WQXR-AM to Change Its Format, to Popular Music From Classical (original) (raw)
WQXR-AM to Change Its Format, to Popular Music From Classical
Advertisement
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
- Oct. 21, 1992
Credit...The New York Times Archives
See the article in its original context from
October 21, 1992
,
Section C, Page
TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
About the Archive
This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.
WQXR-AM, one of the two classical music radio stations owned by The New York Times, plans to change its format to play American popular music. The plan was announced yesterday by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the chairman and chief executive officer of The New York Times Company.
Under the new format, the classical music of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms will give way to the American popular standards of Ellington, Rodgers and Porter, performed by Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald. The Times has applied to the Federal Communications Commission for approval to change the station's call letters to WQEW. The format change for the station (at 1560 AM) may take effect as early as December. It will not affect the programming, personnel or call letters of WQXR-FM (96.3), which will continue to broadcast classical music.
The announcement comes two months after the sale of WNEW-AM (1130 AM), New York's pre-eminent standards station, to Michael Bloomberg L.P., a firm which supplies financial information to Wall Street and which said that it planned to convert the station to financial programming. WNEW's former owner was the Westwood One Stations Group. Reasons for Call Letters
Warren G. Bodow, the president and general manager of WQXR, said that he expected WQEW (the call letters are meant to evoke the traditions of both WQXR and WNEW) to begin broadcasting popular standards on the day that WNEW-AM switches to financial news. No date has been set for the change, however, since Bloomberg L.P. is still awaiting F.C.C. approval of its purchase. Robert K. Moore, a vice president at Westwood One, said that he expected the sale to be approved "in a matter of days."
But WQXR has already started to build the new station's staff. The program director is to be Stan Martin, who has worked on the air at several standards stations, including WNEW-AM and WPEN in Philadelphia. Last year WPEN had the highest audience rating of any station in Philadelphia, and won a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters. Mr. Martin also teaches communications at New York University.
Jonathan Schwartz, one of WNEW-AM's most popular disk jockeys, is to bring the Saturday morning all-Sinatra show he presents at WNEW to WQEW, and be the host for programs on Sunday morning and Tuesday through Friday afternoons. He will also advise the station on programming. Mr. Schwartz described the music that the new station will play as "American classical music," and as "the psychological record of 20th-century American life." Plan Long in Works
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement