WXLO

On October 23, 1972, RKO General changed the WOR-FM call letters to WXLO, and starting in April 1974, it became known as "99X."

Walt Baby Love

Storm N. Norman Ron O'Brien
March, 1975

This was a version of what was known as the "Q" format, so named because it was modeled after station KCBQ in San Diego. The format featured about 15-20 currents, with a heavy emphasis on constant contests and promotions. Still, because the station played plenty of non current product spanning as far back as 1964, it was considered Adult Top 40, similar to that which WNBC evolved.

Jimmy King: New WXLO on October 20, 1972. [ LISTEN ] (7:44)

First show as "WXLO" and Jimmy says "OR-FM" a couple of times. Old habits are hard to break.

Lee Roberts is working the turntable at WXLO on December 17, 1977. [ LISTEN ] (19:31)

Lee Roberts is showcased here as one of the “X-Men” on the old 99X. 99X was in the New York market Top 5 overall.

This is personality oriented Top 40, on FM, and 99X was very hot at this point in time. But the station lost it’s way, as would so many stations on the AM and FM dial in a short period of time, because the Disco craze changed everything, including the way in which radio stations would identify themselves with audiences.

For example, about a year later, PD Glenn Morgan would take over and turn WXLO into a sleepy AC station simply called WXLO, then sometime later this would become Urban WRKS “Kiss 98.7”. Lee Roberts came to WXLO from WTIC-FM Hartford.

The station announced that the contest winner was from Tappan, New York. The prize was a Rock-Ola jukebox stocked with Beatles 45's. The station also once held an all-Elton John weekend. Listeners had to count how many Elton songs were played and win his Greatest Hits Vol. 1 album. And then there was the "No Bee Gees" weekend, where they asked their listeners to request Bee Gee songs that they didn't want played. "I'll be sure to not get that on the air for you" a sarcastic DJ said on that particular weekend.

In 1976, WXLO held a contest in which listeners had to guess the identity of six Beatles songs blended together in a sound montage. The Beatles montage was about three seconds in duration and contained one or two notes of each of the songs. They were "Hey Jude", "Got to Get You into My Life", "Day Tripper", "Come Together", "Do You Want to Know a Secret", and "Ticket to Ride".

WXLO evolved to a younger skewing but still slight adult leaning Top 40 format by 1977, and the "99X" moniker remained until late 1979, when it became "FM 99 WXLO." This iteration had decent ratings for a while, but by the spring of 1980, the ratings fell dramatically. RKO General phased out the Top 40 format, and brought in new Program Director Don Kelly from successful sister soft adult contemporary WFYR in Chicago in an attempt to duplicate that format's success on WXLO.

POWERLINE 99X

This is an excellent example of how Sunday mornings used to sound like on 99X. In the days of running PSA shows, this was the gold standard of the God Squad shows.

Brother John Rivers is behind the mic, and would go on to host this syndicated nugget for many, many years.

Summer, 1975
Part [ 1 ] & [ 2 ]

"You're on the Powerline!"

The station attempted a call letter change back to WOR-FM, but an FCC challenge from competing crosstown WRFM (now WWPR-FM) prevented the call letter change from happening. Kelly attempted to make the station the same adult contemporary format he had in Chicago. These changes did not gain any new listeners for WXLO, and ratings sank even lower. Kelly adjusted the music and slowly and gradually began mixing more disco and soul into the format.

Jay Stone

Jay Stone on August 26, 1974. Jay had Bobby Colomby of Blood Sweat and Tears in the studio. This recording also features an interesting Scott Hodges "Information Update." [ LISTEN ] (26:42)

An aircheck composite, from 1978. This nearly one-hour long scoped composite featuring the talents of Bobby Rich (Bobby’s B-100), who is in for Al Bandiero, Sue O’Neal, and Bobby Messina. Just before the disco days as 99X is solidly Top 40, with Rock, Pop and a few Oldies as well. [ LISTEN ] (55:55)

NOT THIS BEAVER

Beaver Cleaver jumps in on June 1, 1978. Disco has arrived in the Big Apple, and Cleaver starts with a bang. The first minute at the Top hour ID, is a short aircheck of Cleaver at KFMB-FM San Diego and 1020 KTNQ Los Angeles. At that energy level, Cleaver then goes on to have fun with the comparatively laid-back Top 40 format at 99X.
[ LISTEN ] (43:04)

Bobby Rich again, this time with special guest Meat Loaf, on October 5, 1978. Bumper Morgan is the first voice you hear on this hour long scope, then Bobby Rich starts off this particular show, in his words, “broadcasting from a brand new studio that’s never been used before”. And with that, this hilarious show which probably unscoped ran about two hours.

Mr. Loaf (as Bobby Rich affectionately calls him) does everything – with some help – that a DJ would do, from reading commercials to announcing records to taking phone calls. Listen to how he handles a call from a woman who swears Meat Loaf is a band and that Todd Rundgren sings in it... [ LISTEN ] (55:04)

Here's a catchy commercial spot for General Tire. [ LISTEN ]

This aircheck features another 55 minutes of Bobby Rich on January 4, 1979. Mainly an album station, WXLO is still playing Top 40. Listen for the interesting Top of Hour Legal ID sung for WXLO at the end of this. [ LISTEN ]

In the Fall of 1980, PD Don Kelly, in consultation with RKO General, decided to go after WBLS-FM's urban audience and WKTU's Rhythmic audience by bringing in new music director Barry Mayo. Mayo shortly before his arrival, suggested a new format for the station to Kelly and then-general manager Lee S. Simonson after he received a surprising lambasting from his idol, WBLS Program Director Frankie Crocker (who would later become his rival). Mayo would later become WXLO's Program Director when Kelly left to start his own consultancy.

By December 1980, the station was leaning towards Disco and R&B. The station dropped American Top 40 in January 1981. The evolution was gradual, and by May 1981, WXLO was nearly all rhythmic, playing almost all disco, soul, and rhythmic-friendly pop. Almost all the rock and AC crossovers were gone. By today's standards, this station would be called "Rhythmic CHR", but that term did not exist back in 1981. Therefore, the station was classified as "Urban Contemporary" (which today would be considered as a strictly R&B-type format).

The WXLO call sign now belongs to a station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, chosen in tribute by station management.

Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Musc Radio 77, Airchexx.