WNEW-FM

WNEW is a New York City FM radio station operating at 102.7 MHz and owned and operated by Infinity Broadcasting. Today they offer a dance oldies format.

"Where Rock Lives"

In 1967 WNEW-FM adopted a "progressive" freeform rock music format, one that it became famous for and that influenced the rock listenership as well as

Related Topics:
1967 - Freeform - Rock music - Format

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the rock industry. Disc jockeys would broadcast in ways that bore out their personalities:

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• morning fixture Dave Herman was not afraid to mix Erik Satie or Donna Summer into the playlist;
• noontime stalwart Pete Fornatale promoted The Beach Boys when it was not fashionable and later started his eclectic weekend Mixed Bag program;
• afternoon legend Scott Muni would use his gravelly voice to introduce largely unknown British artists on his "Things From England" segments;
• nighttime host Jonathan Schwartz was a raconteur who would sneak in the Sinatra pop standards that he not-so-secretly liked better than rock;
• overnight presence Alison "The Nightbird" Steele would play space rock groups in between readings of her equally spacey poems;
• weekend personality Vin Scelsa started his idiosyncratic Idiots' Delight program which soon gained a devoted following.

Other well-known disc jockeys who worked at the station included Bill (Rosko) Mercer, Dennis Elsas, Richard Neer, Dan Neer, and John Zacherle.

Related Topics:
Bill (Rosko) Mercer - Dennis Elsas - Richard Neer - Dan Neer - John Zacherle

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WNEW-FM was among the first stations to give Bruce Springsteen significant airplay, and conducted live broadcasts of key Springsteen concerts in 1975 and 1978; Springsteen would sometimes call up the DJs during records. John Lennon would stop by and guest-DJ for on occasion. Members of The Grateful Dead and other groups would hang out in the studio. In addition to music, youth-oriented comedy recordings such as from Monty Python would also be aired.

Related Topics:
Bruce Springsteen - 1975 - 1978 - John Lennon - The Grateful Dead - Comedy - Monty Python

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The station sponsored a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden each holiday season that drew reasonably big-name acts. It could fairly be said that WNEW-FM earned its slogan "Where Rock Lives". The station's television commercials during its rock years featured the song "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos and was considered the station's anthem.

Related Topics:
Madison Square Garden - Layla - Derek and the Dominos

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In the 1980s, the station gradually adopted a more conventional album oriented rock format, and sometimes seemed stodgy compared to college radio stations playing alternative rock. When long-time competitor WPLJ switched away from rock in 1983, WNEW-FM picked up some of its most known DJs, such as Carol Miller and Pat St. John.

Related Topics:
1980s - Album oriented rock - College radio - Alternative rock - WPLJ - 1983 - Carol Miller - Pat St. John

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From 1988 to 1992, a series of transactions involving WNEW-FM and its sister radio and television stations, resulted in ownership of WNEW-FM passing from Metromedia to Westinghouse and adopting the shorter WNEW call sign.

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By the 1990s, the station was further losing relevance in the face of the popularity of grunge rock and so became more of a classic rock station. Nevertheless, ratings were acceptable if nothing great.

Related Topics:
1990s - Grunge rock - Classic rock

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