Old soundchecks and TV commercials for West MI radio stations

[MWmetalhead]

Some pretty good stuff can be found on YouTube for radio nerds if one digs deeply enough!

First offering - two TV spots for 107 WMUS back when the station was still angling for listeners in the Grand Rapids area. Legendary voiceover man Charlie Van Dyke voices both spots, although I don't recall hearing his voice on the radio station itself during the mid 90s era when the first spot below aired. The second reportedly aired in 1989.

Even in the mid 90s, the radio station was still clearly interested in winning over G.R. area listeners (they advertised very heavily on the local G.R. area cable system), but by that point, it was very much an afterthought for most country listeners in the Grand Rapids market, a sharp difference from five years earlier. I do know of a couple people, though, who still faithfully listened to the radio station during that era.

Spot #1 - mid 90s:


Spot #2 - 1989:


In the 1980s and early 90s, WCUZ was clearly the dominant country station in the G.R. area, but WMUS-FM usually still managed a 3.5 or 4 share, sometimes higher. By the late 90s, B93 was cleaning everyone's clock, and WMUS-FM's AQH share had eroded by about 50 percent versus a decade earlier. WCUZ-FM by then had flipped to a classic country format featuring music largely from the 70s and 80s.

Whoever was 107 WMUS's engineer during the 80s & 90s did outstanding work; the station always had pretty darn good reception in the valleys of Grand Rapids, such as the lower west side. Never an issue picking up the station on a portable. 104.5 WSNX, on the other hand, was always a challenge. Even after WSNX increased tower height in the early 90s, reception was not very good (despite being improved from before).

I haven't checked out the present-day 106.9 WOOD FM in that area in a long time, but several years back, their reception on the lower west side seemed much worse than what I remember from 107 WMUS during the 90s. Lots of picket fencing in the car.

[TC Talks]

Back when WJFM played MOR then Classic Hits, MUS dominated Grand Rapids with country.

[MWmetalhead]

See page 160 of the below link for a snapshot of the mid 80s. WMUS-FM was respectable, but WCUZ-FM had a massive lead. Even WCUZ-AM frequently outscored WMUS-FM in the Grand Rapids book. In spring '85, WCUZ-FM was #1 in the market in A25-54 and 1230 WCUZ was an impressive #4. WMUS-FM in A25-54 was seventh.

What's most surprising to me, though, is the massive margin by which WGRD-FM was kicking WKLQ's ass in CHR/Top 40 war in 1985.

It certainly appears in the demos that matter to advertisers, WLAV-FM, WLHT, WCUZ-FM and WGRD-FM were the heavyweights in the market. 1230 WCUZ, WOOD-FM, WMUS-FM, 1300 WOOD, and WKLQ comprised the second tier.

WJFM was definitely irrelevant during this era, not even mustering a top 10 showing in ages 12+.

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-R ... 5-Fall.pdf

[MWmetalhead]

Here's another snapshot; see page 172. WCUZ-FM was kicking ass with a 10.1 share in ages 12+ in spring '87. They did have an unusually weak book in winter 87, though, where WMUS-FM nearly caught them.

1230 WCUZ was beginning to fade fast by this point.

Also interesting is how 94.5 WKLQ by this point was winning the CHR battle against WGRD. A far cry from 1985 when WGRD was wiping the floor clean with WKLQ.

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-R ... 7-Fall.pdf

Top 5 finishers in spring 1987 (I'm not sure why the URL mentions "Fall") were as follows in P25-54:
1. WCUZ-FM
2. WLHT
3. WLAV-FM
4. WOOD (AM), a bit of a surprise.
5. WOOD-FM

WMUS-FM was a respectable #7.

Country music radio in 1985 - 1987 was pulling nearly 20 shares in the GR market!

Back in the day, 107.3 was still a Greenville station with a decent but weaker signal and minimal presence in the G.R. market, 98.7 WFGR and 100.5 WTRV weren't even on the air yet, WJFM was a 320 kW waste of electricity, 96.1 WHTC-FM / WYXX was a third-rate Adult Contemporary station that tried in vain to sorta compete with WLHT (96.1 was briefly known as "Magic 96"), I guess 99.3 was known as WZND and programmed Country, 91.3 WCSG was airing preachers and traditional Christian hymns, and of course, it would be many more years before 105.3 Hart would change its COL to Coopersville and relocate its TX to far SW Newaygo County.

When 107.3 became Oldies 107.3 WODJ from a taller tower about ten miles closer to Grand Rapids, that was a very big deal.

The one launch that makes little sense to me to this day is the launch of 98.7 WFGR as a commercial classical station. 104.1 WVGR already featured plenty of classical music. Classical on 98.7 must've fared OK, though, because that format stuck around for about a dozen years.

[ftballfan]

I find it hard to believe that 102.9 WFUR at one point had more listeners than 93.7!

Also on page 171, the Flint ratings are shown. 102.5 went from an also-ran to dominant #1 in a year!

[TC Talks]

Top 5 finishers in spring 1987 (I'm not sure why the URL mentions "Fall") were as follows in P25-54:
1. WCUZ-FM
2. WLHT
3. WLAV-FM
4. WOOD (AM), a bit of a surprise.
5. WOOD-FM
WMUS-FM was a respectable #7.

This was about when I started in Grand Rapids at one of the stations above (moving over from WCSX in Detroit).

[weathernut]

Remember the commercials well. Remember the station and studios just as well, when it was on Giles about 1/2 mile east of Whitehall Rd. Won plenty of trivia contests with the help of my dad.
I lived and breathed KLQ after about 14 years of age which was 1985 and throughout high school which I graduated in 1989. The Q-morning zoo and the KLQ Air Force with Danny Douglass. I still have my wings. The on air battle was pretty intents with GRD, but some of it was pretty disgusting with Bubba The Love Sponge. I always enjoyed the late night quicky that I had every 30-days or so with Darla-J too.
I never paid attention to ratings back then, but I thought it was a stupid move to go after the “old fart dinasours” when just a couple of years prior, they were telling me “ don’t be a Dick, turn off the old fart dinasours.
With a 10-share, why would you make a change? I for one was pissed at the time.

[Honolulublue4life]

I remember another WMUS commercial that had Toby Keith in it.

[MWmetalhead]

With a 10-share, why would you make a change? I for one was pissed at the time.

Which station? WKLQ?

I'm not sure where their AQH share stood when they decided to make the transition to Rock 40 and then AOR.

WKLQ dumping CHR was almost certainly a big help to WSNX, I would assume.

[tc]

I always enjoyed the late night quicky that I had every 30-days or so with Darla-J too.

Huh???

[weathernut]

KLQ ran a couple of contest during the overnight hours where they would play snippet of a song and you had to call in with the title and artist. They called it the late night quickie.
You could only win every 30 days. Sorry for the confusion.

[weathernut]

Metalhead, yes, I was referring to KLQ. Why on earth would you flip formats when you have a 10 share in the market? I mean, would you see KFR in Kalamazoo or B93 flipping?

[weathernut]

https://on.soundcloud.com/8mJyB

Now you guys have got me going down memory lane all over again. Thank you though.

[MWmetalhead]

Those are some phenomenal airchecks!

It's amusing hearing a very young Dave Conrad do rock-leaning CHR.

I also had no idea Pam Roberts of MUS fame worked at KLQ during its CHR era.

My favorite station in my pre-teen years was 98 WGRD by far. When they went Hot AC around 1992, I was very unhappy. "Best Hits of the 80s and 90s - what the heck is this crap?"

I'll be posting a brief video aircheck from 98 WGRD late today.

[Trophyhead]

I am a klutz, in that I don't pull quotes from above in a thread (pertaining to weathernut on ratings dive moves) and put them in my copy well. Also apologies for referencing another market, here.

I was working at WILS in Lansing after Sentry Insurance bought them, reformatting "Rock 101 WILS" and its nine-share to "LS (Love Songs) 102," though it is 101.7 on the dial. It dove to a 2.8 in the course of a couple seasons of rating books.

Should have accepted this as a foretaste of corporate radio, as all staff gathered in the lobby, Fall of '84 to hear about why this result was a "good thing." Especially when the presenter, Wayne "Huggy Bear" Phillips was before us in a blue sportcoat, red shirt, white tie and coordinated polyester slacks. Sentry didn't hold onto that broadcast outlet a whole lot longer.