CBS’ 103.3 WEEI-FM in Boston was in the process of a drawn out evolution from Soft Rock to Top 40 in the early 1980’s. The station had already been using the name “Hit Radio 103” when CBS sold AM sister 590 WEEI. As part of the sale, per FCC rules at the time, 103.3 had to change it call letters. In order to play up the new “Hit Radio” format, WHTT was born.
This aircheck features a WEEI-FM legal ID from 5:00pm on March 8 and the birth of WHTT at midnight on March 9.
Richard Parrilla
Just one thing though…what was that last jingle package that WEEI-FM was using in the beginning of this clip before they signed off?
Nick N
I’m not sure, but I would sure like to get a recording of that jingle and others in that package. Can anyone tell us who created these jingles of WEEI-FM on the last day at 5PM March 9, 1983?
Brady
Very good Top hour for WEEI swan song and a good Top hour for WHTT. The retrosepctive on the station’s history was good, however one might wonder with heritage calls,(back when those still mattered), why they went all out with new calls. I can understand the desire to reimage for the CHR format, but it seems like that was pretty much done before the call change. Also, if EEI had several different formats, why change the calls when they worked before?
He sounded 20 years ahead of his time, but that GM sure didn’t sound to concerned with the call change, more like he didn’t give a rat’s behind…
Perhaps it was karma let lead to HTT’s demise only a short 3 years after launch. Shame, it was a great CHR format for a time when CHR ROCKED.
Bob W
The calls on WEEI-FM had to be changed… WEEI 590 was sold and at that time… unlike now… only one entity could get the calls WEEI and the AM was the winner.
Jess R. Hernandez
WHTT lasted only three years…sounds just like L.A.’s, where I live, KNX-FM’s switch to Top 40 KKHR in `83. In May `86, it returned to KNX-FM and an AOR/AC hybrid.
Robyn Watts
For Richard, Nick & Brady,
The jingle package that WEEI-FM used prior to WHTT was JAM’s “The Fyre” package. WHen WHTT was born, they’ve used some cuts from the same package and later bought cuts from JAM’s “Hitradio 2” and “The Flame Thrower” as well as TM’s “Airpower”.
Back to WEEI-FM, on Airchexx.com, you can hear an aircheck of Rod West from January of 1983 that includes the jingles that you’re interested in.
//airchexx.com/contributors/steve-mcvie/rod-west-on-weei-fm-boston-january-15-1983
Robyn
Robert Cohen
I had the pleasure of working at WEEI-FM from l975-78 when I left to co-own and manage a station in Nashua, NH. I voicetracked the l2 noon to 6 pm shift weekdays and did news live during that shift as well as interviews for our feature and long-form public affairs programming.
On Sunday nights, we had a little fun with the overnight maintenance engineers. I’d announce a ‘contest’ whereby women listeners (and most of them were female at that time) could send in a postcard (no e-mail in those days) telling us in 50 words of less, why they’d like to win a date with the maintenance engineers, Al Fulchino and Larry Vidoli. in the several months we announced the contest, we got exactly one postcard. I don’t think we ever notified the ‘winner’.
When I worked there, David Austin (not to be confused with Dave Lee Austin of WCOZ who was a different person) was news director. He had a great voice and did a fair amount of editorials and public affairs shows. I was happy to hear that David eventually became station manager after Jon Arbenz (one of the original Serendipity Singers) left. Sadly, David Austin left us way too soon from terminal cancer.
Camie
Recognize some of those jingles from KNX-FM. Coffee’s on the brew … love it.