In 1973, Philadelphia’s WIFI 92 instituted a high-energy Top 40 format known as the Boogie Format with the slogan “Let’s Boogie.” It Philly’s first live FM Top 40 station. It performed fairly well for many years. When 98.1 WCAU-FM debuted its Hot Hits format in October 1981, which caused WIFI’s ratings to fall as WCAU-FM quickly grabbed most of the teen audience. In 1982, WIFI made a move to a “New Wave” format, branded as “I-92” and “Rock of the Eighties,” that didn’t really help the ratings. In August 1983, the station was sold to Beasley Broadcast Group, and the new owners instituted a Rhythmic/Contemporary Hit Music format with a call sign change to WXTU (reminiscent of New York City’s WKTU). Right from the start, the station seemed to have identity problems. Over it’s 8 month run, it was know as “92X”,”92XTU”, “92WXTU”,”New 92″, “Musicradio New 92”, “Philly’s XTU”. It was pretty confusing. The music mix was also weird. That format failed to find an audience and was gone in 9 months, and with a new country music format install, which survives to this day.
This aircheck is from the failed Rhythmic/CHR format, with Steve Ross on air. Ross was a long time jock in Philly jock. He was on the first jock staff when WYSP in Philly flipped from beautiful music to Progressive Rock, and then he spent the next 50 years working around the Delaware Valley on WFIL, WIFI, WIBG, WWDB, WCAU, WXTU, WIP, WIOQ, WZZD, WNTP, & WPEN.
Since 1979, Ellis has been on the radio, mostly hosting morning radio shows across the country, from Philly to Salt Lake City, Tampa to Seattle, and for the last 25 years, has been waking Orlando & Daytona Beach.
