WOGL
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| Broadcast area | Philadelphia, PA |
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| First air date | 1939 |
| Frequency | 98.1 MHz |
| Format | Oldies |
| Callsign meaning | "Old Gold" (spoonerism for "Golden Oldies" |
| Owner | CBS Radio |
98.1 WOGL (Formerly known as "Oldies 98.1"), is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
The station plays a variety of oldies music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.
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[edit] History
The station began experimentally at 42.1 Mc as W3XIR, followed two years later (1941) by W69PH at 46.9 mC. When the FCC moved the FM band to its present location, it became WCAU-FM at 102.7 and some time later moved to 95.5 and finally its present 98.1. WCAU-FM simulcast the MOR format on WCAU-AM 1210 until 1966 when it, along with other CBS FM stations, presented "The Young Sound" format: an instrumental-oriented type of pseudo-rock music. In 1969 WCAU FM, along with other CBS owned FM stations began a progressive rock format that was short lived. WCAU FM decided to drop it in the autumn of 1970. A new format "uniquely designed for Philadelphia" was unveiled with rhythmic, black-oriented music. The result was not successful.
Around 1972, like WCBS-FM in New York City, WCAU-FM debuted an oldies format called "Stereo Solid Gold". Unlike WCBS-FM, This was an automated system featuring the voice of Jim Nettleton and others. Live air personalities were eventually added. The station played the hits from 1955 up to and including current product.
This format did not get high ratings, so in 1976, the format was switched to "Fascinatin' Rhythm". It was a Top 40 format with a lean on disco. As the 1970s came to a close, the music became more diversified with the addition of jazz, pop and R&B. The station experimented briefly with a format called "Mellow Rhythm" at this time, hosted primarily by Dr. Perri Johnson (now a music therapist in LA.). This format also did not do well.
Program consultant Mike Joseph was brought in to WCAU-FM in April 1981 to develop a new format to replace the struggling "Mellow Rhythm." Joseph recommended that the station go Top 40. Over the next several months, the station's music mix was fine-tuned to include more contemporary hits, an almost entirely-new staff of announcers was hired, and new jingles (TM Century's "Fusion" package) were commissioned. In September 1981, the new format at WCAU-FM debuted: "Hot Hits" (a format first used by Joseph at WTIC-FM Hartford, CT in 1977), using the on-air name "98 Now." WCAU-FM's ratings showed an immediate improvement, and subsequently, FM stations in major markets such as Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco picked up the "Hot Hits" format.
WCAU found a great deal of success with this programming for much of the mid-1980s, although the original "Fusion" jingles were dropped in the summer of 1982 and replaced with a package from JAM because older listeners found the "Fusion" jingles irritating. Some notable jocks in this period included Paul Barsky, Terry Young and Christy Springfield. CBS soon developed a variation on "Hot Hits" called "Hitradio" and switched all their other stations except for WCBS-FM New York - including WCAU-FM - to it. The format failed for Los Angeles' KKHR (formerly and later KNX-FM, now KCBS-FM), but such was not the case in Chicago for WBBM-FM or in Philadelphia, where WCAU-FM continued to be a ratings leader.
In 1987, WCAU FM found itself in stiff competition with a revitalized 106.1, now WEGX "Eagle 106" (formerly WWSH, WZGO "Z106", and WTRK "Electric 106"). CAU-FM decided that if Eagle 106 wanted the CHR format they could have it. WCAU-FM determined they could be more profitable with another format. So on November 9, 1987, WCAU flipped to an oldies format, citing a desire to appeal to an older, more desirable demographic of 25-54 year olds.
The call letters were soon changed to WOGL (which stood for "Old Gold"). At about the same time, WIOQ revealed that it too was also planning to change to an oldies format. For the next year, the stations engaged in an FM oldies battle, until WIOQ dropped the format early in 1989.
WOGL became the city's dominant oldies station, gathering a group of ledgendary Philly jocks including Hy Lit, Don Cannon, Harvey Holiday, Jim Nettleton, Christy Springfield, Frank Canale, Steve Obrian (not the same Steve Obrian that worked swing shifts on sister station WCBS-FM), Mike St John, Bob Pantano, and many more. Scott Walker who programmed Hot Hits WCAU-FM remained Program Director until 2001.
They were known as "Oldies 98.1". By 1992 WOGL leaned toward soul oldies. They still played Elvis, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, but focused on soul and Philadelphia only hits. They were about 2/3 R&B and 1/3 rock. The rock songs played were the big hits and anything typically heard on oldies stations was heard on Oldies 98. But WOGL Oldies 98 got very deep with R&B music. They played about 15% '50s, 15% early '60s, 55% '60s, and 13% '70s, and 2% '80s. So they focused on the '60s as well.
WOGL Oldies 98.1 had lots of specialty shows such as "Hot Lunch Special" request show, The Weeknight Hall Of Fame, Top 20 Oldies Countdown, Elvis & Friends, Beatles Brunch, and Street Corner Sounds Doo Wops. In 2001 all the specialty shows were purged. The playlist was moved away from soul and Philly Only hits (though a few remained). The music was about 70% '60s, 10% '50s, 15% '70s, and 5% '80s. Scott Walker would leave as well.
By 2002 some of the specialty shows were brought back. More '70s music was added and even some '80s was added. In 2003 the name "Oldies 98" was downplayed and the station became known as "Motown Soul Rock & Roll 98.1 WOGL". At that point the station cut to one '50s per shift and one pre 64 oldie per hour. They also were playing a couple '80s songs per hour. The rest of the music was roughly 50% mid and late '60s and 50% '70s music. In 2004 the playlist was tightened to about half '60s and half '70s. They also began saying "Greatest Hits of The '60s and '70s".
[edit] Controversy with Hy Lit
A Philadelphia-area DJ since the 1960s, starting with the now-defunct WIBG-AM radio station, Hy Lit (born 1934), was a regular on-air personality with WOGL, with his "Top 20 Countdown" being played on every Wednesday. In 2003, it was revealed that he was suffering from the beginnings of Parkinsons disease, and WOGL and Infinity Broadcasting management reduced his time to just two hours a week, with a significantly reduced pay, forcing Hy Lit to abandon taking medications that would have significantly reduced his Parkinsons symptoms. Suing Infinity (now CBS Radio) and station management, Hy Lit remained on the air, but his fight was made known by Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky, who hosted several fundraising events to help pay for Hy Lit's medical expenses.
In 2005, Hy Lit, the station, and Infinity Broadcasting settled the lawsuit, under the condition that Hy Lit would retire from the station with full medical benefits. As a result, Hy Lit did his last "Hy Lit Hall of Fame Show" on December 11, 2005, just 5 days before fellow Infinity broadcaster Howard Stern aired his last show through sister station WYSP-FM. Like Stern, Hy Lit will continue to do radio broacasting, but through the Internet instead of satellite radio, a route that New York DJ Cousin Brucie Morrow took after WCBS-FM switched to the Jack FM format.
[edit] On-air schedule
[edit] Weekdays
- 5:30AM to 9AM - Ross Brittain & The Breakfast Club
- 9AM to 3PM - Harvey Holiday
- 3PM to 7PM - Big Ron O'Brien (includes The Fab Four at Four [4PM])
- 7PM to 12AM - Bob Charger
- 12AM to 5:30AM - Rockin' Ron Cade
[edit] Weekends
- Saturday 6AM to 10AM - The Weekend Hit Machine with Ross Briton
- Saturday 10AM to 3PM - Angela Mason
- Saturday 3PM to 7PM - Big Ron O' Brien
- Saturday 7PM to 2AM - Bob Pantano (The Saturday Night Dance Party)
- Sunday 12PM to 9PM - I Love the 70's
- Angela Mason (12PM to 5PM)
- Big Ron O' Brien (5PM to 9PM)
- Sunday 9PM to 12AM - Street Corner Sunday with Harvey Holiday (Playing Doo-Wop music from 1950's and 1960's)
- Overnights - Tom Matthews
[edit] Specialty programming
- Weekdays 9PM (except Wednesdays)- Top 9 at 9 with Bob Charger (Playing a commercial-free Top 9 list compiled and submitted by listeners by category)
- Wednesday 9PM - Top 20 Countdown with Bob Charger (Playing a Top 20 format from the 1960's and 1970's that would have been heard on the former WIBG-AM and WFIL-AM Top 40 stations).
- Saturday 6AM to 10AM - The Weekend Hit Machine with Ross Brittain (WOGL is the flagship station for this nationally syndicated program)
- Sunday 6AM to 7AM - "The Philadelphia Forum" (talk show) with KYW-AM Reporter Brad Siegel
- Sunday 7AM to 10AM - Elvis 'n Friends Show with Rockin' Ron Cade
- Sunday 10AM to 12PM - Brunch with The Beatles with Bob Charger
- Sunday 12PM to 9PM - I Love the '70s Sundays with Angela Mason - All music made between 1970 - 1980.
- Sunday 9PM to 12AM - Street Corner Sunday with Harvey Holiday - Doo Wops from 1955-1964
