Since I moved out of my parents’ house in June, I have a lot less time now to commit to little things like radio station commentaries, so I completely forgot that I had promised a review of several stations in their final hours, but I have some time now so here is that review. I’ve picked three stations, WHTS, WPLJ, and KXXO.
WHTS/Quad Cities, IA/IL
This was the first station I had ever heard of having to shut down in the way that it did, and that is seemingly becoming more common over the past few years. The station, now WLKU, was to become part of the K-Love network, shutting down its CHR format after 19 years. I still enjoy listening to this aircheck on or about February 3, as it is an incredibly entertaining listen. The entire airstaff is clearly enjoying themselves in their last moments on air together. We even hear some old morning show bits thrown in, and lots of phone calls come in throughout the hour, and presumably throughout the day. While the station is still using standard imaging, only half the songs are in format, and from what I’ve read, it was like that all day. We even hear a promo for Nightclub Now, for an event over Presidents Day weekend. Unlike the other stations shutting down, WHTS ran commercials all the way up until the end. Here’s its final hour:
- Backstreet Boys – Incomplete
- Cranberries – Dreams
- Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
- Big and Rich – Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy, because a jock from the sister country station called in.
- Ludacris and Bobby Valentino – Pimpin’ All Over the World
- Nelly – My Grill
Don McLean – American Pie, the final song referencing the signoff date, also the anniversary of the Day the Music Died
After that song plays, the special legal that has been playing at the top of the hour plays one last time before the station signs off, returning to the air the following evening with K-Love programming. I have the final two hours of this scoped, and I’m looking for an unscoped version. The final mic break is here.
WPLJ New York, NY
On May 31, 2019 the deal I have referenced a couple of times on this site closed, sending 95.5 WPLJ, Mix 107.3 WRQX, and four other stations to EMF. It’s clear that WPLJ, unlike a lot of other stations, had a long tribute that lasted most of the prior week, including a reunion show the prior day. Since WHTS is in a much smaller market, there likely wasn’t as big of a budget for live shows. Throughout the day, WPLJ played lots of live performances. The previous day sounds like it was narrated history, the final day is the music through the years. Here’s that final hour:
- Rob Thomas – One Less Day, Dying Young
- Huey Lewis and the News – Do It All for My Baby, after a message from evening host Mike Alan, talking about his son
- Dave Mathews Band – Crash Into Me, after a story about Mathews playing at a children’s hospital event
- Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days
- Bob Seger – Old Time Rock and Roll
- Del Amitre – Roll To Me, needing a song to fill time
- John Lennon – Imagine, after tribute messages from many off air staffers of the station
- Hall and Oats – White Port and Lemon Juice, cover of the Four Deuces song for which the station was named, performed live in the WPLJ studio
After this, the station holds a toast and signs off. Listen to the final two hours here.
KXXO Olympia, WA
The most recent of the station endings I’m sharing today, and the only one where K-Love is not involved. The final listen I posted a couple of posts back is that of 4 P.M. on the station’s last day. Unlike the other stations, KXXO did not have a long tribute. Instead, there was a goodbye segment on the station’s morning show in which the owners were interviewed and hints of the station’s impending demise sprinkled in, but no long tribute until the final hour. Like the other two examples, the station did break format in that hour, in which each member of the station’s staff picked a song they wanted to share, with a couple of fill songs inserted. Here’s that station’s final hour:
- Roxy Music – More Than This, request via email from a listener now living in Arizona but formerly living in Olympia
- Mr. Mr. – Broken Wings, picked by Jennifer Mathis, as it was the first song she played at a commercial radio station and will be her last
- Ava Max and David Guetta – Forever Young, fill song
- Al Green – Let’s Stay Together, picked by former PD John Foster
- Maroon5 – Moves Like Jagger, not sure if this was a fill or picked by the engineer, but the station audio dropped briefly during this break
- Green Day – Good Ridance Time of Your Life, picked by morning hosts Ty and Lori
- Joni Mitchel – Big Yellow Taxi, picked by sales manager Brian Butler
- Benson Boone – Mystical Magical, likely fill as it was not announced as being picked by behind the scenes staffer Mary Harrison
- Indigo Girls – Closer to Fine, picked by parttime jock Rubie Brown
- Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth, picked by outgoing owner Toni Cowen
- Beattles – The Long and Winding Road, the first song the station signed on with in January 1990, also the last song before the station began stunting with nature sounds before the format change
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