Station: 1390 WFBL Syracuse
Format: Top 40/CHR
Branding: “Hot Hits“(tm) (Wikipedia), “Fire 14”
Featured Air Personality: Various
Contributor: Steve McVie (Website)
Total Time: 11:55 (Telescoped)
Airchexx Entry: 1,544
It’s Nine O’Clock, Exciting Todd Parker working NIGHTS!…
Curator’s Notes:
A format with a rather high burnout rate, Consultant Mike Joseph’s “Hot Hits” CHR format graced a number of radio stations, mainly in the Northeastern United States, before grinding to a halt by the end of the 1980s. In May of 1979, WFBL Syracuse switched to this Hot Hits format. The format lasted 16 1/2 months before it was replaced by Standards and Big Band music, as one of the very first outlets of the syndicated “Music of your Life” format. Talk about AM Rock going out with a bang!
This aircheck is courtesy of Steve McVie, who has his own website and is a huge fan of the Hot Hits(tm) format. Sent to us in 2002, this was one of the first airchecks we recieved, yet it’s taken till now to get posted.
Even though that WFBL end their run as a Hot Hits AM station, the Hot Hits craze will live on for the FM stations.
Wow … how many ways can you do it wrong. Still fun to hear, but the jingle clutter (and I LOVE jingles) due to having two on-air names ,,, playing jingles into commercials … fast jingles into slow songs ….
Still, this is a fun check. Better than so many stations today.
I noticed a few formatic errors as well. On this ‘check, it seems as though the jocks are distracted. Well, yea. They’re unemployed as of the next day! But now, seriously. It sounds wierd talking BEFORE the TOH jingle begins. You’re supposed to talk over the front of it that’s why there’s a ramp!!
Sorry. It’s the geekiness in me
Small correction… first 5:12 of this aircheck is from August 1980 (PSA refers to August, and Emotional Rescue hit top 5 in August). Rest is from November.
Very interesting how tight the mike Joseph format was