It's Been a Year Since CBS-FM Dropped Oldies to "Jack!"

[musicradio77]

I remember last year that CBS-FM lost its oldies station to "Jack!". It's been a year since it got changed. I used to listened to CBS-FM when it was oldies during the last 33 years, but now it's still "Jack!". Oldies music will live on in iPod's. I don't listen to "Jack" anymore, that's not too good at all.:(

Happy 1st anniversary "Jack!" (CBS-FM)

Listen to "Cool 92.9" in the Hudson Valley area, they still play oldies due to the lost of CBS-FM in New York City last year.:D

[TJL]

As much as I hated to see WCBS drop the oldies format (I wasn't a fan of the music, but the station was a New York institution) I do like the Jack format. They play a lot of obscure 80's songs that I remember from my youth.

[Seth]

We've had a Jack station via Nashville for around the last year, and a competing station under the "Sam" moniker since around October or so...I like both....they play the music that would generally be on my iPod. It's probably the most I've listened to commercial radio in ages.

[musicradio77]

DJs to mark Jack ann'y

By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Bobby Jay was introducing Stevie Wonder records on the radio last weekend and telling callers he was "better now that I'm talking to you."

Until a year ago today, that was a nightly occurrence on New York radio. Jay was one of a dozen well-known jocks on WCBS-FM (101.1), which over 33 years had been the most successful oldies station ever, anywhere.

Then on June 3, 2005, Jay and the other jocks got a call saying it was over. WCBS-FM was switching to the jock-free "Jack" format that continues today with about half the ratings.

Listeners howled in protest, but no city station picked up the format. So all that fans can do on today's anniversary is to gather with some of the jocks at 2 p.m. at Ellen's Stardust Diner, 1650 Broadway, and lament "the day the music died."

CBS Radio CEO Joel Hollander said last month the change was difficult, but necessary.

"WCBS-FM was a great station, but it was dying," he said, noting both ratings and ad revenues were falling as the audience got older and less desirable to Madison Avenue.

"I don't know if Jack is the answer," said Hollander, though he noted Jacks are doing well in other cities. "But we couldn't keep doing what we were."

Neither could 'CBS-FM fans.

WBZO (103.1 FM) on the Island still plays 'CBS-style oldies, and program director Bill Wise says some WCBS-FM jocks will be invited on-air as guests.

WMTR (1250 AM) in New Jersey plays '50s and '60s oldies, and two other northwest Jersey AMs also play oldies: WNNJ (1360 AM), where Max Kinkel is the morning man, and WRAN (1510 AM). WREF (850 AM) in Danbury carries Scott Shannon's "True Oldies" channel.

WABC (770 AM) plays oldies with Mark Simone Saturday nights, 6-10, and several smaller and college stations have oldies programs. XM and Sirius satellite radio have solid oldies channels, and the Internet is swarming with them. WCBS-FM's HD2 channel, which can also be heard online, plays oldies.

Meanwhile, the jocks have scattered. Bruce Morrow and Norm N. Nite moved to Sirius. Jay guested last weekend on WNEW's "Dance Classics" weekend. He and Bob Shannon both do Internet shows, and Shannon can be heard on WLNG (92.1 FM) Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Bill Brown has retired. Harry Harrison, Dan Taylor and Don K. Reed do some interviews and guest spots. Mike McCann does syndicated programming.

Mike Fitzgerald is the morning host and program director on The Breeze (107.1 FM, 106.3 FM, 99.7 FM) at the Jersey shore. Steve O'Brien is morning host at WMGQ (98.3 FM) in Jersey. Randy Davis does weekends on WNEW.

One jock stayed at Jack: Holly Levis, its music director.

Meanwhile, radio historian Art Vuolo's DVD "Memories of WCBS-FM," with many of the classic jocks, is available through www.vuolovideo.com.