I once suggested this very move to a little puke at Rogers (who's not there anymore) and he scoffed saying "they would never do that".   Well, it makes perfect sense.  Even though the signal has to be careful about its non-hit situation, Oldies sound good on FM...and if they can ever get a decent enough morning show, maybe they'll push for a 5-6 share.  With AM 600 going dark, and CISL all over the oldies map, there's an opportunity.

As for Charlee, I'm sorry...but that show was tragic.  Curse of being featured on "Airchecker".  

on the way to the RV show Friday nite, it sounded great.

Best wishes to Rogers.

Station sounds pretty good.  Bring back Fred and Cathy!

Quoted from CRS

I'm surprised they didn't call the station JILL-FM, coz it certainly sounds like a sis-tuh station to JACK.  How many format changes for the ORIGINAL STAR-FM now Tommy?  

Ah yes STAR FM.  Could almost use that name again?  Bring back Barry McMaster.  

I remember the day that Bill and Bob got the approval to place the transmitter on Seymour and all the Vancouver stations crying foul.  

104.9 Trivia:  Did you know that two ladies have been morning hosts on that frequency?  

Retread and Crappy?  You've GOT to be joking???  Only if the studio is built in Maui...maybe McRae could drop by and do the sports!!!  If Rogers were smart, they'd take the opportunity to promote from within...they must have a dynamite morning host(s) that's been languishing in middle-market radio long enough that they're ready for some Major Market exposure.

Say I wonder if Red had already tracked his weekend "Red Rock Diner" show or was he given advance notice not to bother coming in?  Reminds me of the launch of XFM on the very same frequency New Years Eve 2000.  All the on-air hosts had VTd their shows through the long weekend...and the VTs never made it to air.   More than a few FORMER STAR-FM hosts were peeved about being left in the dark.  Isn't Corporate Radio a joke?

I'm surprised they didn't hang on and make this station Christmas FM again!  

Quoted from TommyD

104.9 Trivia:  Did you know that two ladies have been morning hosts on that frequency?  

Yes, she was there when I first started but I can't, for the life of me, remember her name.  Margaret...?  You'd be my best friend if you could tell me.

Quoted from DJ Specs

Hmm.. the music so far has been great. Finally an Fm station that is different. Kiss 650 good-bye!
As for name and logo? Looks like a 4 year old made it. What a pile of crap. No identity or catchy name. Who's the moron who decided on this I wonder?

My guess would be strategy. There are a lot of uppers/middles/and slaves within companies that continue to complain about the success of satelite radio, and other new mediums that give all us all new competition... sort of. (whole new topic again)

But in comparison to that form of competition, sure the "channels" have names, but its kept very simple...... channel 31 on Sirius.... channel 212 on XM..... or in this case...... Fm 104.9 - The Greatest Hits Of All Time. I think its genius.... simple.... gives the frequency and what they are. Problem being, following the current trend will "date" this name/logo.... I give it 2 years max.

A lot of it has to do with American stations starting to use more generic branding in light of PPM, and the diminished importance of recall. The frequency becomes the most important identifier.

Tie this in with the recent success of these Oldies2 formats, and "104.9" is born.

Quoted from hard sell

Yes, she was there when I first started but I can't, for the life of me, remember her name.  Margaret...?  You'd be my best friend if you could tell me.

That would be Margaret Brown.  She started with us at CKGO in Hope and then moved to Chilliwack to be the first morning host on STAR.  

This 104.9 frequency must have a bad omen. The poor freq has been kicked around turned upside down with no winning results. The new flip should have happened at the same time Charlee was brought in from Calgary. Say hello to radio automation with no personality. Maybe Dave Larsen should get the boot if he is this flippant. I heard Larsen promoting a new time slot for Red NEXT week. Going to be a jock less station with a lot more big Red in your face.

Also heard several Red splitters tonight which still identified the station as Clear FM! C'mon Rogers, get with the program!

Maybe they will forget to change the Clear FM logo outside the entrance. Bad, Bad Bad when you have Red still saying CLEAR on the new format.  Why don't you just let Red do all the new station imaging and run it to the ground.  The 60's rotation is a hard listen. Terry Chan MD will have to work on his music rotation mixes get a better mix from year to year rather than 2 60's, 1 70's.  

I see over the weekend the website has had the new logo impeded where the old logo was. Goes to show you how lazy corporate radio is. The Clear logo was up until last night and they still have the same CLEAR air staff plus all the old CLEAR rewards log in crap, UP. No passion at all to come out the gate as a winner is RED still saying join me on CLEAR.

Lets thank online radio (plus ipod) for changing the radio industry upside down. If not for Cadillac Jack who "Playing What We Want" JACK,  had he not come to the rescue in the name of Variety you would not get the following.

Montreal’s newest radio station delivers the biggest hits of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s

96.3 Capital FM, Edmonton’s Greatest Hits!

" THE GREATEST & LATEST HITS"

"1460 CJOY - The Royal City's Greatest Hits"

The AM radio station is switching from news, traffic and talk to a greatest hits format"

"The lost Greatest Hits have been found we are about to change"

"Variety"


“Classic Hits 102.7” plays hit songs from the 70s and 80s without a lot of talk. “Classic Hits 102.7” is more than just music; it’s a time machine featuring the greatest songs by the greatest artists. The Rolling Stones, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, CCR, Billy Joel, Eagles and more.


"We know Variety just listen"

"More Variety with 5 in a row"  

"Jill - FM" etc etc etc..

I had a listen over the weekend and while I like the music being played, I cannot help but wonder what drove this switch.  A couple of thoughts - 104.9 seems to have been overhauled numerous times over the past years - which I believe does nothing for listener loyalty.  

Charlee Morgan was brought in from Calgary - and then summarily dismissed.  Shame!  Was this format flip done simply on a whim?  I guess there is no employee loyalty in radio.  One cannot but feel a little sympathy for someone who leaves a job and a city, to come to a new job and city, only to be released a few short months later.  Yes, yes, I know, that is radio, and it is driven by the numbers, but still.....

Did CISL try to get an FM license?  While I know the music being played is not EXACTLY from the CISL playlist, is sure is amazingly close.  Somewhere on this board, I thought I read that the CRTC would not license FM stations to play Oldies.  I guess there is a fine line between what passes for Greatest Hits of the 60's and Oldies from the 60's.

And yes, right in the middle of the Saturday night "launch" of the new 104.9 there was Red, with his Red Rock Diner from Clear FM.  

I tuned out and went over the check on the Lions and the Canucks on good old AM Radio...........