From December 1995 until July of 1997, WJPZ-Syracuse changed formats, to an alternative lean, and re-branded itself as "89.1 The Pulse." Today, we talk to the architects of that transition, Hall of Famers Dan Austin and Jeff Wade from the Class of 1997.
First, we hear how they both found the station. For Dan, the native Central New Yorker, it started working summer staff in high school. Meanwhile, Jeff was in high school in Rhode Island, hearing about the station. Soon, these two would become great friends, spending many hours together in the back office of the radio station.
In 1995, when Dan was GM and Jeff was VP of Programming, CHR was becoming much more fragmented. And Jeff was having a hard time finding new music that fit the station's current format. Meanwhile, alternative music was taking off, with stations like New York's Z100 leading the way.
Simultaneously, Dan and the station's business staff were having a hard time making the "major market coin" the station had seen earlier in the decade. To remain self-supported, they needed to make a splash, and get some attention in a quickly changing media landscape. The format change accomplished both goals, though not without controversy among students and alumni.
The format flip of 1995 was more proof that WJPZ is the world's greatest media classroom; throughout today's episode, Dan and Jeff talk about the radio, business, and life lessons this experience taught them.
Jeff and Dan talk about their careers in the 25 years since leaving Syracuse - Jeff moving from the music side to news/talk programming - and Dan's sales career that went from radio to now television, in the polar opposite of his native Syracuse, at least weatherwise - San Diego.
In today's episode, you'll also hear stories of how Jeff hired Jag for his first radio gig, and the awful mistake that cost Jag that job. But you'll also hear about folding tables hanging out of cars en route to the State Fair, the "Denny's Annex," and the exec staff getting PAGERS - which came in handy when one jock locked herself out of the studio.
Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTickets
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts
Bonus! See a brief documentary on The Pulse here, complete with 1995 Jeff, Dan, and their classmates!
https://youtu.be/kARwzwyvyI0
Want to be on the show? Email JAG at jag@jagpodcastproductions.com
Connect with the WJPZ Alumni Association: https://wjpzalumniassociation.org/
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