Jim Kerr - FishbowlNY

Can Country Music Make a Comeback on New York Radio?

Jerry Barmash — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:48:55 +0000

Artists like Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift (left), and Carrie Underwood have made country music stronger than ever. The Country explosion is part of today’s reality TV. Blake Shelton is a judge on NBC’s The Voice, and the multi-platinum selling Keith Urban just signed on for season 12 of American Idol. Country music is one of the most popular radio formats with more than 2,000 stations playing that music across the “country.” It accounts for approximately 20 percent of all commercial music formats nationwide. Despite its popularity, the genre hasn’t cracked the New York market for years.

Each time an FM station flips format or purchases a New York City dial position, the new opportunity for Country is overlooked.

In our examination of the lack of Country in the nation’s top market, FishbowlNY gets the thoughts of former New York City Country DJs, a veteran radio programmer, and a current program director at a Country station on the outskirts of Manhattan.

First, some background.

New York, which has been in the radio biz for more than 90 years, has had just a smattering of full-time Country stations. WHN made the flip in 1973. Prior to that, only WJRZ in neighboring Hackensack, New Jersey, and Mineola-based WTHE, gave listeners the Nashville twang.

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101.9 FM–A Brief History Lesson

Jerry Barmash — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:15:31 +0000

As we wait for Merlin Media to offer its final version of 101.9 FM (WEMP), how about a look down memory lane at 101.9 through the years?

Of course, recent history means Alternative Rocker WRXP, which took ownership of the frequency starting in 2008.

But 101.9 goes back to the 1940s with WGHF for its first owner William G. Finch. After having the station since 1945, Finch moved the station to its new home at 101.9 in 1947. A year later, it became the New York City affiliate for the Rural Radio Network.

In 1955, the first of several sales took place as 101.9 was handed over to Muzak. The call letters changed as well to WBFM.

WBFM and its elevator music lived on 101.9 through the Kennedy years. In 1964, the frequency enjoyed the start of some of its most successful radio stations.

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Q104.3′s Carol Miller ‘Just as Enthusiastic’ After Nearly 40 Years on New York Radio

Jerry Barmash — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:57:33 +0000

Her voice has been synonymous with Classic Rock in New York for four decades. Carol Miller, with a one-part powerful, one-part silky voice, has been a distinctly unique combination for the genre. DJs are taught to speak to their audiences individually, but Miller mastered that trait.

After a brief stint at WNEW-FM, she established herself in the mid-1970s at WPLJ.

The 1980s, and through the 1990s, meant a return to the legendary WNEW. That led to her current run at Clear Channel’s WAXQ/Q104.3 since 2004.

Her radio journey began as a girl growing up on Long Island, hearing the WMCA Good Guys and WABC All Americans.

“I was one of those kids that listened to my transistor all the time …I really loved it, but I never thought of it as a career because it was not what a girl would do—be a fun Cousin Brucie type of person.”

By the time Miller arrived at the University of Pennsylvania that all changed—sort of.

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Dozens of Oldies Fans Gather to Meet Jim Kerr, Radio Pros

Jerry Barmash — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:13:36 +0000

Nestled between the pastrami and pickles, radio personalities met their fans at Ben’s Deli in Manhattan Saturday afternoon.

It was the 5^th Annual Oldies Meet and Greet, celebrating the radio format, but not specifically endorsing any station.

Organizer Jeff Scheckner tells FishbowlNY, with 75 people crammed into the back of the kosher eatery, this was the best turnout yet.

He says the genesis for the event was Jack FM.

“Initially, when CBS-FM was hijacked we had a small gathering…really weeks after the format change,” Scheckner says.

Scheckner’s mantra for the annual lunchtime gathering is simple.

“It’s really people that are dedicated to the music of the 50s, 60s, and the 70s,” Scheckner says. “We all are advocates for making sure the music stays alive.” continued…

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