Post by musicradio77 on Sept 15, 2005 10:43:57 GMT -5
I've heard Allan's comments on "Board Reflections" the other day about the lost of an AM oldies station in Philadelphia, WPEN. Scott Fybush recalls the story in the Northeast Radio Watch:
It's been not much more than a year since WPEN (950 Philadelphia) dropped its long-running standards format and flipped to oldies, challenging the market's oldies leader, Infinity's WOGL (98.1), with a jock lineup that included familiar Philly voices like Jerry "Geator" Blavat, Jim Nettleton and Christy Springfield.
On October 3, WPEN will drop the oldies and become PENNSYLVANIA's newest sports station, going up against the dominance of Infinity's WIP (610) with a lineup that will include Jim Rome in middays, former WIP (and WFAN) host Jody McDonald in afternoons and Sporting News Radio's Tony Bruno (who got his start at WIP) in late mornings.
WPEN enters the battle with a newly-strengthened night signal, now that it's running 21 kW after dark from the site of daytimer WWDB (860), but it doesn't have much else going for it right out of the starting gate. The station had the Phillies for a few years, but its old 5 kW night signal didn't meet the team's expectations, so the baseball games are now on Infinity's WPHT (1210). And while WPEN was rumored to be picking up the rights to 76ers basketball, the team decided to stay with WIP for another season.
(On the other hand, WPEN will reportedly drop much of the leased-time programming it's been running all weekend.)
And then, one week later, Mr. Fybush recalls yet again:
A quiet week in PENNSYLVANIA - but we have a logo to show you, anyway: WPEN (950 Philadelphia) has the website up now for the sports format that will launch there in a month's time.
Here are the logos:
Old logo
New logo
It's been not much more than a year since WPEN (950 Philadelphia) dropped its long-running standards format and flipped to oldies, challenging the market's oldies leader, Infinity's WOGL (98.1), with a jock lineup that included familiar Philly voices like Jerry "Geator" Blavat, Jim Nettleton and Christy Springfield.
On October 3, WPEN will drop the oldies and become PENNSYLVANIA's newest sports station, going up against the dominance of Infinity's WIP (610) with a lineup that will include Jim Rome in middays, former WIP (and WFAN) host Jody McDonald in afternoons and Sporting News Radio's Tony Bruno (who got his start at WIP) in late mornings.
WPEN enters the battle with a newly-strengthened night signal, now that it's running 21 kW after dark from the site of daytimer WWDB (860), but it doesn't have much else going for it right out of the starting gate. The station had the Phillies for a few years, but its old 5 kW night signal didn't meet the team's expectations, so the baseball games are now on Infinity's WPHT (1210). And while WPEN was rumored to be picking up the rights to 76ers basketball, the team decided to stay with WIP for another season.
(On the other hand, WPEN will reportedly drop much of the leased-time programming it's been running all weekend.)
And then, one week later, Mr. Fybush recalls yet again:
A quiet week in PENNSYLVANIA - but we have a logo to show you, anyway: WPEN (950 Philadelphia) has the website up now for the sports format that will launch there in a month's time.
Here are the logos:
Old logo
New logo