WCKG

Chicago's WAGO, a Top-40 station featuring John Records Landecker in the morning, flipped to AOR in 1985 and changed calls to WCKG.

This 1989 sticker dates to when the station had turned into a Classic Rock outlet.

Around the year 2000 WCKG became known as "The Package" which was a male-centric Talk station.




In 2005, many Talk stations owned by Infinity Broadcasting changed their names to "Free FM" including WFNY in New York and KLSX in Los Angeles. WCKG added Opie and Anthony in the mornings after Howard Stern left terrestrial radio.

Currently 105.9 FM is WCFS which simulcasts WBBM's News/Talk format. The call letters stand for We're Chicago's Fresh Station which was their Hot AC/Adult Top-40 branding and current HD-2 station. WCFS is licensed to Elmwood Park, Illinois.

Sticker Board #4

KRST - Albuquerque, New Mexico
"K92 FM" WWKA - Orlando, Florida
"Eagle 97.7" WAFL - Milford, Delaware
"The Peak 100.3" KPEK - Albuquerque, New Mexico
KKUP - Cupertino, California
"KY94" - Salina, Kansas
WHEN - Syracuse, New York
KAST - Astoria, Oregon
"KD97" Beaumont, Texas
WNEW - New York, New York
"K-OTTER 94.9" - Cambria, California
"The Bridge 92.7 FM" - Clinton, Louisiana
WLIS - Old Saybrook, Connecticut
"The Coast" KOZT - Fort Bragg, California
Hessischer Rundfunk - Frankfurt, Germany
"Mix FM 107.5" Charlottesville, Virginia
CKLC - Kingston, Ontario
"KJ108" KJKJ - Grand Forks, North Dakota
"FM 99" KRLB - Lubbock, Texas
"Way FM 90.3" W212AR [WAYM] - Lindale, Georgia
"The River 107.5 FM" WRVW - Nashville, Tennessee
Radio Rijnmond - Rotterdam, Netherlands
WRKO - Boston, Massachusetts
WZEP - DeFuniak Springs, Florida
KHSL - Paradise, California
"Magic 102.9" WMGK - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Y107" WWVY - Hampton Bays, New York
"Q98" WQSM - Fayetteville, North Carolina
"G98" WIGY - Madison, Maine
"Rebel 105.9" WPFB - Middletown, Ohio
"B98.5" WBBO - Ocean Acres, New Jersey
WGY - Albany, New York
WPEO - Peoria, Illinois
hr XXL - Frankfurt, Germany
"Sly 96" KSLY - San Luis Obispo, California
"103.3 The Fox" WUFX - Buffalo, New York
KLCE - Idaho Falls, Idaho
"B104" WAEB - Allentown, Pennsylvania
"The Point 98.7" WKSI - Greensboro, North Carolina
WAWZ - Zarephath, New Jersey
WEEI - Boston, Massachusetts
WSGW - Saginaw, Michigan
KBUR - Burlington, Iowa
WGPR - Detroit, Michigan
WESX - Salem, Massachusetts
WKSH - Pewaukee, Wisconsin
CFTR - Toronto, Ontario
"770 Radio K" KUOM - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Couleur3 - Lausanne, Switzerland
"98.5 KRZ" WKRZ - Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
CKTA - Taber, Alberta
"Star 97" WYST - Southfield, Michigan

Mystery Sticker #24

This could be from Birmingham, Alabama Top-40 station WKXX (which later became WIKX, a Country station that also used the "Kicks 106" branding.) Anybody know for sure?

China Radio International

China Radio International (formerly Radio Beijing) is the external radio service of the People's Republic of China. The government-owned CRI broadcasts via shortwave, satellite and the internet in about 60 different languages.

This video was taken by a Hungarian journalist and shows the massive building from which CRI operates including studios, offices and what appears to be a museum. In one office is a set of files with correspondence from listeners around the world, each drawer labeled with the country name in Chinese and English.

Radio Kolor

Radio Kolor may or may not still be broadcasting from Wrocław, Poland. Google translated the sticker to say "Listen To The Radio" and "Golden Hits."

WSNI

"Sunny 97.7" WSNI is an Adult Contemporary station licensed to Keene, New Hampshire.

WXNR

"99.5 The X" WXNR is an Active Rock station licensed to Grifton, North Carolina.

Swiss Radio International

Yesterday I posted about Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's Dazzle Ships album from 1983. It seems that OMD had a thing for radio (specifically shortwave) and communication in general. Besides "Radio Prague," other tracks include "Telegraph" "Radio Waves" "Time Zones" and their follow-up album Junk Culture had a track called "Tesla Girls." I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of the title but I would assume it had something to do with early radio pioneer Nikola Tesla. Other songs like "This is Helena" and "ABC Auto-Industry" utilized radio broadcasts within them. The last track on the 2008 reissue of Dazzle Ships is called "Swiss Radio International" and, like "Radio Prague," consists of that station's interval signal. The 14 notes were repeated for about 5 minutes before the start of SWI's broadcast. OMD's drummer referred to it as "The Ice Cream Song" because of its similarity to ice cream truck music. Take a listen:




Swiss Radio International ceased broadcasting on shortwave in 2004, a disturbing trend brought on by the ease of listening via the internet. A different SRI sticker was posted here.

Radio Prague / Radio Praha

I've been listening to my CDs in alphabetical order over the past few months while making my 50 mile round trip commute to work every day. I'm now in the letter O which includes Scottish post-punk band Orange Juice, California indie-pop band The Orange Peels and UK electronica from Orbital.
Next came Dazzle Ships by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, an experimental synthpop and sound collage album from 1983. The first track is called "Radio Prague" and simply consists of the opening bars of the Communist anthem Forward Left which was used as the interval signal from (what was then) Czechoslovakia's international broadcast station. An interval signal is just a short musical call sign indicating that a station's broadcast is about to begin.
Here's the track set to some eastern bloc imagery sure to cause cold war flashbacks.






Radio Prague began broadcasting in 1936 and has programming on satellite and internet in six different languages. They ceased most shortwave broadcasts in 2011 although they can still be heard in North America via Radio Miami International in English and Spanish.

WQLT

WQLT was a Top-40 station licensed to Florence, Alabama.

"Q107" is now an Adult Contemporary station playing "Great Classics and the Best of Today."

WQLT was originally owned by Florence native Sam Phillips who recorded a young Elvis Presley for his famous Sun Records label. Sam Phillips also recorded Howlin' Wolf, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and B.B. King, along with what many consider to be the first rock and roll record: "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (led by Ike Turner.)
Q107, along with WXFL and WSBM is operated by Big River Broadcasting which is still owned by the Phillips family.

WKRI

WKRI broadcast at 1450 AM out of West Warwick, Rhode Island. I believe they carried a MOR format when the anniversary sticker was current and played Country music by the time of the bottom decal. 1450 AM is now WLKW, an ESPN Radio affiliate.

WEGR / WOTO

WEGR is a Classic Rock station in Memphis, Tennessee.

A dual sticker featuring the long-time walrus mascot of Rock 103 along with the now-defunct WOTO. "Oldies 95.7" was on the air in Memphis from 1999 to 2002 and is currently a Gospel station "Hallelujah 95.7" WHAL.

KXLE

A 1993 decal from 1240 AM KXLE, a News/Talk station in Ellensburg, Washington. They are one of about 30 stations in the Seattle Mariners Radio Network. Stickers from sister station KXLE-FM can be seen here.

Three Z93s and a 93Z

KLJZ is a Hot Adult Contemporary station located in Yuma, Arizona.

WGTZ ((W)Great Trails(Z) Broadcasting--a former owner) was a Top-40 station in Dayton, Ohio from 1984 until 2007. They were licensed to Eaton, OH and had one of the greatest top-of-the-hour IDs in radio history: "WGTZ Eaton Dayton and Springfield Alive!"

WIZM is a Top-40 station licensed to La Crosse, Wisconsin.


KAMZ was a Top-40 station in El Paso, Texas circa 1985. 93.1 FM is currently a Hot AC station "Kiss FM" KSII.

Super Bowl XLVI

America's most-watched sporting event of the year takes place later today as the New England Patriots take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It's a rematch of the Super Bowl from 2008 when the Giants defeated the Pats to ruin their run at a perfect 19-0 season. As a Buffalo Bills fan for over 25 years, and despite what happened in Super Bowl XXV, I'll be rooting hard for the Giants to destroy the hated Patriots. New England shares the same division with the Bills, plays them twice a year, and has dominated Buffalo for most of the past decade. (Who hasn't dominated the Bills for the past decade?) I despise Tom Brady. I loathe Bill Belichick. I detest Robert Kraft. GO GIANTS!!

WBCN was a Rock station in Boston, Massachusetts for over 40 years and the flagship station of the New England Patriots Radio Network (now at WBZ-FM.) Prior to 1968, they were an Easy Listening station and before that had a Classical format (their call letters stood for (W)Boston Concert Network.) WBCN lives on as a digital-only HD-2 station. Their old frequency is now Hot Adult Contemporary WBMX "Hot 104.1"
I found this decal at the post office where I work. It was stuck to the back of a reusable rolling mail container which had obviously been in the Boston area at one point. So I pulled it off and stuck it to some thin poster board and added one more sticker to the collection.

WFAN is a Sports station in New York City and the flagship of the New York Giants Radio Network. WFAN became the world's first 24 hour all-sports station in 1987 when they were located at 1050 AM. After moving to 660 AM and with the addition of Don Imus in morning drive, the ratings for WFAN jumped considerably. They were the number one billing station in the US in the 1990s and the model for sports stations across the country.

A WFAN/New York Mets "Fandini" head scarf.

Dart on Map - WJDQ

Every so I often I throw a virtual dart at a map of the United States and post a sticker from the nearest radio station that I have a sticker from. The dart this time landed in a scrubby field just a few feet from the Mississippi/Alabama border. (click to enlarge)


"Q101" WJDQ was a CHR station licensed to Meridian, Mississippi, about 20 miles northeast of where the dart landed. The WJDQ call letters have since moved from 101.3 FM to 95.1 FM where they are now known as "95Q."

Radio Sticker of the Day Mailbag - KWEY

Yesterday I received a fantastic batch of stickers from K.M. Richards in California. They're all vintage mid-80s decals including some "mystery stickers" of unknown origin as well as this oddly-shaped beauty from KWEY in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

AM 1590 KWEY is a Country station now known as "The Coyote." They simulcast their 1000-watt signal on KWEY-FM located at 95.5

KFBK

1530 AM KFBK is a News/Talk station in Sacramento, California. They celebrated their 90th birthday today, having gone on the air on February 2, 1922. A KFBK museum can be found on their website featuring audio clips, photographs and details about a time capsule that was placed behind a wall in 1990 and opened today.

WJRZ

In over 40 years of broadcasting, WJRZ has kept the same call letters through about a half-dozen different formats: Top-40, Adult Contemporary, Oldies, Rock-leaning CHR and Country (twice).  The WJRZ shark mascot has also made an appearance in at least three different decades.  The currently shark-free WJRZ is licensed to Manahawkin, New Jersey and carries a Classic Hits format.

This acid-washed denim jacket probably dates back to when WJRZ was a Top-40 station. All I would need are some mirrored sunglasses, Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet"-era hair and some original Air Jordans to complete the Jersey Shore-circa-1987 look. The station's shark logo is embossed right into the denim. (click it to enlarge) It's actually kinda cool and fits perfectly but I've never worn it in public. Maybe later today....