WNEW-FM
![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
FCC | |
Facility ID | 25442 |
---|---|
Class | B |
ERP |
|
HAAT | 415 meters (1,362 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°44′53″N 73°59′10″W / 40.748°N 73.986°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast |
|
Website |
WNEW-FM (102.7
WNEW-FM is best remembered for one of its previous incarnations, a progressive rock radio format that began in 1967 and lasted into the 1990s. That station became influential in the development of rock music during the 1970s and 1980s.
Between 1958 and 1986, the station shared the WNEW
WNEW-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio format.
History
Abortive efforts
The 102.7 FM frequency was first assigned in the mid-1940s as WNJR-FM from
In 1955 the FCC awarded a new permit for 102.7 FM to a group called Fidelity Radio Corporation, based in
WNEW-FM
In November 1957, the WHFI construction permit was purchased by the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation, which already owned television station WABD (channel 5) and earlier in the year purchased WNEW radio.[6] In January 1958, WHFI was renamed WNEW-FM,[7] and DuMont completed its build-out, moving the license to New York City. The station finally came on the air on August 25, 1958, mostly simulcasting WNEW (AM) with a popular music format.[8] DuMont Broadcasting, meanwhile, would change its corporate name twice within the next three years before settling on Metromedia in 1961.
All-female DJ staff
WNEW-FM's early programming also included an
"Where Rock Lives"
Origins and disc jockeys

On October 30, 1967, WNEW-FM adopted a
The station's disc jockeys would broadcast in ways that bore out their personalities:
- morning host Dave Herman was not afraid to mix Erik Satie or Donna Summer into the playlist;
- noontime host Pete Fornatale promoted the Beach Boys when it was not fashionable and later started his eclectic weekend Mixed Bag program;
- afternoon host Muni would use his gravelly voice to introduce largely unknown British artists on his "Things from England" segments;
- nighttime host Schwartz was a raconteur who would sneak in the pop standardsthat he not-so-secretly liked better than rock;
- overnight host Steele would play new-age music and space rock groups in between readings of her equally spacey poetry;
- weekend host Vin Scelsa started his idiosyncratic Idiots' Delight program, which soon gained a devoted following.
Other well-known disc jockeys who worked at the station included Dennis Elsas, Carol Miller, Pete Larkin, brothers Dan Neer and Richard Neer, Dan Carlisle, Jim Monaghan, Pam Merly, Thom Morrera, Meg Griffin and John Zacherle.
Height of influence
WNEW-FM was among the first stations to give
The station sponsored a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden each holiday season that drew reasonably big-name acts.
The station thrived during the late 1970s when it helped boost the transition of the punk rock/new wave movement into the mainstream. During this era, the station hosted many live broadcasts from the legendary Greenwich Village night club, The Bottom Line. Among the bands featured live from the club were The Police, Joe Jackson, Squeeze, The Records, Rachel Sweet, David Johansen, Rockpile, Mink DeVille and the Tom Robinson Band. Many of these bands were being spotlighted during their debut New York City performance.[citation needed]
At the same time, the station began to feel the threat of disco. They hired Gianettino and Meredith Advertising to come up with a way to communicate with the New York area. The pitch by creative director George Meredith to station manager Mel Karmazin: "You can't tell them what you want to say, which is 'Disco Sucks,' but you can tell them that 'Rock Lives.'" That became their battle cry, and it could fairly be said that WNEW-FM earned the slogan "Where Rock Lives". The station's television commercials during these years featured the song "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos and was considered one of the station's anthems.
Beginning in the mid-1970s and extending into the 1980s, WNEW fielded a successful softball team, the WNEW All-Stars, playing in and around the New York metropolitan area and competing in the New York Sports and Entertainment League. Among the All-Stars were DJs Thom Morrera, Jim Monaghan, Richard Neer, Dan Neer and Pat Dawson, along with
On the evening of December 8, 1980, Vin Scelsa broke the news of the
In the 1980s, the station gradually adopted a more conventional
In 1986, following the sale of WNEW-TV and Metromedia's other television outlets to
Declining relevance and changes
By the 1990s, the station was further losing relevance in the face of the popularity of
On September 1, 1990,
On July 7, 1995, WNEW-FM adopted an adult album alternative format. The station, which now had the slogan of "New York's Rock Alternative", evolved to an eclectic mix of adult rock by the end of 1995.[13][14] Longtime listeners were alienated when Jerry Garcia's death on August 9, 1995, was virtually ignored by the station.[citation needed]
In January 1996, the station declined to switch to classic rock when WXRK, also known as K-Rock, which had a classic rock format for several years, decided to adopt an alternative rock format. In July 1996, WAXQ adopted a classic rock format. In January 1997, the station reverted to a classic rock format, becoming the second choice for the format when earlier they could have been first. At this point, many long-time fans felt WNEW-FM had completely lost its focus.[15]
Throughout the 1990s, many of WNEW-FM's DJs defected to classic rock competitors WXRK and later
In December 1997, sister station WFAN (then flagship station of the
In 1998, WNEW-FM moved to a harder-edged active rock format and continued to slump in the ratings. The remaining older DJs left on the station departed one by one during 1998.[16][17][18] In June of that year, ex-Boston shock jocks Opie and Anthony arrived from WAAF to do afternoons on WNEW.[19][20] They played several songs an hour, but for the most part, the show was a typical shock-jock talk show. Opie and Anthony immediately got attention from the station by interrupting their annual "Evolution of Rock and Roll" event by refusing to play the music, or destroying the CDs. They were confronted by WNEW peer Carol Miller a few times on the air, until they were forbidden by management to make eye contact.[21]
With Opie and Anthony's ratings soaring, Infinity announced in June 1999 that the station would drop its 32-year rock format for a "hot talk" format in September.[22] On September 12, 1999, sole remaining long-time jock Richard Neer signed off his Sunday morning show by playing Bruce Springsteen's dirge-like "Racing in the Street", and identifying the station one last time, changing the slogan to "Where Rock Lived". The day after, on September 13, in the run-up to 3 pm, the rock format ended with an all-request midday show by Ralph Tortora (which featured a phone call from Billy Joel, who talked about the impact WNEW had on his life), which concluded with "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin, "Better Things" by The Kinks and "The End" by The Beatles, followed by the famous final chord of their song "A Day in the Life".[23][24][25]
"Hot talk" era

After a commercial break, the new
The new format consisted of shock jocks, including Opie and Anthony,
On September 11, 2001, Opie and Anthony did their show live from the WLIR studios because of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which caused city officials to block all roads going into Manhattan. The Don and Mike Show started a little earlier than usual, and stayed on for most of the morning and mid-afternoon. Ron and Fez did their show at WNEW at the regular time. All three shows opened the airways and let the listeners speak their minds and let other listeners who were looking for loved ones search for them by descriptions.[citation needed]
During this time, the station's ratings were abysmal apart from Opie and Anthony.
The station's ratings plummeted even further—in the fall of 2002, it only netted a 0.7 rating, an unprecedented level for a major-market FM station, and lower than ratings for noncommercial stations. With the cancellation of the only show that generated any ratings for the station, management decided that the station needed to take a new direction.[37]
"Blink 102.7"

On January 27, 2003, at 1 am, WNEW officially dropped the talk format. For the next three months, the station stunted with CHR music, using a limited playlist of approximately 50 songs from artists like Pink, Eminem, Bowling for Soup, and Avril Lavigne, as well as nightly simulcasts of CBS's Late Show with David Letterman.[38][39]
Sounders during that period teased listeners about how "a new station" would soon be coming to the 102.7 frequency, and it arrived at 8 p.m. on April 10, when WNEW became "Blink 102.7" and adopted an unusual "Entertainment AC" format, launching with "

However, the station's ratings sank further. The station's pink logo led to the derisive nickname "Barbie Radio", and Booker & Lopez did little more on the air than talk about
"Mix 102.7"

On December 26, 2003, at 10:27 am, the station became "Mix 102.7", making the switch to a more
On December 31, 2005, the station underwent another ownership change after Viacom and CBS Corporation organized a split that saw the Infinity Broadcasting division go under CBS ownership, which resulted in a corporate name change to CBS Radio.
In December 2006, the station began increasing the amount of Christmas music, and at the same time, Michelle Visage was let go and Joe Causi was relegated to his Sunday night Studio 54 classic Disco program. As of December 22, 2006, Paco Lopez, Efren Sifuentes, Carol Ford and Yvonne Velázquez had also been released in anticipation of an expected format change.
In 2006, WNEW launched WNEW-HD2, an
"Fresh 102.7"

On January 2, 2007, at 5 am, after playing
The WWFS calls were approved on January 9, 2007, by the
Until the launch of WWFS, WLTW had gone unchallenged as the only adult contemporary station in New York City (along with rimshots New Brunswick, New Jersey's WMGQ, and Hempstead, New York's WKJY), and was the most listened to station in the city for years. WWFS's ratings improved after switching to the adult contemporary format, with increases in both the Winter 2007 and Spring 2007 ratings periods. After a peak 3.1 rating in the Spring 2007 period, WWFS settled down to a 2.5 rating in the Summer 2007 period. Some speculate that WWFS has drawn listeners from WLTW, causing that station's ratings to decline.[48]
As a result of the station's success, CBS Radio cloned the format and branding in Chicago on
On October 12, 2011, the station dropped the Today's Fresh Music slogan and shifted to hot AC while also adopting the "Fresh Music...Better Variety" slogan.[49] (However, CBS Radio still reported the station as an AC.) WWFS did not switch to all-Christmas music on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 2011, as main rival WPLJ aired Christmas music during those days.

After the flip to hot AC, ratings improved for a time, surpassing WPLJ by having a 3.9 share over WPLJ's 2.7 in December 2011.[50] By June 2015, with ratings down again, they started adding more adult-targeting alternative music to their playlist and saw an increase in the ratings from 2.4 in June 2015 to 3.5 in July 2015.[51]
On March 15, 2016, the station reverted to the WNEW-FM callsign, as the previous station to hold the calls changed theirs to WDCH-FM at the same time.[52]
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with
The All "NEW" 102.7
On the afternoon of July 13, 2018, WNEW began running jockless and airing liners between songs taking swipes at WLTW and promoting something "NEW" to come the following Monday, July 16; at 6 a.m. that day, WNEW-FM relaunched as "The All NEW 102.7", with "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" by Adele as the first song played under the "NEW" brand, with the intention of taking direct aim at WLTW. WNEW had ranked 16th in the New York market in the June 2018 Nielsen Audio ratings with a 2.4 share, while WLTW led the market with a 7.3 share.[56][57] Despite the rebranding, the station remained a hot AC station, with a playlist featuring current and recurrent hits from artists like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Fifth Harmony and Imagine Dragons, mixed with songs from as far back as the 1990s from artists like Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith.[58]
WNEW-FM became the only hot AC station in New York City in May 2019, when WPLJ signed off and became the east coast flagship station for the K-Love Contemporary Christian music network, after Cumulus Media sold the station to Educational Media Foundation in February 2019. Since then, WNEW-FM's ratings have been rising; a 3.3 share in the June 2019 ratings for ages 6+, 3.8 in September 2019, and then a 4.1 in December 2019 (ahead of WKTU, who had a 3.4 in December 2019).[citation needed]
HD radio operations

In April 2003, WNEW-FM launched the "Blink" format, describing itself as "The first FM station in New York to broadcast in high definition radio."[59]
WNEW-HD2 was launched in 2006 as a simulcast of all-news sister station 1010 WINS. On April 12, 2008, WNEW-HD2 (as WWFS-HD2) flipped to a rock format, under the branding of "102.7 WNEW" and the slogan "Where Rock Lives". In early October 2008, the WINS simulcast returned to 102.7 on WWFS-HD3. After WINS began simulcasting full-time on 92.3 FM (formerly WNYL) on October 27, 2022, the WINS simulcast would be dropped from the HD3 channel, which was removed entirely.
In 2009, the rock format on WWFS-HD2 switched to an alternative format from internet radio website last.fm known as "Last FM Discover", which aired on several CBS Radio owned HD subchannels.
In November 2012, WWFS-HD2 flipped to an all-Christmas format. The Christmas format continued into January and early February. On February 7, 2013, the all-Christmas format changed to a mainstream smooth jazz format under the name "Smooth Jazz 102.7". The smooth jazz format was discontinued in February 2023, resulting in only an HD1 frequency available.[60]
In 2016, WNEW-HD4 (as WWFS-HD4) signed on with a Russian language format as "Russkaya Reklama". In late 2017, this moved to WPLJ's HD2 sub-channel, where it remained until that station became a K-Love affiliate on May 31, 2019.
In 2024, WNEW-HD2 returned to the air with Channel Q, which moved from WINS-FM's HD3 channel. in 2024 WNEW-FM HD3 returned on the air as talklinenetwork.com
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNEW-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "For the Record" Broadcasting – Telecasting, November 2, 1953, pg. 110.
- ^ "Three AM, two FM permits granted by FCC." Broadcasting – Telecasting, September 26, 1955, p. 102.
- ^ "For the Record." Broadcasting – Telecasting, October 31, 1955, p. 108.
- ^ "For the Record." Broadcasting – Telecasting, December 17, 1956, p. 119.
- ^ "Changing Hands." Broadcasting, November 18, 1957, pg. 96
- ^ "For the Record." Broadcasting, January 6, 1958, p. 91.
- ^ "On Radio". The New York Times. September 1, 1958. p. 51. Retrieved July 19, 2018. (subscription required)
- ^ "NY Radio Archive – WNEW-FM 102.7". nyradioarchive.com.
- ISBN 9781886228474....
The original WMMS logo displayed the call letters beneath a half-rainbow. A corporate design shared by all Metromedia album-rock stations, it was Madison Avenue's idea of psychedelia
- ^ "How to Kill a Radio Station: The Death of WNEW-FM, a Cautionary Tale". wnew1130com.ipower.com/. March 3, 2003. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013.
- ^ "Odyssey Rings NYC With Country Y107" (PDF). R&R. December 13, 1996. p. 3.
- ^ Alexander, Shawn (July 14, 1995). "Heritage Rocker WNEW Becomes 'New York's Rock Alternative'" (PDF). R&R. pp. 1, 22. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "ADULT ALTERNATIVE PLAYLISTS" (PDF). R&R. December 1, 1995. p. 83. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "New 'NEW" (PDF). R&R. January 3, 1997. p. 17. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ Sachs, Susan (November 15, 1998). "Fighting Low Ratings, WNEW Fires Deejay Who Fostered Rock's Revolution". The New York Times.
- Daily News. New York. November 16, 1998.
- Daily News. New York. November 14, 1998.
- ^ Adelson, Andrea (July 13, 1998). "On-Air Prank Earns Pair A Shot at Radio Big Time". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "Street Talk" (PDF). R&R. June 19, 1998. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "Opie & Anthony - Public Humiliation of Carol Miller". February 10, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Crain's New York, June 28, 1999, retrieved October 21, 2020
- Daily News, New York, archived from the originalon July 21, 2009
- ^ Collins, Glenn (September 14, 1999), "WNEW-FM, Rock Pioneer, Goes to All-Talk Format", The New York Times, retrieved April 5, 2019
- ^ Kuntzman, Gersh (September 14, 1999), "EVERYBODY'S TALKIN' AS WNEW TUNES OUT MUSIC", New York Post, retrieved April 5, 2019
- ^ "'Long Funeral' Ends For WNEW".
- ^ Peterson, Al (September 17, 1999). "New York Talk Begins A'NEW" (PDF). R&R. p. 1. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "WNEW Flips to 'All Talk' Format (Final Hour)". July 16, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "O&A's Funeral For 'WNEW' (Debut of 'FM Talk')". November 5, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "R&R 2000" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "R&R 2001" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "R&R 2001 Spring" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Radio station takes heat for church sex broadcast". Associated Press. August 17, 2002. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Farhi, Paul (August 23, 2002). "N.Y. Shock Jocks Fired in Wake of Church Sex Stunt". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Ahrens, Frank (September 30, 2005). "FCC Indecency Fines, 1970-2004". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008.
- ^ FCC-04-268A1. fcc.gov order. November 23, 2004
- ^ a b Holloway, Lynette (April 10, 2003). "WNEW Cutting Talk Format To Focus on Free-Form Music". The New York Times.
- ^ "What's New At WNEW?" (PDF). R&R. January 31, 2003. p. 23. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ Fybush, Scott (January 27, 2003). "New York". North East Radio Watch. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "102.7 WNEW becomes "102.7 Blink"". April 11, 2003.
- ^ Carter, Kevin (April 18, 2003). "Infinity Makes N.Y. 'Blink'" (PDF). R&R. p. 1. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "Format Change In A Blink" (PDF). Billboard. September 27, 2003. p. 69. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Blink 102.7 Relaunches As Mix 102.7". formatchange.com. December 26, 2003. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ 12, 2006&SU=CM&BPER=17.7&HPER=21.2&OPER=&NSD=September 1, 2007&CE=0 Radio and Records [dead link ]
- ^ "Mix 102.7 WNEW Becomes Fresh 102.7". Format Change Archive. January 2, 2007.
- Daily News. New York.
- Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- Crain's New York Business. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- ^ "BDSRadio Charts". randr.com.
- ^ New York City Ratings (December 2011) -- Radio-Info.com
- ^ "RADIO ONLINE ®". radio-online.com.
- ^ "WNEW-FM Call Letters Return To 102.7 New York". March 15, 2016.
- ^ "CBS Radio To Merge With Entercom - RadioInsight". February 2, 2017.
- ^ "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ Venta, Lance (July 16, 2018). "A New Day For WNEW New York".
- ^ "NYC Radio: WNEW-FM Rebrands...No Longer "Fresh"". Media Confidential. July 16, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
- ^ "WNEW/New York Drops 'Fresh' To Become 'New 102.7'". All Access.
- ^ "WNEW aircheck, April 2003. Contributor: John Yanagi".
- ^ Fybush, Scott (February 27, 2023). "Audacy Drops HD Subchannels". fybush.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
Further reading
- Neer, Richard. FM: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio. Villard, 2001. ISBN 0-679-46295-3.
External links
- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 25442 (WNEW) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WNEW in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- "History Cards for WNEW-FM (1954–1981)". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
- WNEW News Department Historical Profile (1978)
- Format changes