Radio This Week Back Then #59: March 9-15
'90s Throwbacks: Rhythmic CHR KRBV "Hot 100" D/FW's first day, CHR WBZZ "B94" Pittsburgh, WHOT-FM "Hot 101" Youngstown's brief return to rock, hot AC KRLB Lubbock
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:
Dallas/Fort Worth | rhythmic CHR KRBV 100.3 “Hot 100” (first day, 1999)
Pittsburgh | CHR WBZZ 93.7 “B94” (1992)
Youngstown | rock WHOT-FM 101.1 “Hot 101, the Original Rock & Roll” (1992)
Lubbock | hot AC 99.5 KRLB-FM (1996)
Happy reading and listening!
Related: Dallas/Fort Worth
Presently playing what it wants as adult hits KJKK “100.3 Jack FM,” this aircheck comes from the first of two CHR attempts before KJKK.
100.3 History
Aircheck
This aircheck comes from the first day of KRBV’s new rhythmic-leaning top 40 “Hot 100” format this week in 1999. The new format was intended to go after highly rated CHR KHKS 106.1 “106.1 Kiss FM.” Hot 100 did not make much of a challenger against the formidable KHKS, so KRBV tried again by relaunching as “Wild 100” two years later. New name, similar results — KRBV abandoned CHR and flipped to adult hits KJKK “100.3 Jack FM” in the summer of 2004.
Audio
Aircheck Song Log
93.7 History
Currently sports KDKA-FM “93.7 the Fan,” the signal signed on the first time on 20 July 1948 as WKJF. Notably for the time, it was not an off-shoot of an existing AM station, but rather the first FM in the market that was independent.
Aircheck
This aircheck comes from the midpoint of the 23 year run of top 40 WBZZ “B94.”
Audio
Aircheck Song Log
101.1 History
Currently, 101.1 is top 40 WHOT-FM “Hot 101.” The top 40 format goes back 40 years, but not continuously. In the fall of 1991, it briefly shifted to rock “Hot 101, the Original Rock & Roll.” The top 40 format returned the following year. Previous to flipping to top 40 WHOT-FM in 1984, the station also ran a rock format as “Wizard” WSRD.
Aircheck
This aircheck comes from WHOT-FM’s brief early 1990s return to rock. At the time, it was generally reported as flipping to rock 40 in some trades, like then-sister WJET 102.3 Erie. However, it was more of a traditional rock format of current and classic rock rather than a current-based rock-leaning top 40.
Audio
Aircheck Song Log
Related: Lubbock
99.5 History
Today, 99.5 is country KQBR “Lonestar 99.5.” The 99.5 facility started out north of Lubbock in 1964 as KWGN-FM. Initially, it was licensed to Abernathy, and its transmitter was 4 miles N of Abernathy on US87. Tribune wanted the KWGN calls for its newly acquired Denver TV station, KCTO 2, so Tribune made KWGN-FM an offer to surrender the calls, and KWGN-FM became KWGO-FM.
There is not much archived on KWGN-FM or KWGO-FM’s history. KWGO-FM changed calls to KRLB-FM in 1981. KRLB-FM flipped from easy listening to AC the following years and was a highly rated outlet for much of the 1980s.
As the 1990s entered, KRLB-FM shifted to briefly to top 40 “B99” and then to hot AC as “FM99, Lubbock’s Better Music Mix” and then “99.5 KRLB, Lubbock’s Best Music Mix” in the mid-1990s. In March 1997, KRLB-FM flipped to “the Cream of Classic Rock” KCRM. KCRM flipped to country KQBR “99-5 the Bear” in August 1999. The country format has rebranded twice since then — first to “99.5 Blake FM” in May 2012 and then “Lonestar 99.5” in August 2014.
Aircheck
This aircheck comes from the KRLB-FM days, a year before it flipped to classic rock KCRM.
Audio
Aircheck Song Long
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.