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September 11,
2001 Aircheck Page
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WKTU 92.3/103.5
"Disco 92," "92 KTU," "The
New KTU"
ON AIR: 1975 - July 13, 1985. Signed on again in New York
at 103.5 frequency on February 10, 1996
TRANSMITTER SITE: World Trade Center, Times Square
FORMATS: AC 1975-1978; Disco 1978 - 83; CHR 1983-85. Calls
left New York Radio market until WKTU signed back in 1996 as a rhythm 40.
NOTABLE PERSONALITIES: Dan Ingram, Peter Allen Burkhart,Paco, Al
Bandiero, Peter Newmann, Debra Wrath, Freddie Colon, RuPaul, Michele Visage,
Broadway Bill Lee, Hollywood Hamilton
A BIT ABOUT WKTU: There's actually two stories to tell about WKTU.
Many of "The New KTU's" listeners
have little clue that a radio station of the very same call letters with a
similar format became one of the first highly successful FMs in New York.
The WKTU call letters originally featured
soft and light music, breaking onto the airwaves in 1975. It took the baton from
a beautiful music and Spanish station with the calls WHOM.
WKTU's first format in the fall of 1975 was
what most would call adult contemporary nowadays. Seizing the popularity of
disco, the station went to an all-disco format on July 24, 1978.
At the time, WABC 770 on the AM dial was far
and away the most popular radio station in New York, if not the nation. Yet FM
was making inroads -- "Disco 92" became the #1 radio station in 1978,
prompting WABC to move away somewhat from its well-known CHR format and adding
disco songs. It wasn't unusual to hear non-mainstream disco songs like "I
Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" on WABC.
The disco craze was all but dead by the time
1980 rolled around. WKTU had dropped the monkier "Disco 92," and came
to be known as "92 KTU." More and more top 40 was mixed in, until
about 1984 when the station was a more CHR and less rhythmic.
92 KTU stopped anything that resembled top
40 in July of 1985, switching its calls to WXRK. The first broadcast was the
Live-Aid concert, a benefit concert performed simultaneously in London and
Philadelphia.
WKTU's calls would later resurface in
Atlantic City, NJ until February 10, 1996 when one of the most exciting format
changes in New York Radio history occurred.
WYNY had been occupying the 103.5 frequency
since September of 1988, playing a country format. The station was purchased,
and the WYNY jocks were allowed to say their goodbyes.
Then, something strange happened. WYNY
engaged in "stunting," a campaign new radio stations use to pique
interest and anticipation for the new format.
But no one had any idea what that format
would be.
The new owners began to simulcast live radio
from some of its other outlets around the country. Among them: Urban WLUP
("The Loop") in Chicago, Hot AC KIOI San Francisco, and CHR WKXS
("Kiss 108") Boston. Through all these boadcasts, an occasional voice
would come over announcing that the radio station has been "transformed."
One frequent imager would state how "the howdy hits are gone,"
referring to the demise of country WYNY.
The simulcast of WKXS ceased at about 9:30
p.m. on Friday, February 9, 1996. At that point, a tape loop sound of a
heartbeat rolled continuously for about 15 hours.
At around 11:30 on Saturday, February 10,
1996, the aricheck below is what was heard: The heartbeat is scoped for the
most part, with the shotguns left in. At the end of the check, WKTU signs on
with the first song "Gonna Make You Sweat" by C&C Music Factory.
Click here to hear WKTU sign on its very first broadcast day as "the new KTU"!
WKTU's first 70
minutes or so of broadcast on February 10, 1996
The station rolls jockless for its first
several days on air. The first song, "Gonna Make You Sweat" by
C&C Music Factory is followed by "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey,
Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer," "Open Your Heart" by Madonna,
"Runaway" by Real McCoy. Jimmy DeCastro of Evergreen Media comes on
and introduces the station. Some of the interview is edited; the aircheck
resumes with a sweeper and CeCePenniston's "Finally." "Feels So
Good" by Lina Santiago is the first song from the "KTU New Music
File." Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" is on at about 12: 30 that
afteroon, followed by "Please Don't Go" by KC & The Sunshine
Band. A house ad gives you a chance to be a guest DJ, since "we have
nobody behind the mike." A commercial block is edited out of the aircheck;
it resumes with "Change on Me" by Cynthia, "Diggin' on You"
by TLC.