I 94

[MikeStandardsFromIndiana]

ZPL might be listed as a Modern AC. Its more Adult CHR/Hot AC if anything. and I94 is also Adult CHR.

[bigtime]

ZPL went very adult CHR as early as 1991 under Don London. They have veered back & forth a couple of time since.

[rtvmikey58]

He had great success with a CHR in Billings and had a good run with WZPL. He's an intelligent, creative thinker. Perhaps in my anger I was harsh in my statement, but I'll be damned if I apologize for being loyal to a friend.

I wish I-94 the best! Chris Wheat is a good man and I wish him good health.

You speak of Chris with inside knowledge.

When someone left the Clear Channel Coven on good terms, even if only to deliver pizzas, they were given a going away party and showered with gifts.  Usually unclaimed call-in-winner swag....but, still, there were gifts.

If you dared leave to go to another station - you packed your file box quickly and left with an escort.  A terse email was sent to co-workers from Chirs wishing you...."GOOD HEALTH".

As time passed, I realized when Chris wished "good health" it was really code for - "I hope you die in a grease fire."

Even tho I was wished - good health - it STILL makes me laugh.

[oldhack1965]

After reading all these posts, I can see why radio is so bad now and no longer any fun for the listener or employee.   We over-analyze the whole radio format now.  Years ago, you hired a local guy that knew the city, he/she KNEW the heartbeat of the town, he/she understood what music worked in the market.  Those were the best stations in town.  As a kid growing up in South Bend our local CHR/top 40 was WRBR.  Their TOP 40 was so much different than Chicago's WLS-AM signal that was able to penetrate our small town.  So many songs that charted in Chicago never even were played on our local TOP 40, that's just the way it was.  The music (disco, at the time) didn't have a mass appeal in our area and the programmers knew that.  So they ran a more rock-edged Top 40 and it worked.   Even when the competition of U-93 came along, they skewed the music to fit the market.   Actually, if you look at some of the songs that "charted" nationwide...they didn't even penetrate our Market or even some of the Midwest's biggest CHR's.  The demographics were different because of culture.

NOW....we have corporate Radio that has no clue how this works.  And unfortunately the newer breed of programmers don't understand this concept.   They figure...hey, it worked in Chicago so it MUST work here.  NOT.   Then we have people who post on here about how many recurrents or golds or this or that.  My God, whatever happened to just playing some GOOD music that fit the market that just flowed regardless of it's age or category? 

The spirit and soul of radio is gone as we know it.   I-94 is a perfect example.