Today marks the final day for a radio brand that many now describe as iconic – WPLJ, New York.
Just typing the legal ID gives me chills, because like hundreds and hundreds of radio broadcasters, PLJ played a role in my career. I wrote about the station in this blog a couple weeks ago in a post called “The Case For ‘Retiring’ Radio Station Call Letters.” Not surprisingly, many radio veterans responded positively to the idea of preserving the industry’s history, in much the same way sports teams “retire” the numbers and jerseys worn by its biggest stars – its Hall of Famers.
And credit where credit’s due. WPLJ had some incredible people walk through its doors – both the air studio and the corner office – over the past five decades. Many of them will be part of the “honor guard” that will celebrate this radio station’s sign-off. As it should be.
When PLJ rocked New York throughout the ’70s, it had it going. Headquartered in the ABC building on 1330 Avenue of the Americas, the late Larry Berger was at the helm, Nick Trigony was the GM, and its airwaves were graced with Jim Kerr and Shelli Sonstein, Carol Miller, Pat St. John, Tony Pigg, Jimmy Fink, Zacherle, and Bill Ayres. The station had the full backing of ABC, run first by Allen Shaw and later, Marty Greenberg. In its day, PLJ was one special radio station.
But did WPLJ fall into the elite group of radio stations – KHJ, KDKA, CKLW, KMET, and WLUP?
According to advertising and marketing guru, Shelly Palmer, including PLJ in this club may be misguided. In a post he wrote called “What is a Radio Brand?,” Palmer questions PLJ’s worthiness. In recent years, it’s hard to argue with his logic.
While many radio stations – even the biggest and best – have changed hands more than a few times, some survive these transitions better than others. Without question, you might make the case that PLJ was victimized by the instability of ownership change, and perhaps their inability to remember the station’s brand essence.
Then again, you might make the case that PLJ changed directions so many times, part of the station’s brand was change. This :60 “tribute” to the station by NorthJersey.com speaks volumes about (in)consistency and brand flip-flops.
That’s a lot of logos, looks, and styles in under fifty years.
And that’s part of the point Palmer makes. Noting that PLJ became addicted to in-the-moment tactics rather than strategic brand building, he points out that “From sign-on to sign-off, promoting tune-in was the central focus of all of PLJ’s on-air and cross-channel advertising. Contests, requests, value-added promotions…if you can think it up, PLJ has tried it over the years. ”
First, chasing diaries, and then going after meters, Palmer contends that millions of dollars were spent marketing “occasions” rather than the brand and what it meant to New Yorkers. PLJ lived in a “radio vs. radio world” – playing the game against stations like Z100 – rather than seeing the bigger picture as the competitive landscape was being redefined by the Internet. “Radio vs. everybody” is the world in which every broadcast radio station lives, but few look beyond this month’s ratings and rankers, comparing their fortunes to other stations in town:
We have a .4 but the other guy has a .5.
There’s a 35-44 male meter in one of our metro counties giving 300 quarter-hours a week to our nemesis.
We had a jock onstage at the local music festival and they didn’t.
We adjusted our stopsets to better counter our main competitor so we both play commercials at the same time.
That’s the world in which the radio broadcasting industry has trained its programmers and promotion directors to compete. But where’s the strategic marketing and the long term brand-building? How can radio stations not just fight the fight in the hometown battles for ratings and revenue, while also seeing the bigger picture of a more complex competitive matrix?
We talked about the necessity of shifting to a brand-focused future more than four years ago in a post called “Who’s Your Digital Daddy?”
At that time, we suggested that a radio station that’s a collection of songs and contests doesn’t have the staying power in the whatever/wherever digital environment of today where commercial-free playlist services are abundant. To that end, Palmer believes that as EMF flips the station to its networked K-LOVE format, there’s not much of a PLJ brand left anyway.
And he poses the existential question:
“What business was PLJ in?”
I would strongly encourage you to read his post, and ask yourself the same question about your station. Palmer believes that part of PLJ’s downfall was becoming so tied to its delivery system – a tower and transmitter – that it lost sight of its ability to build a robust, multi-platform entertainment brand.
When Jacobs Media delivers its Techsurveys each year and implores you to create content and provide value on a multitude of media channels, it’s precisely because of what Palmer is talking about.
And it’s why so many stations that meet PLJ’s fate end up launching a streaming and/or HD2 channel only to watch it fail to gain traction, and ultimately fade into oblivion.
The question shouldn’t be, “But how can we monetize these digital channels?”
Instead, it should be “How can we strategically use these distribution channels to build a multi-media brand that consumers can connect with, participate in, and embrace?”
That’s clearly a gnarlier and more complicated issue, more of a Rubik’s cube than a game of radio Tic-Tac-Toe.
For too long, radio broadcasters have been taking the easy way out, propping up stations with contests rather than content.
You can see where that got PLJ. Rather than hoping your station doesn’t end up out of business and forgotten, Palmer’s blog is a cautionary tale that should stimulate a whole new conversation 
at your next strategic/research meeting.
At the end of the day – literally – Palmer suggests “the best (PLJ) can hope for as it rides off into the sunset is to sell a few commemorative T-shirts.”
Our condolences on this sad New York radio day to the hard working men and women that have spent parts of their careers at WPLJ, as well as the millions and millions who listened to the station over the years.
But a lasting brand? Hardly.
What business is your station in?
Thanks to Steve Goldstein for sending me Shelly’s blog post. – FJ
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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One can only hope. Thanks, Clark.
Here in DC, it’s WRQX-FM “Mix 107.3”, also throwing the switch this weekend as part of that big Cumulus-EMF deal.
Pity . . .
It is. Another one of those ABC-FM O&Os. I did a lot of research for Q107 back in those days when Alan Burns took that station to the top. Thanks for the comment.
Fred, You and Shelly are spot on with this. If you consider a radio brand as a culmination of everything that comes out of the speaker, then IMHO “New York’s Best Rock” WPLJ was as magical as WABC or Z100 in their time.
Yesterday Carol Miller (along with Jim Kerr and Shelli) were on PLJ reminiscing. They let her speak over the iconic PLJ “musical signature” that Fred you know too well (My Sweetheart by Focus). Talking up into “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin. Anybody of a certain age demo listening got chills at that moment.
Should PLJ have doubled down in ’83 as New York’s best rock instead of going CHR? They had spent 12 years building the New York’s Best Rock brand. Seemingly everyone listened to PLJ and knew their jock lineup by heart back then.
Fred–maybe they could have been your first classic rock client and might still be around?
Phil, Mark Biviano (one of my teammates at WRIF) suggested much the same thing. Hindsight is, in fact, 20:20, as you know. I remember at the time wondering whether they were giving up on rock. I had just left WRIF a month before they flipped PLR to CHR. But I seriously don’t think Larry would have “run it be me.” We had a good relationship, but he knew I was a dyed in the wool rock guy. As for PLJ going Classic Rock, THAT would have been fascinating. I would have known just the DJs to call!
I loved that Focus song. I believe ABC’s promotional guru, Russ King, must have been the guy to make the official/unofficial soundtrack for all the ABC Owned FM stations. It was a great bed!
A sad day indeed for New York radio….and arguably…radio in general. PLJ was an iconic brand that didn’t embrace the concept of “legacy”….instead pursuing the latest fad/trend/format. Should have “stayed the course.” We former ABC-ers all feel the loss today.
Definitely, Biv. I think disco exploding in NYC influenced that thinking to follow the CHR road. Had they stayed Rock…
This is the essential question: How do you frame the business you’re in?
For years, I’ve analogized radio to the railroads. I’m convinced that had Andrew Carnegie and his brethren thought of themselves as being in the TRANSPORTATION business instead of the railroad business, today, when you go to the airport, you’d hear things like, “Baltimore & Ohio Airways, flight 417 to Scarsdale, now boarding Gate 12.” And, “Attention! Would a Mr. John Smith please come to the Santa Fe Air ticket counter?”
But you don’t. Station owners would do themselves a world of good if they stopped assuming towers and transmitters are sacrosanct. Really, they’re in the (pick one):
Communications business
Entertainment business
Media business
Advertising/marketing business
Bring-buyers-and-sellers-together business
However one does the framing of the business or industry dictates the rest: your purpose, your strategy, your competition and the rest.
And don’t get me started pn confusing strategy and tactics.
Brilliant post, Mr. Jacobs.
Much appreciated, Mr. Presnal. I am very passionate about this issue. Radio’s POV needs to change, and I’m not saying that like it’s an easy thing to accomplish. But Shelly Palmer’s post hit me hard. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Hey Fred: Interesting comments about PLJ’s legacy. However, had it stayed “New York’s Best Rock” it might not have survived as long as it did. There were multiple owners, and therefore multiple strategies as well as numerous executives, each with their own ideas of what should be done. And the competitive landscape changed too. But each era of PLJ was unique, with the best being the years of Larry Berger/Jim Kerr and Tom Cuddy/Scott Shannon. BTW, you had the GM of the early years incorrect — it was Willard Lochridge who was there from 1973-1977, when PLJ became the most listened to FM station in the country. Nick Trigony came after Willard moved to Houston in 1977, followed by Joe Parish and then Mitch Dolan with the Tom Cuddy/Scott Shannon team.
Corinne, you may be right about the future of PLJ as a rocker. And appreciate the PLJ crash history course. Credit where credit’s due. Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
This sounds like typical corporate-speak:
“Instead, it should be “How can we strategically use these distribution channels to build a multi-media brand that consumers can connect with, participate in, and embrace?”
However, THAT concept should be preceded by what came two paragraphs later:
“For too long, radio broadcasters have been taking the easy way out, propping up stations with contests rather than content.”
Isn’t THIS the key sentiment? It ALL starts with content. You can dream about aggregating sticky eyeballs (thank you DAK Internet Bullshit Generator) AFTER your house is in order. This is, I’m pretty sure, what you’ve always taught us, Fred.
WPLJ made it’s bones as a mainstream AOR for New Yorkers. They always had better ratings than WNEW cuz they were not so left-of-center. WNEW was for early adopters. WPLJ was for the masses. Oh they definitely deserve hisorical accolades, because they made a definite impact on NY radio history.
And so does WMMS. In fact, look at the strength of those call letters in spite of the many format shifts. Sure, the brand eventually could not sustain itself in the face of SO MANY changes. But it says, to me, that the original content was SO strong, it seared the Buzzard image into the market forever. Or at least until the next generation buried us all with with our peers. Which might be next week.
Max, you should be writing your own blog (although I think a vlog would be far more entertaining). You’ve nailed it totally, and as a guy who grew up in the area, have a better sense for PLJ’s history (inextricably tied to WNEW-FM)0 than me. Alex Bennett called me out yesterday for not acknowledging the earliest years of PLJ and the pioneers who got the station off the ground. In a comment (above) by Corinne Baldassano, other seminal names from the early days receive their much-deserved mention, too.
Regarding MMS, I have some history there, too. While I never worked for the Buzzard, I worked hard to take them down from WNCX, across the street. Interestingly, I attended a lecture the other night featuring Jules and Fran Belkin, the famous concert promoters from Cleveland. They reminded all of us how airplay on MMS signaled them about a band’s ability to sell tickets. It was a reminder of just how powerful radio was in the 70s and 80s in many markets.
You are correct that in so many cases in radio, these brands were built decades ago, and that in more recent years, staffers have done their best to maintain and steward them. But they are often shadows of their former selves. Thanks, Max.
I listened to the sign off and last hour or so of the final day broadcast.
One of the NY Tv stations reported PLJ lost about 60% of it revenue over past 9 years. I think we are fast seeing the demise of local terrestrial radio as we know it. More of this will keep happening in bigger markets where corporate owners operate these stations. They don’t care about or are as passionate about the individual brands anymore. Its more about my cluster of stations and what my revenue is. Radio stations used to be about sales vs programming. Now its all about sales and programming doesn’t have same
power it once did. I know I am rambling but this is only the start. There will be more.
Carl, I think something has been lost in “clusters.” Too often, that historical institution station is lost in the group. I have never been a strong believer in one combined sales staff repping a half dozen stations in the building. Yes, the weakest station becomes overlooked (and ends up being “bonused”). But the dirty little secret is that the institutional station ends up being undersold. That not only hurts that station, but also diminishes its ability to work for advertisers. It’s the world in which we live. Thanks for the comment.
Time and nostalgia may have blurred memories and history regarding PLJ. For most of its life, it was a second tier radio station.
In the 70s and early 80s, it was a younger focused rock station with no ties to either counterculture or the teen/20s male thing. Their slogan could have been “we play boot in the butt rock songs” – or less charitably, vanilla rock for kids. And while it typically beat NEW fm 12+, PLJ was always focused so young that those numbers weren’t worth much. As a rocker, PLJ was never a station where if you didn’t listen you’d miss something. It was a button.
As a CHR, I don’t think it ever beat Z-100. Again, not much personality and by contrast, Z-100 had a fun, really topical morning show and near prefect imaging. They actually devoted a lot of airtime to PLJ parodies, focused on how boring and uncool they were – suggesting that PLJ had filed to change their call letters to WIMP. PLJ probably had its best years as a CHR. Even as #2 in the format, they had good ratings/demos and billed a lot. But if you missed a day, you didn’t miss anything.
As a hot AC, they never set the world on fire – settling mostly in the high 2s.
I don’t see the legend here in any of its incarnations. Stations like WLS and WMMS were cultural and ratings leaders that personified their markets. WPLJ never approached that status IMO.
To me the biggest news is the price – $15 million. WROQ Greenville SC (market #57 at the time) went for $14 million in the mid 90s. Radio ain’t what it used to be. Rip PLJ.
Bob, thanks for your perspective on this. PLJ ended up living in the nearby shadows of other NY stations. WNEW-FM was cooler, Z100 was more fun, and in recent years, PLJ was just another station. Along the way, PLJ had brushes with greatness, but perhaps lacked that inner heartbeat that stations like MMS and WLS had. It’s unquantifiable, but you know it when you hear it.
I just read the article and through all the comments and I think this last comment of yours, Fred, may have summed the whole topic up best, about the “inner heartbeat” of truly great stations. “It’s unquantifiable, but you know it when you hear it.”
From New York to here in San Diego, EVERYONE who loves radio knows exactly what you mean. We know that special heartbeat when we hear it, and we love it.
Thanks, Dave. I can feel it when I walk into a station for the first time. Appreciate the comment.
My favorite station growing up as a New Yorker. Sad day for radio and a sad day in New York. I guess when you’re in a financial situation such as Cumulus these are the things you have to resort too.
Sad, but true.