WSHP
Encyclopedia
WSHP, "North Pole Radio 95.7," is an FM radio station
owned by Artistic Media Partners in Lafayette, Indiana
. The station operates on 95.7 MHz. http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=68985. The studios are located at 3824 South 18th Street in Lafayette, Indiana
with the tower facility located in rural eastern Warren County, IN near Greenhill, Indiana.
In 1994, the station was sold to Artistic Media Partners, which moved the station to the Lafayette market. Upon acquisition, WBQR flipped format to New Country as “Big Dog 95-7.” Calls were also changed to WGBD, reflecting the station name. The station went head-to-head against the market’s long-established country leader, K105
. K105’s loyal listeners, however, did not embrace the new country station. After two years, the format was dropped.
In 1996, Big Dog 95 began stunting
with Led Zeppelin
's "Stairway to Heaven
" and Elton John
’s “Rocket Man.” A few days later, the station was relaunched as “Modern Rock 95-7, The Rocket,” featuring an Alternative rock
format with the newly syndicated, and locally popular, Bob & Tom Show anchoring mornings. Until The Rocket began broadcasting the show, Lafayette area listeners had to tune to Indianapolis’ Q95, WFBQ
, to listen to the show, which accounted for the station’s unusually high ratings in the Lafayette market.
The Rocket quickly became a very widely listened-to radio station throughout the Greater Lafayette area winning in many younger demographics throughout its run, according to Arbitron. The success of the station can be credited to two things. One, modern rock nationwide reached its peak in popularity during the period when The Rocket was an alternative rock station. Two, the Lafayette market did not have a Top 40 station in the market at the time. The Rocket, in other words, became the market default for hit music. In 2000, Radio and Records reported WGBD as the highest-rated alternative rock station in the country.
As an alternative rock station, The Rocket embraced the fact that they were broadcasting to a college town by escaping from the norm of many other alternative rock stations throughout the country. WGBD played all of the alternative rock core artists heard everywhere else such as The Foo Fighters
, Metallica
, Nirvana
, Green Day
, 311
, The Dave Matthews Band, etc., but also played artists heard largely on Indie rock
stations such as Liz Phair
, The Rentals
, The Dandy Warhols
, Ween
, and King Missile
. This made the station unique and very popular amongst the area’s true alternative and mainstream alternative fans alike. During much of its existence, WSHP programming was largely automated. Steve Clark, program director, served as the afternoon disk jockey; evening, overnight, and weekend talent occasionally filled the remaining air shifts. Syndicated programming consisted of the weekend modern rock countdown show “Out of Order with Jed the Fish” and “Loveline.” The station also aired the entire radio broadcast of “Woodstock ’99.”
In 2000, while the station was broadcasting an Alternative rock
format, The Rocket was credited by Arbitron
and Radio and Records magazine as the highest-rated alternative rock station in the country.
In March and April 2001, The Rocket’s parent company, Artistic Media Partners
, made the decision to realign some of their stations in the Greater Lafayette area. Sister-station WAZY
returned to its Top 40 roots on March 16 after seven years away from the format. As a result of WAZY’s flip, management cited The Rocket as a direct competitor with their newly launched Top 40 format, and The Rocket's format needed to be changed. Many radio professionals at the time did not quite understand this logic and argued that the stations could have coexisted with one another and given AMP ownership over the area's younger listeners. Top 40 appeals primarily to young females while alternative rock appeals primarily to males 18-34.
On March 30, The Rocket began stunting with REM’s “It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
.” On April 2 at 10am, the station relaunched with Classic rock
. The Rocket name stayed intact, but the station earned the better-suited calls of WSHP. The first songs played on the new classic rock version of The Rocket were Queen’s
“We Will Rock You
” and “We are the Champions
.” Longtime program director Steve Clark also stayed through the change.
In 2004, Artistic Media Partners adopted a new initiative to move all their sports programming to better fitting formats within their Lafayette, Bloomington, and South Bend properties. This would take most sports off their female-targeted Top 40 stations and move them to their primarily male-targeted properties. WSHP was chosen to be the Purdue flagship station. As a result, Artistic Media Partners decided to swap WSHP's signal with co-owned country station WLFF in order to gain rights for being the flagship station for Purdue Men’s Basketball and Football
. WSHP moved to 95.3 while WLFF moved to 95.7. It was cited in the Lafayette Journal and Courier that the frequency switch to 95.3 was necessary in order for The Rocket to carry the games. 95.3's signal was more dominant through the stadium section of the Purdue campus. Women's games formerly heard on 95.3 moved with The Wolf to 95.7.
The move turned out to be very successful for The Rocket. According to the fall 2004 Arbitron ratings, WSHP became the number 2 radio station 12+ in the market. However, this move was short-lived. In August 2005, just 17 months after the stations traded dial positions, they moved back to their original homes. The Rocket moved back to 95.7 and lost its Purdue flagship station status. Starting in the 2007-2008 season, Purdue sports have been divided amongst the Artistic Media Partners Lafayette stations. WBPE (formerly WLFF) & 1410 WSHY remains the home of Purdue Women's Basketball, WAZY is the home of Purdue Football, and WSHP is the home of Purdue Men's Basketball.
In 2007, Steve Clark stepped down from his role to become the programming consultant. Rob Creighton took over Steve's responsibilities as program director. Rob Creighton left Artistic Media due to budget cuts at the end of December 2010.
The syndicated Bob & Tom Show aired on WSHP for the last time on October 20, 2010 (and still airs in the Lafayette area from its home studios at WFBQ, 94.7, Indianapolis
). General manager Ernie Caldemone, as quoted in an October 28, 2010 Lafayette Journal and Courier article, said, "Every three to five years a contract (renewal) comes up and we just decided this was not a time to be broadcasting Bob and Tom. There are people who are upset. But after we share with them the reasoning for it, they understand. It's strictly a business decision."
From Monday, November 1, 2010 through Saturday, December 25, 2010, WSHP switched from classic rock to an all Christmas music format, according to the Lafayette Journal and Courier. North Pole Radio programming aired around the clock until midnight on Sunday, December 26, 2010 when WSHP returned as 95-7 The Rocket, only this time with an Active Rock format. The new format would be short-lived. In mid-January 2011, the station quietly returned to the classic rock format that the station previously carried only without Bob and Tom.
North Pole Radio returned to the frequency on November 18, 2011. According to an article in the Lafayette Journal & Courier newspaper, the Christmas format will run through December 31.
WSHP is the flagship station for Purdue Men's Basketball
.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
owned by Artistic Media Partners in Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
. The station operates on 95.7 MHz. http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=68985. The studios are located at 3824 South 18th Street in Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
with the tower facility located in rural eastern Warren County, IN near Greenhill, Indiana.
History
WSHP signed on in late 1988 as WBQR. At the time, the station broadcasted from Attica featuring an eclectic mix of folk, progressive rock, and Celtic sounds.In 1994, the station was sold to Artistic Media Partners, which moved the station to the Lafayette market. Upon acquisition, WBQR flipped format to New Country as “Big Dog 95-7.” Calls were also changed to WGBD, reflecting the station name. The station went head-to-head against the market’s long-established country leader, K105
WKOA
WKOA , known as "K 105", is a radio station licensed to the city of Lafayette, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 105.3 MHz, FM channel 287.. The studios are located at 3575 McCarty Lane in Lafayette, Indiana...
. K105’s loyal listeners, however, did not embrace the new country station. After two years, the format was dropped.
In 1996, Big Dog 95 began stunting
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
with Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
" and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
’s “Rocket Man.” A few days later, the station was relaunched as “Modern Rock 95-7, The Rocket,” featuring an Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
format with the newly syndicated, and locally popular, Bob & Tom Show anchoring mornings. Until The Rocket began broadcasting the show, Lafayette area listeners had to tune to Indianapolis’ Q95, WFBQ
WFBQ
WFBQ is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 94.7 MHz, FM channel 234. The studios are located at 6161 Fall Creek Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are...
, to listen to the show, which accounted for the station’s unusually high ratings in the Lafayette market.
The Rocket quickly became a very widely listened-to radio station throughout the Greater Lafayette area winning in many younger demographics throughout its run, according to Arbitron. The success of the station can be credited to two things. One, modern rock nationwide reached its peak in popularity during the period when The Rocket was an alternative rock station. Two, the Lafayette market did not have a Top 40 station in the market at the time. The Rocket, in other words, became the market default for hit music. In 2000, Radio and Records reported WGBD as the highest-rated alternative rock station in the country.
As an alternative rock station, The Rocket embraced the fact that they were broadcasting to a college town by escaping from the norm of many other alternative rock stations throughout the country. WGBD played all of the alternative rock core artists heard everywhere else such as The Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, 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...
, 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
, The Dave Matthews Band, etc., but also played artists heard largely on Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
stations such as Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
, The Rentals
The Rentals
The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp, best known as the former bass player for rock group Weezer. The band is best known for their mid-1990s hit single, "Friends of P.". The group has released two albums, Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes on Maverick...
, The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
, Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
, and King Missile
King Missile
King Missile is an American avant-garde band that has been led in various disparate incarnations by poet/singer John S. Hall since 1986. Currently, Hall performs with a new version of the first incarnation, King Missile ....
. This made the station unique and very popular amongst the area’s true alternative and mainstream alternative fans alike. During much of its existence, WSHP programming was largely automated. Steve Clark, program director, served as the afternoon disk jockey; evening, overnight, and weekend talent occasionally filled the remaining air shifts. Syndicated programming consisted of the weekend modern rock countdown show “Out of Order with Jed the Fish” and “Loveline.” The station also aired the entire radio broadcast of “Woodstock ’99.”
In 2000, while the station was broadcasting an Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
format, The Rocket was credited by Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
and Radio and Records magazine as the highest-rated alternative rock station in the country.
In March and April 2001, The Rocket’s parent company, Artistic Media Partners
Artistic Media Partners
Artistic Media Partners owns 14 radio stations in 4 markets in Indiana. It was formed on June 23, 1987.-History:...
, made the decision to realign some of their stations in the Greater Lafayette area. Sister-station WAZY
WAZY
WAZY-FM, "Z96.5" is an FM radio station owned by Artistic Media Partners in Lafayette, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 96.5 MHz, FM channel 243. . The studios are located at 3824 South 18th Street in Lafayette, Indiana....
returned to its Top 40 roots on March 16 after seven years away from the format. As a result of WAZY’s flip, management cited The Rocket as a direct competitor with their newly launched Top 40 format, and The Rocket's format needed to be changed. Many radio professionals at the time did not quite understand this logic and argued that the stations could have coexisted with one another and given AMP ownership over the area's younger listeners. Top 40 appeals primarily to young females while alternative rock appeals primarily to males 18-34.
On March 30, The Rocket began stunting with REM’s “It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
"It's the End of the World as We Know It " is a song by the rock band R.E.M., which appeared on their 1987 album Document, the 1988 compilation Eponymous, and the 2006 compilation And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S Years 1982–1987...
.” On April 2 at 10am, the station relaunched with Classic rock
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...
. The Rocket name stayed intact, but the station earned the better-suited calls of WSHP. The first songs played on the new classic rock version of The Rocket were Queen’s
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
“We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
” and “We are the Champions
We Are the Champions
"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...
.” Longtime program director Steve Clark also stayed through the change.
In 2004, Artistic Media Partners adopted a new initiative to move all their sports programming to better fitting formats within their Lafayette, Bloomington, and South Bend properties. This would take most sports off their female-targeted Top 40 stations and move them to their primarily male-targeted properties. WSHP was chosen to be the Purdue flagship station. As a result, Artistic Media Partners decided to swap WSHP's signal with co-owned country station WLFF in order to gain rights for being the flagship station for Purdue Men’s Basketball and Football
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
. WSHP moved to 95.3 while WLFF moved to 95.7. It was cited in the Lafayette Journal and Courier that the frequency switch to 95.3 was necessary in order for The Rocket to carry the games. 95.3's signal was more dominant through the stadium section of the Purdue campus. Women's games formerly heard on 95.3 moved with The Wolf to 95.7.
The move turned out to be very successful for The Rocket. According to the fall 2004 Arbitron ratings, WSHP became the number 2 radio station 12+ in the market. However, this move was short-lived. In August 2005, just 17 months after the stations traded dial positions, they moved back to their original homes. The Rocket moved back to 95.7 and lost its Purdue flagship station status. Starting in the 2007-2008 season, Purdue sports have been divided amongst the Artistic Media Partners Lafayette stations. WBPE (formerly WLFF) & 1410 WSHY remains the home of Purdue Women's Basketball, WAZY is the home of Purdue Football, and WSHP is the home of Purdue Men's Basketball.
In 2007, Steve Clark stepped down from his role to become the programming consultant. Rob Creighton took over Steve's responsibilities as program director. Rob Creighton left Artistic Media due to budget cuts at the end of December 2010.
Programming
While broadcasting under the slogan "Lafayette's Classic Rock," WSHP's playlist was composed primarily of 70s and 80s songs, although select rock hits from the 60s and 90s were also included. With the exception of Rob Creighton's shift, most WSHP programming aired without disk jockeys.The syndicated Bob & Tom Show aired on WSHP for the last time on October 20, 2010 (and still airs in the Lafayette area from its home studios at WFBQ, 94.7, Indianapolis
WFBQ
WFBQ is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 94.7 MHz, FM channel 234. The studios are located at 6161 Fall Creek Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are...
). General manager Ernie Caldemone, as quoted in an October 28, 2010 Lafayette Journal and Courier article, said, "Every three to five years a contract (renewal) comes up and we just decided this was not a time to be broadcasting Bob and Tom. There are people who are upset. But after we share with them the reasoning for it, they understand. It's strictly a business decision."
From Monday, November 1, 2010 through Saturday, December 25, 2010, WSHP switched from classic rock to an all Christmas music format, according to the Lafayette Journal and Courier. North Pole Radio programming aired around the clock until midnight on Sunday, December 26, 2010 when WSHP returned as 95-7 The Rocket, only this time with an Active Rock format. The new format would be short-lived. In mid-January 2011, the station quietly returned to the classic rock format that the station previously carried only without Bob and Tom.
North Pole Radio returned to the frequency on November 18, 2011. According to an article in the Lafayette Journal & Courier newspaper, the Christmas format will run through December 31.
WSHP is the flagship station for Purdue Men's Basketball
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball holds the record for most Big Ten Championships with 22, along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records...
.