It's hit the road, Jack! Oldies will come back to 101.1FM

BY CRISTINA KINON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Hit the road, Jack! Those oldies but goodies are coming home to WCBS-FM.

Radio Business Report, a trade magazine, reported on its online newsletter yesterday that WCBS-FM will return to its oldies format, maybe as soon as next week.

After 33 years of rocking retro tunes, 101.1 switched over to a more youth-targeted format dubbed "Jack" back in 2005.

The change, including the firing of longtime deejays Bruce (Cousin Brucie) Morrow and Harry Harrison, enraged loyal listeners and caused a 31% dip in revenue.

Even longtime fans Mayor Bloomberg and Sen. Chuck Schumer were said to be up-in-arms about the switch.

A format reversal and return to the hits of the '50s, '60s and '70s could mean a revived audience for the depleted station.

"I heard the rumors and I expected it for the last year," Morrow told the Daily News. "This station [Jack] did not sound like a New York radio station."

"[The format switch to Jack] was a grave injustice but you know, two years have passed and I think the most important part of this whole thing is wounds have healed," Morrow said.

"[CBS] got rid of the non-New Yorkers, the nonbroadcasters, and they're getting ready to turn a page," he said. "And when people are ready to turn a page you say, you know what? Let's try this."

Morrow credits CBS Radio President and Chief Executive Dan Mason as the brains behind the new direction.

"He is a real broadcaster, and I would assume he knows what he's doing," Morrow said. "He's a very astute man and he's quite good. I'm thrilled that he's going to be running that shop."

The day after Jack took over the airwaves two years ago, Morrow signed a three-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio and has since been spinning oldies for them on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

"I'm quite happy with what I'm doing now," Morrow said, when asked if he'd consider double broadcasting duty or a full switch back to WCBS. "I intend to fulfill my contract ... [but] we are in a very, very unusual business, the business of radio. Anything is possible."

Even the opportunity to win back fans.

When told of the possible oldies revival the mayor's press secretary said, "Mike Bloomberg has always believed in second chances."

A spokesman for CBS Radio had no comment.

As you probably know, WCBS-FM is back as of 1:01 PM, they got rid of that awful "Jack" format, but here we go again! Now, the station that are now are playing the classic hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's. It's great to hear CBS-FM back to the New York City airwaves. Kudos to the people!

I am kinda going to miss Jack FM but i'm glad they will now be playing 80s along with their oldies now.

80s music is now considered oldies music? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Anything can be a classic, but oldies has such a stigma to it...At least to me. God, I feel old...Again.

Awesome!!!! Great news.

Don't worry! You'll hear "Jack" on HD-2 if you can get HD radio, or you can listen to it online at www.ilikejack.com

CBS-FM is back where it belongs on 101.1!

It'll be a matter of time before '90s music is oldies too.

It'll probably be like another year or two. Wow. Just wow. That's all I can say.

That cool We have a radio station that just playing oldies that the only station i listen to or the pirates football game on the flint radio station when they are on the away game well ares are 104.3 WBKS-5 here in port huron

you could've posted this in your other Jack FM thread... but I merged them so it's no problem ;)

Also ironically I noticed that this thread was started on 7-7-7... :D

It's like the rise, the fall, and then the rise again of WCBS-FM!