car with their key...whoever did, won the car. The contest was rigged of course...everyone drew a number, and the winning key was under 72 or 73...the GM was bragging while telling me this..he was excited about how it would be very dramatic and be a big event. We didn't know who would win, but we knew the first 70 weren't going to start the car.
So Kent is doing his big show, live remote, the car is parked by the pool, and it's a huge event...93 winners with friends and family all crowed around. So, somewhere around 56, the car starts. Kent didn't know the number that was supposed to win, so he carries on, telling everyone to cheer. I look over at the GM...his name was Mark, can't remember his last name...and he's got this crazy look on his face like..."what went wrong". No biggie, doesn't matter, until the person turns the car off.
Kent runs up to the person in the car and says..."NO NO, turn it on, rev it up!!!!!!" and that is where the problem started.
The key wouldn't start the car again. It was one of those weird things where the previous key had lifted just enough tumblers or whatever in the ignition, and when the second key went in, it started. But after being turned off, the lock reset, and the car wouldn't start. Now the crowd starts mumbling and the station staff are pissing their pants, and some genius says well let's continue with the other keys and see if any start it. Of course the GM knows that one is going to.
So sure enough, at 72, the car starts up. Kent tells the guy to turn the car off and start it again. It does. So Kent says this guy is the winner.
But the first winner says, hey, the rules stated if the key starts the car, they win it, and sure enough, her key did in fact start the car...at least once. There was no rule about how many times!
The crowd is growing angry, the GM's head is looking like it's going to explode, and Kent is tap dancing.
Seymour wasn't there, but his wife was...she and the GM go around behind a building to talk about what to do. To kill time, Kent announces "we're going to have a key-off!" He brings both winners back up and lets them try again. Of course, one key starts the car, the other doesn't, but it doesn't really solve the problem.
Finally, the GM, his face white as a ghost, emerges and goes to Kent, who announces "Both will get a new car!" The crowd cheers, and everyone is happy.
Until the next week, when the winner who's key doesn't start the Camero, finds out she's getting an 8000 dollar Chevy Malibu, or something of that nature. That's when the lawyers got involved.
And none of that would have happened if Kent hadn't told the first winner to start the car again.
Amazingly, Ellek didn't fire anyone involved in that incident for a few months. But everyone involved eventually got the ax, including his wife, who he divorced.
He was a shady and scary guy. So the station had spent the summer giving away 93 keys. On the chosen date, probably Labor Day weekend, all the key winners met at a hotel in Myrtle Beach. Everyone got a chance to start the car with their key...whoever did, won the car. The contest was rigged of course...everyone drew a number, and the winning key was under 72 or 73...the GM was bragging while telling me this..he was excited about how it would be very dramatic and be a big event. We didn't know who would win, but we knew the first 70 weren't going to start the car.
So Kent is doing his big show, live remote, the car is parked by the pool, and it's a huge event...93 winners with friends and family all crowed around. So, somewhere around 56, the car starts. Kent didn't know the number that was supposed to win, so he carries on, telling everyone to cheer. I look over at the GM...his name was Mark, can't remember his last name...and he's got this crazy look on his face like..."what went wrong". No biggie, doesn't matter, until the person turns the car off.
Kent runs up to the person in the car and says..."NO NO, turn it on, rev it up!!!!!!" and that is where the problem started.
The key wouldn't start the car again. It was one of those weird things where the previous key had lifted just enough tumblers or whatever in the ignition, and when the second key went in, it started. But after being turned off, the lock reset, and the car wouldn't start. Now the crowd starts mumbling and the station staff are pissing their pants, and some genius says well let's continue with the other keys and see if any start it. Of course the GM knows that one is going to.
So sure enough, at 72, the car starts up. Kent tells the guy to turn the car off and start it again. It does. So Kent says this guy is the winner.
But the first winner says, hey, the rules stated if the key starts the car, they win it, and sure enough, her key did in fact start the car...at least once. There was no rule about how many times!
The crowd is growing angry, the GM's head is looking like it's going to explode, and Kent is tap dancing.
Seymour wasn't there, but his wife was...she and the GM go around behind a building to talk about what to do. To kill time, Kent announces "we're going to have a key-off!" He brings both winners back up and lets them try again. Of course, one key starts the car, the other doesn't, but it doesn't really solve the problem.
Finally, the GM, his face white as a ghost, emerges and goes to Kent, who announces "Both will get a new car!" The crowd cheers, and everyone is happy.
Until the next week, when the winner who's key doesn't start the Camero, finds out she's getting an 8000 dollar Chevy Malibu, or something of that nature. That's when the lawyers got involved.
And none of that would have happened if Kent hadn't told the first winner to start the car again.
Amazingly, Ellek didn't fire anyone involved in that incident for a few months. But everyone involved eventually got the ax, including his wife, who he divorced.
That would have been a great episode for the WKRP TV show!
I was thinking of the episode where Les and Herb gave the 5,000.00 to the wrong person and then the right guy showed up and they had egg all over their faces. As I recall one of the funnier episodes on that show and the ironic thing is that I have heard thos kinds of shenanigans on stations I have listened to.
CarolinaFM said:ok, here's a story from 88 or 89. Kent Compton was one of the jocks at Z-93...
Lol. Classic. I know Kent, even though I haven't talked with him in YEARS. Good people. And, you know, I'd actually heard that story from Kent back when I did mornings at WRCQ in 93 and we simulcasted the RCQ morning show on Z. It was an abridged version of the story and he didn't mention he was one of the principle characters. Now I know why. ;D
And you're right...any and everyone that ever worked at WZNS has stories about the place...myself included. Some require therapy.
Anybody got a status on Kent nowadays?
C
CarolinaFM
Guest
I used to hear his voice doing Piggly Wiggly commercials on tv, but it's been a while.
Hope he's ok, you're right, he's good people.
Hope he's ok, you're right, he's good people.
- Status
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