WOUR
Encyclopedia
WOUR - 96.9 WOUR is a Classic Rock
radio station that broadcasts from Utica, New York
. The station is currently owned by Galaxy Communications
.
. Artists who appeared on the series of live concerts included Elvis Costello
, Blackjack (featuring Michael Bolton
and Yellowjackets' bass player Jimmy Haslip), Cindy Bullens (with Central New York's Mark Doyle), Craig Fuller & Eric Kaz, Nick Gilder, The Ramones and others.
Artists interviewed on the station during the seventies included Boston's Tom Scholz (one of his rare radio interviews ), Journey
's Steve Perry
, Ross Vallory and Greg Rolie, Cheap Trick
's Rick Nielsen, Lynyrd Skynyrd
's Ed King, Charlie Daniels
, Anthony Phillips, former Genesis
guitarist Steve Hackett
, John Hall of Orleans
, and several more.
WOUR alumni include John Cooper, Bob Lassiter
, Tony Yoken, Steve Huntington, Bob London, Peter Hirsch, Dale Edwards, Tom Starr, Robin Sherwin, J.P. Hastings and many more.
[Had a morning drive show with Hirsch and Howzer in the vicinity of the late 70's to early 80's]
WOUR signed on in 1969 as a religious station. In 1970, it changed formats to the syndicated automated Top 40/Oldies "Hit Parade '70" format. In 1971, it programmed "Hit Parade '71" by day, and Progressive Rock at night, with a live DJ. In 1973, WOUR became a full time Progressive Rock/Album Rock station.
Previous owners have included Bunkfeldt Broadcasting, Dame Media and Clear Channel, who sold it to Galaxy Communications in 2007, since Clear Channel had decided to exit small markets and go private. Galaxy, who already owned then-rival WRCK
, itself a classic rock station, swapped WRCK in favor of WOUR.
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
radio station that broadcasts from Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
. The station is currently owned by Galaxy Communications
Galaxy Communications
Galaxy Communications is a radio broadcasting company with radio stations entirely in the Central New York area.In 1989, the first Galaxy station, WKLL was launched by the current CEO, Ed Levine, and his business partner, Bob Raide. In the 1990s, Galaxy launched additional stations in Syracuse and...
.
On-Air Personalities
- "Gomez and Dave in the Morning" 6am-10am
- Dave Frisina 10am-3pm
- "Genesee Joe" 3pm-7pm
- C.J. 7pm-12am
Programs
- "Gomez and Dave in the Morning" Monday-Friday 6am-10am
- "Flashback" Sundays 7am-9am
- "The Blue Moon Cafe with Mimi Griswold" Sundays 9am-12pm
- "Soundcheck with Dave Friscina" Sundays 9pm-10pm
- Little Steven's Underground Garage 10pm-12am
WOUR history
Beginning in the early-1970s, WOUR was the only album oriented rock station in the Syracuse/Utica market. The station was well known for a series of radio concerts broadcast live from local clubs including "Four Acres" in Marcy, New YorkMarcy, New York
Marcy is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 9,469 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Governor William L. Marcy....
. Artists who appeared on the series of live concerts included Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Blackjack (featuring Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
and Yellowjackets' bass player Jimmy Haslip), Cindy Bullens (with Central New York's Mark Doyle), Craig Fuller & Eric Kaz, Nick Gilder, The Ramones and others.
Artists interviewed on the station during the seventies included Boston's Tom Scholz (one of his rare radio interviews ), Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
's Steve Perry
Steve Perry (musician)
Stephen Ray "Steve" Perry is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey from 1977–1987 and 1995–1998. Perry had a successful solo career throughout the late 1980s and early '90s.Perry's voice has garnered acclaim from musical peers and music...
, Ross Vallory and Greg Rolie, Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
's Rick Nielsen, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
's Ed King, Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
, Anthony Phillips, former Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
guitarist Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
, John Hall of Orleans
Orleans (band)
Orleans is an American pop-rock band best known for its hits "Dance with Me" , "Still the One", from the album Waking and Dreaming and "Love Takes Time" . The group's name evolved from the music it was playing at the time of their formation, which was inspired by Louisiana artists such as Allen...
, and several more.
WOUR alumni include John Cooper, Bob Lassiter
Bob Lassiter
Bob Lassiter, also known as "Mad Dog", was a controversial and highly influential American radio talk show host in the 1980s and '90s...
, Tony Yoken, Steve Huntington, Bob London, Peter Hirsch, Dale Edwards, Tom Starr, Robin Sherwin, J.P. Hastings and many more.
[Had a morning drive show with Hirsch and Howzer in the vicinity of the late 70's to early 80's]
WOUR signed on in 1969 as a religious station. In 1970, it changed formats to the syndicated automated Top 40/Oldies "Hit Parade '70" format. In 1971, it programmed "Hit Parade '71" by day, and Progressive Rock at night, with a live DJ. In 1973, WOUR became a full time Progressive Rock/Album Rock station.
Previous owners have included Bunkfeldt Broadcasting, Dame Media and Clear Channel, who sold it to Galaxy Communications in 2007, since Clear Channel had decided to exit small markets and go private. Galaxy, who already owned then-rival WRCK
WRCK
WRCK is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian format. Licensed to Utica, New York, USA, the station serves the Utica-Rome area...
, itself a classic rock station, swapped WRCK in favor of WOUR.