WCAU-FM Hot Hits 98 Philadelphia – Terry Young – September 25 1981

In 1981, Many radio programmers thought Top 40 radio was dying, or already dead. Many Top 40 stations, who were primarily on AM radio, were sounding more like Adult Contemporary stations. They were kind of soft, low energy, and, kind of dull. in the 60s & 70s, the format was exciting & full of energy, but now, they had become pretty boring. That trend began to reverse itself, when CBS Radio hired Mike Joseph, who was already consulting the Philly AM, 1210 WCAU. They wanted Joseph to bring some rating to it’s FM, Mellow Rhythm 98 WCAU-FM. The station was playing a mix of soft hits, smooth R&B, & Jazz.

Joseph decided the station should go Top 40, with lots of fast paced excitement, high energy jocks, and the top current songs , with lots of jingles. Joseph coined the term, “Hot Hits” for his format. The new format took off in Philly like a rocket! The format was installed on other radio stations like WHYT Detroit, WBBM-FM Chicago, WMKR & WMAR-FM Baltimore, and WNVZ Norfolk.

This aircheck is from the first few days of the Hot Hits format, &  features WCAU-FM’s Hot Hits night slammer, Terry “Motormouth“ Young. If you listen carefully, you can tell one of Terry’s big influences is Jack Armstrong. -Ellis

  From the Ellis B Feaster You Tube Radio Aircheck & Classic TV Channel.