I'm not in the US, but hearing a radio station die like this is saddening. RIP WPLJ, and thanks for letting it live on in video vwestlife. The station will be here on RUclips for all.
Only good thing to come out of it was that we (NY) finally got a alternative rock station back after not having one for 5 years. EDIT: Thought it was a longer period of time.
Neither did I, being a radio nerd I did know of it. Never listened to it because there wasn't a way for me to, growing up and living in Houston TX, there just wasn't a way to listen until streaming radio came along but I understand how difficult this is for the crew and the listeners. I experienced this sadness when KKBQ changed formats from CHR to Country. I grew up listening to this station. So much history and moments you remember and that are a part of the fabric of your past. Gone just like that. I listened to the farewell from Thursday afternoon until the very end (happened while I was driving to my sons graduation) All the stories, the audio, the former jocks, the emotions that poured out from everyone. It was amazing and bittersweet to hear. In the last couple of minutes before sign off I felt this kind of warmth, like when you have to brace yourself for something hard, it was coming, we reached that point, time to let go. It was sad. I was sad but I'm glad I got to experience it too. I found myself wanting more, still do
Sad. I've had family and friends share many fond memories of 95.5's olden days in the 70s and 80s. The station may be gone, but the memories and music will never die. Thanks for sharing this!
From Italy, the Country that invented Radio, salutes to the WPLJ crew. 50 years is a long lifespan and to hear it go off like this it's just the best gracious move you guys could do. Formalities aside, it brings back memories... memories of when I was a little kid, playing with friends in the park, and could hear that same radio station from the American GI's stationed in the Military base nearby, they used to blast WPLJ when they were on free time, after years I discovered that they were using some relays. Felt exotic, strange... but exciting. I couldn't get a single word of what they were saying, but I could feel the enjoyiment :)
I'm not even a New Yorker. Hell I'm in Australia and that was extremely hard to listen to. Radio stations and the voices behind the microphones become part of our lives.
Its a shame that huge conglomerates sell their stations to crappy christianity companies. I wonder if I can register the name WPLJ here in Australia, interesting. 🤔
CPWolf 24 WPLJ is where I heard so much music for the first time starting around age 9 or 10 in 1980. It’s where I heard about John Lennon’s death. First place I also heard Pat Benatar! They gave her a big intro then played Heartbreaker her first single. Sigh.
CPWolf 24 Nope! WPLJ started in 1971, not 1969. WABC-FM was at 95.5 FM back in 1969 when it was the “Love” format before it changed the call letters to WPLJ in 1971.
So sad to see one of NYC's greatest stations turn off its mic. I grew up listening to this station in the 80's as It was part of my life, my culture, my light during a tough adolescence. I moved from NY to Phx in 2001 and just today I happen to come across this video. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for posting this, and recording it for us to be able to listen to and enjoy for the last broadcast of WPLJ. It's always sad to see a great radio station go off the air. I would have to say that this is the third time in my life that I've witnessed something like this. I also wanted to say how great it is to see old school stereo equipment still working perfectly and to be able to see the tape spinning around playing and to hear the great sound off of a good cassette, on good equipment it's amazing. Love your Channel, Bennett subscriber for a long time. Take care, and thanks again for sharing this with us. Looking forward to many more great videos.
15:03 This Statement just made me cry of joy inside... I’m aspiring to do something in Radio and it has just inspired me to do more... to be more... to do what life has destined for me.
I'm not a New Yorker. Despite me being an avid internet radio peruser I don't think I have ever listened to 95.5 WPLJ but listening to this broadcast, their genre, about their past history, about their farewell, I can tell they were a great station to listen to and be a part of. I feel the loss and sadness. Thanks for sharing!
So truly sad. Was a favorite station of mine on and off throughout the years. Broke so many hearts that last hour and then the new station kicks in with “bringing you closer to Jesus”. They just fired everyone in tears. The LAST thing this did was bring me closer to Jesus.
Michael M I loved this radio station so much and it’s so sad the other people just got fired like that I wonder if I will ever hear their voices on the radio again
I worked in a Norwegian radio station playing Top 40, CHR, AC and much more from 1989 to 1991. Listening to this brings back memories of daily life at the station, and the camaraderie between all us weirdos who worked there. Thanks for sharing this with the world!
I only heard this station once when I was NYC and never realized how significant it was until it was too late. But it doesn't matter, the trembling in his voice at 15:27 is saddening. Brings back memories and I want to go back. Thank you VWestlife for recording this.
I just found out today that they shut down, I'm so sad. Around 2017 I started driving and chose to listen to my own music off of bluetooth and aux, and rarely if ever listened to the radio. Growing up I listened to WPLJ all the time, along with a couple others. It's such a shame that they are no more, a huge part of my childhood is just gone.
On a hot day in 96, I sat in NJ traffic as a 14 year old staring at the Twin Towers w/ PLJ on my Walkman..."Hungry Like the Wolf" came on...en route to FL in the family van. Those were the days! Thanks for the memory!
It's sad, but also nice, to hear a sign-off show. In CT, you get a complete surprise when you turn on a station and the music format has completely changed, call letters have changed, and listeners had no idea anything was amiss. Even other Cumulus stations...
I read somewhere from one of the wrestling message boards ... had Todd stuck around during the attitude era, rumor was he was gonna be Michael cole’s son in a storyline
I have a recording of WBCN Boston when they went out years ago. I recorded it on a DAT tape at 8 hours long on one cassette. It was the most interesting and fun ending show I have heard from the station. It ended with lots of static for and hour at the end with new station ID call now and then. It's sad to see these personalities and station formats end.
@Mason Wyberg I can't remember all the content. I didn't take any notes. I just didn't want to miss it at the time and time shift recorded it. It was the closing of the station format. I just did the same with another retired station recently WAAF. I recorded it all to analog cassette with a Pioneer cassette changer and several tapes marked in order. There is still an HD radio station for WAAF but there are no DJ's.
Another thing that’s sad is that in Norway they have cut off more or less the entire FM Network in favor of the DAB network, which to my ears has worse sound quality than FM broadcasts
Outside of some cities that aren't spread out I can't see DAB becoming very popular in the USA. It's too unstable and requires too many transmitters to cover a large area. If I drive a couple of hours east or west I can't even pick up any FM stations in a lot of areas.
Sad to hear another station closure especially when last sign off before the mic goes off. I get shocked when the station switched to K-Love after "dead air", I hope no traffic accident in NY.
i may be a few years late, but listening to a signoff of a radio station is still really saddening, especially hearing the people during the breaks, between the songs and whatnot.
955 PLJ will stay for ever in my heart. From the Eurometropole of Strasbourg, u deserve us Alsatians crying unstoppable tears U gave me the Power to go on under the European sun. Cuz you will keep the power to lighten our terrestrian lifes. PLJ DJ's will always play the difference. I wish to all the country a great 4th of July. Things have changed, manage it all right to rebirth the American dream. Hugs over the Ocean. Marc HANIN.
Man K-Love starts out INTENSE. (As a Long Islander I didn't know about this station, so I guess I missed out on another potential good music station, oh well.) What is the song by Hall and Oates? Wikipedia says it's called W-P-L-J but trying to find that only gives me... this sign-off
I suppose a lot of the former PLJ listeners moved on to other stations like Lite 106.7, Z100, 102.7 WNEW, or maybe even KTU or WBLS? (I find myself listening to the Urban AC station around the holidays somewhat due to wanting to get away from 24/7 Christmas)
I moved away from NYC just over 20 years ago at age 29 and I'd totally forgotten about WPLJ over time. I saw this today, watched, and was (sadly somehow) transported back to some of the best years of my life. It's strange that something as small as the end of a radio station can make you feel such powerful emotion. That's all I got to say about that!
I'm a French citizen from Paris and WPLJ was the soundtrack of my trips in NYC in the years 1991-1994. It's always sad to hear a great radio station finishing like this
Yes indeed! I remember that one. I have the aircheck from 2 years ago of the last day of KSWD (KKLQ) “The Sound”. The final song was Selections from side 2 of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album. Same goes with WLUP (now WCKL-FM) “The Loop” in Chicago where they did the same transition. The final song played on “The Loop” was “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC. WPLJ was a great station for 48 years from the beginning as a rock station, to Top 40, all the way to Hot AC, and finally to crappy pop. When I was a WPLJ listener, I ended listening to WGNY-FM’s “Fox Oldies”, WROW’s “Magic 590/100.5”, WALL, and WBPM. I live in the Hudson Valley area, and I listen to multiple stations of my choice where I can get oldies and classic hits fix from the loss of the good old WPLJ.
Another station victim to the leech that is K-Love. They took over WBRU-FM 95.5 in Providence, RI almost 2 years ago. Good thing is that WBRU still lives on as an internet station.
For those of you have heard his final show on WPLJ which I still have the full complete final show which is now telescoped with the music removed, I’ve just heard that Race Taylor is going to take over Dan Taylor’s midday spot on WCBS-FM starting July 22nd. Dan Taylor has been on WCBS-FM for many years, and also part of NYC radio for 40 years. As of yesterday, he is now being let go from the station, and Race Taylor will now be doing middays on WCBS-FM in 2 weeks.
Looking back three years later, and none of my thoughts about this switch has changed. There's always a sense of sadness when a radio station concludes its run, but WPLJ's has got to be one of the most emotional in radio history. The sadness through everyone's speeches, the final songs that were mature for this hour, all the way to the final word "cheers" followed by 70 seconds of radio silence. I never listened to the station as much as many older radio fans, but I deeply understand the influence that traveled through every listener's ear. EMF shouldn't have began their takeover with K-love's TOTH ID. The unnecessarily loud thud is terrifying enough when it cuts over songs. I swear, the ID here caught must've scared someone. Though, EMF in general is the media ministry that decided this. Not even the djs at K-Love seemed certain on how to feel about the decision, considering the nervousness shortly after the switch. A station that had its last legs removed instead of fixing the broken pair, all for money. I'm honestly surprised EMF kept the call sign letters. At least these archives exist... Thank you. You never know when these kind of recordings will become notations of history
At least they were nice about it and had a some dead air so listeners could leave the frequency before EMF started spilling their K(rap)LOVE all over 95.5.
@@TechGuyBeau There's a difference between judging the actual music and judging someone's taste in music. According to my old t-shirt, disco still sucks.
@Chris Cross I remember my cousin when we were teenagers was a hard core skateboarder and he and his friends all listened to Christian Death Metal. I'm not joking that was a thing.
Christian music in general is for pussies. I maybe from New Orleans,LA but I’ve been to New York City a lot of times. Rest In Peace WPLJ(1969-2019) Fuck Educational Media Foundation!
This is exactly the same thing that happened to 97.9 WLUP in Chicago. March 5, 2018 RIP WLUP We are still lucky to have many true local stations in Chicago. 97.1/96.9 The Drive is my replacement here.
Growing up as a VERY young millennial (my birth year, 1996, is currently the most common cut off) in New York City, I never really listened to WPLJ, it was all about Z100 if you wanted to listed to the Top 40s. My mom, however, is a baby boomer and couldn't believe it when we saw it on the news. It's pretty sad not just because a station with so much history is gone, but also because it's part of the larger death of radio, and I say this as someone who has hardly listened to the radio since I got my first mp3 player when I was 12 (I know, I'm part of the problem).
I wouldn't say that you're part of the problem as many of us (being 34 myself) lean towards modern technology for sources of music entertainment, but if you're using your phone/computer/tablet often, get iHeart radio or another free or subscription based application/program and you can enjoy listening just about any radio station over WiFi/network usually for free, so as long as you don't mind the ad's.
You can listen to stations that are too far away for you to receive by air on the internet. So, this station is no more and is now a Christian station? I'm a Christian but I don't like to see a station go under. I listened to some broadcasts from the 80's on youtube some with full songs that aren't cut out. I like 70's and 80's music. There are some clips of Z100 on youtube from the 80's as well playing 80's music when it was new. I think a top 40 station like that probably mostly plays newer music now like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, etc. and very little to no 80's. Some stations play a mix of 80's, 90's, and newer music. I'm from eastern PA and we have a mix station like that with the same call letters they had in the 80's but different dial position since 1997 and the old dial position became a country station. We also have a top 40 which played 80's until several years ago but now mostly plays newer music.
Even though i'm not a New Yorker by any means, but the death of a legendary radio station means a lot for me and as well as to lots of people out there that are avid listeners of PLJ. I used to receive this station a few times in Staten Island and the personality of the DJs are spectacular! Such saddening to see a unique AC station go. WPLJ, you'll be missed, along with other legendary stations in broadcast heaven.
If this happens to KRPR a local classic rock station dies, I'll probably be pretty sad, just as I was sad when KNXR one of the last true easy listening stations went off. Funny thing too when KNXR was easy listening KRPR shared the same building with KNXR, even shared some of the same DJ hosts. Man it's sad to see a good station die. 73 de David, SE/1995
I'm also in the UK, and decided to check out this video. Very powerful and compelling listening, oddly making me feel nostalgic of the 49 year history of the station, despite knowing absolutely nothing about them. I'm compelled to find out more. The breakfast show host was there for twenty seven years? That's Terry Wogan territory.
@@phishpot I always have been a radio fan and we have been very fortunate in the U.K. over the years. I also did a bit of research, but couldn't quite see why the station ceased; apart from the frequency being taken over by another station which is not exactly a minor inconvenience!
@@phishpot That long tenured host, called Todd, is a big part of why the station died. His marquee bits up until a few years ago were terrible song parodies and 10 minute long phony phone calls (you can find both on youtube; search "todd phone scam"). He blamed his doddering elderly co-host for the show's ratings trouble and station forced the geezer out. Show was partially retooled. In a bit of "just deserts", the co-host gets morning show at oldies station (WCBS-FM) and ratings skyrocket while "The Todd Show" was a ratings disaster. New on air talent brought in after retooling were eventually axed and show later added a female co-host whose claim to fame was being involved in radio contest were a woman died trying to win a Nintendo Wii.
How brilliant of a final hour for a radio station. If I ever got the chance to do my final hour on BBC Radio 1 in the UK, I would definitely pick "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance as the very last song to be played during my time on Radio 1. (I'm not sure if it relates, but it *DOES* give you an idea of how my depiction of the very last hour on a radio station should go, with inspiration from this.)
I was heard that this station was going to go of of the air. At my day care center they had this station on. They had an am and fm radio. You would see speakers on the ceiling. I also heard blink fm 102.7 wwfs fm. They also had that station on. It was so loud i was able to hear it outside and all the commercials on that station. I saw the commercial for that radio station at my aunt's house.
We lost our county radio stations for a station called heart here in the UK in the favor for a nationwide station. The breakfast show was my only solice in the mornings and now its all gone. A sad time we live in
Paul Addy Snap! It’s a shame used to be exciting to scan and check out the local stations around the country but now it’s the same automated playlists everywhere :(
EMF came here some 10 years ago (buying out 94.5 and 93.7, bring K-Love and Air 1 at the same time), later adding 101.3 for Saratoga/Glens Falls last year... although in our case, 94.5 struggled with every format they tried (dating back to the early 90s and several changes in ownership) and 93.7 was a move-in from the Glens Falls market that never got anywhere in its five years under Galaxy ownership
:( And sadly I suspect the copyright robot will kick in and kill this video before it gets too much publicity. 95.5 was my go-to station when I made my NY trips 2-3 times a year between '03 & '11. It'll be sadly missed.
I live in Raleigh NC and there are way too many terrible radio stations. I like many others are sad to see stations like these die and get replaced by these Christian/modern music radio stations. I hope some of them remain to play great classics, Christian music and modern music in general just doesn’t cut it. Anyway I never listened to this but it’s still sad to see another station like this go. I love radio, and I hope it continues to somewhat live on with stations like this if they can stick around on the air.
They bought WCCC in CT as well. Its pretty much the K-love M.O. Buy a rock station and flip it to Jesus music, fire everyone and move the station into a closet with a Satellite receiver plugged into the transmitter.
@@PeterBellefleur you hit the nail so hard it cracked the wood!! Might as well throw away microphones since you don't need them don't forget too smash the rest of the sound equipment all you need is either a phone or Sirius satellite radio I mean satellite radio 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I had missed what WPLJ used to be for quite some time now. I had veered away from it when they went towards some of today’s noise and away from what they used to play.
There's something special about these radio jingles that get me amped up. Clearly this is what they are designed to do, and it's working. Too bad that this fun station has changed formats.
Oh shit... I just left New York about 9 months ago. This is really sad to hear about. WPLJ was never my first choice of radio station, but it was always... there.
RIP WRLJ to you. My favorite station WFLI is now oldies and formally gospel from Lookout Mountain, TN my local from 25 miles away in Dalton, Georgia. I really miss the gospel format and I recorded the former ID of the gospel music WFLI in 2017. Now the ID is at the end of every song. My radio recordings are free to download using this link: archive.org/details/790WQXIAMII
Never really listened to this station being in the UK but I have heard of it and hearing the last hour before they sign off is sad because they don't get the thanks they really deserve because someone switches off and moment later someone else takes over it reminds me a little of a film called the boat that rocked where they eventually sign off and you some how feel connected to them even tho you have no clue who any of them were but thanks let's hope there momery is around alot long than the station was
The Christian network kept the calls? Interesting combo unit... 8 Track *with* digital tuner - likely not too many units would have been built in this narrow overlap period for those two features.
Cox does have some great classic rock stations that are programmed to the local market. I'd rather listen to it than the Arrow. When the Arrow left, it made The Eagle better.
We've had KEGL 97.1 The Eagle in DFW since the late 70s or so. (Except for a few year hiatus during the 2000s where the station disappeared and became spanish, and at one point "Sunny 97.1") It's not really classic rock so much as rock. So you'll hear mostly anything from Black Sabbath, Metallica, GnR, STP, Nirvana, NiN, AudioSlave, and whatever bands are current today.
What really gets me is why KLOVE couldn't have just gotten new call letters WPLJ are iconic call letters and should have been retired or parked somewhere
I remember many things involving WPLJ at Mrs J's and the Pony and the Casino and Convention Hall between '76 and '86 when I lived in Asbury. The station I knew died years ago, but still.....
Well in my area K-Love came in, but did not take control of any established station. We still have our oldest non corporate owned station which is KISR 93.7 (since 1971) they actually have grown with a HD sub channel and another station on a different frequency.
R.I.P. WPLJ. AM and FM are being killed by too many worthless commercials. I don't listen to the radio not even 80% as I used to listen 10 years ago. It's a shame what's happening. Free TV is on the same track.
J Polar the commercials are what keep the stations alive and free. It’s how they pay the bills. Agreed it’s gotten excessive and I tend to think it’s either to cover rising costs or corporate greed
Greetings from Boston! I'm saddened to see a memorable station like WPLJ end like this. The tributes were touching, the final songs were epic, but most of all, I don't like the way megacorps such as Cumulus and iHeartRadio and the like have stripped down talent at the stations to automation. What I do love, however, is the passion of listeners (yourself included) dedicated to enjoying the station they loved. I know there are other stations out there with even more dedicated followers, but the memories a station has to followers is irreplaceable.
Another thing, I haven't thought much of it until I saw this video, but I noticed a few months ago that a talk radio station I regularly listen to suddenly sounded different. It kinda has a weird reverb or something. I'm not sure how to describe it. I noticed it on my car radio and a portable hand held radio. I just figured there was a problem with their transmitter. But I hear the same sound with the station featured in this video. Maybe slightly garbled would be a more accurate description of the sound. Any radio experts here? Could it be something to do with the digital HD signal that is sharing the frequency?
EMF bought a pair of radio stations here as well. However, we're lucky enough that nothing of value was lost. iHeart was able to shuffle around a few stations. Just like shown here, I recorded the station swaps here on tape. I have all the audio on my channel (shameless plug, sorry) if interested.
Did anyone hear when K Love took over the 97.9 Frequency that was "The Loop" in Chicago? Cumulus moved The Loop's programming to 101.1 WKQX HD-2, and it's streaming to this day. The Loop was on since 1977. My opinion, since Cumulus moved the WLUP calls to one of their other stations outside the Chicago Market, after thier Bankrupcy is over, they will find to some way to buy or get The Loop back on another "HD-1" Channel. Cumulus should have sold Westwood One Radio Networks instead of these long running FM Stations, my opinion!
![Megan Thee Stallion - Bigger In Texas [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QxTkZTLWdo4/mqdefault.jpg)
You got the chance to record it on tape. How appropriate Vwestlife.
I was lucky to even be able to tune to PLJ from my 1970s Sansui 7070 at all to get a recording.
I'm from NC it breaks my heart a local radio station is being took away
Better believe dude even has it on 8-track...
I record most of my radio recordings to cassettes
I'm not in the US, but hearing a radio station die like this is saddening.
RIP WPLJ, and thanks for letting it live on in video vwestlife. The station will be here on RUclips for all.
Media conglomerates were the worst thing to ever happen to local radio.
Change my mind.
Only good thing to come out of it was that we (NY) finally got a alternative rock station back after not having one for 5 years.
EDIT: Thought it was a longer period of time.
I won't change your mind. I agree.
but they will try to tell you that they saved radio
pay 4 pray broadcasters are worse
That's accurate.
Another legend going to silence thank you WPLJ for all these great years of music.
i hate leyends!
48 not 50
I don't even live anywhere close to this station and I feel great sadness.
Neither did I, being a radio nerd I did know of it. Never listened to it because there wasn't a way for me to, growing up and living in Houston TX, there just wasn't a way to listen until streaming radio came along but I understand how difficult this is for the crew and the listeners. I experienced this sadness when KKBQ changed formats from CHR to Country. I grew up listening to this station. So much history and moments you remember and that are a part of the fabric of your past. Gone just like that. I listened to the farewell from Thursday afternoon until the very end (happened while I was driving to my sons graduation) All the stories, the audio, the former jocks, the emotions that poured out from everyone. It was amazing and bittersweet to hear. In the last couple of minutes before sign off I felt this kind of warmth, like when you have to brace yourself for something hard, it was coming, we reached that point, time to let go. It was sad. I was sad but I'm glad I got to experience it too. I found myself wanting more, still do
I am. I am from Long Island however I never really listen to their station anyway
Sad. I've had family and friends share many fond memories of 95.5's olden days in the 70s and 80s. The station may be gone, but the memories and music will never die. Thanks for sharing this!
From Italy, the Country that invented Radio, salutes to the WPLJ crew. 50 years is a long lifespan and to hear it go off like this it's just the best gracious move you guys could do.
Formalities aside, it brings back memories... memories of when I was a little kid, playing with friends in the park, and could hear that same radio station from the American GI's stationed in the Military base nearby, they used to blast WPLJ when they were on free time, after years I discovered that they were using some relays. Felt exotic, strange... but exciting. I couldn't get a single word of what they were saying, but I could feel the enjoyiment :)
I'm not even a New Yorker. Hell I'm in Australia and that was extremely hard to listen to. Radio stations and the voices behind the microphones become part of our lives.
Its a shame that huge conglomerates sell their stations to crappy christianity companies.
I wonder if I can register the name WPLJ here in Australia, interesting. 🤔
What radio station you listen to?
@@NickSamon Myself, I run my own online radio station, so I can probably say my own.
No callsign rn, but im working on it.
R.I.P. WPLJ [1969-2019]
An Amazing 50 Years it has been for them.
CPWolf 24 WPLJ is where I heard so much music for the first time starting around age 9 or 10 in 1980. It’s where I heard about John Lennon’s death. First place I also heard Pat Benatar! They gave her a big intro then played Heartbreaker her first single. Sigh.
CPWolf 24 Nope! WPLJ started in 1971, not 1969. WABC-FM was at 95.5 FM back in 1969 when it was the “Love” format before it changed the call letters to WPLJ in 1971.
@@Musicradio77Network do you want to watch my EAS RUclips video
No it started in 1971. In 1969 95.5 was at WABC fm (not 77 wabc).
So sad to see one of NYC's greatest stations turn off its mic. I grew up listening to this station in the 80's as It was part of my life, my culture, my light during a tough adolescence. I moved from NY to Phx in 2001 and just today I happen to come across this video. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for posting this, and recording it for us to be able to listen to and enjoy for the last broadcast of WPLJ. It's always sad to see a great radio station go off the air. I would have to say that this is the third time in my life that I've witnessed something like this. I also wanted to say how great it is to see old school stereo equipment still working perfectly and to be able to see the tape spinning around playing and to hear the great sound off of a good cassette, on good equipment it's amazing. Love your Channel, Bennett subscriber for a long time. Take care, and thanks again for sharing this with us. Looking forward to many more great videos.
15:03 This Statement just made me cry of joy inside... I’m aspiring to do something in Radio and it has just inspired me to do more... to be more... to do what life has destined for me.
Terrestrial radio may be dying, but the art of using your voice to get a message out there will never die.
I'm not a New Yorker. Despite me being an avid internet radio peruser I don't think I have ever listened to 95.5 WPLJ but listening to this broadcast, their genre, about their past history, about their farewell, I can tell they were a great station to listen to and be a part of. I feel the loss and sadness. Thanks for sharing!
So truly sad. Was a favorite station of mine on and off throughout the years.
Broke so many hearts that last hour and then the new station kicks in with “bringing you closer to Jesus”. They just fired everyone in tears.
The LAST thing this did was bring me closer to Jesus.
Michael M I loved this radio station so much and it’s so sad the other people just got fired like that I wonder if I will ever hear their voices on the radio again
I worked in a Norwegian radio station playing Top 40, CHR, AC and much more from 1989 to 1991.
Listening to this brings back memories of daily life at the station, and the camaraderie between all us weirdos who worked there.
Thanks for sharing this with the world!
What great radio reception 🥰 so crisp and clear. I’ve never had radio this clear
I only heard this station once when I was NYC and never realized how significant it was until it was too late. But it doesn't matter, the trembling in his voice at 15:27 is saddening. Brings back memories and I want to go back. Thank you VWestlife for recording this.
He sounds so sad :((
I just found out today that they shut down, I'm so sad. Around 2017 I started driving and chose to listen to my own music off of bluetooth and aux, and rarely if ever listened to the radio. Growing up I listened to WPLJ all the time, along with a couple others. It's such a shame that they are no more, a huge part of my childhood is just gone.
Awwww. I grew up listening to WPLJ and WNEW 102.7 in the 70s...
@Blind Kid no. Did you know that a lot of those DJs are now on Sirius XM classic vinyl and plastic rewind? No Scott Muni, or Dennis Ellsis....
On a hot day in 96, I sat in NJ traffic as a 14 year old staring at the Twin Towers w/ PLJ on my Walkman..."Hungry Like the Wolf" came on...en route to FL in the family van. Those were the days! Thanks for the memory!
It's sad, but also nice, to hear a sign-off show. In CT, you get a complete surprise when you turn on a station and the music format has completely changed, call letters have changed, and listeners had no idea anything was amiss. Even other Cumulus stations...
So long, Todd Pettengill! Your voice lives on in 90s WWF broadcasts on the WWE Network.
maybe he go to AEW
I read somewhere from one of the wrestling message boards ... had Todd stuck around during the attitude era, rumor was he was gonna be Michael cole’s son in a storyline
I have a recording of WBCN Boston when they went out years ago. I recorded it on a DAT tape at 8 hours long on one cassette. It was the most interesting and fun ending show I have heard from the station. It ended with lots of static for and hour at the end with new station ID call now and then. It's sad to see these personalities and station formats end.
@Mason Wyberg I can't remember all the content. I didn't take any notes. I just didn't want to miss it at the time and time shift recorded it. It was the closing of the station format. I just did the same with another retired station recently WAAF. I recorded it all to analog cassette with a Pioneer cassette changer and several tapes marked in order. There is still an HD radio station for WAAF but there are no DJ's.
@Mason Wyberg The tapes an equipment are in storage at the moment.
Another thing that’s sad is that in Norway they have cut off more or less the entire FM Network in favor of the DAB network, which to my ears has worse sound quality than FM broadcasts
Outside of some cities that aren't spread out I can't see DAB becoming very popular in the USA. It's too unstable and requires too many transmitters to cover a large area. If I drive a couple of hours east or west I can't even pick up any FM stations in a lot of areas.
Sad to hear another station closure especially when last sign off before the mic goes off.
I get shocked when the station switched to K-Love after "dead air", I hope no traffic accident in NY.
So sad when a radio station closes ...its like losing a friend..
i may be a few years late, but listening to a signoff of a radio station is still really saddening, especially hearing the people during the breaks, between the songs and whatnot.
Thanks for posting this. Grew up on this station and Z100 in the 80's.
I'm 60 and those of us that use to listen to radio all the time when we were younger now spend our time watching videos on youtube :)
955 PLJ will stay for ever in my heart. From the Eurometropole of Strasbourg, u deserve us Alsatians crying unstoppable tears U gave me the Power to go on under the European sun.
Cuz you will keep the power to lighten our terrestrian lifes. PLJ DJ's will always play the difference.
I wish to all the country a great 4th of July. Things have changed, manage it all right to rebirth the American dream.
Hugs over the Ocean.
Marc HANIN.
Welcome to the "EMF took my favorite radio station" club.
Entercom merger killed my favorite station ever
@@PhantomPraetor Let me guess: CBS-FM 101.1?
Man K-Love starts out INTENSE. (As a Long Islander I didn't know about this station, so I guess I missed out on another potential good music station, oh well.)
What is the song by Hall and Oates? Wikipedia says it's called W-P-L-J but trying to find that only gives me... this sign-off
The full name is "White Port and Lemon Juice": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Deuces#W-P-L-J
@@vwestlife Ah, I see. Thanks!
I suppose a lot of the former PLJ listeners moved on to other stations like Lite 106.7, Z100, 102.7 WNEW, or maybe even KTU or WBLS? (I find myself listening to the Urban AC station around the holidays somewhat due to wanting to get away from 24/7 Christmas)
I moved away from NYC just over 20 years ago at age 29 and I'd totally forgotten about WPLJ over time. I saw this today, watched, and was (sadly somehow) transported back to some of the best years of my life. It's strange that something as small as the end of a radio station can make you feel such powerful emotion. That's all I got to say about that!
I'm a French citizen from Paris and WPLJ was the soundtrack of my trips in NYC in the years 1991-1994. It's always sad to hear a great radio station finishing like this
How terrible. My thoughts go out to all the listeners and employees. Things will never ever be the same. Cheers everyone.
WOW the same way 100.3 The Sound went down in LA with almost exactly the same transition
Yes indeed! I remember that one. I have the aircheck from 2 years ago of the last day of KSWD (KKLQ) “The Sound”. The final song was Selections from side 2 of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album.
Same goes with WLUP (now WCKL-FM) “The Loop” in Chicago where they did the same transition. The final song played on “The Loop” was “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC.
WPLJ was a great station for 48 years from the beginning as a rock station, to Top 40, all the way to Hot AC, and finally to crappy pop.
When I was a WPLJ listener, I ended listening to WGNY-FM’s “Fox Oldies”, WROW’s “Magic 590/100.5”, WALL, and WBPM. I live in the Hudson Valley area, and I listen to multiple stations of my choice where I can get oldies and classic hits fix from the loss of the good old WPLJ.
@@Musicradio77Network ha Highway To Hell? Nice of Chicago to stick it to the man XD
@@xx-mreba-xx4051 WCCC Hartford went off with Pantera's Walk.
Talk 106.7 Atlanta Now K-Love Worship Station now (WAKL-FM)
Another station victim to the leech that is K-Love. They took over WBRU-FM 95.5 in Providence, RI almost 2 years ago. Good thing is that WBRU still lives on as an internet station.
For those of you have heard his final show on WPLJ which I still have the full complete final show which is now telescoped with the music removed, I’ve just heard that Race Taylor is going to take over Dan Taylor’s midday spot on WCBS-FM starting July 22nd.
Dan Taylor has been on WCBS-FM for many years, and also part of NYC radio for 40 years. As of yesterday, he is now being let go from the station, and Race Taylor will now be doing middays on WCBS-FM in 2 weeks.
Looking back three years later, and none of my thoughts about this switch has changed. There's always a sense of sadness when a radio station concludes its run, but WPLJ's has got to be one of the most emotional in radio history. The sadness through everyone's speeches, the final songs that were mature for this hour, all the way to the final word "cheers" followed by 70 seconds of radio silence. I never listened to the station as much as many older radio fans, but I deeply understand the influence that traveled through every listener's ear. EMF shouldn't have began their takeover with K-love's TOTH ID. The unnecessarily loud thud is terrifying enough when it cuts over songs. I swear, the ID here caught must've scared someone. Though, EMF in general is the media ministry that decided this. Not even the djs at K-Love seemed certain on how to feel about the decision, considering the nervousness shortly after the switch. A station that had its last legs removed instead of fixing the broken pair, all for money. I'm honestly surprised EMF kept the call sign letters. At least these archives exist... Thank you. You never know when these kind of recordings will become notations of history
I remember In the 80s when 66WNBC counted down to their sign off. A short pause , then WFAN signed on.
I grew up with this radio station and got to listen it’s final broadcast it felt so eerie to hear nothing afterwards
Ugh. K-dud claims another one.
PLJ and Z100 were the top 40 stations when I was a kid...
At least they were nice about it and had a some dead air so listeners could leave the frequency before EMF started spilling their K(rap)LOVE all over 95.5.
Was that a Christian rock channel? Christian rock killed this station? Wow.
@@TechGuyBeau If you enjoy the communal brainwashing, go rite on ahead. But people who enjoy this music are a minority group.
@@TechGuyBeau
There's a difference between judging the actual music and judging someone's taste in music. According to my old t-shirt, disco still sucks.
@Chris Cross I remember my cousin when we were teenagers was a hard core skateboarder and he and his friends all listened to Christian Death Metal. I'm not joking that was a thing.
Christian music in general is for pussies. I maybe from New Orleans,LA but I’ve been to New York City a lot of times. Rest In Peace WPLJ(1969-2019) Fuck Educational Media Foundation!
This is exactly the same thing that happened to 97.9 WLUP in Chicago. March 5, 2018 RIP WLUP
We are still lucky to have many true local stations in Chicago. 97.1/96.9 The Drive is my replacement here.
When the Station said it’s last goodbye And The new programming started it honestly made me cry😢
i’m going to miss this station. i used to stream it all the time
Growing up as a VERY young millennial (my birth year, 1996, is currently the most common cut off) in New York City, I never really listened to WPLJ, it was all about Z100 if you wanted to listed to the Top 40s. My mom, however, is a baby boomer and couldn't believe it when we saw it on the news. It's pretty sad not just because a station with so much history is gone, but also because it's part of the larger death of radio, and I say this as someone who has hardly listened to the radio since I got my first mp3 player when I was 12 (I know, I'm part of the problem).
I wouldn't say that you're part of the problem as many of us (being 34 myself) lean towards modern technology for sources of music entertainment, but if you're using your phone/computer/tablet often, get iHeart radio or another free or subscription based application/program and you can enjoy listening just about any radio station over WiFi/network usually for free, so as long as you don't mind the ad's.
You can listen to stations that are too far away for you to receive by air on the internet. So, this station is no more and is now a Christian station? I'm a Christian but I don't like to see a station go under. I listened to some broadcasts from the 80's on youtube some with full songs that aren't cut out. I like 70's and 80's music. There are some clips of Z100 on youtube from the 80's as well playing 80's music when it was new. I think a top 40 station like that probably mostly plays newer music now like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, etc. and very little to no 80's. Some stations play a mix of 80's, 90's, and newer music. I'm from eastern PA and we have a mix station like that with the same call letters they had in the 80's but different dial position since 1997 and the old dial position became a country station. We also have a top 40 which played 80's until several years ago but now mostly plays newer music.
Even though i'm not a New Yorker by any means, but the death of a legendary radio station means a lot for me and as well as to lots of people out there that are avid listeners of PLJ. I used to receive this station a few times in Staten Island and the personality of the DJs are spectacular! Such saddening to see a unique AC station go. WPLJ, you'll be missed, along with other legendary stations in broadcast heaven.
WPLJが終わっていたのですか、残念です。1971年の4月12日、Procol HarumのRobinTrowerとBJWilson在籍時、最後で、最高のライブを届けてくれて、ありがとうございました。本当に感謝しています。私にとって一生の思い出であり、宝物です。
My friend told me about this yesterday, I'm currently watching this and trying to hold back tears, this was my favorite radio station !
If this happens to KRPR a local classic rock station dies, I'll probably be pretty sad, just as I was sad when KNXR one of the last true easy listening stations went off. Funny thing too when KNXR was easy listening KRPR shared the same building with KNXR, even shared some of the same DJ hosts. Man it's sad to see a good station die.
73 de David, SE/1995
Thank You for posting this! Another great station in a huge market going away! SAD!! E
THe end of a era I lived in NY most of my life. Wish I could have listened more but got stationed in VA. Take care you glorious masters of the AIR.
Very poignant and interesting. I am in the U.K. and never knew about 95.5 sadly.
I'm also in the UK, and decided to check out this video. Very powerful and compelling listening, oddly making me feel nostalgic of the 49 year history of the station, despite knowing absolutely nothing about them. I'm compelled to find out more. The breakfast show host was there for twenty seven years? That's Terry Wogan territory.
@@phishpot I always have been a radio fan and we have been very fortunate in the U.K. over the years. I also did a bit of research, but couldn't quite see why the station ceased; apart from the frequency being taken over by another station which is not exactly a minor inconvenience!
@@phishpot That long tenured host, called Todd, is a big part of why the station died. His marquee bits up until a few years ago were terrible song parodies and 10 minute long phony phone calls (you can find both on youtube; search "todd phone scam"). He blamed his doddering elderly co-host for the show's ratings trouble and station forced the geezer out. Show was partially retooled. In a bit of "just deserts", the co-host gets morning show at oldies station (WCBS-FM) and ratings skyrocket while "The Todd Show" was a ratings disaster. New on air talent brought in after retooling were eventually axed and show later added a female co-host whose claim to fame was being involved in radio contest were a woman died trying to win a Nintendo Wii.
I'm from New York York very sad, 50 years no more it's like losing a family memebr😥
How brilliant of a final hour for a radio station. If I ever got the chance to do my final hour on BBC Radio 1 in the UK, I would definitely pick "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance as the very last song to be played during my time on Radio 1. (I'm not sure if it relates, but it *DOES* give you an idea of how my depiction of the very last hour on a radio station should go, with inspiration from this.)
I've DXed this station from all the way in central Pa back in the 90s.
This reminds me of Tejano radio station in Lubbock Texas KHLK 104.3 they played the best tejano music till the ownet of the radio station died
I sure miss 95.5 PLJ even tho I didn't tune often.
The Dave Mathews bit brought me to tears.
I was heard that this station was going to go of of the air. At my day care center they had this station on. They had an am and fm radio. You would see speakers on the ceiling. I also heard blink fm 102.7 wwfs fm. They also had that station on. It was so loud i was able to hear it outside and all the commercials on that station. I saw the commercial for that radio station at my aunt's house.
We lost our county radio stations for a station called heart here in the UK in the favor for a nationwide station. The breakfast show was my only solice in the mornings and now its all gone. A sad time we live in
The only radio station I can bare listening to in UK now is Radio x or radio 1. Most of local radio is now dead 😥
Paul Addy Snap! It’s a shame used to be exciting to scan and check out the local stations around the country but now it’s the same automated playlists everywhere :(
I had no clue this was a real station I only heard of it through the "kill the the wabbit".
Excellent! Thank you for this. Sad to see a great local station go like this.
EMF came here some 10 years ago (buying out 94.5 and 93.7, bring K-Love and Air 1 at the same time), later adding 101.3 for Saratoga/Glens Falls last year... although in our case, 94.5 struggled with every format they tried (dating back to the early 90s and several changes in ownership) and 93.7 was a move-in from the Glens Falls market that never got anywhere in its five years under Galaxy ownership
K-LOVE SUCKS!!!!!
:( And sadly I suspect the copyright robot will kick in and kill this video before it gets too much publicity.
95.5 was my go-to station when I made my NY trips 2-3 times a year between '03 & '11. It'll be sadly missed.
I lived in nyc from 1969-2017. My childhood is memories of 93.1 what,cd101.9,ktu(both variety),zrock and now the loss of plj.
Just found out about this today..... WPLJ was always on the car radio when i was a kid... :(
I live in Raleigh NC and there are way too many terrible radio stations. I like many others are sad to see stations like these die and get replaced by these Christian/modern music radio stations. I hope some of them remain to play great classics, Christian music and modern music in general just doesn’t cut it. Anyway I never listened to this but it’s still sad to see another station like this go. I love radio, and I hope it continues to somewhat live on with stations like this if they can stick around on the air.
I don’t know about WRQX because it’s being sold to the same company that WPLJ was sold too.
They bought WCCC in CT as well. Its pretty much the K-love M.O. Buy a rock station and flip it to Jesus music, fire everyone and move the station into a closet with a Satellite receiver plugged into the transmitter.
@@PeterBellefleur you hit the nail so hard it cracked the wood!! Might as well throw away microphones since you don't need them don't forget too smash the rest of the sound equipment all you need is either a phone or Sirius satellite radio I mean satellite radio 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I had missed what WPLJ used to be for quite some time now. I had veered away from it when they went towards some of today’s noise and away from what they used to play.
There's something special about these radio jingles that get me amped up. Clearly this is what they are designed to do, and it's working. Too bad that this fun station has changed formats.
Oh shit... I just left New York about 9 months ago. This is really sad to hear about. WPLJ was never my first choice of radio station, but it was always... there.
I recorded the last 1/2 hour onto a CD in my LP-R660USB. This was saved as 1 of my presets, and I notice that now, 95.5 doesn't come in as clear.
I use to listen to that station when I lived in NJ back in the 70s
RIP WRLJ to you. My favorite station WFLI is now oldies and formally gospel from Lookout Mountain, TN my local from 25 miles away in Dalton, Georgia. I really miss the gospel format and I recorded the former ID of the gospel music WFLI in 2017. Now the ID is at the end of every song.
My radio recordings are free to download using this link: archive.org/details/790WQXIAMII
its WPLJ
wow... would always listen to this station
Never really listened to this station being in the UK but I have heard of it and hearing the last hour before they sign off is sad because they don't get the thanks they really deserve because someone switches off and moment later someone else takes over it reminds me a little of a film called the boat that rocked where they eventually sign off and you some how feel connected to them even tho you have no clue who any of them were but thanks let's hope there momery is around alot long than the station was
Smile 😊 because it happened. I miss u 😘 wplj
The Christian network kept the calls?
Interesting combo unit... 8 Track *with* digital tuner - likely not too many units would have been built in this narrow overlap period for those two features.
EMF is keeping the WPLJ call letters, at least for now, because they're considered "historic".
It's actually an analog tuner with a digital readout.
You could get 8 track machines well into the 80's...mainly aimed at recording.
@@vwestlife They think it means Praise the Lord Jesus, but its till "Jesus Mc Radio" to me.
I greatly miss WPLJ
In Houston we had rock 101 KLOL. Pissed me off when they got rid of it. Now we have 106.9 the eagle. . its pretty good for classic rock
Cox does have some great classic rock stations that are programmed to the local market. I'd rather listen to it than the Arrow. When the Arrow left, it made The Eagle better.
We've had KEGL 97.1 The Eagle in DFW since the late 70s or so. (Except for a few year hiatus during the 2000s where the station disappeared and became spanish, and at one point "Sunny 97.1") It's not really classic rock so much as rock. So you'll hear mostly anything from Black Sabbath, Metallica, GnR, STP, Nirvana, NiN, AudioSlave, and whatever bands are current today.
I’m a Christian, but the fact that KLove is doing this to locally owned radio stations is infuriating.
I agree with you.
What really gets me is why KLOVE couldn't have just gotten new call letters WPLJ are iconic call letters and should have been retired or parked somewhere
100.3 KSWD The Sound in Los Angeles, California, also switched to the K Love christian format, too, so, you're not the only one.
I had no idea until i suddenly stoped and listened to the music they were playing, caught me off guard
@@xx-mreba-xx4051 I was like wait a minute, where's the rock n roll?
@@thevacdude exactly, really miss that thing where they played music off an actual record pops clicks and all
I remember many things involving WPLJ at Mrs J's and the Pony and the Casino and Convention Hall between '76 and '86 when I lived in Asbury. The station I knew died years ago, but still.....
Well in my area K-Love came in, but did not take control of any established station. We still have our oldest non corporate owned station which is KISR 93.7 (since 1971) they actually have grown with a HD sub channel and another station on a different frequency.
R.I.P. WPLJ. AM and FM are being killed by too many worthless commercials. I don't listen to the radio not even 80% as I used to listen 10 years ago. It's a shame what's happening. Free TV is on the same track.
J Polar the commercials are what keep the stations alive and free. It’s how they pay the bills. Agreed it’s gotten excessive and I tend to think it’s either to cover rising costs or corporate greed
I MISS WPLJ 95.5 FM.
Could you do an video of the silver casette /8 track /radio combination ?
Yes, I'm planning to. Clydesight did a video about a similar one without the 8-track player: ruclips.net/video/0JEAlsuMW98/видео.html
Greetings from Boston! I'm saddened to see a memorable station like WPLJ end like this. The tributes were touching, the final songs were epic, but most of all, I don't like the way megacorps such as Cumulus and iHeartRadio and the like have stripped down talent at the stations to automation. What I do love, however, is the passion of listeners (yourself included) dedicated to enjoying the station they loved. I know there are other stations out there with even more dedicated followers, but the memories a station has to followers is irreplaceable.
Another thing, I haven't thought much of it until I saw this video, but I noticed a few months ago that a talk radio station I regularly listen to suddenly sounded different. It kinda has a weird reverb or something. I'm not sure how to describe it. I noticed it on my car radio and a portable hand held radio. I just figured there was a problem with their transmitter.
But I hear the same sound with the station featured in this video.
Maybe slightly garbled would be a more accurate description of the sound.
Any radio experts here? Could it be something to do with the digital HD signal that is sharing the frequency?
EMF bought a pair of radio stations here as well. However, we're lucky enough that nothing of value was lost. iHeart was able to shuffle around a few stations. Just like shown here, I recorded the station swaps here on tape. I have all the audio on my channel (shameless plug, sorry) if interested.
Did anyone hear when K Love took over the 97.9 Frequency that was "The Loop" in Chicago? Cumulus moved The Loop's programming to 101.1 WKQX HD-2, and it's streaming to this day. The Loop was on since 1977. My opinion, since Cumulus moved the WLUP calls to one of their other stations outside the Chicago Market, after thier Bankrupcy is over, they will find to some way to buy or get The Loop back on another "HD-1" Channel. Cumulus should have sold Westwood One Radio Networks instead of these long running FM Stations, my opinion!
Oh wow I forgot the final broadcast happened
thanks for this one VWestlife....
Good luck to the guy with the baby girl. This is actually quite saddening.
Wow what a shame sad to see this radio station go it sounded like it was a really good program. Good sound quality too!
the last thing the world needs is more christian music