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WCRN oldies or classic hits?

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

Walk of Fame Participant
Someone on I Love AM Radio facebook group getting Worcester's WCRN 830 in Niagara ON and says they're playing oldies, "weird..."

10:35 pm on their stream..it says Michael Savage but E. Humperdink After the Lovin playing.Now...into Ride Like the Wind Christopher Cross
"This is the north star. Fresh and familiar classic hits.On full service radio WCRN"
Into Ringo It Don't Come Easy
Now it says powered by Fox 25 morning news.Something just for nights. Now:
We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again

Gentle On My Mind
 
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Seems like it reminds me of how wmrc used to be in Milford. Very interesting.
 
They have used full service radio slogan for awhile.May well be talk etc by day, music by night.Fox (aka Cox Media) 25 morning news has been simulcast by them and maybe they're kicking in some money to sponsor music by night? Or is this a full format change? The use of "full service radio" makes me think it's the former and it implies music only at night.
 
raccoonradio said:
"This is the north star. Fresh and familiar classic hits.On full service radio WCRN"
Click to expand...
I first noticed the switch Wednesday morning just after 3am.
Sounds like they are taking lessons from WCAP—?
 
raccoonradio said:
"This is the north star. Fresh and familiar classic hits. On full service radio WCRN"
Click to expand...

I heard a bit of it the other night. It sounds like a "soft" oldies/classic hits of the '60s, '70s, '80s format.

They should dig out and hook up their old C-Quam AM Stereo generator for this format, if they still have it!

WCRN was in AM Stereo for a few years when it first came on in the '90s.
 
WCRN wasn't in AM Stereo during the "Swing 830" or "True Oldies" days, were they? They probably don't have the capability anymore, unless maybe now they have a newer transmitter like a Nautel now, which has stereo built in.
 
jlehmann said:
WCRN wasn't in AM Stereo during the "Swing 830" or "True Oldies" days, were they? They probably don't have the capability anymore, unless maybe now they have a newer transmitter like a Nautel now, which has stereo built in.
Click to expand...

WCRN was broadcasting an AM Stereo signal during the first couple of the "Swing 830" years, but I recall the programming was not in true stereo, perhaps because at least some of the material was recorded pre-stereo in the '40s and early '50s. It seemed to be broadcasting in a "fake stereo" process with one channel tinny, the other muddy.

By the time it went to "True Oldies", it was transmitting a mono signal.
 
Although the oldies music evenings/overnights is palletable, (in light of Oldies 103.3 disappearing some years ago), the direction of WCRN 830 is puzzling to say the least. The best analogy I can think of is a mid-life crisis where someone quits their well paying corporate job and goes to work as a barista. Rather than compete with WTAG 580 and strengthen the programming following the WCRN Morning show with Hank Stolz, they just sort of rolled over. It would have been nice to see the station improve the talk programming during the week to attract listeners/callers and reserve the not so attractive time buys/financial/legal shows for the weekends (like WBZ or WTAG). WCRN gutted the programming to the point listeners aren't really a part of the equation when they could have added Laura Ingraham mid-days (not found on too many New England stations), or simulcasted the entire three hours of Boston Herald Radio Morning Meeting, or even replacing their morning show with Boston Herald Morning Drive or The WRKO Morning Show. Now they jettison Michael Savage and Red Eye Radio too, both very good programming. Won't be too long before I'm listening to Howie Carr online or on his App and the lady pitching the health food fads extends her show to afternoon drive.

On air it says "North Star Music" is sponsored by Drew Mortgage, who must be writing a pretty sizable check to Carter Broadcasting for his Noontime financial show and 7pm - 4pm of Oldies music. Looks like North Star is also owned by the Carberry's: http://www.northstarmediagroup.com. Add in Fox25 news paying for 4am-10am of an unlistenable product, WCRN 830 has certainly become quite the low budget operation, for sure. In any case, I'm sure it keeps the lights on and transmitter running, but not much else.
 
Eli Polonsky said:
The '60s/'70s/'80s oldies/classic hits music of the old WODS is still playing on its HD2 channel.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is, whenever the HD-2 sub is up/running AND you leave close enough to the transmitter AND you have an HD radio. Besides, no live jocks, no traffic/weather inserts.

I can get them via stream but I wish they lean way-y-y less on the 80s and more on the 60s/70s. Other than Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel or kfrc.com, both of which do indeed lean more on 60s/70s, hardly any one else does this.
 
nowradioguy said:
Yeah, it is, whenever the HD-2 sub is up/running AND you leave close enough to the transmitter AND you have an HD radio. Besides, no live jocks, no traffic/weather inserts.

I can get them via stream but I wish they lean way-y-y less on the 80s and more on the 60s/70s. Other than Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel or kfrc.com, both of which do indeed lean more on 60s/70s, hardly any one else does this.
Click to expand...

Try koolnh.com (WWOD Woodstock VT/WFYX Walpole NH). '60s and '70s only, even 17 years into the new millennium. I'm up in this area for a few days and was listening around noon. I heard in that half hour: "I Am Woman," "Telstar," "I Like Dreaming," "Double Shot of My Baby's Love," "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" and "What Is Life." Right now, they're carrying the Red Sox game, but the playlist is similar during the autopilot overnight hours. They certainly play many of what David Eduardo likes to call "bad songs," and the ratings are poor, but the company that owns the stations also operates several others in the Hanover/Lebanon market (they're all in one building on the main drag in Lebanon), so I'd imagine they're selling them as a package to their advertisers.
 
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