WEEL
in suburban DC (Fairfax, VA) had at one time been a factor
ratings wise. In the glory days of Top 40 during the '60's,
it had a following that generated a respectable cash flow
for the station. Although always overshadowed by WEAM down
the street in Arlington as well as down the dial at 1390,
WEEL was worthy of a pre-set button on most car radios for
Northern Virginians.
As
FM dominance grew through the '70's however (by 1976, Washington
was the earliest market in the country with more FM listening
than AM), WEEL's fortunes (as well as AM's in general) began
to slide. By the time I worked there in 1981 it was merely
a shadow of its former self. Coupled with an abysmal nighttime
coverage and reduced power that made reception outside the
Fairfax City limits difficult, this was a station whose
better days were behind it.
Yet
for me personally, WEEL was the first station I ever worked
at that I had actually listened to while growing up. When
WPGC and / or WEAM were in
commercials or a bad song, WEEL was a tertiary choice worth
making. Upon leaving WOHN in Herndon, VA (which had just
gone Country), I began weekend work at WEEL early in 1981,
was hired full time as Music Director shortly afterwards
and stayed with the station playing Top 40 tunes till the
curtain fell and LBJ's family who owned it decided Country
was a better option. Ironically, my next stop after WEEL
would in fact be a Country station riding the Urban Cowboy
craze at KIX 106 in DC.
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