WOR-FM 98.7 New York

Tommy Edwards, WOR-FM 98.7 New York | 1971 is a post from: Airchexx.com

Listen now, to the ORIGINAL broadcast of “Match Game 1984″ as broadcast on 66 WNBC New York. This is NOT a re-creation, but a recording of the authentic broadcast, made by contributor Bob Gilmore as it was heard in 1984.

In your webmaster’s opinion, the whole of WNBC’s format in the years 1983-1986 was one of the most entertaining and best all around radio that was ever done in New York… maybe anywhere. You got music, information, laughter… this is a comment about WNBC radio, not Stern. WNBC IMHO, was at least as good in it’s own right, during these years, as WABC was in it’s heyday in the 1960s. This is what radio was SUPPOSED to be like, and NBC actually got it right!
Even after Stern was gone, the Soupy Sales / Joey Reynolds era in 1986 was hilariously funny, even as the Top 40 format segued to a mix of contemporary hits and Oldies (and oh, what we wouldn’t do for a Joey Reynolds show with Roz Frank and Al Rosenberg!). There is nothing like this anywhere that we know of in radio today, and that’s too bad, considering the shot in the arm to any station that would dare air something close to the WNBC format of the 1980s would do in this era of consolidation. End Rant.

Appearing in no particular order: Robin Quivers (WNBC News), Donna Feducia (WNBC Traffic), Bruce (the Engineer), Sid Ronkus, Janie LaCue (The WNBC Cleaning Lady), ‘Ringo Starr’, ‘Lou Ferrigno’, ‘Richard Dawson’, Don Imus, Howard Stern (as ‘Gene Rayburn, Jr.’). Particularly pay attention to the “Podishua Shaving Cream” live spot at about 25 minutes in. Music by The Police & Chaka Khan.

66 WNBC New York, 1980s

“Match Game 1984″, 66 WNBC New York | December, 1984 is a post from: Airchexx.com

WPLJ’s last try at the CHR format was this super-hot version of the format which lasted for a short period of time. Mojo Radio sounded great and gave crosstown Z100 a run for it’s money before flipping to HotAC.

Here’s A.J. Hammer, a voice that fits right in with the format. Its a Friday afternoon, and there’s a Top 5 countdown that begins towards the end of this recording… you’ll hear number 4 before it ends.

No jingles, but some hot sweepers! This station had potential…

WPLJ 95.5

A.J. Hammer, WPLJ 95.5 Mojo Radio New York | June 21, 1991 is a post from: Airchexx.com

For those of you in a Summer kind of mood, here’s the HotAC version of 95.5 WPLJ as they play Classic Hits for the 4th of July holiday! Considering the position this station is in today, they couldn’t get away with it with WCBS-FM playing all these hits in rotation now, but in ’96 this was a big deal!

WPLJ is one of those stations that’s just… there. Once WABC-FM in the 60s, WPLJ evolved into an early AOR and stayed there until late 1983 when it slowly evolved into CHR. It sounded great and for a time, even used some of the WABC Jam jingles resung for WPLJ. The CHR war evolved into a head on collision with CHR powerhouse WHTZ Z100, a war which WPLJ eventually lost. The station threw in the towel as a hit music station after it’s hottter-than-hell “Mojo Radio” incarnation (Thanks, Scott Shannon for some great times!) ended, finally moving in a more adult direction in the early 90s.

It’s a more current-based format now than in 1996, but the AC factor is ever-present in this Independence Day recording of classics and Oldies, neatly wrapped in an exciting HotAC radio station. This is 95.5 WPLJ – and in July, 1996, it definitely was mom’s radio station!

Chris Marino, The 4th of July Non-Stop Party Weekend, 95.5 WPLJ New York | July 4, 1996 is a post from: Airchexx.com

One recording we didn’t post when Matt over at Big Apple Airchecks sent us a bunch in ’07 was this aircheck of AOR station WAPP. Now, WAPP, for a time, was a great rock station after having changed formats from WTFM Beautiful Music sometime in 1982. By 1983 it was time for a change, and while this is essentially still a hard rock station in January of that year, it would flip to CHR a few months later. Darryl Hall & John Oates sounds conspicuously out of place sandwiched in between Jethro Tull and Journey, but it’s certainly a sign of things to come – Best example of this kind of change might have been 94.5 WCOZ Boston, which after ditching the “Kick Ass Rock n Roll” hard Rock format from John Sebastian, found itself lost in a world of some hard rock, New Wave and even soft rock. 1983 was a year of change in the AOR format, which essentially split into two new formats at the time: early Alternative/Punk and Classic Rock. There are very few Album Oriented Rock stations anywhere these days, and 1983 is the year it essentially came to an end.

The jock is listed as ‘unknown’, but to your webmaster’s ears, this sounds like Pat. St. John. It’s probably not, but one can’t help but wonder since his voice is so unique. Somebody out there knows. Meanwhile, enjoy a few dead segues and two jock breaks in a Two minute, six second recording of “The Apple” – 103.5 WAPP!

103.5 WAPP Lake Success, Logo circa early 1980s

QuickCheck: 103.5 WAPP Lake Success/New York | January 3, 1983 is a post from: Airchexx.com

101.1 WCBS-FM Logo, pre Jack-FM

MusicRadio 77 WABC circa 1977

Cousin Brucie interviews Les Marshack, WCBS-FM New York Radio Greats Reunion 1988 is a post from: Airchexx.com

NewsTalk 77 WABC New York logo circa 2007

For those who have not heard this show, WABC added this program right after WCBS-FM dropped oldies in favor of the “Jack-FM” format, trying to capitalize on the tremendous heritage that WABC had as a music station. Mark Simone is a consummate professional, able to host a talk show on WABC and be very serious talking politics, and yet still be a fantastic disc jockey – he should, having worked at stations like WPIX 102 doing top 40 and WNEW Eleven Three Oh as a standards jock.

This really is a noisy aircheck. Recorded in your webmaster’s back room with all my electronics lit up, the WABC signal often faded into the high computer noise which is so prevalent around the AM band everywhere these days. But, its not unlistenable. Recorded on a wideband AM Stereo receiver from Radio Shack (one of those vintage 80s models), where the signal is good (about 70 percent), WABC actually sounds very good despite having wrecked their audio chain in recent years to accomodate HD radio. Its nice when you hear AM in full 13khz, even though they transmit as all AMs do these days only 9khz wide. This does fade out and get difficult to listen to in spots, but hang in there. Mark Simone and the old WABC jingles are worth every minute of the 8:23 that this scoped recording offers.

Mark Simone, 77 WABC New York | July 21, 2007 is a post from: Airchexx.com

Recently, we featured the legendary Bobby Jay on WCBS-FM. Now, after numerous requests, here’s something from Norm N Nite. Contributor Ray Bozzanca says of this aircheck,

On May 1,1982 Norm N Nite would start the Top 20 countdown shows on WCBS FM N.Y. The first Top 20 countdown show featured the year 1966.This aircheck is from Novemeber 22 of 1981 when Norm N Nite would countdown the Top 10 songs of 1961 in his last hour of his show.

101.1 WCBS-FM Logo, pre Jack-FM

Norm N Nite, WCBS-FM 101 New York | November 22, 1981 is a post from: Airchexx.com

Contributor Ray Bozzanca offered this long ‘check of the legendary Bobby Jay doing what he does best, presenting the hits of the Do-Wop era on WCBS-FM. The reverb is ON for this recording of the Joe McCoy era, Top Oldies station in its prime!

From the best era of WCBS-FM - New York's OLDIES Station!

Bobby Jay and the Top Hits of 1958, WCBS-FM New York | 1991 is a post from: Airchexx.com

1983 might be considered the year that 66 WNBC finally hit the post as a true Top 40 station. Nights were full of the hits of ’83, one of the top rated shows in New York, and the station was boasting Imus in the Morning and Howard Stern in the afternoon. Having witnessed the demise of WABC almost a year earlier, WNBC finally achieved what it couldn’t all throughout the 70s – ratings superiority over 77 WABC. And, it sounded great, also!

This era is largely forgotten by nearly everyone but its important to remember that while Z-100 launched in 1983, WNBC really took over for a time as THE Top 40 station in the Big Apple. With a largely California Top 40 sound, no reverb, and a personality based Top 40 sound, WNBC had it all. It only lasted a year or so before talk began to kill the music outside of drive time, but it sure sounded great. Here, Steve York is playing oldies on a 60s Saturday. Man, we’d sure like to hear the 7-Midnight weekday show during this time (one of these days….)

WNBC composite graphic from the 80s

Steve York, 66 WNBC New York | April 23, 1983 is a post from: Airchexx.com