Radio This Week Back Then #54: February 2-8
KRBE-FM/AM "Power 104" Houston, WPLM-FM/AM "Easy 99.1" Boston, WNCX "Classic Hits 98-5 WNCX" Cleveland
What was on the radio this week…back then. This is a weekly visit of radio audio from this week in past years for those that enjoy radio history, those working in radio looking for promotional ideas, or stations looking to re-find lost audio of their heritage. If you enjoy these weekly audio rewinds, they take a lot of time to put together, so please do me a favor, subscribe, and share and pass it on. Thank you! A searchable and sortable index of all the audio is located on the Aircheck Index page.
This week
Houston | CHR KRBE-FM/AM 104.1/1070 “Power 104 KRBE”
Boston | soft AC WPLM-FM/AM 99.1/1390 “Easy 99.1”
Cleveland | classic hits WNCX 98.5 “Classic Hits 98-5 WNCX, 98-5NCX”
Happy reading and listening!
Related: Houston, KRBE, 104.1 Houston, 1070 Houston
In the old days — the 1980s — you could not listen to radio stations online since the Internet was only available to the military, research companies, and universities for email, exchanging data, etc. So, that met radio geeks used the US Post Office to send written letters to other aircheck traders with their requests and their list of airchecks to look over in order to arrange a trade. I was living about 90 miles from Houston going to college, and a trader requested I tape Houston’s CHRs KKBQ-FM/AM 92.9/790 “93Q” and KRBE-FM/AM 104.1/170 “Power 104” as part of a trade. So, on 8 February 1988, I recorded the evening show of 93Q, featured a year ago this week in the 2nd edition of RTWBT, and flipped over the cassette and recorded KRBE. I then packaged up the tape and mailed it off.
For KRBE, the evening shift was helmed by Casi Love, who was just promoted into the spot from 10PM-2AM after former 6-10PM DJ, and current WHTZ 100.3 New York morning legend, Elvis Duran took a shift at Atlanta CHR WZGC 92.9 “Z93.”
Sadly, a few days later on the Houston TV newscasts came the tragic news that Love, whose real name was Kimberly Fullilove, had been killed, at age 28, by her boyfriend in a murder-suicide. According to news articles in The Houston Chronicle1 that week as well as industry trade Radio & Records2, Love had called in sick on 9 February and later talked to a friend that day. After failing to show up for the Wednesday (10 February) shift, KRBE staffers went to her apartment and found the horrific scene. Love’s mother, in an interview with The Chronicle, described her boyfriend as possessive, and the suicide note, according to police, signed by the boyfriend said he was sorry for what he had done, but that he could not live without her. The police believe he killed her Tuesday and then took a rifle to himself. So, sadly, this aircheck appears to have been her last time on air. (Note: Her on-air name is spelled differently — “Casey,” “Casi” — depending on the publication. The obituary in the 12 February 1988 The Houston Chronicle uses “Casi Love” as her on-air name).
Presently, KRBE-FM remains a CHR all these decades later. The AM was sold off a long time ago and is now conservative talk KNTH “the Answer.”
Related: Boston
Since its sign on in the early 1960s, WPLM-FM has largely been some sort of soft, relaxing music station, from its initial big band/standards days to soft AC to a three and half year smooth jazz run in the mid- to late-1990s. The current “Easy 99.1” brand first appeared at the beginning of 1999 when WPLM-FM shifted from smooth jazz to a soft AC/standards mix that later evolved to just soft AC.
WPLM-FM targets the Boston market, but has a limited signal as rimshot from the south. Due to spacing constraints to sports WBZ-FM 98.5 and classical WCRB 99.5 Lowell-Boston, WPLM-FM’s tower is well SSE of Boston in Plymouth MA.
This aircheck is from WPLM-FM’s evening “Romance Cafe” evening love songs show from 2008. Just a warning: the background music bed features a lot of chimes that sound like a text notification on your phone…
Related: Cleveland
The last aircheck this week is from 1987 and is some audio of the first day of classic hits on WNCX 98.5 Cleveland. At this point, WNCX was less than four months old as top 40 WGCL flipped to rock “New FM” WNCX “98-5NCX” in October 1986 to take on crosstown rocker WMMS 100.7. WNCX’s take on the rock format included some R&B tunes in the mix.
Back then, radio ratings by measurement company Arbitron (later purchased by Nielsen) for large markets were released quarterly, rather than monthly as they are now. So, WNCX’s format change happened in the middle of one of those periods, and the flip was surprising since the rock format did not get a full ratings book to establish itself.
Per the local The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer newspaper…
A short but bitter grudge fight for Cleveland’s airwaves has ended, and another may just be starting. WNCX-FM/98.5 — the “New FM” that four months ago replaced “the All-New G-98” — has scrapped its urban-tinged rock format in flavor of “Classic Hits,” top-40 oldies of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The change, made Monday [9 February 1987] without advance knowledge of the station’s staff, was arranged by its owner, Metropolis Broadcasting of Detroit.
…
For some stunned WNCX personnel, the latest change verges on betrayal. It was said to be based on the most recent Arbitron ratings, or “roughly six to seven weeks of the new format.” Staffers said they had been told not to worry about those ratings, which dipped from WGCL’s, since WNCX went on the air midway into the ratings period and more time was needed to establish its identity and presence."
— “WNCX Scraps Rock Format For Oldies,” The Plain Dealer, 12 February 1987.
The format change ended up creating a lot of staff changes. DJs Spaceman Scott and Nancy Alden, on this aircheck, left the station soon after this tape.
“Classic Hits 98.5 WNCX” was the new on-air brand, but there are still a few references to the previous format (“98-5NCX,” “New FM”) on this first night.
WNCX evolved from classic hits to classic rock, which it remains today.
As always, the logos and other intellectual property belong to the stations. The recordings were made from over the air broadcasts. Similarly, other data (charts, ratings, etc.) belong to their owners.
“Radio Station Deejay Casey Love, Friend Discovered Dead,” The Houston Chronicle, 11 February 1988. “Disc Jockey’s Mom Cites Possessiveness Of Beau,” The Houston Chronicle, 12 February 1988.
“KRBE Sets Casi Love Fund,” Radio & Records, 19 February 1988.