[BC] In the AM radio wars of the '60s, they talked big and talked back

[FrankGott at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/6/2009 3:28:46 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
curt at spam-o-matic.net writes:

Frank  can correct me, but I seem to recall one of the highest ever rated
stations  in the country, who's initials are WMMS but shall remain nameless,
came  about by a very similar path.


Do you mean me, Cowboy?   
 
Yes, the Buzzard was a legend in Cleveland and had a following beyond  
northeast Ohio.  I was more familiar with WCOL-FM since I lived in  Columbus for 
several years.  The AOR format of COL-FM was initially  sandwiched around 
paid religion.  Two drastically different  audiences.  Guess it built cume.   
 
While the AM played Top 40, the AOR format was taking off on the FM.   The 
station had an incredibly talented staff.  It didn't hurt to have a  
full-service AM rocker down the hall.  News shared with the AM  was part of the FM 
format.  WCOL-FM garnered an audience not  served by the mainstream Top 40 
stations.  The paid religion  disappeared.
 
Seeing the success of WVOL-FM, Taft flipped their Columbus FM to WLVQ  - 
QFM96 - and turned their station into a carbon copy of Pittsburgh's  WDVE.  It 
took off.  WCOL went pop, calling itself the "X."  It  eventually turned 
country.
 
If David Lawrence is here, he can chime in about the role WNCI played in  
this era and why it remained the dominant station in the market.
 
Frank Gottlieb