I've "lost" radio stations before. WNEW moved away from the album cut format. WLIR stopped playing new wave. Q104 went from heavy metal to adult oriented rock. I've always bemoaned these losses, but never exactly mourned the loss of a station. Until now.
When I heard that WCBS FM had changed their format, I felt like someone had slapped me in the face. I hadn't listened to the station in a long time, but knowing it existed was like knowing there was a friendly face from the past still out there, smiling at you.
I grew up listening to CBS. I know the words to every doo-wop song. I remember the intro songs - Those oldies but goodies remind me of....WCBS FM. Don K. Reed. Norm N. Nite. The way it always sounded as if they were broadcasting from an echo chamber. My childhood memories are so intrinsically tied to music because there was always music playing in our house. And it was always CBS. Hearing the news of its demise, I felt like a small piece of my soul had been ripped from me. Dramatic, I know. But you have to understand what part this station played in my life.
When I hear the old doo-wop song "In the Still of the Night," I am in my parents backyard, about eight years old, wearing a yellow tank top and tan cotton shorts. It's early evening and my parents have company over. They are scattered around the yard, sipping exotic drinks with fancy stirrers and smoking long cigarettes. I can smell the sweetness of the drinks, the smoke from someone's cigar, the chlorine in the pool. There are fireflies flitting around the yard, and I'm running after them with another girl, the daughter of one of my parent's guests. She smells of coconut suntan lotion and the beach. The radio, a little am/fm portable with a bent antenna is tuned to WCBS. The DJ announces the next song. "And now, here's The Five Satins with In The Still of The Night."
Article comments
1 - Marc Moss
I never had the pleasure of listening to WCBS. In fact, when I began reading this post, I thought it siad WCSB, a Cleveland college radio station that I used to listen to whenever I could get a signal down in Akron when I lived in Ohio. But your point is well taken. I midd real radio. I have traveled the country coast to coast in the past year, and it saddens me to hear the homoginization of radio. Every station sounds the same, no matgter what town you're in. Same songs, same commercials, same announcers. Amoment of silence for WCBS.
2 - The Proprietor
I happened to comment on this yesterday, as I too was saddened by the format change. Perhaps the last vestige of the glory days of New York's rock radio is gone (unless you count the little ossified bits of Scott Muni that WAXQ parceled out to us in his twilight).
A business decision indeed, and as I pointed out on another thread yesterday, it's interesting that WCBS-FM falls victim to the short-term bean counter view, when its' Arbitrons and demographics were far superior to those of the NYC classical station, WQXR (and to reiterate, the only quibble I have with WQXR is that it is stodgy; classical music can be fun and enjoyable).
While WCBS-FM was an institution, I think there were faults in the playlists that may have led to its downfall. Had they stuck with the more eclectic model of its early days where a show like "Doo-Wop Shop" was possible and flourished, I think it would've generated more interest. WCBS stayed in the comfort zone, playing the same Motown songs ad nauseum until they stopped being fun, no Beatles other than what was on the red and blue albums, not to mention completely ignoring Stax. Part of the problem with WCBS as I perceive it was that they went by what was on the Billboard charts, rather than what was more important to the progression of music in those wonderful decades. WCBS could certainly play Sinatra followed by the Stones, but then you'd get tracks that should be napalmed - things like "Sugar Shack" and "Mr. Lee" being two of the more egregious examples of annoying records WCBS played. Things like Kai Winding's "More" - a nice MOR record, but what the heck did that record have to do with rock?
For all of its faults, it was a bit of a time capsule, and it was about the only way to explain to the young'uns what radio was like before Clear Channel and Infinity lobotomized it. I shall miss WCBS-FM.
3 - Daddypundit
Not living in New York I wasn't exposed to WCBS but love the oldies format. It's a genre that's difficult to find in today's world of pre-programmed computerized playlists. Thankfully Infinity had the good sense to startup WCBSFM.com which plays the same music on the web. I've been streaming it often at work and love it.
4 - artur j. caputo
It's NOT only the music,movie's , entertainment in general has turned to no talent garbage, if the truth be told. That goes for the actors, writers, and now becoming more evident with young kid "executives" at the radio stations who weren't exposed to the talent and good music in their lifetime. They only know garbage ,so that's what they want to give you.It's about controling the money, the profits. Look who is controling "American Idol"the corporations Sadly, the people don/t know what is happening to them.It shows you what kind of people are behind the change at CBS. Heartless, unfeeling, dirt bags. You have to be if you reject the beautiful music called Doo WOP. The slime is winning.They want the kids to be heartless, unfeeling and bad. Hence the slaughter in Iraq . Families being killed and raped by 21 year old American kids - Heartless and unfeeling. Music helps shape personality. Think about what is happening to us, all for money.!!!!!