Wow, 2 oldies/top-40 stations changed.

[psiu]

Linkyroo

New York and Chicago stations owned by Infinity broadcasting.

Combined 54 years in the previous format.

From article:

Oldies Are a Thing of Past at Top Station

Sat Jun 04, 1:25 PM ET

It's the day the music died. WCBS-FM, the top oldies station in the nation for more than three decades, stunned its legion of listeners by abruptly switching formats this weekend.

Goodbye, Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys.

Hello, Duran Duran and Jet.

"I'm sure this move angered and bewildered its listeners," said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. "A lot of people punched in WCBS-FM, heard Pink's `Get The Party Started,' and said `Something's wrong with my radio.'"

The station had switched to an oldies format in 1972, initially as a bastion for the doo-wop sounds of the '50s. Although the playlist changed over the years, WCBS-FM always remained the outpost for classic Top 40 radio in the nation's largest radio market.

ADVERTISEMENT
It was also the home to many of New York's legendary Top 40 DJs, including "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, Harry Harrison, Dan Ingram and Norm N. Nite.

Radio formats came and went disco, punk, hip-hop, talk, sports talk but WCBS-FM remained unchanged, a warm and welcoming presence at 101.1 on the FM dial.

The station's new format is called "Jack," an eclectic mix of hit music from the '70s through the present. The station's owner, Infinity Broadcasting, made the same format shift Friday at its Chicago oldies station, WJMK-FM, where classic Top 40 had aired for the past 21 years.

"We did a lot of market research and found a hole in the market that wasn't being served by any other station," said Chad Brown, WCBS-FM vice president and general manager.

There are currently about a dozen stations nationally using the Jack format.

"Youth must be served," Taylor said about the changes. "If you look at a lot of media, older Americans aren't important unless you're selling Craftmatic beds."

At 5 p.m. Friday, just as Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" faded out, WCBS listeners heard a voice announce: "Why don't we play what we want? There's a whole world of songs out there."

The first song played on the new 'CBS-FM: "Fight for Your Right" by the Beastie Boys.

Until that moment, there were no indications of any imminent change at the station. Earlier in the day, morning show host Mickey Dolenz yes, the former Monkees drummer celebrated his 100th show with the station by hosting a live broadcast from B.B. King's Blues Club just off Times Square.

In the winter 2005 Arbitron ratings, WCBS-FM was ranked eighth among the city's stations a strong showing, but apparently not strong enough.

 

[notfred]

ok.

 

[squeeg22]

I turned on the radio in my truck last night and thought my radio was getting the wrong station. I'm a Chicago resident and will miss the oldies station. I can't believe they pulled it without warning. Now we have another station that is going to play the same old top 40 crap that all the other stations have. Is it time for XM? Or just stick with CDs/MP3's?

 

[CrackRabbit]

It least it didn't change to Tejano.
*grumble grumble* fvcking clear channel *grumble grumble*

On another note, there will be a competitor that notices a hole left in the market by the change of a giant and will usualy fill the hole fairly quickly.

 

[BigJ]

My father was PISSED. They had a lot of loyal listeners, and this move outraged a lot of people.

 

[Megatomic]

When I lived in the Richmond area of VA I was a loyal listener of a modern rock station called "The Buzz". They had some pretty extreme DJs and played really good music. One day I drove to work listening to my favorite morning show dudes and all was well. When I drove home I was greeted by the sound of "construction". My beloved station had reformatted into cRAP. :| Oh was I pissed. The management of the station hid from their betrayed listeners and their phone lines basically suffered from a DOS attack. But that changed nothing. Two weeks later cRAP was spewing from their antenna.

My consolation? They changed formats a few months later to something else. But a new modern rock station had already sprung up and taken over. :evil:

 

[chuckywang]

 

[thomsbrain]

infinity has no more heart than clear channel

 

[jagec]

"...[An] eclectic mix of hit music from the '70s through the present....
"We did a lot of market research and found a hole in the market that wasn't being served by any other station,"

It seems to me that EVERY oldies station usually plays hit music from the 70's to the present...

 

[Megatomic]

We have a station like that here but it didn't supplant any other established station. It's pretty good, I listen to it when my modern rock station is playing Loveline in the evenings.

ps - I fvcking hate Loveline. I wish that show would just die.

 

[aphex]

We did a lot of market research and found a hole in the market that wasn't being served by any other station,

Right, like there's no other stations that play pink. :roll:

 

[Platypus]

People still bother with commercials with 2 songs sandwiched between them?

 

[roguerower]

Same thing happened down here in D.C. and by the same company. Infinity said screw you and got rid of the only good alternative rock station, 99.1 HFS. They changed it into some stupid ass Mexican Salsa station. From that point on i boycotted radio and went straight to CD. F**K YOU INFINITY BROADCASTING.

 

[Eli]

There have been some changes with the oldies station here in the west, too.

97.1, KISN.. recently changed from playing the oldies to playing .. just about everything.

The oldies station is now on 910 AM.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
We have a station like that here but it didn't supplant any other established station. It's pretty good, I listen to it when my modern rock station is playing Loveline in the evenings.

ps - I fvcking hate Loveline. I wish that show would just die.

Loveline fscking kicks your ass.

 

[Chaotic42]

At least it didn't switch to salsa music.

 

[EyeMWing]

You can always tell when a format change is imminent if you're anywhere close to the industry; DJ's will start showing up at other stations, do interviews, testing the waters. That's how you know.

 

[Muadib]

I used to listen to WCBS at work. Saturday nights were all Sinatra.

 

[RagingBITCH]

JACK fvcking blows. I hate that stupid ass station.

And Clear did that with one really popular hardcore rock station - turned it oldies.

 

[Coquito]

:music:Unforgetable...:music:

:brokenheart:

 

[nsafreak]

<-- Loves his Sirius radio

 

[Excelsior]

The same thing happened here in Charlotte, NC. The oldies station just folded...it was all my dad ever listened to, and I didn't mind it, afterall I grew up listening to it. Now its some pop station.

 

[Shawn]

who cares?

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
People still bother with commercials with 2 songs sandwiched between them?

Guess the old people don't want those newfangled "CD players" ?

I don't care what FM station it is, I won't listen to it.