“Ok, I got the crew together now… I think we’re all set to go!”
Curator’s Notes:
This is a pristine recording that held up very well over the years. A donation from AircheckDownloads.com, this is over a year before the flip to Oldies as WODS and there couldn’t be a higher energy level anywhere than here at HitRadio 103 WHTT!
Notice during the promo about 4 1/2 minutes in, the station is starting to use it’s complete digital frequency of 103.3. It would be a while before that took hold even during the 25+ year run as “Oldies 103”.
The Boston market was very competitive during this era, with WHTT being one of four CHR stations. Here’s how the market was laid out — from memory!
92.9 WBOS – Country, as “93 WBOS”
93.7 WCGY (Lawrence) – Rock-leaning CHR/AOR hybrid
94.5 WZOU – CHR, as “Z94”
94.9 WHOM (Mt Washington NH, carried on most cable systems and receivable almost into downtown Boston) – Soft AC
95.7 WZID (Manchester NH) – Soft AC
96.1 WSRS (Worcester) – Soft AC
98.5 WROR – CHR
99.1 WPLM (Plymouth) – Standards/Beautiful Music
99.5 WSSH (Lowell) – Soft AC as “Wish 99.5”
100.7 WZLX – Classic Rock. This had been CHR WKKT, and before that, Beautiul Music WHUE, all in the 1980s
102.5 WCRB – Classical
103.3 WHTT – CHR
104.5 WXLO (Fitchburg) – Adult Contemporary
105.7 WVBF (Framingham)- Adult Contemporary
106.7 WMJX – Soft AC as “Magic 106.7”
107.3 WAAF (Worcester) – Album Oriented Rock
107.9 WXKS-FM (Medford) – CHR
I’m sure I left some stations out, but this is what the FM dial looked like around 1985. There were a lot of format and call letter changes in the market in the mid 1980s, and without looking at online data (which I could easily do but I wanted to compare my memories to reality) I *THINK* this is pretty close. Your comments (below) are most welcome.
These days WODS has returned to their Top 40/CHR roots as AMP Radio 103.3 WODS.
Well, yes. But it’s not the same today as most CHR stations this one included lean very urban. I keep asking, where’s the Rock??
Mark Sebastian was a mainstay at Q102 Cincinnati. He was hired by Z100 for middays a year after their launch, which was an odd choice considering his energy. That job ended as soon as it began. He wound up here, then Z95 Chicago before eventually returning to Q102 Cincinnati. Interesting that the jingle package is the same as Q102 and his choices of 5 o’clock songs were very Q102. Think he’s in Florida these days.