WCBS-FM: Difference between revisions

| language = [[American English|English]]

| format = [[Classic hits]]

| owner = [[Audacy, Inc.]]

| licensee = Audacy License, LLC, as Debtor-in-Possession

| airdate = {{start date and age|1941|12|1|p=y|br=yes}}

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|W67NY (1941–1943)|WABC-FM (1943–1947)}}

| former_frequencies = {{ubl|46.7 MHz (1941–1943)|96.9 MHz (1943–1947)}}

| callsign_meaning = Columbia Broadcasting System, the former legal name of former owner [[CBS]]

| facility_id = 9611

| class = B

==History==

===Early years===

In 1940, during the early days of [[FM broadcasting]], what is now WCBS-FM was allocated an FM [[frequency]] and [[call sign]], W67NY, becoming [[CBS]]'s first FM station. The original transmitter site was located at [[500 Fifth Avenue]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.durenberger.com/resources/documents/W67NY-CBSFM0342.pdf |title=Original transmitter site |access-date=March 5, 2013 |archive-date=January 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116071540/http://www.durenberger.com/resources/documents/W67NY-CBSFM0342.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The allocated frequency changed several times before the station finally went on the air at 46.7&nbsp;MHz on December 1, 1941.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nyradioguide.com/cgi/info.cgi/WCBS-FM|title=New York Radio Guide - Station Information for WCBS-FM|website=nyradioguide.com|access-date=July 28, 2018|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512012232/http://nyradioguide.com/cgi/info.cgi/WCBS-FM|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 1, 1943, the callsign was changed to WABC-FM<ref>{{cite news |url=http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html |title=FM Broadcasting Chronology |last=Miller |first=Jeff |publisher=History of American Broadcasting |access-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407061850/https://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html |url-status=live }}</ref> for Atlantic Broadcasting Company, the former owner of CBS's AM station (no relation to the present-day [[WABC (AM)|WABC]]). With the reallocation of the FM band, WABC-FM's new frequency became 96.9&nbsp;MHz; finally, in September 1947 the station became WCBS-FM, and the frequency moved to the current 101.1.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/09/19/archives/new-fm-calls-coming.html |title=New FM Calls Coming |last=Kennedy |first=T.R. Jr. |date=September 19, 1943 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728071241/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/09/19/archives/new-fm-calls-coming.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This allowed the station to reflect its corporate ownership by the Columbia Broadcasting System or CBS. The transmitter was moved to the Empire State Building in the early 1950s.

 

In the spring of 2005, Infinity Broadcasting, which was CBS' radio division during that time, contracted with Sparknet Communications, which owns the licensing of an Adult Hits format branded as "Jack FM", a format that has seen on-air success in Canadian areas since the early 2000s. In return, Sparknet Communications gave Infinity Broadcasting permission to bring the "Jack FM" format to some of Infinity's radio markets in the United States. That April, Infinity flipped radio stations [[KCBS-FM]] in Los Angeles and [[WQSR]] in [[Baltimore]] to the "Jack FM" format. On Friday, June 3, 2005, [[Micky Dolenz]], Mike Fitzgerald, and Randy Davis all signed off their shows expecting to be back the following Monday. However, Bill Brown signed off at about 3:53&nbsp;p.m. saying, "CBS-FM 101.1, [[Fontella Bass]]... Do you ever feel the urge to just kinda scream, "[[Rescue Me (Fontella Bass song)|RESCUE ME!?]]"... I'm beginning to get that feeling, here's Fontella Bass." The station segued to "Use Me" by [[Bill Withers]]. Then, at 4:00&nbsp;pm, the station played the usual [[station identification]], and then a mix of oldies and greatest hits referring to change, including "[[Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)]]", "[[Get a Job (song)|Get a Job]]", "[[Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen song)|Glory Days]]" and "[[Hit the Road Jack]]" (the last song of which had the word "Jack" edited out, giving an advance hint to the new format),<ref>{{cite web |title=WCBS-FM New York - Format Change to Jack FM - 6/3/05 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbKqbowHTws |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/DbKqbowHTws |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube |access-date=February 10, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> among others. [[Frank Sinatra]]'s "[[Summer Wind]]" was the last song played before the format change. At 4:30&nbsp;pm, the station [[stunting (broadcasting)|stunted]] with a 30-minute montage of lines from various movies and other sources.

 

 

Many criticized the change of formats, among them Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]], who, according to the ''[[New York Post]]'', responded to the change by declaring he would "never listen to that fucking CBS radio ever again" (the quote was censored in the ''Post''). "Jack" picked up on the mayor's comments, making jokes about his quip, "Hey, Mayor Bloomberg. I heard you took a shot at us in the ''Post''. What's with all the swearin' like a sailor? [[Fleet Week]] is over. It's just music." In an interview with the [[New York Daily News]], Cousin Brucie likened the format switch to "replacing [[Yankee Stadium]] with a fruit stand". Cousin Brucie moved over to [[Sirius Satellite Radio]]'s [['60s on 6]] channel to continue playing oldies. Recognizing the controversy of the sudden change, on June 14, 2005, the station announced that it would be unique among those with the Jack format in that it would occasionally include '50s and early '60s songs in its rotation as well as songs by performers like Frank Sinatra that are normally not part of the Jack format, though a later Web update retracted this, and songs from before the late '60s were no longer played.