Listening To Oldies On CBS-FM...Just A Little Early?
Written Jul. 8, 2007 by Sean Ross in HD Radio + HD Radio with 2 Comments
For the last three days, the press reports about WCBS-FM New York's return to Oldies have been writing about it as a virtual certainty--even if nobody at CBS has actually confirmed it yet. So I thought it would be interesting to get a head start by throwing on WCBS-HD-2, the multicast channel/Internet station that has kept the Oldies format alive for the past two years under the yeoman's efforts of station veteran-turned-Internet PD Jeff Mazzei and programming coordinator Maria Martello.
That's not a casually offered shout-out there, by the way. The strategy of keeping a defunct radio station alive on the Internet, or now on an HD-2 channel, goes back at least five years. It usually lasts about three to six months. So it's impressive that WCBS-HD-2 has hung in this long, doing a '50s-through-'80s format reminiscent of the broad mix that the station offered through most of its history. And in an era where most terrestrial stations are cutting back resources, it is remarkable that WCBS-HD-2 sported a four-person staff and some hosted shifts.
And if you're one of the people who checks this blog on Sunday night, or gets new content alerts, you can actually hear one of those hosted shifts right now. All weekend, the station has been celebrating the 35th birthday of Oldies on WCBS-FM (or its HD-2 successor) with a series of Top 20 countdowns, including this one from the day the station launched in 1972. And after hearing a countdown that includes "Sylvia's Mother," "Alone Again (Naturally)," and the Donny Osmond version of "Too Young," you can understand how 1972 must have seemed like a pretty good time to launch an Oldies station, given the relative mushiness of pop music that summer.
Reader Comments
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Jeff Mazzei has been around NY Radio since the Good Guy Days at WMCA, working his tukus off.
He did a great job on CBS HD2, knows the music, the audience etc and even though we met once, (he engineered the board at CBS FM's Radio Great Weekend)now has finally got his own show on the new CBS FM! Kudos to you Jeff!!
where is the 50s music, its like leaving out george washington and the revolutionary war from american history books. again another bad decision on cbsfm part, ps check out the top 500 songs see how many are from the 50s and early 60s and they don't even play them!!!