First Listen: WOCL (Sunny 105.9) Orlando
Written Jan. 10, 2008 by Sean Ross in Content + Terrestrial Radio with 24 Comments
This could have been an anti-climactic First Listen to write. The hole in Orlando for something in the Oldies/Classic Hits neighborhood on FM has been pretty obvious for a while now -- particularly since there were two Alternative outlets in the market. And the former O-Rock has been signaling its intentions by running "The History of Rock & Roll" this week. That said, the first hour of WOCL (Sunny 105.9) was very good, and very well-produced. If it wasn't as momentous as the first hour of sister WCBS-FM New York, it did have that "we've been here doing this all along" feel that few just-launched stations achieve these days.
Here's the first hour of Sunny 105.9:
KC & Sunshine Band, "That's The Way (I Like It)" (1975)
Foreigner, "Feels Like The First Time" (1977)
Prince, "1999" (1983)
Rolling Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," (1965)
Four Seasons, "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" (1976)
Marvin Gaye, "Sexual Healing" (1982)
Doobie Brothers, "Listen To The Music" (1972)
Maxine Nightingale, "Right Back Where We Started From" (1976)
Billy Joel, "Uptown GIrl" (1983)
Van Morrison, "Brown-Eyed Girl" (1967)
Barry White, "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (1974)
Huey Lewis & the News, "I Want A New Drug" (1984)
Fleetwood Mac, "Don't Stop" (1977)
Beatles, "Twist & Shout" (1964/1986)
Reader Comments
Your 2¢, in chronological order — add your comment below.
I am so happy Orlando finally has a statiion that does not play the same song every hour on the hour. I listened to this station all weekend long and now have everyone in the office hooked on this station!!
The entire office and patients have enjoyed your new station. The music variety and selections are quite refreshing. BUT You gotta limit that appliance warehouse commericial. I feel like if I hear "in the box" one more time...back to Joy 108 I go. Advertising pays the bills so I certainly understand your sticky situation. Thanks for the ear....Mike
I agree with Mike.....the "in the box" ad ruins an otherwise wonderful radio station!!
Finally, a great radio station in Orlando! Keep up the good work!
105.9 just butchered "Baker Street" on 1/26/08 at about 2:50 pm by cutting out the middle of the song (never heard that version before) and cutting it short while talking over it. Very disrespectful.
All I will say I am finally happy that we have an oldies station in Orlando.I practically had a radio embargo ever since Clearchannel turned our former oldies station Big 100/Cool 100 into a hispanic station.Thank you to CBS Radio for bringing back the oldies format.
I want to tell you how much I love your station. I am 45 and I sitting at work the other day and carl doulas came on and I started to tell a friend of mine about having a dance to this song when I WAS YOUNGer it brought a smile to my face. about then my cell rang it was my sister she lives in leesburg and is having a hard time right now and she like guess what i am listening to.IT WAS YOU . we both laughed and smile about our thoughts of yester year.
But thats not even the end of it the next day I called my daughter whose 26. I could hear the same song in the back ground it was you. She said she had discovered your station and it was awesome.
Just wanted to let you know thank you Donna Drake
Love the wide range of 'Classic Hits'! I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the personalities. Might I suggest some of the former WBJW on air personnel? Seems to me they would fit perfectly, especially the ones from the late 70's and 80's. I really liked Barry Michaels and Terry Allan.
Thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts.
I HAVE ALL MY RADIOS ON 105.9 AND WAY MY PARENTS WERE VISITING FROM CALIFORNIA THEY FELL IN LOVE WE YOUR STATION. I HAS ALL THE MUSIC I LOVE AND I HAVE MY SON HOW IS 17 LISTING TO YOU STATION.
Sunny 105.9 is a hit w/ me !!!! Found you by accident, at the time I listened to "the hog"...not anymore!!! Thanks for all the memories!!!I grew up listening to most of your selections, just can always do w/o the "YMCA"....
Love your station !!! Found it from scanning on the radio, great tunes, could do w/o the "YMCA" tho. I'll keep listening and I do tell my friends about you!
105.9, I DO ENJOY THE STATION BUT ALL THIS TIME I HAVE BEEN LISTENING I HAVE YET TO HERE ONE
ELVIS SONG. YOU KNOW THE KING OF ROCK IN ROLL.
YET I KEEP HEARING THE BEETLES AND STONES WHO ARE FROM THE SAME ERA AND ELVIS DID HAVE AS MANY #1
AS THE BEETLES.
SO IF THIS DOES NOT GET DELETED AND GETS TO THE MUSIC DIRECTOR COULD HE PLAY ANY OF ELVIS'S SONGS
FROM 50'S, 60'S, 70'S AND I THEN I WOULD NOT HAVE TO KEEP SWITCHING BACK TO AM 810 AT TIMES TO HERE ELVIS. THANKYOU
BOB
Love the new station. Finally a station that everyone in the office likes. Could you play Tina Turner's Proud Mary for my boss?
Thanks
Well produced jingles and liners bring back that feel for some of the greatest music and radio of all time with high energy and a smile! Congratulations Orlando, congratulations to The All New Sunny 105.9! Let the music play!!
Your radio station hardly plays the greatest hits. In fact you play ver few great hits and most are terrible. I notice you cut a lot of songs off before the are done, like by several seconds. And the continuous recording talking about how great a station 105.9 is. Come on, the best way to prove you have a great station and play great songs is to play great songs and cut the yack yack. I only listen to your station going to and from work not at home and I hear the same songs over and over. Figure a little less that 2 hours a day and I can hear the same song within 12-13 hrs again. You play a lot of the sang artists over and over and never hear many songs. Now, I listen to a "Great" station in Tampa calld WDUV 105.5. Now they play some great songs in the evening. I can't get them on the car radio.
I think that you are the best radio station I have listened to since 1972. BUT!!!... You have lost me with the Christmas music 24/7. I guess I'll check back with you after the holidays.
Too bad that you play NON-STOP Christmas music now.
I have tuned you out completely, and this WAS my favorite station.............
Thank God the Christmas music is over! I can't function without the radio on and it was hard to get anything done since Thanksgiving, because the Christmas music had me stressed. I decided to put the radio on this morning and I'm thrilled! Thanks so very much for getting me back into action!
I love your radio station. Im 33 years old and i listen to your station because i love the classic oldies songs you play. keep up the great work!!!!!!
I miss O-ROCK 105.9
it kicked ass.
There is already many many other oldies stations
98.9 and 107.7. SO why do we need another onee!
Hey Guys,
I would have loved to listen to the whole top 300 count down this memorial weekend but I had to keep changing the station because of the same loud mouth obnoxious appliance commercial..We all know it...(appliance direct) I got tired of having to keep changing the station. What a friggin' annoying commercial...Can't you get someone else to pay the bills around there with some less annoying advertisements....Glen
I enjoy your station immensely and have been listening from the time you began broadcasting. Having said this I can't help but wonder why you don't play any Doo Wop or 50's oldies ! There are as you well know many seniors here and they too fit your demographic. Please consider playing songs by "The jive five", "The Coasters", "The five satins" and their ilk. This genre error is the only fault I find in your fine broadcasting system.
Neil
love the station, all our office listens everday, all day long but,,,,,,"in the box" is going to kill your audience-----this obnoxious commercial is causing us to look elsewhere for the oldies!!!!! in the box, needs their own station!!!!!! what good is a commercial paying your bills if you have no listeners!!!!!!!
I LIVE IN WASHINGTON STATE AND LISTEN TO YOUR STATION ON THE COMPUTOR ALL DAY AT WORK
WE ALL SING ALONG TO THE OLDIES FROM OUR HIGH SCHOOL DAYS