WNYL (FM)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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WNYL is an FM radio station licensed to New York City and owned by Entercom. WNYL broadcasts an Alternative rock format branded as "Alt 92.3", with studios located in the Hudson Square neighborhood in Manhattan and transmitter located at the Empire State Building.
WKTU (1975–1985)
Mellow 92/Disco 92
WHOM and WHOM-FM, in the early 1970s, were sold to SJR Communications. On June 5, 1975, WHOM-FM became WKTU, taking on an Adult Contemporary format and was positioned as "soft rock". They were known as "Mellow 92". They played current AC songs that crossed over to Top 40 as well as a mix of music from 1964 forward. Core artists included Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Stylistics, Linda Ronstadt, Four Tops, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, and some more contemporary cuts by Barbra Streisand. For 1960s music the station played softer Beatles songs, Mamas and Papas, Spanky and Our Gang, Association, Fifth Dimension, among others. The station steered clear of AC only songs and standards vocalists as well as hard rock or uptempo R & B. Eventually the station evolved, re-positioned as mellow rock, dropped artists like the Carpenters, most R & B product, and added some softer songs from AOR artists. Unlike today's Adult contemporary music formats, WKTU, by early 1978, was only playing artists heard on Album-oriented rock stations, using the softer songs from their popular albums. Artists found primarily on Top 40 stations were no longer included. WKTU was still called "Mellow 92" at that point. Ratings were relatively low. The "Mellow 92" format continued until June 1978.
Meanwhile, station executive David Rapaport (father of actor Michael Rapaport) visited New York's Studio 54 discothèque on half a dozen occasions, and was very impressed with the crowds there. He got the idea that a disco-based station was needed, as several FM-based Top 40 stations were leaning disco in other markets, although no one was airing all disco music around the clock. As a result, Rapaport purchased 200 disco records and brought them into the station. WKTU abruptly flipped to a disco-based rhythmic top 40 format with the tagline "Disco 92" at 6 p.m. on July 24, 1978. The same disc jockeys from the mellow format were at first kept on, with Paco from Spanish language sister station 1480 WJIT added for afternoons. That fall, the station rose from "Worst to First", unseating long-time leader 770 WABC in the 18−30 age demographic. Air personalities of this era included Kenn Hayes, Randy Place, Paul Robinson, Trip Reeb, Mary Thomas, Dave Mallow and Joe Guarisco. During the height of the disco craze, WKTU was the station to follow in New York.
Initially, WKTU played mostly dance/disco and a few rhythm-friendly pop and rock songs (such as "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones for example), but by 1979, the station began to add more R&B music (though they played some at the launch in 78 as well) as well as rhythm friendly new wave rock. By then, WKTU was still regarded as a disco station, but could be more accurately described as rhythmic contemporary hit radio. Since that term was not yet used, the station had been classified as urban contemporary. During this period, the disc jockeys included Paco, G. Keith Alexander, Rosko, J.D. Holiday (Paul Zarcone), Dale Reeves, Bob Bottone, Jim Harlan, Carlos DeJesus, Joe Causi, Guy Broady, Jay Thomas, Freddie Colon, Don Geronimo, Al Bandiero and Diane Pryor. Paco later went to jail for drug dealing. Template:Citation needed
92KTU (1981–1985)
In 1981, SJR Communications sold WKTU to Infinity Broadcasting (which merged with CBS Radio in 1997). Also that year, WKTU added more dance-based new wave to the format. WKTU remained among the top ten New York City radio stations through 1983. Shortly thereafter, WKTU received new competition from WHTZ and WPLJ, both of which adapted a CHR format. The station maintained respectable but declining ratings, due to the new competition.
By mid-1984, WKTU moved to a mainstream CHR format as well, giving up its disco past, but the ratings continued to decline. That fall, the station added legendary WABC host Dan Ingram to afternoons, and Jo Maeder, "The Madame", from Miami's Y-100, joined Jay Thomas in the morning and did her own midday show, but the station continued to struggle in the ratings. To make matters worse, then-named 103.5 WAPP also went CHR that fall.
So strong was the memory of the late-1970s WKTU that despite all the subsequent on-air changes, the general public still regarded it as a disco station. Even though WAPP moved back to playing mostly rock music in the form of a rock-based CHR in June 1985, giving WKTU one less competitor, the station management thought a more drastic change was needed. Since New York City only had one full-time rock station with WNEW-FM, there was an opportunity.
