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WPGC
/ Schenectady, NY?!
Before
the FCC had even been created by the Broadcasting Act of
1934, the Federal Radio Commision assigns the call letters,
'W-P-G-C'
to New York State Troopers who begin experimenting with
radios in patrol cars on September 21, 1933.
Originally
operating at 5,000 watts day / 1,000 watts night at 1534
kilocycles from Schenectady, NY, the station changes frequency
in 1936 to 1658 kilocycles just beyond the AM dial to prevent
criminals from listening in on Police activity!
By
1949, the FCC decides to move Police communications to the
VHF band in the portion of the audio spectrum that had been
previously assigned to TV Channel 1. Simultaneously, it
also dictates a change in the call sign allotment from a
four letter designation to a three letter - three number
identification such as KWH-937. This change frees up the
'W-P-G-C' call letters and many others for Standard (AM)
commercial station use.
In
the Beginning, There Was a Bus.
And It Was Good.....
Actually,
two busses. In what surely must have been a sign from the
radio gods with respect to the onset of FM, WPGC-FM's lineage
pre-dates that of WPGC-AM by a good six years or so. 96.7
WBUZ-FM was granted
a Construction Permit by the FCC on 10/01/47 to the Chesapeake
Broadcasting Company and went on air for the first time
on January 18, 1948. As a stand-alone FM in an era of almost
non-existent FM receivers, its hodge-podge of local programming
could not be supported by advertising revenue.
The Washington, Marlboro & Annapolis Bus Company (owners
of the Chesapeake Broadcasting Co. and one of the bus lines
which were absorbed with the creation of Metrobus in 1973)
had no option but to pipe music into their fleet of busses
interspersed with periodic commercials for the same advertisers
seen on bus interior advertisements.
The practice at the time was to significantly raise the
volume of the commercials relative to the background music
between them, leading to widespread complaints amongst riders
of the line. A court case ensued, which ruled passengers
could not be forced to listen to commercials on municipal
bus lines.
AM:
No Static at All
Corresponding
to this period, on November 12th, 1953, Washington electronics
engineer and former FCC employee, Harry
Hayman
received a Construction Permit to build and operate a new
Morningside,
Maryland AM broadcasting station. The FCC assigned 250 watt
daytime only operation to the station on 1580 kilocycles
(though power was raised to 1,000 watts within a year).
Actual first day of broadcast was April 24th, 1954. Its
limited signal was felt adequate for the new sub-development
of Morningside,
MD which existed as housing for civilian employees at Andrews
Air Force Base, just 2.8 miles away.
Harry was no businessman and soon sold half his interest
in the station to Maxwell
Richmond
who became the General
Manager
when Harry sold the rest of his interest to him a year after
signing on the station. Richmond realized the severe restrictions
in terms of coverage area spelled disaster in attracting
enough advertisers to warrant the station's existence and
immediately applied for an increase in power.
Posing a problem was the fact that 1580 was a Canadian Class
1 channel, necessitating the use of a directional pattern.
This was further compounded with potential interference
problems when a new sign on at 1570 occurred in Towson,
MD, west of Baltimore. The resolution was an increase in
power to 10,000 watts with a highly directional, east-west
pattern, three tower array that could be received from Warrenton,
VA to Annapolis, MD.
WPGC-AM had been built on a wooded area of a farm. Construction
of two additional towers would have meant large areas of
trees would have had to be removed. When studies showed
the ground conductivity below the top soil was poor owing
to the rocky composition, the station began a search for
a new tower location that soon led to a piece of property
where WBUZ-FM's
tower was located. They negotiated a deal whereby WPGC-AM's
three new sticks were to be located adjacent to WBUZ-FM's
tower, thus beginning a chain of events over a period of
several years that would culminate with WPGC, Inc.'s purchase
of WBUZ-FM.
FM: No Nothing at All
With
the prospect of no revenue at all after the court's ruling,
WBUZ-FM
went dark temporarily and was more than happy to lease space
to WPGC. A former announcer at WPGC approached the Chesapeake
Broadcasting Co. about doing a similar format as WPGC (a
mix of standards, rock and country) at WBUZ-FM.
This resulted in the call letters changing to WRNC-FM on
March 30th, 1956. The format was short-lived and the station
went dark again soon afterwards.
Located in a field on a farm away from the heart of the
population on the edge of Morningside
with access to the station limited to a dirt road, WPGC
struck another deal to lease out the now available studio
space until recently used by WRNC. The FCC granted WPGC
a waiver to allow the station to broadcast outside the city
limits, yet still identify itself as being in Morningside,
despite the fact the studios were now actually located above
the WM&A
bus repair facility in Coral Hills, MD, literally across
the street from the DC line.
Darkness
at the Edge of Night:
Tune over now to 95.5 megacycles
By
this time, WPGC's dilemma was not so much coverage area,
but hours of broadcast. In short daylight months, the station
had to sign off before many people even made it home from
work. In December for example, sign-off occurred as early
as 4:45pm, severely curtailing advertising revenue during
the all-important holiday season.
WPGC
even petitioned the FCC to remain on the air after dark
during December but the Commission turned down the request
owing to the shared Canadian frequency. The Chesapeake Broadcasting
Co. on the other hand was keenly interested in divesting
itself of a white elephant a transit company had no use
for.
Thus, on November 20, 1956, the FCC sanctioned the sale
of WRNC-FM and all its assets to WPGC, Inc. for the sum
of $10,000 and five dollars for the station license. The
FM remained dark while transmitter upgrades were implemented,
the antenna was relocated to the side of one of the three
AM towers and the original FM tower was dismantled. On March
5th, 1958 the call letters were changed to WPGC-FM.
Though the FM duplicated the AM's programming 100% during
the day, it continued broadcasting till 12 midnight (it
would not go 24 hours until August, 1968 and not go Stereo
until as late as 1972). With the arrival in 1959 of new
General
Manager,
Bob
Howard,
the FM briefly experimented with programming of its own
after dark, featuring the big bands of the '40's which had
largely vanished from the airwaves altogether by then.
This short-lived foray was extinguished with the arrival
of new Program
Director,
Dean
Griffith #1
from WGH, Norfolk (who would go on to WMCA, New York as
Dean Anthony in 1964). His arrival coincided with the station's
shift from a mixture of tunes from standards and Rock &
Roll artists to 100% Rock in 1960 as
'The
New Sound of WPGC'.
WPGC routinely conditioned its teen audience to 'tune over
now' to the FM upon AM sign-off at sunset, often teasing
major contesting on the AM moments before the prize was
awarded on the FM and the AM had left the airwaves. Giveaways
of portable FM radios were common place at the time.
Coming
Soon:
Tower Down!
Vandals use a pick-up truck to sheer the guy wires of one
of the towers in 1956.
Coming
Soon:
WPGC AM & FM / Washington?!
The
attempt to move the studios & offices to the Raleigh
Hotel in the District in 1958.
Coming
Soon:
'Mr. Soundoff' -The Arrival of
General Manager, Bob Howard
A
larger-than-life, multiple personality showman prominent
in WPGC's rise to the top.
Coming
Soon: Payola Probe!
A
disgruntled former WPGC Disc Jockey testifies before Congress
on Payola and outside influences on the station playlist
in 1960.
Coming
Soon:
Competitive Concerns
WWDC
& WEAM
provide stiff competition in the early '60's.
Coming
Soon: Station Takeover!
'Barefoot'
Larry Justice locks himself in the control room and
plays the same song over & over in 1963 until he gets
a raise.
Coming
Soon:
The Boy Next Door
- The Arrival of Harv Moore
WPGC's
best remembered, longest lasting morning
man, Music & Program
Director.
Coming
Soon: Beatlemania!!!!
Fab
Four frenzy at the DC Coliseum in February, 1964.
Coming
Soon: The End of the Line
- Eviction by the Bus Company
The
WM&A Bus Line evicts WPGC from the former WBUZ-FM
studios & offices.
Coming
Soon: The Bladensburg
Space Needle and Its New Home
FCC
objections to the move much further away from Morningside
in 1965.
Coming
Soon:
Escaping Colloquialism
WPGC's
mid-'60's transition from being a Maryland station to a
defacto Washington station under Program
Director, 'Cousin'
Warren Duffy.
Coming
Soon: The Missing 'W'
'PGC's
most memorable
station promotional contest in 1966. And 1972. And 1983….
Coming
Soon: Magic Carpet Ride
Something's
in the air in 1968 with Good Guy DJ, Davy
Jones and it has a strange smell.
Coming
Soon: I'm 'Bob Raleigh' Too!
Too
many 'Bob
Raleighs' for one market, let alone one station in 1970.
Coming
Soon:
The Death of Max Richmond
The
Richmond estate decides
to sell its assets in 1971, but not to Mr.
Soundoff.
Coming
Soon: Stereo!!
Two
(Two) channels for the price of one to combat WRC
and AM attrition in 1972.
Coming
Soon:
Advent of the Marriotts
Bottomless
pockets break the DC record in 1974 for any local station
previously sold.
Coming
Soon: Lottery Legalistics
Paid
consideration to play a client contest in 1975 results in
a hefty penalty for 4 stations including WPGC.
Coming
Soon:
The Great Strike That Struck Out
WPGC
personalities walk
off the job in May, 1977 only to lose them permanently.
'70's
Dominance: The Coming
of Age of a True Radio Legend
As
time wore on, the teenagers of the '60's that drove the
station became the young adults of the '70's who willingly
migrated over to WPGC-FM in all other dayparts. The widespread
appeal of the station by the mid '70's was atypically broad,
ranging from a new, second set of '70's teens (consultant
Rob Balon's aptly coined, 'Brady Boomers') to dedicated
loyal adult listeners who had by then listened to the station
upwards of 15 years.
AM competitors such as WEAM
and WRC (and potentially, WGMS-AM,
if RKO succeeded in dropping Classical on AM and gone Top
40 had it not been for confused listeners thinking it was
WGMS-FM
that was dropping Classical and which led to such outrage
that plans for the AM were shelved) fought the good fight
but slowly succumbed to FM dominance. WRC's move to NBC's
News & Information Service (NIS) in 1975 led many to
believe its programming would shift over to FM, only to
be surprised when WRC-FM
instead became Disco 93, WKYS.
1974 had seen WPGC-FM's numbers surpass WPGC-AM's for the
first time, despite the 100% simulcast in daylight hours.
The handwriting was on the wall; by 1976, FM listenership
as a whole surpassed AM listenership as a whole for the
first time, making DC the first FM dominant market in the
country, due in no small part to WPGC. Cume audience growth
was such that by the end of the decade, WPGC was challenging
market leader, WMAL
and its staid MOR format for overall supremacy. In the Spring,
1979 ratings period, WMAL
toppled too.
The
Battle for FM Supremacy:
ABC buys an audience, for a while…
ABC
which had acquired WMAL
- AM & FM earlier from the Washington Star
spun off its FM, taking it in an album rock direction by
the late '70's, in an attempt to recreate the success of
other similarly formatted sister stations such as WPLJ in
New York. WMAL-FM
became WRQX
('Rocks') but found limited traction in the album battle
with long time champ, WWDC-FM,
DC-101.
With WMAL-AM's
crown in permanent jeopardy, management made the decision
to sacrifice their FM to protect the AM, in much the same
way similar circumstances in New York had led 15 years earlier
to the advent of WOR-FM
so as to protect WOR-AM's top spot overall (which had been
placed in question by the Top 40 war between WABC
and WMCA).
Scott
Shannon arrived at WPGC on March 26, 1979,
just days before ABC detonated the album rock format of
WRQX
and debuted Q107
in April of that year. A then-unheard of quarter million
dollar TV campaign to launch the station literally bought
its audience. Teens fickle as they are, went over in droves
to sample the new station. The WPGC - Q107
war began with a fierceness not often seen, each station
attempting to out-do the other in every possible way.
Shannon
inherited a wildly popular morning show with Elliott
& Woodside.
Despite a loss of younger demos, its adult listeners, far
more set in their listening habits fortified the station
in the interim. Problem was, WPGC was hemorrhaging teens
at night. Something had to be done to bring them back. Shannon's
single-most important move was to bring in Don
Geronimo
to fortify nights. Though it took a while to do so, the
station righted itself and narrowly overtook Q107.
This despite the high profile defection of Elliott
& Woodside
to Q107
for a then record setting salary beyond even that commanded
by Harden & Weaver at WMAL!
Shannon's
departure in 1981 was memorable to say the least. He and
assistant Program
Director,
Steve
Kingston
(whom Shannon
had bought in from WYRE in Annapolis) were talking in the
control room while Shannon
happened to be on the air. The topic was ironically, Geronimo
(who doubled as the station's Music Director and some questionable
music decisions he had made). Not wanting someone to walk
in on their conversation, Shannon
turned the mic on so that the on-air light in the hallway
would be on and no one would enter. Shannon
thought he had placed the mic in the Audition channel so
that nothing he said would go out over the air.
In
fact, he had inadvertently placed it in the Program channel,
thereby broadcasting it to the world for all to be heard
when he dropped the F-bomb.
Compounding this error, attempts were then made to erase
the offending portion of the broadcast from the station's
logger tapes which recorded everything on the station, 24/7.
Kingston
quickly became the new PD, a position he held until his
departure late in the Summer of '82 precipitated by the
change in format.
Aiding in the rebounding process for WPGC was ironically,
the arrival of Howard Stern at DC-101
in 1981. Large ratings for him in the mornings translated
to increased ratings for the station in other dayparts.
ABC management, willing to try anything to regain the lead
over WPGC sought to replicate many of the formatics associated
with album rock and launched the ill-fated 'Q-Phase 2'
campaign on Q107.
Jingles were eliminated; DJ's no longer talked over song
intros; contesting was curtailed. Q107
became too hip for its own good and no longer sounded like
a Top 40 station should. WPGC meanwhile kept chugging along,
full speed ahead and maintained its lead. By the time ABC
management realized they'd made the wrong decision, it was
too late - the damage had been done.
Beginning
of the End: Death of the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
Far
more damage however was yet to come in the battle of the
Top 40 titans. In 1982, First Media Corporation (owned by
members of the Marriott family but not the Marriott Corporation
itself) and which had purchased WPGC in 1974 for a then
record-shattering 6 million dollars, made their own calculation
that if not for those pesky teenagers at night, even more
adults would listen to the station.
While it's true in the Top 40 war with Q107
that WPGC had succeeded in siphoning off some additional
adult audience from other stations (notably WASH-FM),
nothing could change the fact that adult usage of radio
in general falls dramatically with the advent of prime-time
network TV in the evening. The tragic decision to change
the format of WPGC to Adult Contemporary after 30 years
as a Top 40 monster can in retrospect, only be regarded
as the biggest blunder in Washington radio history, resulting
in ratings carnage not even imaginable at the time.
During the Fall 1982 ratings period, WPGC's cume audience
fell from 630,000 to just over 300,000, a mind-shattering
50% plummet. The music library had been emasculated to the
point that new music, once a hallmark on the station, was
relegated to insignificance with new material only added
after Q107
(and seemingly every other station in town) had added it.
The
bland AC format was never accepted by the station's former
legion of listeners who now had defaulted to Q107.
Q's dominance continued until 1984 when Doubleday blew up
the album rock format on WAVA
and launched a worthy competitor. Not surprisingly, most
of the former WPGC personalities would up on either of those
stations, some on both.
Insult was added to injury when the call letters were changed
from WPGC to WCLY on January 25, 1985. The pathetic format
and it's equally insipid name, 'Classy 95' led many
to ridicule it as 'Trashy 95' and became an embarrassment
in the Washington radio community as well as the industry.
Eager
to cut their losses, First Media Corporation sold all its
radio properties to minority-owned, Cook Inlet Partners
in 1987, who promptly brought back the legendary call letters
with a heavily leaning Urban/CHR format, later selling the
station to CBS Radio who owns it to this day.
Epilogue:
From the 'Morning Side' of Things….
The
AM had been granted a Construction Permit to go 50,000 watts,
daytime only in 1985. The following year, it also received
a nighttime authorization at 270 watts, barely strong enough
to be heard outside of Morningside.
A
parade of formats on the AM included periods as Business
Talk, Hip-Hop and Gospel. Today, 1580 is the home of right
wing nut cases such as Glenn
Beck
(who ironically worked overnights as a DJ at WPGC during
its Adult Contemporary period in 1983) as WHFS-AM.
The rest is radio history.
Metrobus
still operates the former WM&A bus repair facility at
4421
Southern Ave. in SE, DC while the passenger
facility that WBUZ-FM
originally sat atop is also still in use - today it is the
Southern Ave. Metrorail station on the Green line.
As
for the Parkway
Building, home of the 'Bladensburg Space Needle',
it was torn
down in 2004 and is now a vacant lot with barely a trace
of its once former greatness. And somewhere in Rock
& Roll Radio Heaven, 'Mr.
Soundoff' can still be heard saying, 'Your response
is welcome!'
|
Prologue
In
July 1922, Leslie
L. Altman starts the Bradbury Heights Bus Line
to Washington with 2 buses. Its garage & offices were
located at 1510 Southern Avenue in SE, DC.
In 1926 it incorporates as the Washington, Marlboro and Annapolis
(WM&A) Motor Lines, Inc.
In
an unrelated development, New York State Troopers began experimenting
with radios in patrol cars so officers can quickly pursue
criminals fleeing from the scene by automobile.
On
September 21, 1933, Trooper station 'W-P-G-C'
begins broadcasts on 1534 kilocycles at 5,000 watts day /
1,000 watts night in Schenectady, NY.
By
1936, the frequency changes to 1658 kilocycles so as to prevent
criminals from monitoring Police communications!
On
December 6, 1941,
the WM&A
bus line opens its new garage & office building at 4421
Southern Ave, SE, DC
1947
The
Federal Communications Commission grants a construction permit
on 10/01/47 for a new FM station to the Chesapeake Broadcasting
Company, Inc. to build and operate a station on 96.7 megacycles
at Bradbury Heights, Maryland, "just over the District
of Columbia line".
Furniture
dealer, Arthur
Baldwin Curtis
was President of Cheasapeake Broadcasting which selected and
was granted WBUZ-FM
as call letters for the 1KW station. By the end of the year,
the station was authorized to use 420 watts Effective Radiated
Power.
WBUZ-FM's
transmitter and 255 foot tower were located at Bradbury Heights
while studios & offices were installed in the WM&A
passenger terminal 1510 Southern Ave. in SE, DC.
1948
The
independent station originally announced a target date of
Christmas,
1947 but delays caused by the failure of some equipment
to arrive postponed WBUZ-FM's
airdate to January 18th.
Treasurer
& General
Manager of WBUZ-FM
was Leslie
L. Altman,
President of the WM&A Bus Line. Al
K. Porter was Vice President & Commercial Manager
of the new station, "the first all Gates-equipped station
in the Washington, DC area".
Operating
hours were from 7:00AM until 12 midnight daily. In late 1948,
Leslie
L. Altman was named President of the Chesapeake
Broadcasting Co. while continuing as WBUZ-FM's
General
Manager.
1949
By
early 1949, WBUZ-FM
was 'transitcasting',
programming recorded music into buses of the WM&A line.
Another 'transitcaster in the DC area was WWDC-FM.
Read a related story on 'transitcasting' here.
Meanwhile,
the FCC reassigns all Police communications the VHF band in
the portion of the broadcast spectrum previously occupied
by TV Channel 1.
Concurrently, by FCC directive, Police communication stations
abandon the four call letter format and adopt a three letter
- three number nomenclature, such as KWH-467. Hence, the call
letters, 'W-P-G-C' become available for use by commercial
Standard (AM) stations.
1950
The
Chesapeake Broadcasting Co. is reorgnized in 1950. For a consideration
of $1,300, 22.24% interest is acquired from A.C.
Connelly by President &
General Manager, Leslie
L. Altman. The FCC sanctioned this transfer on
August 14th, 1950.
1951
In
June, 1951, the 'transitcasting'
concept, in vogue over a number of independently operated
FM stations across the United States, was attacked by the
Transit Riders Association, and found unconstitutional by
a Federal Appeals Court. The Chesapeake Broadcasting Company
continues piping in WBUZ-FM
into the Washington, Marlboro & Annapolis busses while
the case was appealed.
The
WBUZ-FM
transmitter tower in Bradbury Heights is felled by vandals
on October 13th, 1951. At the time, the WM&A Bus Line
is the target of a labor dispute with its drivers. The station
later returns to the air with 50 watts using a temporary antenna
until a new tower can be erected and full power restored.
1952
The
U.S. Supreme Court overturns a lower court and rules in favor
of 'transitcasting'
but the damage is done as the tide of public opinion has turned
against riders of municipal transportation being forced to
hear music and commercials against their will.
1953
WWDC
stops 'transitcasting'
(but now simulcasts WWDC-AM) in May 1953. But out of sheer
economic necessity, WBUZ-FM
with no sister AM station to fall back on, continues to broadcast
to a total of 35 buses (out of a fleet of 90) of the WM&A
line.
WBUZ-FM
raises power to 6.3KW that same month and its city of license
is changed to Oakland, Maryland. Then on June 8th, 1953, the
FCC grants a permit to the station to raise power from 6.3KW
to 18KW.
Meanwhile,
on November 12th, 1953, Washington electronics engineer and
former FCC employee, Harry
Hayman receives a construction permit to build
and operate a new Morningside, Maryland AM broadcasting station.
The FCC assigns 250 watt daytime only operation to the station
on 1580 kilocycles. Estimated construction cost $9,420; first
year operating costs $28,140; anticipated first year advertising
revenue $31,200. The call letters WPGC, representing Prince
Georges County are issued late in the year.
1954
The
tower for WPGC-AM is erected in April and broadcasts begin
on April 24th, 1954 from Morningside
on a hill on the farm of Duval
B. Evans on Walters Lane.
Harry Hayman is President
& General
Manager of the new independent station which airs
'Hillbilly Music' for 25% of its broadcast day, including
the show, 'Corn Shuckin' Time' hosted by Wade
Holmes. On September 15th, 1954, WPGC - AM's power
is increased to 1,000 watts (250 watts Critical Hours).
Within
6 months of its on air debut, Maxwell
Richmond, purchases WPGC-AM from Harry
Hayman for $10,000 on November 10th, 1954.
Also
that year, WBUZ-FM,
its 'transitcasting' days now behind it, changes frequency
from 96.7 to 95.5 megacycles and power is reduced to 16.5KW
to avoid interference with WTOP-FM from a new
transmitter & tower site
at 6369
Walker Mill Road in Oakland, MD, a few miles from
Bradbury Heights.
1955
WBUZ-FM's
President Leslie
L. Altman names Leslie
Smith as the new General
Manager. Former WPGC-AM Chief Engineer, Gene
Winters is named General
Manager of WPGC-AM that same year so that Max
Richmond could devote more time to his advertising
agency in Philadelphia as well as to WPGC's sister station
in Boston, WMEX.
On
April 14th, 1955 a modification of WPGC-AM's permit to raise
power to 10,000 watts daytime only and install a directional
antenna system was granted. Late
in the year WPGC-AM opens new offices and studios at 4421
Southern Ave., SE, DC above the WM&A Bus Line
repair facility, in the studios formerly used by WBUZ-FM
(which has since moved it's studios to the transmitter site).
1956
On
March 30th, 1956, WBUZ-FM
changes its call letters to WRNC-FM. (The WBUZ
calls were later used by a station in Fredonia, NY on 1570
but today are used by an Active Rock FM station in Nashville).
Late in the year, WRNC-FM is purchased from the Chesapeake
Broadcasting Company by WPGC, Inc. $5.00 is paid for the station
license and $10,000 for its equipment and tower. FCC approval
takes place on November 20th, 1956. The purchase is made to
add nightime programming to WPGC-AM's daytime only operation.
At
this time, WPGC-AM owner Max
Richmond becomes President of WRNC-FM and names
Gene
Winters, General
Manager of WPGC-AM as General
Manager of WRNC-FM too. WRNC begins duplicating
WPGC-AM's daytime programming immediately.
1958
WRNC-FM
changes call letters to WPGC-FM in mid-March 1958. (Today
the WRNC calls are assigned to an AM Country station not presently
on the air in suburban Atlanta). Power on the FM is reduced
to 15.7KW while the power increase authorized for the AM in
1955 to 10,000 watts (Daytime only) is implemented. The FM
temporarily goes silent as new studios in preparation for
a new format are constructed at the transmitter site.
General
Manager, Gene
Winters does the morning
show.
1959
In
February 1959, the FM returns to the air from new studios
at the transmitter site at 6369 Walker Mill Road in Oakland,
MD, playing Big
Band music. Robert
Howard joins the station early in the year as its
new General
Manager. On July 2nd, 1959, the FCC authorizes
the station to mount the FM antenna on the north (280 foot)
tower of the AM's array. The morning
show is done by
'Gentleman
Jim' Granger. Stan
Major is the Program
Director.
By
this time, the Washington, Marlboro & Annapolis Bus Line
is sold to an employee group and founder Leslie
L. Altman retires to Florida.
1960
The
FM drops its Big Band format and resumes simulcasting 100%
with the AM during daytime hours which has since gone
100%
Rock & Roll as 'The
New Sound of WPGC' under new Program
Director, Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) from
WGH, Norfolk (who takes his last name from the Washington
Senator's Griffith Park).
On
Air line up:
Pat
McCoy (mornings)
Stan
Major (news)
Jerry
Kearns (middays)
Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) (Program Director
& afternoons)
Eliot
Paul (nights till AM sign-off)
'F.
Dudley Dudley' (roving reporter, actually General
Manager, Bob
Howard)
Jingles
in use: PAMS
Series 6 & 9
On
air Positioner: 'Coloradio'.
1961
Jerry
G joins the station for mornings when Pat
McCoy departs.
David B. Simmons inherits
news duties when Stan
Major departs. Larry
'Barefoot' Justice takes over middays when Jerry
Kearns leaves.
On
Air line up:
Jerry
G (mornings)
David
B. Simmons (news)
Larry
'Barefoot' Justice (middays)
Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) (Program Director
& afternoons)
Don
'Pee Wee' Reese
(nights till AM sign-off)
1962
'MacNamara'
joins the station for morning
news when David
B. Simmons leaves. On
Monday, August 6th, 1962, Larry
'Barefoot' Justice allegedly locks himself in the
air studio and plays the same novelty record over & over
until he gets a raise.
On
Air line up:
Jerry
G (mornings)
'MacNamara'
(news)
Larry
'Barefoot' Justice (middays)
Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) (Program Director
& afternoons)
Don
'Pee Wee' Reese
(nights till AM sign-off)
1963
Harv
Moore
joins the station initially doing nights till AM sign-off,
then moves to mornings
in November, just
days before the JFK assassination. In the aftermath of the
tragedy, the station suspends regular programming through
the funeral. Bob
Raleigh #1 (Rolle Ferreira) joins the station
for middays with the departure of Larry
'Barefoot Justice'. Bob
Howard rises to Vice President & General Manager.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
MacNamara
(news)
Bob
Raleigh #1 (Rolle
Ferreira)
(middays)
Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) (Program Director
& afternoons)
Don
'Pee Wee' Reese
(nights till AM sign-off)
1964
On
January 27th, 1964, the FM is granted FCC authorization to
change its city of license from Oakland
to Morningside. The
FM begins expanded broadcasts in the evening beyond the AM
sign-off time.
Beatlemania
hits the Nation's Capitol as Harv
Moore and Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) introduce the Four
Lovable Lads from Liverpool at
the DC Coliseum. Harv
& Bobby
Poe co-write their 'Interview
with the Fab Four' record only to have Capitol
Records get a cease & desist order barring further air
play of the novelty cut-in song.
Dean
Griffith #1 (Dean Anthony) leaves for WMCA,
New York in November. Paul
Carmen is hired as the 'new' Dean
Griffith. Harv
Moore takes on acting Program Director duties.
Former morning man Jerry
G goes on tour with The
Beatles as a roving reporter. 'Marvelous
Marv' Brooks joins
the station for nights when Don
'Pee Wee' Reese leaves, then moves to middays when
Bob
Raleigh #1 (Rolle Ferreira) goes to WWDC.
The
station is now broadcasting on the FM till midnight every
night.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore
(PD / mornings)
MacNamara
(news)
'Marvelous
Marv' Brooks (middays)
Dean
Griffith #2
(Paul Carmen) (afternoons)
Jingles
in use: PAMS,
'The
Jet Set'.
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'I Want To Hold Your Hand' - Beatles
1965
On
June 28th, 1965, the stations are granted a modification of
their licenses to move studios to Bladensburg, MD (outside
the city limits of Morningside but are allowed to continue
to identify themselves as being in Morningside). New offices
& studios are located in the Parkway Building adjacent
to the Baltimore Washington Parkway, 5801
Annapolis Road, Landover Heights (adjacent to Baldensburg),
occupying the third floor of a multi story office building
which opens late in the year. Hank
Burdick joins the station for afternoons when Paul
Carmen leaves. He becomes the third 'Dean
Griffith'.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (PD / mornings)
MacNamara
(news)
'Marvelous
Marv' Brooks (middays)
Dean
Griffith #3
(Hank Burdick) (afternoons)
#1
song on year
end countdown:
'Satisfaction' - Rolling Stones
1966
WM&A
Bus Line founder, Chesapeake Broadcasting Co. President and
original WBUZ-FM
General
Manager, Leslie
L. Altman dies in Florida.
'Cousin
Warren' Duffy is hired as the station's
new Program
Director. 'Marvelous
Marv' Brooks moves from middays to morning
news when MacNamara
leaves the station. Bob
Peyton #1 (Bob Allen) (who takes his name from
TV's 'Peyton Place') is hired for middays. 'Tiger
Bob' Raleigh #2
(Bill Miller) is hired for nights.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
Marv
Brooks (news / production)
Bob
Peyton #1 (Bob Allen) (middays)
'Cousin
Warren' Duffy
(PD & afternoons)
'Tiger
Bob' Raleigh #2 (Bill Miller)
(nights)
Jingles
in use: Spot Production's 'Funtastic'
'Thatman',
based on the Bat-mania phenomena nationwide.
#1
song on year
end countdown:
'California Dreamin' - Mamas & Papas.
On
Air contesting: Good Guy DJ Derby, Good Guy Swimming Derby,
Bat-Contest.
1967
'Tiger
Bob' Raleigh #2
(Bill Miller)
moves to morning
news when Marv
Brooks leaves the station. 'JA
the DJ', Jack Alix
is hired from WEAM
for nights.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
'Tiger
Bob' Raleigh #2 (Bill
Miller) (news / production)
Bob
Peyton #1 (Bob Allen) middays
'Cousin
Warren' Duffy
(PD & afternoons)
'JA
the DJ', Jack Alix (nights)
#1
song on year
end countdown:
'The Letter' - Box Tops.
On
air contesting: Balloon Buster,
Good Guy DJ Derby.
Major
promotions: Hide
The Picnic. The first instance of the 'Missing
W' contest airs as
The Riddler
steals the 'W' from WPGC, ultimately to be found by a winning
listener as the 'W' in the 'Welcome to Virginia' sign at the
Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Beltway.
1968
Charlie
Scheu
is named the station's new Program
Director when 'Cousin'
Warren Duffy leaves the station.
Bob
Peyton #2 (Bob Burian)
replaces Bob
Peyton #1 (Bob Allen). Davy
Jones from WBZ, Boston replaces the exiting Jack
Alix for nights in May.
The
FM is granted a construction permit to raise power to 50KW
on August 6, 1968. Coinciding with this, the FM
begins its first 24 hour broadcasts,
also in August. An
'underground' show, the 'Magic
Carpet Ride' airs Friday nights in the Fall at
11PM.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #5 (Bill Miller)
(news / production)
Bob
Peyton #2 (middays)
Charlie
Shue (PD & afternoons)
Davy
Jones (nights)
1969
Dave
McKay
is hired for middays replacing Bob
Peyton #2. 'Gentleman
Jim' Madison #3 (Dave Moore) is hired for late
nights while 'Amos & Andy', 'Famous
Amos' (Rolf Rykken) &
'Handy Andy' Andrews
(another name with local reference to Andrews AFB) split up
the overnight shift.
The
raise in power for the FM to 50KW authorized in 1968 is implemented,
utilizing two transmitters in parallel.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #5 (Bill
Miller) (news / production)
Dave
McKay (middays)
Charlie
Shue (PD & afternoons)
Davy
Jones (nights)
'Famous
Amos' / 'Handy
Andy' Andrews (overnights)
Jingles
in use: PAMS
'Grid'.
#1
song on year
end countdown:
'Get Back' - Beatles.
1970
Bob
Raleigh #6 - 'Junior'
(Robert Dewitt Raleigh)
begins middays replacing Dave
McKay, under the pretense
of being the son of Bob
Raleigh #5 (Bill
Miller). 'Big'
Wilson is named Program
Director when Charlie
Shue moves into sales. New syndicated show, 'American
Top 40' with Casey
Kasem debuts
on July 4th with WPGC being one of the original seven stations
nationwide to carry the show. A special year end feature,
'The Rock & Roll Generation', produced by 'Big'
Wilson, Bob
Raleigh #5 (Bill
Miller)
& Davy
Jones airs for the first time.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #5 (Bill Miller) (news / production)
Bob
Raleigh #6 - 'Junior'
(Robert Dewitt Raleigh) (middays)
'Big'
Wilson
(PD & afternoons)
Davy
Jones (nights)
'Gentleman
Jim' Madison#3 (Dave Moore) (late nights)
'Famous
Amos'
/ 'Handy
Andy' Andrews (overnights)
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'American Woman' - Guess Who.
1971
Tom
Allen
joins the station for nights when Davy
Jones leaves for WMAL-FM.
Later in the year he moves to middays when Bob
Raleigh #6 - 'Junior'
(Robert Dewitt Raleigh)
leaves. 'Columbus'
discovers DC and begins nights while Alexander
Goodfellow & Todd
Reynolds now split up the overnight shift. WPGC,
Inc. President, Maxwell
Richmond dies at an unknown age.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #6 (Bill
Miller)
(news / production)
Tom
Allen middays)
'Big'
Wilson (PD & afternoons)
'Columbus'
(nights)
Alexander
Goodfellow / Todd
Reynolds (overnights)
On
air Positioner: 'All Hit Music'.
#1
song on year
end countdown:
'Joy To The World'
- Three Dog Night.
1972
The
FM goes ((Stereo))!!
Harv
Moore is again named Program
Director when 'Big'
Wilson leaves. 'Columbus'
moves to middays when Tom
Allen leaves to become Program Director for sister
station
WMEX,
Boston. Part timer Jim
Collins (who had previously been known on the air
as 'Mark
West') is promoted to afternoons. Johnny
Jones joins the station from WAMS in Wilmington,
Delaware for nights while Chris
Curtis is hired for late nights and Bryan
Lawrence for overnights.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore
(PD & mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #5 (Bill Miller) (news / production)
'Columbus'
(middays)
Jim
Collins (afternoons)
Johnny
Jones (nights)
Chris
Curtis (late
nights)
Bryan
Lawrence (overnights)
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Brandy' - Looking Glass.
Major
promotions: The
Missing 'W' (again, this time stolen by 'Dr.
Strangeletter' and found on the 'Welcome to historic
Olde Georgetown sign).
1973
Dan
Steele
is hired for evenings when Johnny
Jones departs for 13Q in Pittsburgh, and Dino
Del Gallo makes his first appearance in late nights.
Bryan
Lawrence begins doing his overnight show live from
the 'Black Ulysses' restaurant in DC. New block letter
& 'Music Troll' logos
debut. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA) purchases the Washington, Marlboro & Annapolis
bus line (WM&A, original owner of WBUZ-FM)
for $4.5 million. Along with the near simultaneous acquisition
of the other three independently owned bus lines in the greater
Washington area, MetroBus is formed.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore
(PD & mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #6 (Bill
Miller) (news / production)
'Columbus'
(middays)
Jim
Collins (afternoons)
Dan
Steele (nights)
Dino
Del Gallo (late nights)
Bryan
Lawrence (overnights)
Major
promotions:
Phono
Phunnies, Money
Car
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Brother Louie' - Stories.
1974
Dave
Kellogg
joins the station for late nights while weekender 'Big'
Don O'Bryan inherits
the overnight shift. Foreshadowing things to come, ratings
on the FM surpass those on the AM for the first time.
For years, the station has continually conditioned its listeners
to 'tune
over now' at sunset.
Meanwhile,
the estate of station
owner, Max
Richmond receives FCC approval on August 7th, 1974
to sell the stations for $5.8 million to First Media Corporation
(Richard E. Marriott, Chairman & 44% owner). The
transaction is finalized on October 17, 1974. Outbid for the
properties, General
Manager, Bob
Howard exercises his right of first refusal, leaves
the station and purchases WYSL in Buffalo. First Media
Corporation names Glenn
Potter as President and GM.
On
Air line up:
Harv
Moore (mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #6 (Bill
Miller) (news / production)
'Columbus'
(middays)
Jim
Collins (afternoons)
Dan
Steele (nights)
Dave
Kellogg (late nights)
'Big'
Don O'Bryan (overnights)
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'The Way We Were'
- Barbra Streisand.
1975
Bob
Howard
hires Harv
Moore for mornings at WYSL, and 'The Morning
Mayor'
leaves the station after 12 years of AM drive. Jim
Collins is named the new Program
Director, 'Columbus'
moves to mornings
as Jim
Elliott is hired from WEAM
for middays and Music Director. Wolfman
Jack's syndicated show runs on Saturday nights.
A
new FM transmitter is installed late in 1975 concurrent
with a boost in antenna height to 480 feet (horizontal &
vertical polarization).
Market
motion: WRC
drops music altogether and goes talk. The anticipated
move of it's music and personalities to FM fails to materialize
as Disco WKYS
debuts.
On
Air line up:
'Columbus'
(mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #6 (Bill
Miller) (news / production)
Jim
Elliott (MD & middays)
Jim
Collins (PD & afternoons)
Dino
Del Gallo (nights)
Keith
MacDonald (late nights)
Kevin
James (overnights)
On
air positioner: 'Musicradio' .
#1
song on year
end countdown:
'Love Will Keep Us Together'
- Capt. & Tennille.
On
air contesting: Superstash.
Major
promotions: Adventure
Ring
1976
Long
time salesman Bill
Prettyman is promoted to Vice President and Station
Manager. Glenn
T. Potter continues as President of First Media
Corporation. 'Columbus'
leaves for WLS,
Chicago. Tim
Kelly is hired for mornings
from
WRKO
Boston. Jim
Collins presents Helen Reddy a Gold record for
her Greatest Hits LP on NBC's
'Midnight
Special' TV show. 'Big'
Ron O'Brien joins the station for nights when Dino
Del Gallo leaves for WYRE, Annapolis.
Market
motion: Ratings on the Washington FM dial as a whole
surpass those for AM stations for
the first time, making DC the first FM dominant market in
the country, thanks in no small part to WPGC's long time campaign
to convert
cume to FM.
On
Air line up:
Tim
Kelly (mornings)
Bob'
Raleigh #6 (Bill
Miller) (news / production)
Jim
Elliott (MD & middays)
Jim
Collins
(PD & afternoons)
'Big'
Ron O'Brien (nights)
Keith
MacDonald
(late nights)
Kevin
James (overnights)
Jingles
in use: First package
purchased from JAM
Creative Produtions of Dallas, a compilation of
cuts from 'Logoset'
& 'Priority
One'.
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Afternoon Delite'
- Starland Vocal Band.
Major
promotions:
Visible
Vault,
3 G's & a Z, $10,000
Gold Rush.
1977
Station
Air
Personalities, News
Guys & Money
Girls walk out on strike over objections
of management's desire to have jocks record their voices for
use on the AM while they are live on the FM. When the
union threatens advertising agencies running spots with WPGC
talent on them on other DC stations, the National Labor Relations
Board rules it constitues a secondary
boycott, outlawed by the Taft-Hartley Act.
First
Media replaces the air staff with jocks from other
stations in the chain. Dan
Mason from sister station WZGC
(Z93) Atlanta is named new Program
Director, Waylon
Richards joins the station for nights from WGCL,
Cleveland. Liz
Kiley is hired for the overnight shift.
Market
motion: Late in the summer another competitor throws
in the towel as WMOD
goes Country as WMZQ
Post
Strike On Air line up:
Jim
Elliott
(MD & mornings)
Don
O'Day (news)
Dave
Foxx
(middays / production)
Brandt
Miller (afternoons)
Dan
Mason (PD & nights)
Waylon
Richards
(late nights)
Liz
Kiley (overnights)
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'You Light Up My Life' - Debby Boone.
Major
promotions: Uncle
Richard,
Your Own Country Home
1978
Brandt
Miller
leaves for WLS,
Chicago. Scott
Carpenter is hired for
PM
drive. Dan
Mason becomes the first off-air Program
Director, moves Waylon
Richards to nights and hires Steve
Michaels for late nights. In the summer, Scott
Woodside from Z93,
Atlanta is first teamed up with Jim
Elliott in mornings
when Don
O'Day leaves the station. In November, the
station airs the 2nd Annual Simulated Thanksgiving Day Parade,
an account of a fictious parade in DC.
On
Air line up:
Jim
Elliott
(MD & mornings)
Scott
Woodside (news)
Dave
Foxx
(middays / production)
Scott
Carpenter (afternoons)
Waylon
Richards (nights)
Steve
Michaels
(late nights)
Liz
Kiley (overnights)
Jingles
in use:
JAM's
'Positron'.
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Stayin' Alive' - Bee Gees.
Major
promotions: The 'Ramblin'
Raft Race' brings thousands of listeners to the
banks of the Potomac in August, and the Toys
for Tots ocncert does the same at the Capital Centre
in December.
1979
Liz
Kiley
leaves the station for WABC,
New York in February. Dan
Mason leaves
the station for a GM position and is succeeded by Scott
Shannon from Ariola Records in LA in the spring.
Lee Logan,
formerly Program Director of WIFE, Indianapolis is brought
in for late nights replacing the departing Steve
Michaels. Dana
Stephens is hired for overnights.
Within
a few months of his arrival, Lee
Logan is named Program Director of WPGC's sister
station, KFMK,
Houston. Weekender Scott
(Tony) Jenkins covers late nights until 'Don
Geronimo' is brought in to fortify the teen numbers
at night in the first real skirmish with Q107,
Waylon
Richards moves back to late nights. Bill
Prettyman is elevated from Station Manager to General
Manager.
On
April 9th, 1979 the FCC grants the AM a permit to raise power
from 10KW to 50KW, still daytime only, directional.
Market
motion:
In April, amidst concern of continued erosion of WMAL's
ratings, ABC relaunches WRQX
as Q107,
attempting to siphon off as much cume from WPGC as possible
to protect its AM mainstay. Ironically, that summer WPGC beats
WMAL
for the first time ever in Total Persons 12+.
On
air line up:
Jim
Elliott (mornings)
Scott
Woodside (news)
Dave
Foxx (middays / production)
Scott
Carpenter (afternoons)
Don
Geronimo (nights)
Waylon
Richards (late nights)
Dana
Stephens (overnights)
Scott
(Tony) Jenkins (weekends)
Jingles
in use: JAM's
'Christmas
Kit'
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Reunited' - Peaches & Herb.
#1
song
of
the decade:
'You Light Up My Life' - Debby Boone.
Major
promotions:
Indy
500 Star Car, Unknown
Star
1980
After
15 years in the Parkway
Building in Bladensburg, the station
moves
to new state of the art studios
overlooking the Beltway in Greenbelt at 6301
Ivy lane, Suite 800. Charles
Giddens is named the new General
Manager when the venerable Bill
Prettyman leaves for station ownership on Maryland's
Eastern Shore.
Steve
Kingston is hired as Assistant PD while still programming
WYRE in Annapolis. Don
Geronimo assumes Music Director duties so that
Jim
Elliott can concentrate on the morning show. 'J.J.
Jackson' is hired for afternoons when Scott
Carpenter leaves the station for mornings at the
new CHR in Baltimore, B104
(launched by former WPGC jock 'Jim
Madison' [Joel
Denver]).
Shauna
replaces the departing Dana
Stephens, who relocates at WKYS.
In
response to the on-going Iranian hostage crisis, the station
begins playing the national anthem everyday at 12 noon until
their release.
On
air line up:
Elliott
& Woodside
(mornings / news)
Dave
Foxx
(middays / production)
'JJ
Jackson' (afternoons)
Don
Geronimo
(MD & nights)
Waylon
Richards (nights)
Shauna
(overnights)
Jingles
in use:
JAM's
'The
Music Sounds Best' & 'Whisper
Chants'
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Call Me' - Blondie.
Major
promotions:
World's
Easiest Contest
1981
Steve
Kingston
is named Program
Director when Scott
Shannon
leaves for Q105 in Tampa. One"JJ" leaves as another
arrives when 'J.J.
Jackson' is replaced in afternoons with 'J.J.
McKay'. Bruce
Kelly joins for nights and Music Director from
Y-100 in Miami when Don
Geronimo leaves for WLS,
Chicago.
Lisa
Kay joins the station from WCAO, Baltimore for
overnights when Shauna
departs. One time WINX Program Director, Skip
Nelson begins hosting the 'Sunday Night Oldies
Show. Loo
Katz does weekend and fill in duties. WPGC
sister station, Z-93,
Atlanta's Program Director, John
Young becomes the station's primary imaging voice.
On
June 18th, 1981 authorization from the FCC is granted to change
the transmitting location from 6369 Walker Mill Road to 5526
Walker Mill Road. The change of sites occurs on December 21,
1981. The FM's antenna height is increased to 500 feet.
The
annual Toys
for Tots Concert at the Capital Centre featrures
Rick Springfield, Juice Newton, Quarterflash & the Spinners
in December.
Market motion: Q107's
ill fated repositioning campaign, 'Q Phase 2', inspired by
the success of Howard Stern on DC-101,
leaves WPGC comfortably ahead in the now widely watched battle of
the Top 40 titans. A one time AM titan itself, WEEL
gives up and goes Country.
On
air line up:
Elliott
& Woodside
(mornings / news)
Dave
Foxx
(middays / production)
'J.J.
McKay' (afternoons)
Bruce
Kelly (MD & nights)
Waylon
Richards
(late nights)
Lisa
Kay (overnights)
Jingles
in use:
TM's
'Radio Express'.
#1
song on
Memorial
Day 300 countdown:
'Bridge Over Troubled Water' -
Simon & Garfunkel
1982
The
turmoil begins as Elliott
& Woodside
accept a staggering offer
and leave the station in January for mornings at crosstown
Q107,
Dave
Foxx initially moves to mornings
and is teamed up with Washington Redskin's Joe
Theismann & 'El
Double O', Loo Katz handling news.
Displaced
in the Elliott
& Woodside
move, Q107's
Dude
Walker joins WPGC for afternoons. Then he
is moved to mornings
with Dave
Foxx as 'Dude
& Dave'
when Joe
Theismann has to report to training camp in the
summer. Lee
Chambers joins for weekends in February.
Steve
Kingston exists the station by Fall, heralding
a distinct shift in focus for the station as it attempts to
remodel itself as an adult friendly venue 'that Washington
grew up with'. Promotions Director, Loo
Katz leaves to program a station in New Haven,
Connecticut.
Jerry
Steele is named Program
Director along with yet another morning show line
up: Dude
Walker & news
guy,
J. Robert Howe, Dave
Foxx moves to afternoons. Max
Wolf replaces Lisa
Kay in overnights. The last of the WPGC 'Money
Girls', Pam
Smith leaves the station.
General
Manager. Charles
Giddens leaves the station late in the year for
station ownership and is replaced by Jeanne
Oates. Ratings tumult, as a mindblowing 50% of
the station's cume leaves too.
On
air line up:
Dude
Walker & Joe
Theismann (mornings)
J.
Robert Howe ( news)
Dave
Foxx (middays / production)
'J.J. McKay'
(afternoons)
Bruce
Kelly (MD & nights)
Waylon
Richards (nights)
Max Wolf
(overnights)
Jingles
in use:
JAM's
'Double
Plus'.
#1
song on
Memorial
Day 300 countdown: 'Satisfaction'
- Rolling Stones.
Major
promotions:
The
Movie Game
1983
Al
Casey
is hired to replace the departing Jerry
Steele as Program
Director
and attempts to reposition the station closer to its former
hipper, heritage position as 'The New 95' but is pre-empted
by station ownership more intent on stealing WASH-FM's
recently relinquished adult contemporary crown. Q107
becomes thee dominant CHR in Washington by default. Loo
Katz returns as Promotions Director after programming
in New Haven, Connecticut, and is named Asst. PD. Traffic
& Continuity Director Collette
Roeder leaves and is replaced by Susan
Raider.
Dave
Foxx returns to mornings when Dude
Walker leaves the station. Max
Wolf moves to middays while two mainstays from
WASH-FM, John
Dowling & Greg
Cole join for afternoons & nights respectively.
Bruce
Kelly departs for B94, Pittsburgh while Lee
Chambers handles late nights and Music Director
duties. Gene
Baxter is added for overnights.
'American
Top 40' with Casey
Kasem which has run on WPGC since its inception
in 1970 is taken from the station when ABC acquires show producer
Watermark and gives it to its O&O, Q107.
Long a benchmark on the station, 'Sound-Offs'
are phased out as the first wave of Deregulation eliminates
the necessity of their existence.
On
air line up:
Dave
Foxx & Joe
Theismann (mornings)
J.
Robert Howe ( news)
Max
Wolf (middays)
John
Dowling (afternoons)
Greg
Cole (nights)
Lee
Chambers
(MD & late nights)
Gene
Baxter (overnights)
#1
song on
year
end countdown:
'Billie Jean' - Michael Jackson'.
Major
promotions:
Quizman,
Tell
A Friend
1984
Gene
Baxter moves to nights as Greg
Cole vacates the station. Glenn
Beck is added for overnights. The end of a 30 year
legend is in sight as numerous personnel changes late
in the summer including Lee
Chambers crossing the street for Q107
and Gene
Baxter & Loo
Katz moving over to WAVA
preceed the final nail in the coffin, when the call letters
of the FM are changed to WCLY in a vain attempt to commandeer
a new image as 'Classy 95'. (Today the
WCLY calls are used by an
AM Gospel station in Raleigh, NC).
On
September 13th, 1984 the FCC renews the permit to raise power
on the AM from 10KW to 50KW.
Market
motion:
WASH-FM's
new rhythmic leaning format is almost equally as much a failure.
Sensing a one horse race, Doubleday blows up album rock WAVA
and creates a worthy CHR competitor for Q107.
On
air line up:
Dave
Foxx & Joe
Theismann (mornings)
J.
Robert Howe ( news)
Max Wolf
(middays)
John
Dowling (afternoons)
Gene
Baxter (nights)
Lee
Chambers
(MD & late nights)
Glenn
Beck (overnights)
#1
song on
Memorial
Day 300 countdown:
'Hello' - Lionel Richie
Epilogue:
The
new format continues to languish in the ratings doldrums until
First Media
decides to sell all of its properties for $177 million to
a minority interest in early 1987. New owners Cook Inlet
promptly rebuild the station as Urban
Contemporary and bring back the legendary call
letters on May 30th, 1987. Ratings rise almost immediately,
softening the blow somewhat of unquestionably the biggest
blunder in the history of Washington radio at that time.
Eventually
the AM raises power from 10KW to 50KW in late 1986 and debuts
a business talk format in 1988. In October 1987, it
also gains a low power nightime authorization of 270 watts.
In 1989 the AM's nightime power is increased to 500 watts
directional, but a change in the directional pattern in 1990
requires a reduction in power back to 270 watts.
Infinity
Broadcasting acquires the stations from Cook Inlet
in June 1994 for $60 million. In 1995, the AM format gives
way to Rap and Hip-Hop. Ultimately, it evolves to its
present Gospel incarnation in November 1996 as 'Heaven 1580'.
The stations move to new studios and offices at 4200
Parliament Place, Suite 300 in Lanham, MD in the Summer of
2000.
In
2009, the AM becomes WHFS-AM and picks up a syndicated line-up
of Right-Wing talk shows.
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