Coming up for air… from the sea of Wikipedia

The free encyclopedia anyone can edit (Photo credit: Octavio Rojas)

For the past few months, I’ve been editing Wikipedia in earnest.  Why?  Because it needed help.

I started by editing the Long Island Radio template, in order to re-integrate the east end stations into it and to indicate how the areas of the island are divided.  That was all well and good, but then I moved on the individual articles of the Long Island radio stations.

Most of them needed editing on some level.  Some of the edits were minor, but a few of them were near-major.  One article that needed help was the one for WLIR-FM.  It has the full history of the modern rock format on WLIR from its early days until its ultimate sale by Jarad Broadcasting in 2004.  This information was all good, except that this history crosses multiple frequencies, and all this history was “stuck” on the 107.1 WLIR article.  There were no references from 92.7 (WQBU) or 98.5 (WBON) to indicate that this history happened there, too.

Thus began my major editing and moving of the history of WLIR to its own article.  As I was editing, I realized that WLIR is not a defunct station.  The legacy of WLIR is alive on the streaming station WLIR.FM.  To call WLIR a defunct radio station wouldn’t be right.

The result of all this editing can be seen now in two articles:

• WLIR-FM – the original article, complete with the history of the 107.1 FM.
• WLIR – the new article, chronicling the humble beginnings in Garden City on 92.7 FM, the “dare to be different” era of the 1980s, the post-grunge 1990s, its final days on 107.1 FM, and its new beginning on the internet.

I’ve also added references in the WQBU and WBON articles to the WLIR history.

It’s been quite a major undertaking, and at this point I’m taking a brief rest from editing Wikipedia.  Articles are never really “done” on Wikipedia.  Time passes, events occur, and if not kept up-to-date, the information can fall into obsolescence.  The work is never done, it just gets put on pause.

The WLIR logo used from 1998 to sign off on 1/9/2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WFAN to be FM only?

New York Mets radio team Wayne Hagen and Howie Rose on WFAN-AM (Photo credit: Marianne O’Leary)

I had to stop watching this cat video to tell you about WFAN.  It looks like WFAN just might disappear from 660 AM in 2014:

WFAN has become a sports radio institution since moving to 50,000 watt clear channel 660 on the AM dial in 1988. Tuned In has learned exclusively that station brass have decided to put upstart CBS Sports Radio on 660 in January. A person close to the situation cautions the switch is tentative.

While this is not a new rumor, it seems to be getting closer to reality.  It’s bad news for anyone who can’t pick up 101.9 FM easily at home or in their car, especially those in remote sections of New Jersey, Long Island, or the Hudson Valley.

There’s another issue of listeners preferring the sound of baseball games on AM over FM.  It may be because that’s what they’re used to, and for the last several decades the tri-state area knows that Mets and Yankees games are carried on AM radio.  I still remember when the Yankees were on WABC radio, and the Mets were on the old WHN (1050 AM).  The same WHN that played Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton records would stop the music to broadcast the ball game.

We’ll see what happens in January, but it looks like WFAN’s days on AM are numbered.

Fall Out Boy (yes, Fall Out Boy)

Guess who has the new #1 album on the Billboard 200 chart?  It’s Fall Out Boy!  Save Rock and Roll!  Yes!  They’ve come to save rock and roll from… from… something.  Actually, does it really need saving?  Remember the post I made back in September, about rock music and music cycles?  Are Fall Out Boy just… well… riding the cycle?

Being their “comeback” album, the title Save Rock and Roll may have more to do with their own musical path rather than some grand, sweeping revolution.  However, it may be no coincidence that the timing is just right for this album to hit #1.  Hey, if Gotye could have the #1 song of 2012, anything is possible for Fall Out Boy in 2013, right?

Up until several weeks ago, I had never heard any songs by Fall Out Boy (I guess I’m that far removed from their demographic).  Now I’m hearing them in promos for The Vampire Diaries (I’m also outside the TV show’s demographic, but that doesn’t stop me from watching the CW network).

Anyhow, if you’d like a taste of the album, here’s the very epic sounding, Muse-y lead single.

Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)”

What’s on your (car) radio?

Honda Civic Hybrid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s a quintessential summer scene (I know it’s still chilly outside, but humor me for a moment).  Reese Witherspoon is driving her (or someone else’s) convertible car down the road.  The car top is down and you hear music coming out of the speakers.  Today’s dashboard has many entertainment options from satellite to MP3s, but according to modern research, she probably has the radio on:

Fifty-eight percent say they use AM/FM all of the time or most of the time while only 4 percent say they listen to online radio all of the time or most of the time when connected in the car.

For as long as there have been car radios, there have been buttons where you can set up the radio stations you prefer (to enjoy for yourself, or to annoy your kids in the back seat). So, what presets are on your car radio?

Let me show you what’s on mine. I have a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid with 12 FM (FM1/FM2) and 6 AM presets available.

FM1 is where I put my “first choice” selections.

• 90.1 WUSB – Sunday Street every Sunday morning, Off the Wall every Tuesday evening, and all kinds of things in between from Stony Brook University.
• 90.7 WFUV – Corny mornings, and the musical equivalent of the next preset.
• 92.9 WEHM – Mornings with Anthony, and “progressive radio” all day.
• 94.3 The Shark (WWSK) – The “new kid” on the block, hopefully they’ll add more personalities soon.
• 102.3 WBAB – This used to be the spot for 101.9 RXP.
• 103.9 WRCN – Now that they’ve updated their playlist, I’ve bumped them up from the “second tier.”

FM2 is the “second tier” of FM options.

• 89.5 WPKN – Once again, all kinds of things every day from Bridgeport, CT.
• 95.1 WRKI – Long time rock station, probably will keep playing AC/DC until the end of the world.
• 95.9 WFOX – Once Connoisseur (owners of The Shark) has their hands on it, who knows what will happen to this classic rocker.
• 99.1 WPLR – See comment above.
• 104.3 WAXQ – The lone classic rock station based in New York City, owned by Clear Channel, and rides the revenue coattails of Z-100.
• 105.7 W289AD (WSUF translator) – It’s hard to find local news on the radio around here, but they do make some effort to represent Long Island in their top of the hour and bottom of the hour news headlines (even though their main studio is in Connecticut).

I must confess, the AM presets are, on the whole, ignored.  It’s mildly interesting to put them on once in a while, but I think I only have them set up this way because I don’t know what else to put on there.

• 600 WICC
• 710 WOR
• 770 WABC
• 880 WCBS
• 1010 WINS
• 1130 WBBR

Summer is (relatively) nearly upon us, what will you turn on?

The Shark is Biting

94.3 The Shark is making waves.  No squidding!  And the listeners aren’t crabby, either.  They’re actually tuning in for many minnows at a time:

Early ratings have been very strong. Marketing of the product has created a nice buzz on the island. And, most importantly, revenue is up, according to Market Manager Dave Widmer. The station mixes classic rock music with newer rock music, which according to the research Connoisseur paid for, works with the younger demo.

I admit I’ve been tuning in myself, just for the halibut.  The music mix sounds good (to the ears of this ex-WRXP listener), but the one thing that keeps me from sticking around for extended periods is their lack of personalities.  Without them, it sounds like a non-stop jukebox.  If you listen to the podcast in the linked article, Widmer talks about personalities and how the audience is looking for people who know the music that’s being played.  Makes me wonder what kind of big fish they’ll hire for mornings.

I don’t think there are enough fish puns in this post.  This should fix that.

Kip Addotta – “Wet Dream”