WRRV
Encyclopedia
WRRV is a modern rock
radio station licensed to Middletown, New York
and serving the mid Hudson Valley
and Catskills of New York state plus nearby areas in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP
from a tower on the northwest edge of Middletown.
WRRV's programming is a simulcast
on 96.9 WRRB
Arlington, New York
which serves the Mid-Hudson Valley and vicinity. Though on paper WRRV is seen as the primary station, in reality it is a two-frequency station. To an extent, WRRB is the dominant frequency based on total audience and sales (and the fact that, since 2000, the station has been run out of the longtime studios of sister WPDH
on Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie).
, then simulcast the popular top 40 format of the AM side. WALL top 40 alumni include Howard Hoffman (now behind the scenes at KABC
, most notable as WABC
's last music jock), Dave Charity, Larry Berger (both future of WPLJ
), and future game show announcer Randy West
in his first on-air job and Jimmy Howes
Around 1979, the WALL stations were sold to a group headed by New York City disc jockey Bruce Morrow
("Cousin Brucie"). The Middletown, NY Armory became “One Broadcast Plaza,” where Robert F.X. Sillerman
and Morrow headquartered the Sillerman-Morrow Group, which purchased, operated and then sold radio and television stations around the country at a handsome profit. With Morrow making the programming decisions, 92.7 changed format to an adult contemporary/oldies
hybrid as WKGL "92 Karat Gold". When the Morrow-led group left radio ownership in 1985 and sold WALL/WKGL to Bell Broadcasting, "92 Karat Gold" was replaced by "92rock7", a Top 40/Rock hybrid which leaned heavily on new rock and energetic air personalities around the clock. "92rock7" was well ahead of a late 1980s "Rock 40" radio industry trend and developed a cult following. Regardless of this following, Bell Broadcasting fell into financial difficulties from their Sillerman-financed mortgage and sold WKGL and WALL in 1988 to Orange & Rockland Utilities, the locally based gas and electric provider for much of the station's coverage area and today a unit of Con Edison.
Orange & Rockland,eliminated the on air personalities at the station, in turn giving them a reason switch the station's format. By 1989, WKGL evolved into "The Orange" (with the new WKOJ calls) with a mainstream rock
approach. It never really clicked with the audience. WKOJ featured a rock format without any hard rock or outrageous personalities. DJs were mostly limited to reading liner cards and did not talk over any music, production was sparse and the audience skewed toward women, not the traditional male AOR listener. By 1993, ratings had slipped, and WKOJ fell far behind rival WPDH - which prompted more changes.
Orange & Rockland had relied heavily on an outside consultant from the beginning of their venture into broadcasting, as station General Managers reported to management in a non-regulated natural gas division. Faced with several underperforming properties, in mid 1993 the utility hired a successful and experienced broadcaster, Don Schwartz, to oversee its radio properties in New York, New Jersey, Maine and Illinois. With new management in place in 1994, WKOJ had updated its play list, secured the local rights to Woodstock '94
, jettisoned most pre-1975 titles, added Joe Kelly as the station's voice, built a new morning team around Joe Thomas
(imported from WRCN, Long Island) and production director Chris Rogers and became "Today's Best Rock." The station’s new approach yielded an immediate ratings rebound and a strong showing in the 18-34 demographic. However, O&R was anxious to leave radio ownership amid a management scandal at the parent company. Ownership deregulation brought lucrative offers to their doorstep. O&R sold all of their radio holdings in 1995. Rather than compete with WKOJ, WPDH owner Rob Dyson's Crystal Radio Group bought WALL/WKOJ and positioned the FM station to take audience from K-104
and simultaneously protect WPDH from an active rock competitor.
(who goes by his last name only on the radio) was the Rock Revolution's first DJ and hosted the morning show since the format change in 1995. He is currently the station's program directory. His former co-host Jen Coudrey died of sarcoma in June of 2009. The station has setup the Jennifer Coudrey Scholarship Fund, which helps women pursuing careers in physical therapy.
in produced imaging pieces while playing Green Day
and Blues Traveler
in heavy rotation. In late 1995, “Music All Morning with Boris” took over the morning drive slot. By 1996, the station had dropped "The Rock Revolution" for "Pure Rock Alternative," focused exclusively on new alternative rock and the station took off. In June 1997, Crystal bought the 96.9 frequency, which had simulcast WDST
into Poughkeepsie
, and began a simulcast of WRRV.
In February 1999, WRRV made a quiet but sudden shift to a Modern AC-heavy approach; this move was the opposite of the leaning of other stations in the format in a harder direction akin to active rock
. At the time, the move seemed curious, but many of the stations that moved in the harder direction ended up changing their format entirely. In time, the station evolved back to a more mainstream alternative sound. In comparison to the format as a whole, WRRV still leans slightly towards some modern pop. Since 1996, following an uneven first year, WRRV's ratings have been successful, regardless of approach, and it is among the higher rated of modern rock stations in the US. The station has been highly successful from a business perspective over that time as well. The station has withstood brief challenges from 96.1 The X
in 1996 and from active rock-formatted 92.9 Rock
from 2002 through 2004.
As with the other Crystal stations, WRRV and WRRB were sold to Aurora Communications in October 2000 which, in turn, was bought out a year later by current owner Cumulus Media
. WRRV is notable in being only one of two stations (WKNY
in Kingston
the other) from the Aurora purchase to face no major changes by Cumulus.
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio station licensed to Middletown, New York
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
and serving the mid Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
and Catskills of New York state plus nearby areas in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
from a tower on the northwest edge of Middletown.
WRRV's programming is a simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on 96.9 WRRB
WRRB
WRRB is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Arlington, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts on 96.9 MHz at 6 kilowatts ERP from the Illinois Mountain master tower in Marlborough, New YorkWRRB's programming is...
Arlington, New York
Arlington, New York
Arlington is a community in Dutchess County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 12,481.Arlington is a suburb of the City of Poughkeepsie and is in the Town of Poughkeepsie...
which serves the Mid-Hudson Valley and vicinity. Though on paper WRRV is seen as the primary station, in reality it is a two-frequency station. To an extent, WRRB is the dominant frequency based on total audience and sales (and the fact that, since 2000, the station has been run out of the longtime studios of sister WPDH
WPDH
WPDH is a mainstream rock radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving from extreme Northern New Jersey to New York's Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts on 101.5 MHz at 4.4 kilowatts ERP from a tower site on Illinois Mountain in...
on Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie).
History to 1995
92.7 signed on the air in 1966 as WALL-FM, sister to WALL and originally ran easy listeningEasy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
, then simulcast the popular top 40 format of the AM side. WALL top 40 alumni include Howard Hoffman (now behind the scenes at KABC
KABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
, most notable as WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
's last music jock), Dave Charity, Larry Berger (both future of WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
), and future game show announcer Randy West
Randy West
Randy West is an American television personality who is best known for his work on game shows. He has been an announcer on American television game shows since 1990, with credits including Supermarket Sweep, Trivial Pursuit, Hollywood Showdown, and a substitute role on The Price Is Right.West's...
in his first on-air job and Jimmy Howes
Jimmy Howes
Jimmy Howes is a radio disc jockey and talk show host, stand-up comic. New York City On-Air Radio Host under dozens of different synonyms. Morning Show Host on Jukebox Radio, New York City, Mid-Day host with WVNJ, Program Director and a morning show host of WGHT...
Around 1979, the WALL stations were sold to a group headed by New York City disc jockey Bruce Morrow
Bruce Morrow
Bruce Morrow is an American radio personality known to many listeners as Cousin Brucie.-Radio work:...
("Cousin Brucie"). The Middletown, NY Armory became “One Broadcast Plaza,” where Robert F.X. Sillerman
CKX, Inc.
CKX, Inc. is a company founded on February 7, 2005 that owns and develops entertainment content and intellectual property.-Background:The "C" and "K" stand for "Content is King", representing the focus of the company's business strategy to acquire established content, and then to improve, enhance...
and Morrow headquartered the Sillerman-Morrow Group, which purchased, operated and then sold radio and television stations around the country at a handsome profit. With Morrow making the programming decisions, 92.7 changed format to an adult contemporary/oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
hybrid as WKGL "92 Karat Gold". When the Morrow-led group left radio ownership in 1985 and sold WALL/WKGL to Bell Broadcasting, "92 Karat Gold" was replaced by "92rock7", a Top 40/Rock hybrid which leaned heavily on new rock and energetic air personalities around the clock. "92rock7" was well ahead of a late 1980s "Rock 40" radio industry trend and developed a cult following. Regardless of this following, Bell Broadcasting fell into financial difficulties from their Sillerman-financed mortgage and sold WKGL and WALL in 1988 to Orange & Rockland Utilities, the locally based gas and electric provider for much of the station's coverage area and today a unit of Con Edison.
Orange & Rockland,eliminated the on air personalities at the station, in turn giving them a reason switch the station's format. By 1989, WKGL evolved into "The Orange" (with the new WKOJ calls) with a mainstream rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
approach. It never really clicked with the audience. WKOJ featured a rock format without any hard rock or outrageous personalities. DJs were mostly limited to reading liner cards and did not talk over any music, production was sparse and the audience skewed toward women, not the traditional male AOR listener. By 1993, ratings had slipped, and WKOJ fell far behind rival WPDH - which prompted more changes.
Orange & Rockland had relied heavily on an outside consultant from the beginning of their venture into broadcasting, as station General Managers reported to management in a non-regulated natural gas division. Faced with several underperforming properties, in mid 1993 the utility hired a successful and experienced broadcaster, Don Schwartz, to oversee its radio properties in New York, New Jersey, Maine and Illinois. With new management in place in 1994, WKOJ had updated its play list, secured the local rights to Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94, often called the "commercial Woodstock" or "Mudstock", was a music festival organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival of 1969...
, jettisoned most pre-1975 titles, added Joe Kelly as the station's voice, built a new morning team around Joe Thomas
Joe Thomas
-Cleveland Browns:Thomas signed a 6-year contract worth $43 million, $23 million guaranteed, including a voidable year, with the Browns. Thomas won the starting left tackle job, with previous Browns left tackle Kevin Shaffer moving to right tackle. He made his NFL debut versus the Pittsburgh...
(imported from WRCN, Long Island) and production director Chris Rogers and became "Today's Best Rock." The station’s new approach yielded an immediate ratings rebound and a strong showing in the 18-34 demographic. However, O&R was anxious to leave radio ownership amid a management scandal at the parent company. Ownership deregulation brought lucrative offers to their doorstep. O&R sold all of their radio holdings in 1995. Rather than compete with WKOJ, WPDH owner Rob Dyson's Crystal Radio Group bought WALL/WKOJ and positioned the FM station to take audience from K-104
WSPK
WSPK is a CHR radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and broadcasting from studios in Fishkill. It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts on 104.7 MHz at an ERP of 7.4 kilowatts from a tower at the top of Mount Beacon in Fishkill.WSPK's main coverage area is centered on the...
and simultaneously protect WPDH from an active rock competitor.
1995 to Present
On April 3, 1995 at 10:00 a.m., WKOJ's format gave way to "The Rock Revolution" of WRRV, a format that is still in effect though with the new tagline "The New Rock Alternative". Andrew BorisAndrew Boris
Andrew Boris or "Boris" is a morning radio personality in the Hudson Valley, New York. He has also been the Program Director of WRRV since 1999.- Early Career :...
(who goes by his last name only on the radio) was the Rock Revolution's first DJ and hosted the morning show since the format change in 1995. He is currently the station's program directory. His former co-host Jen Coudrey died of sarcoma in June of 2009. The station has setup the Jennifer Coudrey Scholarship Fund, which helps women pursuing careers in physical therapy.
Evolutions of WRRV's format
At the outset, WRRV's format actually included more classic rock than the station had featured in WKOJ's final year. "The Rock Revolution" was an unusual blend of new and classic rock, both heavy metal and new alternative rock. The station gave listeners conflicting signals, featuring Ozzy OsbourneOzzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
in produced imaging pieces while playing Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
and Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
in heavy rotation. In late 1995, “Music All Morning with Boris” took over the morning drive slot. By 1996, the station had dropped "The Rock Revolution" for "Pure Rock Alternative," focused exclusively on new alternative rock and the station took off. In June 1997, Crystal bought the 96.9 frequency, which had simulcast WDST
WDST
WDST is a radio station licensed to Woodstock, New York. The station is owned by CHET-5 Broadcasting and broadcasts with 3 kW ERP from a tower in the Town of Kingston.WDST also broadcasts one translator:...
into Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
, and began a simulcast of WRRV.
In February 1999, WRRV made a quiet but sudden shift to a Modern AC-heavy approach; this move was the opposite of the leaning of other stations in the format in a harder direction akin to active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
. At the time, the move seemed curious, but many of the stations that moved in the harder direction ended up changing their format entirely. In time, the station evolved back to a more mainstream alternative sound. In comparison to the format as a whole, WRRV still leans slightly towards some modern pop. Since 1996, following an uneven first year, WRRV's ratings have been successful, regardless of approach, and it is among the higher rated of modern rock stations in the US. The station has been highly successful from a business perspective over that time as well. The station has withstood brief challenges from 96.1 The X
WPKF
WPKF is a Rhythmic Top 40 radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower mounted on the roof of the Ross Pavilion at the Hudson River...
in 1996 and from active rock-formatted 92.9 Rock
WBPM
WBPM is a Classic Hits music formatted radio station licensed to Saugerties, New York, serving the Mid-Hudson Valley and Catskills...
from 2002 through 2004.
As with the other Crystal stations, WRRV and WRRB were sold to Aurora Communications in October 2000 which, in turn, was bought out a year later by current owner Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
. WRRV is notable in being only one of two stations (WKNY
WKNY
WKNY is a radio station serving the Kingston, New York, area with an adult contemporary format. It broadcasts at a power of 1 KW from a single tower located off of Albany Avenue...
in Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
the other) from the Aurora purchase to face no major changes by Cumulus.