FM
“WLDW” (Wild 106.7) – southwest Philadelphia – 11/24/13 (OPEN HOUSE PARTY w/Kannon)
This is a sample of an apparent pirate radio station with its signal on 106.7 FM in southwest Philadelphia. It identified itself with the call letters WLDW, which were used (legally) by 96.5 FM ten years prior, albeit for only a short period of time, much to the chagrin of then-owner Beasley, as demonstrated in this amusing announcement voiced by-then consultant Jerry Clifton. The programming heard on the aircheck was of the syndicated “Open House Party”. Given the station’s illegal status, it’s unclear how they were able to air this content. It’s unknown whether this operation still exists with an on-air signal. This aircheck was recorded from its online stream, which continues to this day via its website. Thanks for Ryan Bishop for contributing.
WLUW (Energy 88.7) – Chicago – 11/22/96 – Jammin’Down JD & DJ Revel
“Club Jam” was a Friday night 8-hour dance music program that made its debut on Loyola University’s WLUW (Energy 88.7) in 1993. Please visit the archived JamTraxx Media Website for more information about the history of this program.
WCBR/WBRO (92.7 Kiss-FM) – suburban Chicago – 11/14/98 (FIRST DAY)
In November 1998, pure Mainstream CHR was heard on Chicagoland airwaves (for the first time in many years) with the arrival of “92 Kiss-FM” on a pair of suburban signals. You can hear the station’s launch (along with the stunting that preceded it) at our sister site, Formatchange.com. Posted here is a montage of the 30 minutes or so that followed. More information on the history of this station can be found at Wikipedia.
KBZR (The New 103.9) – Coolidge/Phoenix, AZ – 10/30/96 – Krazy Kid Stevens (DEBUT/FIRST DAY)
On October 30, 1996, at 3:30pm, following more than six months of stunting, KBZR officially launched as “The New 103.9, Arizona’s Party Station”. Shown here are the following: (1) YouTube video: A news story about the debut that aired on the 10pm newscast of local Phoenix TV station KTVK (Channel 3). (2) Aircheck (below the video): the actual sign-on along with a mix show that immediately followed. Please visit Formatchange.com for more details about the history of the station.
WKDD (96.5) – Akron, OH – 10/17/99
This is a montage of WKDD from its days on 96.5 FM and a Hot AC format. In July 2001, 96.5 FM became Mainstream CHR as “96.5 Kiss-FM”; WKDD moved to 98.1 FM.
WRQX (Q107) – Washington, D.C. – 10/1/88 – Uncle Johnny Walker
107.3 FM in Washington, D.C. has been Hot AC as “Mix 107.3” since 1990. But in the 12 years prior, it was CHR/Top 40 as “Q107”. This sample from October 1988 – recorded during the station’s “Top 10 at 10” countdown – demonstrates the dominance of hairband acts on the pop charts at the time. Thanks to Robyn Watts for contributing this aircheck. Our sister site, Airchexx.com, also features a pair of Q107 samples: Uncle Johnny, 12/26/83 Celeste Clark, 12/26/85
KNHC (C89.5) – Seattle – 9/17/97
For more than 40 years, KNHC – owned by Seattle Public Schools and operated out of Nathan Hale High School – has been one of the best examples of non-commercial, student-run radio done right. For the majority of that time, it has focused on dance music, making it the longest-running (and one of the very few) stations of that format in the United States. This is a sample of the station from September 1997, when it was transitioning from “C89” to “C89.5”.
WYTZ (Z95) – Chicago – 9/10/86 – Peter B
In 1986, 94.7 WLS-FM in Chicago changed its call letters to WYTZ and began referring to itself as “Z95”. This new approach, along with a long list of personnel changes, made the station became a serious competitor to the market’s heritage CHR, WBBM-FM (B96).
KIBB (B100) – Los Angeles – 8/31/97 (LABOR DAY WKND ’97) – Benny Martinez
Following the “worst-to-first” success of New York’s WKTU in 1996, a number of stations around the U.S. attempted similar formats (essentially Rhythmic AC) in their markets. B100 was one example – but the station never came close to achieving KTU-like numbers. This aircheck features B100’s “All about the 80’s Weekend”, from Labor Day Weekend 1997, hosted by longtime Southern California air personality Benny Martinez. About 2 months later, B100 flipped to Rhythmic Oldies as Mega 100. With its instant (but ultimately short-lived) success, the station became the “KTU” for its own format — numerous clones popped up nationwide as part of the “Jammin Oldies” fad. A decade later, Emmis jumped on the “Movin” bandwagon, bring...
WGCI (107.5) – Chicago – 8/21/98 – Armando Rivera & Scott Smokin’ Silz
This is a sample of Friday night “Club 107.5” mixshow programming on Chicago’s heritage Urban Contemporary station, WGCI. It was hosted by Armando Rivera with mixes provided by Scott Smokin’ Silz – both of whom worked at the legendary WBMX (102.7) during the 1980’s. At this time, the station (or at least the Club 107.5 mixshow) employed an outstanding high-energy voice talent in Pat Garrett. More information about the history of WBMX (specifically, the “Hot Mix 5” of which Scott Smokin’ Silz was a member) can be found HERE.
WBBM-FM (B96) – Chicago – 8/13/97 – Terry Foxx
Musically, 1997 was a year of transition for B96. In comparison to previous years, the station began phasing out much of the Dance music that had defined its sound over the prior decade or so. Yet, at this time, B96 still positioned itself as “Chicago’s Dance Beat”, fueling the launch of a suburban competitor earlier in the summer.
KPTY (103-9 the Party) – Gilbert/Phoenix, AZ – 8/3/00 – Rudeboy
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, 103.9 FM — which targeted the Phoenix area from rural/suburban signals – held a number of different formats. It began in the Spring of 1996 with a six-month Rhythmic Oldies stunt format named “S-T-E-V-E”. On October 30th of that year, it officially signed on as “The New 103.9, Arizona’s Party Station”, with a hip-hop-oriented Rhythmic CHR format and enjoyed impressive ratings (especially considering the signal limitations). Its target, the more dance/pop/R&B-oriented KKFR “Power 92”, took notice and transformed itself into a pure hip-hop/R&B station within 9 months. A year later, 103.9 FM (whose calls had become KPTY) went in a completely different direction, offering a mix of a...
