By the time many of you read this, it will be after Friday, May 31, 2019, 7:00 PM Eastern Time, the day a radio legend signed off for the last time. Seventy-one years and twenty-six days prior, it was born on 95.5 FM as WJZ-FM,and became WABC-FM in March 1953 following the merger of the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. and United Paramount Theatres. As the FM era began, WABC-FM, as did many FM stations, simulcast its AM sibling in addition to a Best Of Broadway format, although, when progressive rock made its presence felt, it provided an outlet for the WABC All-Americans, including, most notably, Dan Ingram, to play music they couldn't on AM due to its restrictive contemporary hit format.In 1968, WABC-FM became the flagship of the American FM Radio Network, which introduced a national "prog-rock" format called "Love," and five years later, began carving its only identity with the call letters, "W-P-L-J," inspired by the Four Deuces' R&B classic "White Port and Lemon Juice," which was more notably performed by Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. The early lineup consisted of veteran John Zacherle ("Dinner With Drac"), controversial talk show host Alex Bennett (one of the late great Stan Lee's favorite interviewers),and Vin Scelsa, better known for his work at competitor WNEW-FM. WPLJ pioneered the Album Oriented Rock format and also played pop songs from artists not normally played on WABC, shooting it up in the Arbitron radio ratings to the most-listened-to rock radio station in America. In 1973, the cornerstone for the modern 'PLJ was laid when Program Director Larry Berger and personalities Jim Kerr and Pat St.John came aboard. After WABC flipped from Musicradio 77 to Talkradio 77, WPLJ, or "Hitradio 95" as it began calling itself, adopted a Top 40 format. Its only real competition was the home of shock jock Don Imus, WNBC Radio 66, until Tampa radio veteran Scott Shannon turned sleepy elevator music station WVNJ-FM 100.3 into WHTZ, the Hot-Rockin' Flame-Throwin' Z100 and launched an all-out assault on "Wimpy Radio," as personified by WPLJ, which tried, but didn't really succeed at, a Contemporary Hit Radio format that could truly match Z100. The station began downplaying its identity as WPLJ and adopted first the air name Power 95 (and the tagline "You've Got the Power!") and later the call letters WWPR (WorldWide Power Radio) before reverting to WPLJ. Berger was succeeded by (then-music director,later to become a Bloomberg radio anchor and currently a non-practicing lawyer) Jessica Ettinger and Seattle veteran Gary Bryan who fired Jim Kerr and took over the morning show with Linda Emery (nee Energy) as his sidekick. After Gary was lured over to Z100 as a result of his successful de-Wimpification of what was beginning to be called 'PLJ (His battlecry was "SC**W THE ZOO!," referring to the Z-Morning Zoo, his competitor's signature program.),Rocky Allen took the helm with an eclectic mix of music, comedy, and weird news. When 'PLJ was hammered by competitors Z100 and HOT 97, program director Tom Cuddy and general manager Mitch Dolan reached out to Scott Shannon, who had just been relieved of his duties at Pirate Radio 100.3 FM in Los Angeles. He rebranded 'PLJ as Mojo Radio 95.5 FM, and reprogrammed the music as Top 40 with a rock edge. After trying, and failing, to get Rocky to stay on as his partner, Shannon conducted a nationwide search, which resulted in a 23-year relationship with Todd "Scam Boy" Pettengill, notorious for his phone scams (inspired by Howard Stern's "Phony Phone Calls")and song parodies. In 1992, 'PLJ flipped to a Hot Adult Contemporary format, with this mission statement: "No rap, no hard stuff, and no sleepy elevator music." One of the highlights of the new format was "Saturday Night at the Seventies," with New York's Hometown Hero, Al Bandiero, who played many of those hits on the original Disco 92 WKTU. Rocky returned in 1993 to host "a morning show in the afternoon", one of the highlights of which was a live broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theatre. (When people asked Scott and Todd how they were possibly going to top that, Todd joked, "We're going to broadcast from the Tick Tock Diner in Nutley, New Jersey." Actually, they did, and the Summer Diner Tour became a Scott & Todd Big Show tradition.) In 1999,under the leadership of the Walt Disney Company, they eliminated all 70's music from the playlist, and, in their version of the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre," sacked Danny Meyers, Anthony "Onions" Caviligia, and Kristie McIntyre before returning to the prior format and experimenting with a version of the "Jack FM" adult hits format. Rocky,and his sidekick Blaine Ensley, were re-hired (and re-fired) towards the end of the 2000's. Scott left 'PLJ in 2014, leaving the door open for Todd Pettengill's ascent to the leadership of the morning show with an ensemble cast comprised of Cooper Lawrence, Joe "Monkey Boy" Pardavilla, and Anne Marie Leamy. The following year, Cooper was replaced by Californian Jayde Donovan, and what had been The TODD Show was rebranded "Todd and Jayde In The Morning."
The station held its own until another version of the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre," on 2/13/19 when its current owner, Cumulus Media, announced the sale of 'PLJ and five other stations to the Educational Media Foundation, the parent company of the K-LOVE Christian radio format.When May 2019, ended, so did nearly five decades of music history, stretching from progressive rock to pop and featuring personalities who not just woke up New Yorkers, entertained them at work,drove them home and sang them to sleep, but were also actually part of the fabric of this great city. They laughed with their listeners, gave them a crying shoulder, simply put, they didn't just care about making the big bucks, they CARED ABOUT THEIR AUDIENCE. (Case in point, when Diana "Lady Di" Ferrito did an in-store appearance at an uptown Verizon center, she stuck to the script until she said, "And Steven Eisenpreis has just entered the building." I had the pleasure to be one of their most loyal fans for a good part of the 90's and many years following.)
When Power 95 told its listeners, "You've got the Power!," they were telling the truth. We had the power of music, the power of friendship, the power of community, the power of radio at its best. Unfortunately, the delicate state of the radio industry affected Power 95 and its fellow stations, so the radio powerhouse that was 'PLJ is now nothing but a beautiful memory. But the music remains, and, as long as people can still sing along to the Beatles, Bon Jovi, and Taylor Swift, 'PLJ will never go away
When Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Richie Valens died in a tragic air crash, that was immortalized by Don McLean in "American Pie" as The Day The Music Died. May 31,2019, the last day of 'PLJ, will go down as The Day The Power Died.
Or did it?
As long as any one who ever worked at or listen to the station can still sing a catchy song or remember a memory that either tickled their funny bone or touched their heart or both, the legendary 'PLJ will never truly die.
'PLJ was as much a part of New York as the Empire State Building, Macy*s, and Madison Square Garden, Unfortunately, the defeat of media institutions of 'PLJ could be considered a victory for the current presidential administration. May they fail in their attempts to completely convert the country to their mindset, and May the Power live forever.
Steve out.
