Anytime a major radio station in the nation’s largest media market changes format, it captures the attention of not just the city, but the industry nationwide. It’s this grand stage that has provided some of the most memorable and ground-breaking format flips. So, as the city prepares for the arrival of a new format on WEMP (formerly WRXP), we decided to take a look back and come up with the ten biggest format flips New York City’s ever seen.

To quantify this, we went back through the last 45 years of Arbitron reports to find the greatest increase in share from a station’s previous format to its new format. If a flip was made during a survey, we excluded that survey and compared full before and after books. We looked at Persons 12+ from the diary era and used three-month averages (excluding Holiday books) of Persons 6+ from the PPM era.

8. (tie) October 15, 2009 96.3 FM
Former format: classical WQXR (which moved to the 105.9 frequency—previously home to WXNY predecessor WCAA)
1.8 share (Jul-Sep ’09)
New format: tropical WXNY “X96.3”
3.5 share (Nov-Jan ’10)
SHARE INCREASE: 1.7

8. (tie) March 14, 2002 105.1 FM
Former format: urban AC WTJM “Jammin’ 105.1”
2.5 share (Fall 2001)
New format: urban WWPR “Power 105.1”
4.2 share (Spring 2002)
SHARE INCREASE: 1.7

8. (tie) July 12, 2007 101.1 FM
Former format: adult hits WCBS-FM “Jack FM”
2.0 share (Spring 2007)
New format: classic hits WCBS-FM
3.7 share (Fall 2007)
SHARE INCREASE: 1.7

7. December 4, 1998 105.1 FM
Former format: hot AC WBIX “Big 105 FM”
1.6 share (Summer 1998)
New format: rhythmic oldies WTJM “Jammin’ 105”
3.5 share (Winter 1999)
SHARE INCREASE: 1.9

6. February 1, 1989 97.9 FM
Former format: block-programmed ethnic WEVD
0.4 share (Fall 1988)
New format: Spanish AC WSKQ “KQ-97”
2.4 share (Spring 1989)
SHARE INCREASE: 2.0

5. July 7, 1972 101.1 FM
Former format: progressive rock WCBS-FM
1.3 share (April/May 1972)
New format: oldies WCBS-FM
4.7 share (October/November 1972)
SHARE INCREASE: 3.4

WCBS-FM was going nowhere against WNEW as a free-form rocker. When WOR-FM dropped the oldies (pre 1960s) off of its playlist in early 1972, it opened up the opportunity for WCBS-FM to become one of the first full-time major market oldies stations in the nation.


4. June 14, 1982 103.5 FM
Former format: adult contemporary WTFM
1.4 share (Winter 1982)
New format: album rock WAPP
4.9 share (Summer 1982)
SHARE INCREASE: 3.5

It should be noted that Doubleday launched WAPP commercial-free during the summer of ’82. The 4.9 was certainly impressive, but the subsequent decline (down to a 2.8 by the Spring of ’83) showed just how stiff the competition was among the rock stations at the time (WPLJ and WNEW).

3. February 10, 1996 103.5 FM
Former format: country WYNY
1.9 share (Fall 1995)
New format: rhythmic AC WKTU
6.7 share – 1st place (Spring 1996)
SHARE INCREASE: 4.8

It took over a decade, but enough of the negatives of the old disco “KTU” had finally worn off to allow a rebirth up the dial. While top 40 juggernaut Z100 was drifting closer and closer to the alternative rock lane, the new KTU steered in the complete opposite direction, embracing the dance and rhythmic product that was having an increasingly difficult time finding its way onto the dial. Not only did KTU finish in first place in its first full book, it actually went up in its second book, and won every book for the rest of 1996.


2. August 2, 1983 100.3 FM
Former format: easy listening/jazz WVNJ
0.9 share (Spring 1983)
New format: CHR WHTZ “Z100”
6.2 share – 1st place (Fall 1983)
SHARE INCREASE: 5.3
The legendary “worst-to-first” campaign of Z100 in 1983 is easily one of the highest-profile births of a top 40 station in radio history. Not only did Z100 top the market with its 6.2 in the Fall of ’83, it went on to win 17 of the next 23 books and continues to be one of the most influential CHRs in the nation to this day.

1. July 24, 1978 92.3 FM
Former format: adult contemporary WKTU
1.2 share (April/May 1978)
New format: disco WKTU “Disco 92”
11.3 share (October/November 1978)
SHARE INCREASE: 10.1

Over three decades later, it’s still hard to comprehend the numbers from the format flip that gave the New York radio market whiplash. It seems pretty simple in hindsight: the format Kent Burkhart created for what had been a struggling soft rock station was built on the music that was sweeping the country in the wake of the film “Saturday Night Fever.” And in the city that was home to the world-famous Studio 54, no station was dedicating a full-time playlist to this music. The unheralded switch to all-disco swept through the city like wildfire. WKTU became the first music station to best top 40 stalwart WABC since the early 60s (WKTU’s impact unquestionably hastened WABC’s decline).

KTU dropped the “Disco 92” handle as it evolved, and continued to be a major player in the market into 1982. Eventually the disco backlash and arrival of new competitors like WRKS and Z100 proved too much for KTU to overcome—at least in its first incarnation. But as the call letters now continue on 103.5, it’s clear the station that signed on 33 years ago this week continues to have a big impact on the Big Apple.