Posted by Rich Marino on August 02, 2007 at 11:26:09:
I've visited NYC only twice, the first time in 2005 just about one month before CBS-FM was taken away from us, and now I've just visited again one month AFTER CBS-FM returns. So I thought I could give a "then and now" type of analysis.
To show you where I'm coming from, I'm a 32 year old male who has been listening to oldies more or less since I was 18.
The music: I think the music mix sounds just as good as it did in 2005. What I am praticularly impressed with is that the music mix never becomes stale, like those often mentioned "good times, great oldies" stations. My wife (who doesn't really care for oldies) enjoyed the station a little more this time because of the increased '80s music. She likes the late '70s disco stuff too. However it still wasn't enough. Many times I only heard one '80s song per hour and I could tell she was losing interest when we heard two or more '60s songs in a row. She completely lost interest when the Top 20 show came on (Sunday night) and we had to flip around.
As some of you may know, I've been on this board saying that '50s music should not be played on CBS-FM. Well after being there and hearing it on 101.1 in person, I must admit, what they are playing DOES fit. CBS-FM is carefully selecting the songs, no ballads or doo-wop, just rock 'n roll and it still sounds fresh. Buddy Holly does sound great on CBS-FM even placed next to a '70s or '80s song.
The talent: I think my favorite has to be Bob Shannon. He is very conversational, like he is talking to you, not at you. He makes for the perfect midday companion. Didn't hear much of Dan Taylor, but Bill Lee brings a great energy to afternoons. One jock in particular from two years ago that I miss on CBS-FM is Randy Davis.
When we were leaving the area after the vacation was over, I hated to lose CBS-FM's signal, but I knew as I headed south that I could get WOGL and it would be just as good. Boy was I wrong! I found WOGL to be incredibly boring (like those "good times, great oldies" stations) so we ended up listening to CBS-FM's 101.1 neighbor (Philadelphia's B101) which was pretty good for an AC station (better I think than New York's 106.7)