Modern Rock
103.9 WDRE flips from Modern Rock to Urban
In late 1996, Jarad Broadcasting sold off WDRE to Radio-One, who specializes in Urban based formats. With knowledge of a change coming, the station decided to go out with a bang. Sweepers promoted the days remaining until the death of ‘DRE, while an anything goes attitude prevailed at the station. On Valentines Day, 1997 WDRE presented Bitterfest, a concert to mark the demise of the station. As the clock prepared to strike midnight, 103.9 played Pearl Jam’s “Alive” while the concert’s crowd chanted “DRE, DRE, DRE”. At midnight the station began a weekend stunt of Old School R&B, until the sign-on of the “New 103.9” Urban format the following Monday.
92X Becomes Jam’n 92.1
Previous Format: Alternative “92X” KNRX New Format: Dance CHR “Jam’n 92.1” KJMN Date & Time Of Change: February 29, 1996 at 8:00pm More Info: Wikipedia
103.9 WIBF flips from Ethnic to Modern Rock
The 103.9 frequency was one of the last remaining voids in the Philadelphia market. With a leased-time format under Fox Broadcasting, WIBF was an untapped goldmine in the world of formatted radio. Enter Jarad Broadcasting, owners of longtime Modern Rocker WDRE in Garden City, New York. Jarad was quickly developing a cluster of Modern Rock stations with the “Underground Network” moniker. Affiliates included stations in Albany, Memphis, Little Rock, and WIBF. Signing-On with Pearl Jam’s “Alive”, 103.9 would simulcast New York’s WDRE until the demise of the network. Around that time, the WDRE call letters were moved to 103.9, which went live and local until its death in 1997.
CHR “Power 99” WAPW becomes Alternative “99X” WNNX
During the late 80’s WAPW was the leading Mainstream CHR in Atlanta with ratings in the 7 to 9 share range and beating out longtime runners WZGC (Z-93) and WQXI (94-Q) out of the format. But during the fall 1991, the station started stumbling from a 6.5 in the summer book to a 4.7. This was caused by a decision at the time by management to lean heavy on Dance in order to find a nitch for the station. Reversing course, the station started re-adding Rock & Alternative tracks over the winter of 1991-92 and rose to a 6.3 in the winter, then dropped in the 4’s in the spring & summer books. After experimenting with a nightly all-Alternative music program called “On The Edgeâ€, the decision was made to change format to Alternative and the weekend before the format change on Octob...
KMGI Becomes 107.7 The End
Previous Format: AC 107.7 KMGI New Format: Alternative “107.7 The End” KNDD Date & Time Of Change: August 23, 1991 at 3:00pm More Info: Wikipedia, 107.7 The End Aircheck Contributed by Mike Workman
96.5 KNRJ becomes “Mix” KHMX
When Nationwide Communications acquired 96.5 KNRJ Houston from Emmis Broadcasting in late 1989, it knew it had its work cut out. Energy 96.5 was at the bottom of the ratings pack as the third CHR behind heavyweights 93Q and KRBE. Nationwide put Guy Zapolean, its corporate programming head to oversee the construction of a new format for the station. While conducting the market research, KNRJ flipped to a smokescreen Alternative Rock format in April 1990. Finally on July 20, 1990, the finished product, KHMX “Mix 96.5” was launched. While nowadays a station debuting a Hot AC named “Mix” would draw a ho-hum response, KHMX was the prototype. The first AC station to focus on a rock based pop variety of songs from the 70’s and 80’s along with currents, “M...
Energy 96.5 KNRJ Becomes The Alternative
Previous Format: Dance CHR “Energy 96.5” New Format: Alternative “96.5 The Alternative” // 5 weeks later became Hot AC “Mix 96.5” KHMX Date & Time Of Change: June 15, 1990 at 7:15am More Info: Wikipedia
WLIR Loses Its License
Previous Format: Modern Rock WLIR New Format: Modern Rock WDRE Date & Time Of Change: December 18, 1987 More Info: Wikipedia, WLIR.FM, New York Times
