Radio This Week Back Then #57: February 23-March 1
CHR WPLJ "95-5PLJ" New York, modern KFSD-FM "92-1" San Diego, CHR WAPE-FM 95.1 Jacksonville, CHR KTQN "Q106" Killeen/Temple
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:
New York | CHR WPLJ 95.5 “95-5PLJ” (1992)
San Diego | modern KFSD-FM 92.1 “92-1 Premium Radio” (2002)
Jacksonville | CHR WAPE 95.1 (2019)
Killeen/Temple | CHR KTQN 106.3 “Q106” (1988)
Happy listening and reading!
Related: New York, WPLJ, 95.5 New York
Now owned by K-Love to clear the K-Love national format in New York City, WPLJ, of course, is more fondly remembered from its secular days.
This aircheck from 1992 comes a few weeks after WPLJ dropped its short-lived “Mojo Radio” brand for “95-5PLJ.” It was still top 40 at this time, but already starting to sound a bit more adult-leaning as part of its journey to fully evolve to hot AC that year.
Related: San Diego
Presently owned by K-Love to clear its Air1 national format as KARJ, the 92.1 facility has long been limited to covering the affluent North County region in northern San Diego County. It has gone through a variety of formats and calls over the year. This aircheck comes from its alternative years in the early 2000s under the KFSD-FM calls.
The KFSD calls were long associated with 94.1, which ran classical under the KFSD calls for decades. In early 1997, KFSD flipped to oldies KXGL, ending the classical format’s long run on 94.1. The 92.1 facility picked up the classical format and KFSD calls, flipping from country KOWF.
KFSD flipped from classical to alternative at Noon on 1 May 2001, launching with with “We Want The Airwaves” by the Ramones. The classical format moved to standards KSPA 1450, which also picked up the KFSD calls (with 92.1 becoming KFSD-FM). The flip put it up against incumbent modern rock XETRA-FM 91.1 “91X” and AAA KXST 102.1 “Sets 102.” Unlike many corporate modern rock outlets, KFSD-FM was more independent and included local area acts. Per North County Times the day after the launch…
Station management said the format change means more local music and a challenge to corporate homogenization.
The station will become a haven for original local music that doesn’t fit the formulaic playlists of nationwide chains, said Chris McKay, the station manager and director of operations. The format so far appears to be a mix of local groups and nationally known alternative music, with an emphasis on helping local music.
“The whole focus of this radio station is to be local for the locals,” McKay said.
The modern rock format ended in 2003 after KFSD-FM was sold and turned into a full-time simulcast of country KSON-FM 97.3 as KSOQ-FM. The 97.3 San Diego facility has limited coverage of the North County and KSOQ-FM provided a way to extend its coverage into that area.
WAPE-FM signed on in 1949 as City of Jacksonville-owned WJAX-FM, simulcasting full-service MOR sister WJAX 930. It later moved to easy listening. In the 1970s, it flipped to rock “Rock 95” and then to R&B “95X” in 1981. In March 1986, WJAX-FM flipped to CHR WAPE, initially branded as “Power 95.” It will celebrate 39 years as top 40 WAPE next week.
This aircheck comes from 6 years ago and featured its then “Big Ape Morning Mess” AM drive show.
Presently formatted as R&B KOOC “B106,” the 106.3 facility originally signed on in 1970 as country KTON-FM, sister to KTON 940.
In November 1984, the then-weak class A facility flipped to CHR KTQN “Q106” and bolted to the top of the ratings, a pretty impressive feat against class C incumbent CHR KIXS 93.3 “Kicks 93” Killeen (the now relocated present day KGSR Cedar Park targeting the much larger Austin market to the south).
By the end of its run, KTQN had started to skew to a more adult-leaning top 40. It sold to new owners and was relaunched as a more rhythmic-leaning top 40 in KYZZ “Z106” on 22 February 1990. KYZZ launched after 55 hours of looping Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack.” It also launched with a contest called the “Cash Crusader,” where the mysterious “crusader” passed out $100 IOUs to people he encountered listening to KYZZ. Problem was, according to a front page article on the 1 May 1990 Waco Tribune-Herald, none of the listeners were getting their money. Two weeks later, the paper reported it went dark and had owed over $9,000 in prize amounts. The FCC later fined the station $5,000 for that.
In the following year, KYZZ was bought out of chapter 7 by the owners of country KOOV 103.1 Copperas Cove “K-Double O-V.” KOOV covered the western half of the Killeen/Temple market. KYZZ signed back on as KOOC to simulcast KOOV on the eastern side. The simulcast broke in 1993 when KOOC flipped to AC “Mix 106.” KOOC later flipped back to CHR as “Hot 106” in 2002 and then to its present day R&B “B106” format in 2004.
This aircheck comes from its KTQN top 40 days in 1988, where it had already begun shifting to a more adult-leaning sound.
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 respective owners.