Altrok Radio - Blog: A Bit About WPIX-FM

Friday, August 27, 2010

A Bit About WPIX-FM

WPIX-FM.

Most people, when they hear those call letters, think "Love Songs, Nothing But Love Songs". Some people think of "Dr." Jerry Carroll (later the TV spokesman for Crazy Eddie.) But I like to think of their stint as the best New York City radio station ever.

From 1978 to 1980, they identified themselves as "The New 102, WPIX-FM: From Elvis To Elvis" and they weren't kidding. With a seriously wide rock record selection and live broadcasts featuring everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis and Sam And Dave to XTC and Buzzcocks, they remain the gold standard for rock variety on NYC airwaves.

Somewhere, someone's writing a book on them. Somewhere else, someone's probably sitting on hour upon hour of airchecks from the era. But I've just discovered a healthy message board featuring stories from the guy who ran their live remote truck, so...happy reading!

(You may note with some amusement that the frequency - actually 101.9 - is now occupied by WRXP. They're trying...Lord knows they're trying...)

1 Comments:

Unknown said...: PIX-FM, new wave radio, was great. I was pissed when it was canned and even showed up for a sparsely attended protest rally outside their offices. Meg, Joe, and the other on-air staff knew their music to the listeners benefit. WXRP, good idea, poor execution.; 9:11 PM, September 15, 2010

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Welcome to Altrok.com, also available at AltrokRadio.com and AltrockRadio.com. Here's where the remaining listeners of several fine radio stations have retreated, regrouped, and built a replacement strong enough to stand on its own. It builds on the independent legacy of New Jersey's FM106.3, New York's WPIX and WLIR, Oklahoma's 105.3 The Spy, the pre-buyout mindset of KROQ, WBCN and WHFS and of every other alternative station that was destroyed at a moment's notice - not because they weren't making money, but because there was bigger money to be found elsewhere.

We've stood by as truly independent alternative rock radio died. Sure, something called "alternative" took its place, but we know for sure that anything that "tests well" with soccer moms just ain't alternative. (Even if some of us happen to be soccer moms.) So we've taken matters into our own hands.

This really is independent alternative rock radio, visible here at Altrok.com and audible at our web radio station. It has the classic music that fired our passions back in the day - or that we maybe only heard about from our elders - but it's mostly made of the new music that does precisely the same for us now. We're paying attention to scenes all over the world, watching the energy build, and waiting to see what it creates. Wherever it happens, we'll make sure you can hear about it here. We've been slowly building all this since 2001, and now that you've noticed us, we're glad you're here.

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