WRFF
Encyclopedia
WRFF is a modern rock
FM radio station
located in and licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
and is known on-air as "Radio 104.5."
. Both stations offered MOR formats. The stations were owned by Associated Communications, a subsidiary of Rust Craft Greeting Cards. In 1967, the stations switched to country music
formats. Tightened Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) restrictions on AM-FM simulcasting led to a new format for the FM in 1977.
hybrid format before evolving to instrumental
-based easy listening.
On January 1, 1980 WSNI became known as "Sunny 104" at first, then later "Sunny 104 and a half," and eventually "Sunny 104.5," a name which was reused later on in the station's history. "Sunny" dumped easy listening in favor of an Adult Contemporary format playing the Top 40 hits of the 1960s, Top 40/Adult contemporary crossovers of the 1970s, and the Adult Contemporary hits of the 1980s up to and including current product.
6 years later, the stations were sold to Pyramid Broadcasting. The AM sister station, which still had the WRCP call letters, was eventually sold also and got new call letters. In, 1988 singer Teddy Pendergrass
performed some of the station's jingles.
In a group deal WYXR became owned by Evergreen by 1993. The station experimented and leaned CHR
in 1996, but it still remained known as Star 104.5. The station quietly evolved back to Hot AC in 1997 playing more rhythmic cuts than most Hot AC stations. In 1997 WYXR became owned by Chancellor as a result of a merger.
In April 1999 Chancellor (known then as AM/FM) was going to switch the station to a Jammin' Oldies format. This never happened because another station
owned by Greater Media
beat them to it. As a result the Hot AC format was kept a while longer. The hot AC format lasted until November 18, 1999. WYXR went off the air at 12 noon with Madonna
's "Who's That Girl". 3 hours of a heartbeat sound effect followed.
' "Let's Go
" began to play. The station was now known as "Alice 104.5," and the calls became WLCE. The new format was a Gold based Adult Rock AC, playing "Rockin' Hits" of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The "Rockin' Hits" format was designed to compete against Greater Media's Classic rock
102.9 WMGK. WMGK was Greater Media's most successful station in Philadelphia at the time and this was viewed as "punishment" against Greater Media after they flipped 95.7 to "Jammin' Gold." Initially only a couple of current songs were played but by 2001 the station was playing a large number. By 2001, the station evolved to more of a rock based Hot AC format. In 2001, as a result of a merger, WLCE came under the ownership of Clear Channel Communications. The WLCE
call sign has now moved to the Springfield, Illinois
market.
," 104.5 flipped to Soft AC
, reverting back to the "Sunny 104.5" name with a plan to compete for some of B101
's listeners.
This incarnation of WSNI is locally famous for completely abandoning the format as early as the first week in November to play continuous Christmas music
until December 26. The idea was very successful and starting the very next year, B101--which in years past played only 36 hours of continuous Christmas music--copied it and has done it every year since.
Sunny was a low-budget station and nearly all the air personalities were voicetracked, meaning the "DJ banter" heard between songs had been recorded in advance in a whole other part of the country and was being played from a hard drive just like the music. The low operating costs helped the station be successful even with only middling ratings. Sunny 104.5 continued for just over 4 years.
At 12 noon EDT on Thursday, August 10, 2006, Sunny's sister station Smooth Jazz WJJZ
106.1 was switched to a Rhythmic AC
format, and began identifying itself as "Philly's 106.1
." At the same time, Clear Channel dumped Sunny's Soft AC format and started "shadowcasting" the new station at 106.1. The two stations were playing the same songs but 104.5 was delayed several seconds from what was heard on 106.1. The last song heard on Sunny 104.5 was "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me
" by Elton John
. This was followed by a short pause and slow fade in of "Let's Get It Started
" by The Black Eyed Peas
. There was a short announcement from a female ("This feels like my own radio station") and an awkward segue
into "Get Ready For This
" by 2 Unlimited
, then Michael Jackson
's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
".
As for the lucrative all-Christmas format Sunny brought to Philadelphia, B101 had it all to themselves. Without having to worry about beating the competition to the punch, they tend to wait until the afternoon before Thanksgiving Day before making the switch. In 2007, during Arbitron's "holiday period," the lack of competition provided B101 enormous rating success. So in 2008, three other stations joined in, giving Philadelphia four all-Christmas stations and forcing B101 to share.
In early January 2007, the WSNI call letters went to the former WOQL-FM in Keene, NH.
In 2009, Sunny 104.5 returned to the air on WILT 104.5 in Wilmington, NC.
and WSKQ-FM
in New York City
.
Clear Channel flipped Rumba 104.5 to a modern rock format on May 16, 2007. Because of this, the "Rumba" Spanish format, previously on 104.5, moved to 1480 AM, thus ending WDAS's gospel music format, as the station became "Rumba 1480". On HD Radio receivers, Rumba can also be found at 106.1
HD-2. On May 23, 2007, the WUBA calls moved from 104.5 FM to 1480 AM.
On May 23, at midnight, 104.5 started identifying itself as "WRFF" (Radio One O Four - Five).
The Radio 104.5 presentation centers heavily on modern rock music from the 1990s, as well as featuring selected songs from the mid 1970's through the end of the 1980s, as well as current product. Overall, the station comes across as "lighter" than typical Modern Rock radio stations. Most of the songs played on Radio 104.5 were titles that crossed over to Top 40 formats, and they reach outside of the Alternative format to play acts like Green Day
, The Fray
, The All American Rejects, Blues Traveler
, and others. This type of presentation is highly similar to those at several other Clear Channel operations, but it was implemented at this radio station first.
So far, the station is more successful than the city's previous alternative rock
station, Y100
in the ratings.
to the North, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
, to the West, New Jersey Shore to the East, and well into Delaware
and Maryland
to the South.
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
FM radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located in and licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
and is known on-air as "Radio 104.5."
WRCP-FM
104.5 FM first signed on in February 1965 as WRCP-FM simulcasting WRCP/1540WNWR
WNWR is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania owned by Global Radio LLC. Its studio is located at 200 Monument Road, Suite 6, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania and its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia....
. Both stations offered MOR formats. The stations were owned by Associated Communications, a subsidiary of Rust Craft Greeting Cards. In 1967, the stations switched to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
formats. Tightened Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) restrictions on AM-FM simulcasting led to a new format for the FM in 1977.
WSNI, first time
104.5 FM broke away from WRCP in 1977 and became WSNI. WSNI initially had a soft country/easy listeningEasy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
hybrid format before evolving to instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
-based easy listening.
On January 1, 1980 WSNI became known as "Sunny 104" at first, then later "Sunny 104 and a half," and eventually "Sunny 104.5," a name which was reused later on in the station's history. "Sunny" dumped easy listening in favor of an Adult Contemporary format playing the Top 40 hits of the 1960s, Top 40/Adult contemporary crossovers of the 1970s, and the Adult Contemporary hits of the 1980s up to and including current product.
6 years later, the stations were sold to Pyramid Broadcasting. The AM sister station, which still had the WRCP call letters, was eventually sold also and got new call letters. In, 1988 singer Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade...
performed some of the station's jingles.
WYXR
On December 10, 1990, 104.5's call was changed from WSNI to WYXR and the format switched to Hot AC. The new station was known as "Star 104.5".In a group deal WYXR became owned by Evergreen by 1993. The station experimented and leaned CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
in 1996, but it still remained known as Star 104.5. The station quietly evolved back to Hot AC in 1997 playing more rhythmic cuts than most Hot AC stations. In 1997 WYXR became owned by Chancellor as a result of a merger.
In April 1999 Chancellor (known then as AM/FM) was going to switch the station to a Jammin' Oldies format. This never happened because another station
WBEN-FM
WBEN-FM, known as "95.7 Ben FM," is an adult hits station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station plays a mix of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s hits, with some current hot adult contemporary rock singles. Named after Benjamin Franklin, the station pioneered a "Playing Anything We Feel Like" radio...
owned by Greater Media
Greater Media
Greater Media, Inc., known as Greater Media, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and the state of New Jersey...
beat them to it. As a result the Hot AC format was kept a while longer. The hot AC format lasted until November 18, 1999. WYXR went off the air at 12 noon with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's "Who's That Girl". 3 hours of a heartbeat sound effect followed.
WLCE
At 3PM on November 18, 1999, The CarsThe Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
' "Let's Go
Let's Go
-Albums:*Let's Go , by Rancid, or the title song*Let's Go , 1983*Let's Go! , 2001-Songs:*"Let's Go" , 1979*"Let's Go" , 2007...
" began to play. The station was now known as "Alice 104.5," and the calls became WLCE. The new format was a Gold based Adult Rock AC, playing "Rockin' Hits" of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The "Rockin' Hits" format was designed to compete against Greater Media's Classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
102.9 WMGK. WMGK was Greater Media's most successful station in Philadelphia at the time and this was viewed as "punishment" against Greater Media after they flipped 95.7 to "Jammin' Gold." Initially only a couple of current songs were played but by 2001 the station was playing a large number. By 2001, the station evolved to more of a rock based Hot AC format. In 2001, as a result of a merger, WLCE came under the ownership of Clear Channel Communications. The WLCE
WLCE
WLCE is a radio station broadcasting a Album Adult Alternative format. Licensed to Petersburg, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Springfield IL area. The station is currently owned by Long Nine, Inc..-History:...
call sign has now moved to the Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
market.
WSNI, second time/oldies version
On July 31, 2002, after a 24-hour loop of The Beatles' "Here Comes the SunHere Comes the Sun
"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles...
," 104.5 flipped to Soft AC
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
, reverting back to the "Sunny 104.5" name with a plan to compete for some of B101
WBEB
WBEB is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1963 under the call sign WDVR. The station is currently owned by Jerry Lee...
's listeners.
This incarnation of WSNI is locally famous for completely abandoning the format as early as the first week in November to play continuous Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
until December 26. The idea was very successful and starting the very next year, B101--which in years past played only 36 hours of continuous Christmas music--copied it and has done it every year since.
Sunny was a low-budget station and nearly all the air personalities were voicetracked, meaning the "DJ banter" heard between songs had been recorded in advance in a whole other part of the country and was being played from a hard drive just like the music. The low operating costs helped the station be successful even with only middling ratings. Sunny 104.5 continued for just over 4 years.
At 12 noon EDT on Thursday, August 10, 2006, Sunny's sister station Smooth Jazz WJJZ
WJJZ
WPEN-FM is a radio station owned by Greater Media. Licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, it currently broadcasts a sports format to the Philadelphia metropolitan area....
106.1 was switched to a Rhythmic AC
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
format, and began identifying itself as "Philly's 106.1
WISX
WISX is a Hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are owned by Clear Channel Communications.-Beautiful Music Era: WQAL/WWSH:...
." At the same time, Clear Channel dumped Sunny's Soft AC format and started "shadowcasting" the new station at 106.1. The two stations were playing the same songs but 104.5 was delayed several seconds from what was heard on 106.1. The last song heard on Sunny 104.5 was "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is the first single from British musician Elton John's 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States.-Lyrics and music:...
" by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. This was followed by a short pause and slow fade in of "Let's Get It Started
Let's Get It Started
"Let's Get It Started", , appears on The Black Eyed Peas' 2003 album Elephunk. It is the fourth single from the album...
" by The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
. There was a short announcement from a female ("This feels like my own radio station") and an awkward segue
Segue
A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.-In music:In music, segue is a direction to the performer. It means continue without a pause. It comes from the Italian "it follows". The term attacca is also used in classical music.For written music it implies a transition...
into "Get Ready For This
Get Ready for This
"Get Ready for This" was later remixed and re-released for 2 Unlimited's compilation album Greatest Hits Remixes.-Dancemania:The song has appeared on the eurodance compilation Dancemania series albums, including Dancemania Super Techno II , Dancemania Speed 6 and Dancemania Super Techno Best...
" by 2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited is a Dutch Eurodance/Hi-NRG act formed in 1991. The project was the brainchild of Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde, and was fronted by a Dutch duo, rapper Ray Slijngaard and singer Anita Doth. During five years of enormous worldwide popularity, the act scored 16 chart...
, then Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was released on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records as the fourth single from Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller in 1982. It is the first song on Thriller...
".
As for the lucrative all-Christmas format Sunny brought to Philadelphia, B101 had it all to themselves. Without having to worry about beating the competition to the punch, they tend to wait until the afternoon before Thanksgiving Day before making the switch. In 2007, during Arbitron's "holiday period," the lack of competition provided B101 enormous rating success. So in 2008, three other stations joined in, giving Philadelphia four all-Christmas stations and forcing B101 to share.
In early January 2007, the WSNI call letters went to the former WOQL-FM in Keene, NH.
In 2009, Sunny 104.5 returned to the air on WILT 104.5 in Wilmington, NC.
WUBA
On August 23, 2006, after 13 days of simulcasting the 106.1 FM signal, 104.5 FM became a Spanish language radio station known as "Rumba 104.5". This format was launched at Noon that day. This was the first Spanish language station on FM radio in Philadelphia. They had a format focusing on Tropical and Dance Music, very similar to that of WCAAWCAA
WXNY-FM is a radio station that broadcasts a Spanish language format. It is licensed to Univision Radio at 96.3 FM, and airs in the New York City metropolitan area.-History:...
and WSKQ-FM
WSKQ-FM
WSKQ-FM, known on-air as Mega 97.9, is a radio station in New York City owned by Spanish Broadcasting System . Currently located at 97.9 FM, the station has a tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as Bachata, salsa, merengue, and Reggaeton.-History:The 97.9 FM facility's heritage...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Clear Channel flipped Rumba 104.5 to a modern rock format on May 16, 2007. Because of this, the "Rumba" Spanish format, previously on 104.5, moved to 1480 AM, thus ending WDAS's gospel music format, as the station became "Rumba 1480". On HD Radio receivers, Rumba can also be found at 106.1
WISX
WISX is a Hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are owned by Clear Channel Communications.-Beautiful Music Era: WQAL/WWSH:...
HD-2. On May 23, 2007, the WUBA calls moved from 104.5 FM to 1480 AM.
Radio 104.5
On May 16, 2007 Clear Channel flipped 104.5 to "Radio 104.5" playing a rock format, with "Do You Remember Rock-N-Roll Radio?" by The Ramones as the first song.On May 23, at midnight, 104.5 started identifying itself as "WRFF" (Radio One O Four - Five).
The Radio 104.5 presentation centers heavily on modern rock music from the 1990s, as well as featuring selected songs from the mid 1970's through the end of the 1980s, as well as current product. Overall, the station comes across as "lighter" than typical Modern Rock radio stations. Most of the songs played on Radio 104.5 were titles that crossed over to Top 40 formats, and they reach outside of the Alternative format to play acts like Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, The Fray
The Fray
-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...
, The All American Rejects, Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
, and others. This type of presentation is highly similar to those at several other Clear Channel operations, but it was implemented at this radio station first.
So far, the station is more successful than the city's previous alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
station, Y100
WPHI-FM
WPHI-FM, " Hot 107.9", is a radio station owned by Radio One, that airs a Urban Contemporary format. The station is licensed to Pennsauken, New Jersey and serves the Philadelphia market. When WPHI was on 100.3, it was known as "100.3 The Beat". On August 27, 2011, the "Beat" moniker was dropped...
in the ratings.
Signal
WRFF can be heard with a reliable signal as far as Schuylkill County, PennsylvaniaSchuylkill County, Pennsylvania
-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
to the North, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile . There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile...
, to the West, New Jersey Shore to the East, and well into Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to the South.
External links
- WRFF Website
- http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/phillyfmhistory2.html