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Howard Stern on 97.1

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
MotorCityRadioFreak
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Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by MotorCityRadioFreak » Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:11 am

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:48 pm
MotorCityRadioFreak wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:07 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:41 pm
I like how this thread evolved into a thread about 97.1 as a whole! I can remember JOI, then Star (which my mom loved), that gave way to K-Rock (I believe that's when the Lions started on there), my memories of K-Rock are minimal, but I remember them talking about Riff. A lot. Eventually, the music started to fade away (around '99 or so, when pretty much any rock format on the dial in Detroit died), Free FM, FM Talk, all that jazz, then they flipped to sports, pushed D&D to 1270 (I think), and they've been the ticket ever since. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned I was never a Stern guy, but it was nice having another rock station around. K-Rock, the Edge and the Bear all bit the dust within months of each other!
I believe they put D&D on WCSX for a few months. It was either that or 106.7, but I am 90% sure it was WCSX.
Doug Podell brought D&D to WCSX. Big mistake.
They were never setup for mornings. Their type of radio was perfect for the afternoon drive to keep you entertained in traffic. It wasn't about celebrity gossip or rehashing last night's TV shows. It was about "What's Normal?" or "What's in the bathroom?" mixed with meet and greets. You either liked them or you didn't.


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Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by Deleted User 15502 » Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:50 am

I don't really recall WJOI but I do remember Star 97fm very well, my mom's favorite station. WJZE in Toledo didn't really interfere with 97.1 Detroit where we lived.

Now, at first it was 97 rock but it was quickly changed to 97.1 K-rock. I remember a guy in my class at school, having a t-shirt on that had the band Pluto on it and on the back it said 97.1 K-rock. K-rock mocked the riff in a lot of there liners, at one point that someone impersonating Arthur P and Doug Podell(dork podell). It got lame fast.

In August of 1998, the station shifted to Extreme Radio and it was AWESOME!. I think one of the ID's went something like "Aren't you sick of a radio station that's stuck in the past?". The station was all music until after the new year in 1999, when they brought Steve Dahl on.

Then slowly the music was phased out, by spring of 99, the music was gone except for over nights. They changed the name to 97.1 FM talk by this point. Erin and Gonzo Greg did Mid-days. I think Leykis was added around the summer of 99 then Mancow. The music was totally gone by the end of the summer that year. D&D came on in late 1999 and Ed Tyll came on around September.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by Colonel Flagg » Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:14 am

Heathcliff wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:50 am
I don't really recall WJOI but I do remember Star 97fm very well, my mom's favorite station. WJZE in Toledo didn't really interfere with 97.1 Detroit where we lived.

Now, at first it was 97 rock but it was quickly changed to 97.1 K-rock. I remember a guy in my class at school, having a t-shirt on that had the band Pluto on it and on the back it said 97.1 K-rock. K-rock mocked the riff in a lot of there liners, at one point that someone impersonating Arthur P and Doug Podell(dork podell). It got lame fast.

In August of 1998, the station shifted to Extreme Radio and it was AWESOME!. I think one of the ID's went something like "Aren't you sick of a radio station that's stuck in the past?". The station was all music until after the new year in 1999, when they brought Steve Dahl on.

Then slowly the music was phased out, by spring of 99, the music was gone except for over nights. They changed the name to 97.1 FM talk by this point. Erin and Gonzo Greg did Mid-days. I think Leykis was added around the summer of 99 then Mancow. The music was totally gone by the end of the summer that year. D&D came on in late 1999 and Ed Tyll came on around September.
Good timeline, Heathcliff. I think you pegged it pretty good.

Bands like "Pluto" were the source of consternation with the suits in New York. Somewhere, I have an old internal memo from Joel Hollander, complaining about the unfamiliar, untested music on WKRK. K-Rock never had a chance, with all of the meddling from upstairs. When you hire a PD like John Gorman, for godsakes, let him program!

Extreme Radio, while unique, only made things worse, and once again, management didn't give Extreme enough time to work. The demos (they came in as predominantly 12 to 24) were too narrow. The "Limp Bizkit" style "heavy metal rap" framework of artists had a limited shelf life. Funny, how this was the exact same complaint the corporate goons had about some of the late 90s artists played on K-Rock, under Gorman's direction. The Cleveland version of K-Rock/Extreme lasted longer as I recall, but I didn't follow it that closely. The problem with Extreme was sales. 12-24 can fill a venue, sure, but it really needs to be more like 18-34 to make it happen.

I never liked the "FM Talk" appointment listening concept, and didn't hang around long once that started. Demenski and Doyle were nice guys, but I never liked the show. It struck me as radio for Dads who drive mini-vans. No thanks. The stations all played musical chairs around that timeframe as well. I ended up on American Drive, with WWJ and WXYT. WKRK remained on 12 Mile, before moving to 14 Mile, when WVMV moved to American Dr. WYCD left the Traveler's Tower, and moved in with WOMC. I narrowly escaped when all of that started, thankfully.


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Mega Hertz
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Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by Mega Hertz » Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:03 pm

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:48 pm
MotorCityRadioFreak wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:07 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:41 pm
I like how this thread evolved into a thread about 97.1 as a whole! I can remember JOI, then Star (which my mom loved), that gave way to K-Rock (I believe that's when the Lions started on there), my memories of K-Rock are minimal, but I remember them talking about Riff. A lot. Eventually, the music started to fade away (around '99 or so, when pretty much any rock format on the dial in Detroit died), Free FM, FM Talk, all that jazz, then they flipped to sports, pushed D&D to 1270 (I think), and they've been the ticket ever since. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned I was never a Stern guy, but it was nice having another rock station around. K-Rock, the Edge and the Bear all bit the dust within months of each other!
I believe they put D&D on WCSX for a few months. It was either that or 106.7, but I am 90% sure it was WCSX.
Doug Podell brought D&D to WCSX. Big mistake.
Now THAT one I was there for. I don't recall all the ins and outs but I do remember that the CSX crowd liked having music in the morning and D&D refused to play any. There may have also been backlash against the loss of JJ. Then Ken Calvert was put in music-intensive mornings and the numbers shot back up.


"Internet is no more like radio than intravenous feeding is like fine dining."
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MWmetalhead
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Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by MWmetalhead » Sun Jun 13, 2021 3:23 pm

They were a lousy fit for a station that, at the time, pandered to a very blue collar audience.



Mega Hertz
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Location: Brighton

Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by Mega Hertz » Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:19 pm

https://youtu.be/Ry1d5qPSD6A

Here ya go, fellas. Feast your ears on this.


"Internet is no more like radio than intravenous feeding is like fine dining."
-TurkeyTop

Deleted User 15502

Re: Howard Stern on 97.1

Post by Deleted User 15502 » Tue Jun 15, 2021 1:23 am

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:14 am
Heathcliff wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:50 am
I don't really recall WJOI but I do remember Star 97fm very well, my mom's favorite station. WJZE in Toledo didn't really interfere with 97.1 Detroit where we lived.

Now, at first it was 97 rock but it was quickly changed to 97.1 K-rock. I remember a guy in my class at school, having a t-shirt on that had the band Pluto on it and on the back it said 97.1 K-rock. K-rock mocked the riff in a lot of there liners, at one point that someone impersonating Arthur P and Doug Podell(dork podell). It got lame fast.

In August of 1998, the station shifted to Extreme Radio and it was AWESOME!. I think one of the ID's went something like "Aren't you sick of a radio station that's stuck in the past?". The station was all music until after the new year in 1999, when they brought Steve Dahl on.

Then slowly the music was phased out, by spring of 99, the music was gone except for over nights. They changed the name to 97.1 FM talk by this point. Erin and Gonzo Greg did Mid-days. I think Leykis was added around the summer of 99 then Mancow. The music was totally gone by the end of the summer that year. D&D came on in late 1999 and Ed Tyll came on around September.
Good timeline, Heathcliff. I think you pegged it pretty good.

Bands like "Pluto" were the source of consternation with the suits in New York. Somewhere, I have an old internal memo from Joel Hollander, complaining about the unfamiliar, untested music on WKRK. K-Rock never had a chance, with all of the meddling from upstairs. When you hire a PD like John Gorman, for godsakes, let him program!

Extreme Radio, while unique, only made things worse, and once again, management didn't give Extreme enough time to work. The demos (they came in as predominantly 12 to 24) were too narrow. The "Limp Bizkit" style "heavy metal rap" framework of artists had a limited shelf life. Funny, how this was the exact same complaint the corporate goons had about some of the late 90s artists played on K-Rock, under Gorman's direction. The Cleveland version of K-Rock/Extreme lasted longer as I recall, but I didn't follow it that closely. The problem with Extreme was sales. 12-24 can fill a venue, sure, but it really needs to be more like 18-34 to make it happen.

I never liked the "FM Talk" appointment listening concept, and didn't hang around long once that started. Demenski and Doyle were nice guys, but I never liked the show. It struck me as radio for Dads who drive mini-vans. No thanks. The stations all played musical chairs around that timeframe as well. I ended up on American Drive, with WWJ and WXYT. WKRK remained on 12 Mile, before moving to 14 Mile, when WVMV moved to American Dr. WYCD left the Traveler's Tower, and moved in with WOMC. I narrowly escaped when all of that started, thankfully.
Never was a fan of D&D. Gorman ended up going to WIQB, when Cumulus tweaked the station from AAA to rock. IQB in its last couple of years sounded AWFUL. I suspect John Gorman, had the same issue with Cumulus. 102.9fm Flipping to W-4 was a godsend, not because I wanted a country station but because IQB needed to be put out of it's misery.

Extreme radio was never given a chance, just as the station was starting to turn the corner BOOM! lets dump another format and just thrown a complete disorganized mess on. Extreme radio was maybe a bit like Z-rock in the mid 80s in terms in demos, High school and blue collar 20 something year old guys can only get you so far.

FM talk, I got into Leykis and did listen to tyll but the rest of it never really caught my attention. By about 04-05 I never listened to 97.1 anymore.



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