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61-469: Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid-1990s, primarily focusing on commercially successful blues rock and hard rock popularized in the 1970s AOR format. The radio format became increasingly popular with the baby boomer demographic by

122-451: A 1.5 share by January 2019, putting it well behind Beasley 's market-leading WRIF , which airs an active rock format. On March 1, 2019, at Noon, after playing " In Bloom " by Nirvana , the station began stunting with a loop of " It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) " by AC/DC . At 1 p.m., the station returned to classic rock once more as 106.7 WLLZ, Detroit's Wheels , reviving

183-399: A 10,000 songs commercial-free promotion. The first song was " Seven Nation Army " by Detroit band The White Stripes . The new format gave Detroit its first alternative rock station since WMGC-FM 's period as 105.1 The Edge from 1997 to 1999, while also co-existing with Bell Media 's active rock-leaning alternative station CIMX (which targets Windsor ). It was speculated that the flip

244-412: A brand new radio station" at 106.7 and "letting you, the listeners, choose the music." For the next week, listeners who registered at 1067needshelp.com picked the new radio format , the station's name, logo, voice of the station and number of commercials per hour. On May 19, after playing two days of music from many formats, then narrowing it down to just rock and country, it was announced at 3 p.m. that

305-566: A brand that had previously been used on WDZH prior to its switch to smooth jazz in 1995. The first song on the revived WLLZ was " Back in Black ", also by AC/DC. The station's call letters were officially changed to WLLZ on March 8, 2019. Both the WLLZ and WDTW-FM call signs were briefly warehoused by a sister station in North Carolina . On April 22, 2022, iHeartMedia filed a construction permit with

366-403: A certain type of programming, which can be thematic or general, more informative or more musical, among other possibilities. Radio formats are often used as a marketing tool and are subject to frequent changes, including temporary changes called " stunting ." Except for talk radio or sports radio formats, most programming formats are based on commercial music. However the term also includes

427-399: A conventional rhythmic contemporary direction by adding more current music and cutting back on the heavy amount of gold product. WDTW-FM still featured many Rhythmic AC elements in its presentation. The station would later reintroduce some 1980s and 1990s gold into rotation, usually two or three songs per hour, although 1970s disco music was not part of the format. The station also introduced

488-487: A major label after 1964." Classic rock has also been associated with the album era (1960s–2000s), by writers Bob Lefsetz and Matthew Restall , who says the term is a relabeling of the "virtuoso pop/rock" from the era's early decades. The format's origins are traced by music scholar Jon Stratton to the emergence of a classic-rock canon. This canon arose in part from music journalism and superlative lists ranking certain albums and songs that are consequently reinforced to

549-503: A particular holiday and thus, with the notable exception of Christmas music (which is usually played throughout Advent ), stations going to a holiday-themed format usually only do so for a short time, typically a day or a weekend. The UK has several formats that often overlap with one another. The American terms for formats are not always used to describe British stations or fully set specified by RAJAR . WLLZ (FM) WLLZ has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 61,000 watts . It

610-571: A post-baby boomer economy. The music selected for the format has been identified as predominantly commercially successful songs by white male acts from the Anglosphere , expressing values of Romanticism , self-aggrandizement, and politically undemanding ideologies. It has been associated with the album era (1960s–2000s), particularly the period's early pop/rock music. The classic rock format evolved from AOR radio stations that were attempting to appeal to an older audience by including familiar songs of

671-407: A station of changing its format, for example arguing in court over whether a particular song or group of songs is "pop" or "rock". Formats constantly evolve and each format can often be sub-divided into many specialty formats. Some of the following formats are available only regionally or through specialized venues such as satellite radio or Internet radio . Seasonal formats typically celebrate

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732-431: A timeless music lent it a distinction from the "inherently nihilistic" pop he had first listened to on the radio as a teenager in the early 1990s. "[I]t seemed to have been around forever," he writes of the classic rock format. "It was there long before I was born, and I was sure it was still going to be around after I was gone." Politically, the mindset underlying classic rock is regarded by Christgau as regressive. He says

793-453: Is generally cited as the year of its birth". By 1986, the success of the format resulted in oldies accounting for 60–80% of the music played on album rock stations. Although it began as a niche format spun off from AOR, by 2001, classic rock had surpassed album rock in market share nationally. During the mid-1980s, the classic rock format was mainly tailored to the adult male demographic ages 25–34, which remained its largest demographic through

854-454: Is most remembered today as one of the early radio jobs for Howard Stern , who was brought in from Hartford, Connecticut , to host mornings, beginning April 21, 1980. However, W4 was one of four Detroit stations with an AOR format, and faced with increasing competition and rapidly falling ratings, management decided to make a change. With no advance notice, Shamrock changed the station's format to country music on January 18, 1981. At first,

915-572: Is one of several Detroit FM stations that are grandfathered at a higher power than the maximum 50,000 watts that would be permitted today. The transmitter is atop the Cadillac Tower on Cadillac Square at Bates Avenue in Downtown Detroit . The station began operations on October 16, 1960, as WDTM, airing classical music and jazz . It was owned by Taliesin Stations and was an affiliate of

976-543: The HD Radio format. WLLZ's HD2 subchannel has changed several times since its inception in 2006. From January 2006 to December 2009, the HD2 channel was known as "The Mother Trucker" and featured a mix of country and rock music. In December 2009, the format was changed to Clear Channel's Pride Radio which featured dance music geared toward the LGBT community. On November 4, 2011, after

1037-694: The WQXR Network, based at the leading New York City classical station. In 1966, Gordon McLendon purchased the station, changed the call sign to WWWW ("W4"), and installed a beautiful music format. The station was located at 2930 E. Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, in a building now housing the marijuana law firm Cannabis Counsel, P.L.C. By 1970, McLendon changed W4's format from easy listening to "Solid Gold" ( oldies -oriented Top 40 ) as "W4 Stereo." The disc jockey staff included Don Schuster and Detroit radio legend Tom Clay . During its Solid Gold period, W4

1098-476: The middle of the road (MOR) rose as a radio industry term to discern radio stations that played mainstream pop songs from radio stations whose programming was geared towards teenagers and was dominated by rock and roll , the most popular musical genre of the period in the United States and which held the first successful radio format called Top-40 . In reality, the Top-40 format was conscientiously prepared to attract

1159-420: The network —began to emerge in the United States and Canada. They developed a format with programming consisting of music, news, and charismatic disc jockeys to directly attract a certain audience. For example, by the 1960s, easy listening obtained a stable position on FM radio – a spectrum considered ideal for good music and high fidelity listening as it grew in popularity during that period – and

1220-691: The "Back In The Day Lunch Party" at Noon and "90s at 9" every evening. In addition, it blended in a few Dance cuts as well. Sean "Hollywood" Hamilton's syndicated Remix Top 30 aired on Sunday evenings. The Beat also brought in some well known personalities including WDRQ vet Lisa Lisa Orlando for middays, Joe Rosati of Z100 in New York for afternoons, and Jevon Hollywood, also from WDRQ, for late nights. Mornings and evenings were voicetracked by Paul "Cubby" Bryant of WKTU in New York and Billy The Kidd of 106.1 Kiss-FM in Dallas . Former WDRQ morning host Jay Towers

1281-412: The #1 slot. Ratings for The Fox remained low during its entire run and had little impact on WYCD. On April 29, 2009, WDTW-FM went jockless and soft-relaunched under the branding of "Detroit Fox Country 106-7." The station also began putting more focus on newer country music. On September 4, 2009, at noon, WDTW flipped to rhythmic adult contemporary as The Beat of Detroit . The final song on “The Fox”

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1342-520: The '70s," he writes in 1991 for Details magazine. "It was invented by prepunk/predisco radio programmers who knew that before they could totally commodify '60s culture they'd have to rework it—that is, selectively distort it till it threatened no one ... In the official rock pantheon the Doors and Led Zeppelin are Great Artists while Chuck Berry and Little Richard are Primitive Forefathers and James Brown and Sly Stone are Something Else." Regarding

1403-420: The '80s and '90s." The first song was " All Right Now " by Free . The callsign WWWW remained for another year until the new call sign WLLC was adopted on October 2, 2000. Emphasis was eventually put on the "C" during reciting the legal station identification ("WLL..See") due to listeners mistakenly believing the station picked up call letters WLLZ, which had been used on 98.7 (now WDZH ). In September 2000,

1464-426: The 1970s and 1980s, radio programming formats expanded into commercially successful variations, including, for example, adult contemporary (AC), album-oriented rock (AOR) and urban contemporary (UC), among others, which spread to most AM and FM radio stations in the United States. Over time, FM radio came to dominate music programming, while AM radio switched to news and talk formats. In some countries such as

1525-473: The AM and FM spectrum to differentiate themselves for both audiences and advertisers. At that time, it caused a proliferation of many radio formats, which included presentation, schedule and target audience, as well as repertoire. Within a few years, FM radio stations were supplying program formats completely analogous to their AM stations counterparts, increased to more than 50% in 1970 and reached 95% in 1980. During

1586-509: The DJs, including Stern, were kept on to play country hits. The station reportedly planned to brand Howard Stern as "Hopalong Howie," which he declined after two weeks, moving to WWDC-FM in Washington, D.C. In the film Private Parts , Stern announces his departure in the middle of a song, claiming he didn't understand country music. The move to country music paid off; the Detroit radio market ,

1647-602: The Doors , Kiss , Yes , Styx , Queen , Led Zeppelin , and Jimi Hendrix . The songs of the Rolling Stones , particularly from the 1970s, have become staples of classic rock radio. " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction " (1965), " Under My Thumb " (1966), " Paint It Black " (1966), and " Miss You " (1978) are among their most popular selections, with Complex calling the latter "an eternal mainstay on classic-rock radio". A 2006 Rolling Stone article noted that teens were surprisingly interested in classic rock and speculated that

1708-563: The FCC to reduce WLLZ’s power to 39,000 watts, along with a relocation of their transmitter and antenna to a tower shared with NPR affiliate WDET . According to the filing with the FCC, this move would allow WLLZ to gain some antenna height versus their old setup, and transmitting from 169 meters HAAT, as opposed to their old setup of 155 meters from atop the Cadillac Tower. If approved, WLLZ will lose its "grandfathered" status. WLLZ broadcasts in

1769-641: The Steve Miller Band , Simon & Garfunkel , Nirvana , Dire Straits , Electric Light Orchestra , Genesis , Aerosmith , AC/DC , Alice Cooper , Deep Purple , Quiet Riot , Bruce Springsteen , John Mellencamp , Def Leppard , Boston , the Cars , Pearl Jam , the Grateful Dead , Fleetwood Mac , Billy Joel , Elton John , Bryan Adams , Eric Clapton , The Who , Van Halen , Rush , Black Sabbath , U2 , Guns N' Roses , Lynyrd Skynyrd , Eagles , ZZ Top ,

1830-583: The UK, licences to broadcast on radio frequencies are regulated by the government, and may take account of social and cultural factors including format type, local content, and language, as well as the price available to pay for the spectrum use. This may be done to ensure a balance of available public content in each area, and in particular to enable non-profit local community radio to exist alongside larger and richer national companies. On occasions format regulation may lead to difficult legal challenges when government accuses

1891-742: The WWWW call sign moved to 102.9 MHz , the former WIQB, in nearby Ann Arbor , also owned by Clear Channel. While WYCD benefited from the end of "W4 Country," ratings for "Alice" remained anemic. In July 2002, WLLC changed its call letters to WDTW-FM and relaunched as "106.7 The Drive." It mainly featured classic hard rock tracks from the 1970s through the 1990s with a more upbeat and harder-edged presentation than classic rock rival WCSX . WDTW-FM's ratings continued to be poor. At noon on May 17, 2006, "The Drive" signed off with " Too Late For Love " by Def Leppard , followed by an announcement from legendary Detroit TV news anchor Bill Bonds , talking about "building

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1952-447: The benefit in the FM station appealing to younger rock fans and the AM station appealing a bit older. The ratings of both stations could be added together to appeal to advertisers. Classic rock soon became the widely used descriptor for the format and became the commonly used term among the general public for early album rock music. In the mid-1980s, the format's widespread proliferation came on

2013-463: The collective and public memory. Robert Christgau says the classic-rock concept transmogrified rock music into a "myth of rock as art-that-stands-the-test-of-time". He also believes it was inevitable that certain rock artists would be canonized by critics, major media, and music establishment entities such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In 2018, Steven Hyden recalls how the appearance of classic rock as

2074-408: The country format at 6 p.m. on September 1, 1999. The final song played on "W4 Country" was " The Dance " by Garth Brooks , followed by " The Star-Spangled Banner ." For two days, WWWW stunted with a 400-Hz tone, and ran a contest to correctly guess the day and time that the tone would end. On September 3, 1999, at 2:05 p.m., the station relaunched as "Alice 106.7," featuring "Rockin' Hits of

2135-504: The creative unit, with the charismatic lead singer playing a key role, and the guitar as the primary instrument. This was a version of classic Romanticism , an ideology with its origins in art and aesthetics. — Roy Shuker (2016) Classic-rock radio programmers largely play "tried and proven" hit songs from the past based on their "high listener recognition and identification", says media academic Roy Shuker, who also identifies white male rock acts from Sgt. Pepper -era Beatles through

2196-688: The end of the 1990s. Although classic rock has mostly appealed to adult listeners, music associated with this format received more exposure with younger listeners with the presence of the Internet and digital downloading. Some classic rock stations also play a limited number of current releases which are stylistically consistent with the station's sound, or by heritage acts which are still active and producing new music. Among academics and historians, classic rock has been discussed as an effort by critics, media, and music establishments to canonize rock music and commodify 1960s Western culture for audiences living in

2257-499: The first song on "The D" was " For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) " by AC/DC . The station described the new format as "The Next Generation of Classic Rock," meaning the station included more 1980s rock, along with the usual 1970s titles, as well as early 1990s' rock material. The station remained automated until early 2012, when the station began assembling a DJ staff. WDTW-FM brought in radio vet Sheri Donovan for middays and WGRD vet Dave Dahmer for afternoons. Alan Cox hosted

2318-463: The format would be country music . The first official song played under the country format was " Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) " by Big & Rich . On May 22, the station became "106.7 The Fox." Finally, on May 26, 2006, the format change appeared complete as the voice of the station and minutes of music per hour were announced. Radio insiders believed the station had adopted a country format only to steal listeners from WYCD, and keep co-owned WNIC in

2379-469: The heels of Jacobs Media's (Fred Jacobs) success at WCXR , in Washington, D.C. , and Edinborough Rand's (Gary Guthrie) success at WZLX in Boston . Between Guthrie and Jacobs, they converted more than 40 major market radio stations to their individual brand of classic rock over the next several years. Billboard magazine's Kim Freeman posits that "while classic rock's origins can be traced back earlier, 1986

2440-403: The interest in the older bands might be related to the absence of any new, dominant sounds in rock music since the advent of grunge . Ideologically, 'classic rock' serves to confirm the dominant status of a particular period of music history – the emergence of rock in the mid-1960s – with its associated values and set of practices: live performance, self-expression, and authenticity; the group as

2501-412: The late 1940s . American television had more financial resources to produce generalist programs that provoked the migration of countless talents from radio networks to the new medium. Under this context, the radio was pressured to seek alternatives to maintain its audience and cultural relevance. As a consequence, AM radios stations—many of which were "independent", that is not affiliated with

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2562-544: The late 1970s as the focus of their playlists. As Catherine Strong observes, classic rock songs are generally performed by white male acts from either the United States or the United Kingdom, "have a four-four time , very rarely exceed the time limit of four minutes, were composed by the musicians themselves, are sung in English, played by a 'classical' rock formation (drums, bass, guitar, keyboard instruments) and were released on

2623-509: The main frequency changed to classic rock, the HD2 format changed as well. This time, it began carrying Clear Channel's "Alternative Project" feed from iHeartRadio . The HD2 channel's format was changed again to the "Rock Nation Top 20" from iHeartRadio after the analog/HD1 channel's format switched to alternative rock. Sometime after the main frequency switched to "Alt 106.7," WDTW-FM added an HD3 subchannel known as "WLLZ-Detroit Wheels" which played oldies and has remained in place even after

2684-411: The mid-1990s. As the format's audience aged, its demographics skewed toward older age groups. By 2006, the 35–44 age group was the format's largest audience; by 2014, the 45–54 year-old demographic was the largest. Typically, classic rock stations play rock songs from the mid-1960s through the 1980s and began adding 1990s music in the early 2010s. Most recently, there has been a "newer classic rock" under

2745-511: The morning drive time shift live from a studio in Cleveland . On May 26, 2017, WDTW-FM segued to a variety hits format, while still branding as "The D." Following the switch, the station's ratings share fell from 2.7 to a 2.2 share, putting it at #19 in the market by October 2017. On November 20, 2017, at 9:24 p.m., after playing " Closing Time " by Semisonic , WDTW-FM flipped to an alternative rock format as Alt 106-7 , launching with

2806-464: The music in this format abandoned ironic sensibilities in favor of unintellectual, conventional aesthetics rooted in Victorian era Romanticism , while downplaying the more radical aspects of 1960s counterculture , such as politics, race, African-American music , and pop in the art sense . "Though classic rock draws its inspiration and most of its heroes from the '60s, it is, of course, a construction of

2867-555: The nation's fifth largest at the time, had no FM country music station. In addition, Detroit and its suburbs had a sizable percentage of the population whose families hailed from the Southern United States and grew up with the genre. W4 Country's first years coincided with the rise in popularity of country music, even outside the South. At the time of the country format's launch, the immediate Detroit area's only country music station

2928-467: The news, bulletins, DJ talk, jingles, commercials, competitions, traffic news, sports, weather and community announcements between the tracks. Even before World War II , radio stations in North America and Europe almost always adopted a generalist radio format. However, the United States witnessed the growing strengthening of television over the radio as the major mass media in the country by

2989-406: The overall content broadcast on a radio station . The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelled to develop new and exclusive ways to programming by competition with television . The formula has since spread as a reference for commercial radio programming worldwide. A radio format aims to reach a more or less specific audience according to

3050-496: The past with current hits. In 1980, AOR radio station M105 in Cleveland began billing itself as "Cleveland's Classic Rock", playing a mix of rock music from the mid-1960s to the present. Similarly, WMET called itself "Chicago's Classic Rock" in 1981. In 1982, radio consultant Lee Abrams developed the "Timeless Rock" format, which combined contemporary AOR with rock hits from the 1960s and 1970s. KRBE , an AM station in Houston ,

3111-573: The relationship of economics to the rise of classic rock, Christgau believes there was compromised socioeconomic security and diminishing collective consciousness of a new generation of listeners in the 1970s, who succeeded rock's early years during baby-boomer economic prosperity in the United States: "Not for nothing did classic rock crown the Doors' mystagogic middlebrow escapism and Led Zep's chest-thumping megalomaniac grandeur. Rhetorical self-aggrandizement that made no demands on everyday life

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3172-709: The slogan of the next generation of classic rock. Stations such as WLLZ in Detroit, WBOS in Boston, and WKQQ in Lexington play music focusing more on harder edge classic rock from the 1980s to the 2000s. Many of the artists that are featured heavily on classic rock radio are the Beatles , Blue Öyster Cult , Bob Seger , Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young , Creedence Clearwater Revival , David Bowie , The Doobie Brothers , Foreigner , Heart , Judas Priest , Mötley Crüe , The Police , Pink Floyd , Player , Steely Dan , Supertramp ,

3233-590: The station in late 1981. The station posted a #1 finish in the Fall 1992 Detroit Arbitron radio ratings with an 8.7 share. The following year, the station gained a strong competitor in WYCD , causing WWWW's ratings to decline. Recording artist Holly Dunn served as morning co-host on W4 Country during the late 1990s. Declining ratings and revenue led owners AMFM (which became part of Clear Channel Communications in August 2000) to drop

3294-664: The young audience, who was the main consumer of the records sold by the American record industry at that time. Soon, playlists became central to programming and radio formats, although the number of records in a playlist really depends on the format. By the mid-1960s, American FM radio's penetration began achieving balance with AM radio since the Federal Communications Commission required that co-owned AM and FM stations be programmed independently from each other. This resulted in huge competition between radio stations in

3355-411: Was an early classic rock radio station. In 1983, program director Paul Christy designed a format which played only early album rock, from the 1960s and early 1970s, without current music or any titles from the pop or dance side of Top 40. Another AM station airing classic rock, beginning in 1983, was KRQX in Dallas - Fort Worth . KRQX was co-owned with an album rock station, 97.9 KZEW . Management saw

3416-631: Was exactly what the times called for." Shuker attributes the rise of classic-rock radio in part to "the consumer power of the aging post-war 'baby boomers' and the appeal of this group to radio advertisers". In his opinion, classic rock also produced a rock music ideology and discussion of the music that was "heavily gendered", celebrating "a male homosocial paradigm of musicianship" that "continued to dominate subsequent discourse, not just around rock music, but of popular music more generally." Radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming ) describes

3477-475: Was hired as program director. Ratings throughout The Beat's history were moderate, usually peaking in the mid-3 share range or lower. In the last ratings book as a Rhythmic Top 40, WDTW-FM was ranked #18 with a 2.2 share of the market. On November 4, 2011, at 10 a.m., WDTW-FM changed its format back to classic rock , branded as 106.7 The D . The final song on "The Beat" was " End of the Road " by Boyz II Men , while

3538-430: Was intended to preempt Entercom's WDZH from flipping to alternative under the company's own Alt brand, which it had done with Amp Radio stations in several other markets immediately after its merger with CBS Radio (the station would instead switch to soft adult contemporary, before finally switching to alternative in 2020 in reaction to CIMX's flip to country ). WDTW-FM's alternative rock format had fallen to

3599-411: Was on AM, WCXI at 1130 kHz. WWWW became the first FM country station in Detroit since WCAR-FM 's and CKLW-FM 's brief tries at the format in the mid-1970s. As a result, WCXI's ratings fell. By the early 1990s, AM 1130 was being used as a simulcast for W4. "W4 Country" lasted almost two decades and did reasonably well in the ratings, under the leadership of programmer Barry Mardit, who joined

3660-481: Was one of the first stations to pick up Detroit radio veteran Casey Kasem 's newly syndicated countdown show, American Top 40 . In 1971, "W4" became an album oriented rock station. In 1974, it briefly styled itself "W4 Quad" during its brief use of quadrophonic transmission. In the late 1970s, album-rock W4 was one of the top-rated radio stations in Detroit. Shamrock Broadcasting purchased W4 in July 1979. The station

3721-470: Was “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” by John Rich , while the first song on “The Beat” was “ Into the Groove ” by Detroit native Madonna . The station featured a mix of current and hit rhythmic and dance music , mostly from the 1980s and 1990s, with some 1970s disco hits. By 2010, with CBS Radio 's WVMV 's flip to top 40, and sister station WKQI 's shift in a mainstream top 40 direction, WDTW began pivoting towards

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