-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Any history on WSRZ-FM (Sarasota) as CHR "Z-106"?
- Thread starter DJghr1
- Start date
IckPodcastGuy
Regular Participant
Wait til Jeff In Sarasota wakes up and checks the boards.
LMFHO!!!IckPodcastGuy said:
Yes, you are correct! It is where I got my sig!
I thought it was soo cool the way in which they ID'd themselves, I had to use it.
"WSRZ - Sa-ra-so-ta!"
SAY it like you're PROUD! (not grammatically correct, but it works)
Funny thing, I didn't listen to the station all that often - still don't. I do sample the HD-1 and HD-2, though.
Imaging and station operations are two different animals.
Somewhere I do have a cassette or two of skimming Z-106/Oldies 106. (later I called them "Moldies, No More Sex" when I was working at "Coast 100")
Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
WSRZ was my first job in radio. Unfortunately though for the sake of this discussion, it was 3 years after the change from Z106 to Oldies 106. But I can certainly share what I remember from a listener point of view. Z106 came on I believe in either late '86 or early '87. It was previously WMLO with an AC format. Mornings on Z106 were hosted by Sam Malone, who went on to have a very long career in Houston at KRBE. Nights were hosted by (my eventual first boss) Scott Chase, who later went to Tampa on WFLZ and WSSR. He's now running a very successful cluster in Clarksville, TN.
I can't recall any of the other jocks that were there. I believe David Jones was there in some capacity. They really were a great sounding CHR. The downfall was a combination of the debut of The Power Pig and the attraction (at the time) of chasing Sarasota's older demos. They switched to oldies in August 1990.
I can't recall any of the other jocks that were there. I believe David Jones was there in some capacity. They really were a great sounding CHR. The downfall was a combination of the debut of The Power Pig and the attraction (at the time) of chasing Sarasota's older demos. They switched to oldies in August 1990.
Z-106 really sounded so crisp and fresh at the time! I was living in Port Charlotte & tried my darndest to pick them up (Z-106 played the Rhythmic Edit of "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" by Elton John, which sounded great)! The only other local Top 40 choice we had was the "wimpy" WINK-FM from Ft. Myers which was very recurrent/gold-heavy. Q-105 (Tampa) had a very poor signal that far south and this was before WFLZ went CHR (which did come in very strong). And Jeff, I DO remember the top of the hour "WSRZ-FM, Z-106 Sa-ra-so-ta!" So bold & proud! ;D
I did hook up an external house antenna to my receiver at the time as well, & was able to pick up BJ-105 from Orlando by turning it one direction and by simply adjusting it the other direction was able to tune in Power 96 from Miami (mostly at night). I still have many cassettes of Power 96 packed away somewhere. Ahhh, those were the days.
I did hook up an external house antenna to my receiver at the time as well, & was able to pick up BJ-105 from Orlando by turning it one direction and by simply adjusting it the other direction was able to tune in Power 96 from Miami (mostly at night). I still have many cassettes of Power 96 packed away somewhere. Ahhh, those were the days.
All Hit Z106 was my second job ever in radio and probably the most fun I ever had. It was crazy there with so many remotes that we had to rent a van sometimes on the weekends. There was boat/beach patrol, The Bounty, Mahoney's, Ruby's (on the circle,) Animal House and so much more. My time there was far too short and I was one of the ones who had to suffer with the pancake makeup wearing rammin/slammin/jammin PD that Hank hired who may be the biggest moron I've ever encountered in broadcasting. It sure was (mostly) fun while it lasted and I made some lifelong friends from that rat infested building on City Island.
Oldies 106...this sucks.
Oldies 106...this sucks.
S
SarasotaJim
Guest
BackRib said:
You mean the building that as Randy Michaels was being given his first tour of the facility said to then-manager Jim Davis, "There is nothing wrong with this building that a good coat of fire wouldn't fix?"
You mean the building that as Randy Michaels was being given his first tour of the facility said to then-manager Jim Davis, "There is nothing wrong with this building that a good coat of fire wouldn't fix?"
[/quote]
Bahahahaha! I could not agree more. Still sad to see that big tree there and no building these days.
[/quote]
Bahahahaha! I could not agree more. Still sad to see that big tree there and no building these days.
Well, the original building on City Island was completed before AM 1450, WSPB went on the air on 12/07/1939... and I am afraid that being on the water, and NOT being taken care of very well over the years, the statement by Michaels was probably quite true... Too bad that over the years, more attention had in fact been given the building... It was in a bit of disarray when I 1st worked there back in 1972, when the then PD, Neil Rogers hired me for some weekend part time work...
I was the first PD of Oldies 106 ... I remember arriving in the market and thinking how great the "Z" sounded. Two weeks later it was "All Oldies All the Time" - Oldies 106. That Randy Michaels quote was priceless! But I remember LOVING that site for its location. I would get off the air, walk out the side door and look out over the bay. Man! What an awesome area!
BTW - Scott Chase was the mastermind behind Z106 ... he was/is an incredible PD and did a ton of things with that station with barely a roll of duct tape & a wad of Bazooka.
C-
BTW - Scott Chase was the mastermind behind Z106 ... he was/is an incredible PD and did a ton of things with that station with barely a roll of duct tape & a wad of Bazooka.
C-
raydiodude
Frequent Participant
Regarding the CHR format of Z106...
I can recall being 14 years old living on the far west side of Largo almost to the beaches. Q105 was going through it's "Dear Mr Jesus" song phase and I HATED that song. I started scrolling down the dial one night and clear as a bell, there was "All Hit Z106", a station I had never heard before and honestly thought it a brand new Tampa station at first, that's how clear the signal was. Next few days, station was fuzzy, I eventually get it back in one night, the DJ gave out his request line number, I called and asked where they were, he says they are a small 3000 watt station in Sarasota but because their tower was right on the Gulf & since I lived so close to the Gulf, that the signal must be skippin up the water. Z106 was my station over Q105 WHEN I could it in.
I think it's significant to note that the night guy on the CHR Z106 was a young kid named David Jones. When the station flipped to oldies, it wasn't long before David & a guy named Jelvis (?) became the Oldies 106 morning show. Various co-hosts came and went but David survived in mornings. In 1995, he was partnered with Christina Crane, and to this day "Jones & Crane" are STILL holding down mornings (although now at 107.9 of course)
When you add all that up, David Jones is enjoying his 24th year on (technically) the same station. It may be even longer than that, I'm not positive what year he started at Z, I only know of him starting at about 1989.
Also interesting to note, Jon "Rock N Roll" Anthony spent a short time down there as well as the PD/afternoon guy of Oldies 106. I hung out with Jon a few times then and also always remembered how cool the location of this station was, right on the water between exclusive Longboat Key & St Armands Circle. Jon hired me to do weekends when I was just 18, introduced me to Hank who just yelled at Jon "why would you hire someone for on air who doesnt know the artists or songs, why?" Jon says Brian will be fine I assure you. Hank says, "Son tell me your three favorite Beatles songs". I of course failed that test & Hank nixed my being hired. About two more weeks of the non-stop "antics" from Hank simply drove Jon to quit. (Incidentally, after failing the Beatles test, I studied up on my oldies, got hired to do weekends on U92/Tampa, then in 1995 I landed the FT night gig on... OLDIES 106... and stayed there til 1999)
I can recall being 14 years old living on the far west side of Largo almost to the beaches. Q105 was going through it's "Dear Mr Jesus" song phase and I HATED that song. I started scrolling down the dial one night and clear as a bell, there was "All Hit Z106", a station I had never heard before and honestly thought it a brand new Tampa station at first, that's how clear the signal was. Next few days, station was fuzzy, I eventually get it back in one night, the DJ gave out his request line number, I called and asked where they were, he says they are a small 3000 watt station in Sarasota but because their tower was right on the Gulf & since I lived so close to the Gulf, that the signal must be skippin up the water. Z106 was my station over Q105 WHEN I could it in.
I think it's significant to note that the night guy on the CHR Z106 was a young kid named David Jones. When the station flipped to oldies, it wasn't long before David & a guy named Jelvis (?) became the Oldies 106 morning show. Various co-hosts came and went but David survived in mornings. In 1995, he was partnered with Christina Crane, and to this day "Jones & Crane" are STILL holding down mornings (although now at 107.9 of course)
When you add all that up, David Jones is enjoying his 24th year on (technically) the same station. It may be even longer than that, I'm not positive what year he started at Z, I only know of him starting at about 1989.
Also interesting to note, Jon "Rock N Roll" Anthony spent a short time down there as well as the PD/afternoon guy of Oldies 106. I hung out with Jon a few times then and also always remembered how cool the location of this station was, right on the water between exclusive Longboat Key & St Armands Circle. Jon hired me to do weekends when I was just 18, introduced me to Hank who just yelled at Jon "why would you hire someone for on air who doesnt know the artists or songs, why?" Jon says Brian will be fine I assure you. Hank says, "Son tell me your three favorite Beatles songs". I of course failed that test & Hank nixed my being hired. About two more weeks of the non-stop "antics" from Hank simply drove Jon to quit. (Incidentally, after failing the Beatles test, I studied up on my oldies, got hired to do weekends on U92/Tampa, then in 1995 I landed the FT night gig on... OLDIES 106... and stayed there til 1999)
druidhillsradio
Leading Participant
WQSR= Quad 102 1/2
- Status