25 Years Ago, WXRK's Forgotton Anniversary

[Kevin L. Sealy]

July 12, 1985 was the last day of the original WKTU, a station at that time was an Urban CHR leaning station trying to compete with WPLJ and WHTZ-100. So the next day, Saturday  the 13th WXRK kicked off its debut with the Live Aid concert.

WXRK adopted the slogan K-Rock which was an AOR station like the old WPLJ. Howard Stern joined the station in October of 1985.They also picked up former WPLJ DJs like Jimmy Fink, Tony Pigg and John Zacherly. From WNEW-FM they got personalities Dave Herman, Alison Steele and Pete Fornatale.

From 1996 to 2005 K-Rock had gone through three rock format adjustments until they threw the the baby out with the bath water and became WFNY an FM talk format in January 2006. Stern was no longer heard on 92.3.

Today WXRK without the K-Rock slogan is a completely different station turning over a new audience with a CHR format.


Thanks,
KevinL. Sealy

[DToTheJ]

From 1996 to 2005 K-Rock had gone through three rock format adjustments until they threw the baby out with the bath water and became WFNY an FM talk format in January 2006. Stern was no longer heard on 92.3.

It was Stern's leaving that inspired to change the format to all talk. Can't see why that one didn't last...

[musicfan101]

I never did understand why 92.3 never just simply tuned the rock format to sound like KROQ? You know Alternative, instead of just struggling between hard rock and classic rock.

[frozenfiresb]

How different would NY radio have been if WXRK had stayed classic rock?

[mvin76]

Well, I must agree with musicfan101.  The fact that K-Rock tried it's damndest to reach the sweet spot between meatheads and beer guzzling frat boys did nothing to improve billing outside of Stern.  Call me elistist if you must, but the demographic breaking backs at Godsmack concerts isn't generally the demographic with fat wallets.

Now, a true alternative station could've reached a more educated (real: wealthier) clientele.

Of course, the boomers in "Dental Land" will scream until they're blue in the face that K-Rock had successfully tried and failed at alternative rock.  To which I respond: a hybrid station targeting a mix of dinosaurs and dunderheads is not a fair comparison from which to scream "New York ain't a rock town!"

[radioguy39nj]

When the original WKTU flipped to 92.3 K-Rock, they kept marketing themselves as "New York's #2 rock station....but not for long!", an obvious dig at WNEW-FM, the heritage rock station.  Of course, 92.3 and 102.7 had separate ownership in 1985.  Two years later, K-Rock flipped from AOR to classic rock.

Howard Stern carried K-Rock on his back for the 20 years he was there.  Stern had high ratings in AM drive, then the ratings would be mediocre the rest of the day.  K-Rock wouldn't have lasted as long as it did without Howard Stern.

[DToTheJ]

When the original WKTU flipped to 92.3 K-Rock, they kept marketing themselves as "New York's #2 rock station....but not for long!", an obvious dig at WNEW-FM, the heritage rock station...

One would wish WXRK would have updated those in 1999, when then-sister station WNEW went all-talk...

[Devin Smith]

Wow that is something i was an 100% listener of krock from when i was like 1 years old 1993 all the way up until they went to FreeFM