• 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

AIRCHECK: WDRE Philly Launch 11/16/92

L

Laputa

Guest
...And as promised, here is the very hard to find launch of 103.9 WDRE Philly from November 16, 1992. From my recollection it started with jockless music, then the heartbeat countdown which I edited down a bit. After that, the station kicked off with The Ramones. I did scope out most of the commercials, but I did leave one in there, a classic DRE produced promo featuring Mel Toxic. You'll hear a few familiar names in this clip, not just Mel, but Donna Donna, Malibu Sue, the man who runs MTV these days, then DRE program director Tom Calderone, and.... the late great Joey Ramone.

A fellow trader sent this to me a few weeks ago, and the memories of freshman year in high school came flooding back to me. Just listen for yourself, it is in Beta YouSendIt, so jump on it while you can. Any downloading issues (or any good flashbacks), let me know.

Enjoy:
http://download.yousendit.com/9825D2708D064875
 
I don't know the history, here. Was this a simulcast of 92.7 on LI?

SteveNYC


> ...And as promised, here is the very hard to find launch of
> 103.9 WDRE Philly from November 16, 1992. From my
> recollection it started with jockless music, then the
> heartbeat countdown which I edited down a bit. After that,
> the station kicked off with The Ramones. I did scope out
> most of the commercials, but I did leave one in there, a
> classic DRE produced promo featuring Mel Toxic. You'll hear
> a few familiar names in this clip, not just Mel, but Donna
> Donna, Malibu Sue, the man who runs MTV these days, then DRE
> program director Tom Calderone, and.... the late great Joey
> Ramone.
>
> A fellow trader sent this to me a few weeks ago, and the
> memories of freshman year in high school came flooding back
> to me. Just listen for yourself, it is in Beta YouSendIt,
> so jump on it while you can. Any downloading issues (or any
> good flashbacks), let me know.
>
> Enjoy:
> http://download.yousendit.com/9825D2708D064875
>
 
> I don't know the history, here. Was this a simulcast of
> 92.7 on LI?

No...WDRE in Philly was a station that, at first, kept the calls of the old Ethnic format on 103.9 (WIBF), but referred itself on the air nevertheless as "WDRE", since the LI station was still WDRE...On the sign on aircheck though no name is mentioned...I haven't heard the aircheck but what I guess you posted is a recording of when they actually started calling themselves "WDRE"...I have a tape that I guess is earlier, which is when they actually started the Alternative format, nameless...Anyways, when 92.7 became WLIR, they legally took on the WDRE calls.

A great one, too, is the DRE Philly sign off, IMHO...They did it from a club, live, with G. Love & Special Sauce, the last song played also was "Alive", by Pearl Jam. The crowd at the club was yelling "D-R-E!! D-R-E!!". Radio One took the station over and switched it to a temporary Old School R&B format (later became WPHI, now on 100.3), which they signed on from the studio jockless with MFSB's TSOP.....A great handover. I have it on cassette, have not converted it to mp3 yet...

--Tony Simon/Miami<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bossmsx on 01/17/06 10:43 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> > I don't know the history, here. Was this a simulcast of
> > 92.7 on LI?
>
> No...WDRE in Philly was a station that, at first, kept the
> calls of the old Ethnic format on 103.9 (WIBF), but referred
> itself on the air nevertheless as "WDRE", since the LI
> station was still WDRE...On the sign on aircheck though no
> name is mentioned...I haven't heard the aircheck but what I
> guess you posted is a recording of when they actually
> started calling themselves "WDRE"...I have a tape that I
> guess is earlier, which is when they actually started the
> Alternative format, nameless...Anyways, when 92.7 became
> WLIR, they legally took on the WDRE calls.

Well I know that initially, DRE Philly did mostly simulcast the stuff from 92.7 in LI (with the exception of the Chart Show and the Dance Party shows until about 1995, then they went all local with DRE when the LIR calls went back to 92.7. Hope that explains everything clearly for you.


>
> A great one, too, is the DRE Philly sign off, IMHO...They
> did it from a club, live, with G. Love & Special Sauce, the
> last song played also was "Alive", by Pearl Jam. The crowd
> at the club was yelling "D-R-E!! D-R-E!!". Radio One took
> the station over and switched it to a temporary Old School
> R&B format (later became WPHI, now on 100.3), which they
> signed on from the studio jockless with MFSB's TSOP.....A
> great handover. I have it on cassette, have not converted
> it to mp3 yet...
>
> --Tony Simon/Miami
>


Glad you mentioned that, Tony because I have the initial announcement of the impending signoff of DRE and its farewell show "Bitterfest" from about January of 1997. Jim McGuinn made the announcements during Preston Elliot's afternoon show, and I hope to have that clip up in a couple of days.
 
Yeah I agree the DRE sign off is a classic aircheck. It still gives me the chills with the audience chanting DRE DRE in the background.



> > I don't know the history, here. Was this a simulcast of
> > 92.7 on LI?
>
> No...WDRE in Philly was a station that, at first, kept the
> calls of the old Ethnic format on 103.9 (WIBF), but referred
> itself on the air nevertheless as "WDRE", since the LI
> station was still WDRE...On the sign on aircheck though no
> name is mentioned...I haven't heard the aircheck but what I
> guess you posted is a recording of when they actually
> started calling themselves "WDRE"...I have a tape that I
> guess is earlier, which is when they actually started the
> Alternative format, nameless...Anyways, when 92.7 became
> WLIR, they legally took on the WDRE calls.
>
> A great one, too, is the DRE Philly sign off, IMHO...They
> did it from a club, live, with G. Love & Special Sauce, the
> last song played also was "Alive", by Pearl Jam. The crowd
> at the club was yelling "D-R-E!! D-R-E!!". Radio One took
> the station over and switched it to a temporary Old School
> R&B format (later became WPHI, now on 100.3), which they
> signed on from the studio jockless with MFSB's TSOP.....A
> great handover. I have it on cassette, have not converted
> it to mp3 yet...
>
> --Tony Simon/Miami
>
 
I'm a little confused. I have the <a target="_blank" href=http://www.formatchange.com/1039-wibf-flips-from-ethnic-to-modern-rock/>flip from November 9, 1992 </a> from the leased ethnic WIBF to Modern Rock "Underground Network" based at then sister 92.7 WDRE Garden City, NY with what became known as the first and last song on 103-9 DRE (and the last song on Y100), Pearl Jam's "Alive". This aircheck purports The Ramones "Rock and Roll Radio" (song title correct?) as the first song.

The aforementioned change of WDRE to Urban is available <a target="_blank" href=http://www.formatchange.com/1039-wdre-flips-from-modern-rock-to-urban/>here as well.</a>

<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
> I'm a little confused. I have the flip from November 9, 1992
> from the leased ethnic WIBF to Modern Rock "Underground
> Network" based at then sister 92.7 WDRE Garden City, NY with
> what became known as the first and last song on 103-9 DRE
> (and the last song on Y100), Pearl Jam's "Alive". This
> aircheck purports The Ramones "Rock and Roll Radio" (song
> title correct?) as the first song.
>
> The aforementioned change of WDRE to Urban is available here
> as well.
>

That's true, they did actually start on November 9, but it was a week's worth of jockless music. What I have is the official launch of DRE's regular programming the following week with the intro of the DJs.
 
> > I'm a little confused. I have the flip from November 9,
> 1992
> > from the leased ethnic WIBF to Modern Rock "Underground
> > Network" based at then sister 92.7 WDRE Garden City, NY
> with
> > what became known as the first and last song on 103-9 DRE
> > (and the last song on Y100), Pearl Jam's "Alive". This
> > aircheck purports The Ramones "Rock and Roll Radio" (song
> > title correct?) as the first song.
> >
> > The aforementioned change of WDRE to Urban is available
> here
> > as well.
> >
>
> That's true, they did actually start on November 9, but it
> was a week's worth of jockless music. What I have is the
> official launch of DRE's regular programming the following
> week with the intro of the DJs.
>

Now that makes sense. I have the tape Lance was talking about as well...

I listened to KDRE in North Little Rock around '94-'96, they also had a station in Memphis (actually two, AM 1430 and FM 107.1)...for about a year KDRE (which still called itself "WDRE" just like in Philly) was my favorite station in Arkansas (even if it was really coming from Long Island!!)
 
> That's true, they did actually start on November 9, but it
> was a week's worth of jockless music. What I have is the
> official launch of DRE's regular programming the following
> week with the intro of the DJs.

I never knew that. Gotta change the FCA entry accordingly now. Perhaps adding this clip as well...
<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
> ...And as promised, here is the very hard to find launch of
> 103.9 WDRE Philly from November 16, 1992. From my
> recollection it started with jockless music, then the
> heartbeat countdown which I edited down a bit. After that,
> the station kicked off with The Ramones. I did scope out
> most of the commercials, but I did leave one in there, a
> classic DRE produced promo featuring Mel Toxic. You'll hear
> a few familiar names in this clip, not just Mel, but Donna
> Donna, Malibu Sue, the man who runs MTV these days, then DRE
> program director Tom Calderone, and.... the late great Joey
> Ramone.
>
> A fellow trader sent this to me a few weeks ago, and the
> memories of freshman year in high school came flooding back
> to me. Just listen for yourself, it is in Beta YouSendIt,
> so jump on it while you can. Any downloading issues (or any
> good flashbacks), let me know.
>
> Enjoy:
> http://download.yousendit.com/9825D2708D064875

Thank you so much for posting this. I'd have been a senior in high school at this time in Fayetteville, AR and I was desperate for sounds like this on the radio! The only place I found them was by sticking the TV cable into the radio and hearing KRFA, the student run station at the University of Arkansas (which, wouldn't you know it, be off the air, and nothing but a pile of CDs in a small studio by the time I went to the University of Arkansas the next fall!) or of 120 Minutes on MTV.

I remember when "WDRE" came to Little Rock sometime in '94 I was blown away. Sounded almost exactly like this. Wow.
>
 
> Well I know that initially, DRE Philly did mostly simulcast
> the stuff from 92.7 in LI (with the exception of the Chart
> Show and the Dance Party shows until about 1995, then they
> went all local with DRE when the LIR calls went back to
> 92.7. Hope that explains everything clearly for you.

The aircheck I have has the end of an ethnic Haitian show (sounded religious), and an announcer with somewhat of a speech defect in English giving weather...The old WIBF format...Starts the new alt. format, unnamed, with "Alive" by Pearl Jam, and sweepers mentioning 'old rock stars with liver spots' and other "attitude" liners. Must be they added the DRE name later. I'll see if I can dig it up today when I get home and post it.
 
> > Well I know that initially, DRE Philly did mostly
> simulcast
> > the stuff from 92.7 in LI (with the exception of the Chart
>
> > Show and the Dance Party shows until about 1995, then they
>
> > went all local with DRE when the LIR calls went back to
> > 92.7. Hope that explains everything clearly for you.
>
> The aircheck I have has the end of an ethnic Haitian show
> (sounded religious), and an announcer with somewhat of a
> speech defect in English giving weather...The old WIBF
> format...Starts the new alt. format, unnamed, with "Alive"
> by Pearl Jam, and sweepers mentioning 'old rock stars with
> liver spots' and other "attitude" liners. Must be they
> added the DRE name later. I'll see if I can dig it up today
> when I get home and post it.


Yeah, I remember being up late that night while the rest of my family slept, being a night owl at 14, haha, and you're right it was the end of a religious show, Creole, I think was the language. Don't ask me how the heck I remember that. I admit that I have listened to the old WIBF's programming once in a while just prior to this, and it had an old Greek show, which to my young preteen ears, had some pretty interesting sounding tunes. But yeah, we need to get more DRE sounds out here, especially since it's all went to hell ever since it left us.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom