WLIR Going off the air in 1987 on YouTube

[DougMash]

I just put up footage from LI News Tonight of WLIR-FM going off the air in December 1987. WLIR was Long Island's alternative station, and the only station in New York that played New Wave after WPIX flipped back to Top 40 in 1980. It was one of the saddest days of my life, as I was a 'LIR intern at the time.

Of the DJ's, "Larry the Duck" is now on Sirius' "First Wave," Donna Donna is now on WBAB-FM on Long Island, and "Long Tall" Andy Geller is now the voice of ABC TV, so you'll recognize his voice from Desperate Housewives/Lost, etc.

Here's the link for the spot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNgMuW6Vsf8

Also put up the "raw footage" of the final minutes (sorry the audio is so low!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDIvRNxG778

[toyah]

Doug, who knew you were up there then, how long were you an intern, what years?

[club80]

That's great, Toyah!
I will be watching it tonight! How I miss it!



We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[marie3]

I remember this well. Reillygirl worked with me at the time and we were listening at work when the format changed.
Thanks for posting the link DougMash.

[Retro_NRG]

I'll ALWAYS remember that sad milestone of WLIR's 1st passing.

That was for me, the coda / swan song for the Denis McNamara's broadcasting format and the original 'Free Flight' spirit of the station.

Yes, after those bewildering hours of mysterio music, Jarad would abruptly 'relaunch' the station under those dreadful call letters WDRE and eventually returned some (but not all) of those iconic LIR air staffers to the DRE broadcast booth, yet it would never be the same IMHO.[V]

Thanks for posting those links

<MARQUEE><h5>Moving @The Speed of Life</h5></MARQUEE>

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Retro_NRG[/i]
<br>I'll ALWAYS remember that sad milestone of WLIR's 1st passing.

That was for me, the coda / swan song for the Denis McNamara's broadcasting format and the original 'Free Flight' spirit of the station.

Yes, after those bewildering hours of mysterio music, Jarad would abruptly 'relaunch' the station under those dreadful call letters WDRE and eventually returned some (but not all) of those iconic LIR air staffers to the DRE broadcast booth, yet it would never be the same IMHO.[V]

Thanks for posting those links.

[/quote]

Ditto. These are very valuable links, Doug. Many thanks.
I will never cease to be amazed at the collective wealth of information we have here at the Outpost. It's great to serve and be a part of this community.

Does anybody here remember these WDRE commercials? They were as much a part of the station's quirky personality as anything else IMHO:

http://www.2shared.com/file/2671203/fa3 ... _WDRE.html
http://www.2shared.com/file/2671211/d2a ... rcial.html

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">Own. Rule. All.</a>

[club80]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marie3[/i]
<br>I remember this well. Reillygirl worked with me at the time and we were listening at work when the format changed.
Thanks for posting the link DougMash.
[/quote]

If I remember correctly Marie, it happened between 5pm and 7pm. It was a weeknight. I sat in my car in the parking lot of the place I worked (Chase Manhattan Bank, Garden City....just a few miles from the station). Am I right with the time?



We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[marie3]

According to the link it was about 6 p.m.
That sounds about right. I worked at a credit union then and we closed at 5:30 - 6:00 on Thursdays and Fridays. My boss had finally allowed me to bring in a small radio and play it low. I did have to switch the station to something other then WLIR once in a while when they would play something that wasn't banking appropriate. [;)]

[Frau_Blucher]

LIR gang, look on the bright side - at least you can point to a specific moment in time where the death of a good thing occurred. You have fond shared memories. You knew things weren't going to be the same. You could move on, whether that was to discover new genres or explore the old genres in more detail on your own. You can even wistfully recall those lost glory days prior to that distinct break.

Look at what KROQ fans are left with - the undead smelly, rotting husk of a once-great station that refuses to either die or resurrect itself. You guys had Elvis die young after Blue Hawaii. We have fat Elvis choking on fried chicken and amphetamines. We have no clear break between good and rotten. Sure, it was great then and we know it's rotten now, but when did that happen and how long were we being served its degenerating putrescence? Mark my words, you were the lucky ones.

[club80]

Well...fair point but it wasn't exactly a clean cut off. WLIR became WDRE with promises of little change. They kept their promise for a short while. The station became wishy washy and, after a period of a few years, could not really decide what it wanted to be. So...it was sold and became a spanish language station



We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[MARV]

I wholeheartedly agree with Blir. It's important that we're able to easily mark the the points in time when the major changes happened. Plus we have closure to the entire 92.7 saga:

http://www.2shared.com/file/2672346/fd4 ... nutes.html

It was always plain to see that the LIR/DRE jocks were like a family unlike radio ever saw before and through their sincere love for the music and the station itself, we kind of felt drawn into it also. This wasn't your Z100 or PLJ - no way. These jocks were regular fans like us and we saw them at the clubs and shows. To me, LIR was like this community treasure. But, like everything else in life, radio stations change formats and hands. It could have happened a lot, lot worse. Honestly, I kind of felt lucky that we had it as long as we did. LIR was always outside the general musical landscape. Towards the end, it was becoming pretty mainstream and to be perfectly honest, that was even more painful to see. I barely ever tuned in those last two or three years.

Considering how constant change is and how almost constantly it goes badly, I have no sour grapes over the way it ended.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">Own. Rule. All.</a>

[DougMash]

I was an airliner in 1986 & 1987. Here's my "memories":http://hometown.aol.com/dougmash/WLIR.html I stayed with the "old" WLIR too long, and all the other interns jumped to WDRE, so I was left out, hoping that Elton Spitzer would start up somewhere else on the Island like he was promising in the video.

I was normally there on Fridays 10-2, but would stay when good guests like Johnny Rotten, UB40 or Hoodoo Gurus would come to promote their Friday night shows.

On the last day, I got off of my job at Pergament in Franklin Square at 5PM, only to have my '75 Ford Maverick DOA in the parking lot, so I missed the last moments (until my friend at LI News gave me the tape!)

Alternative radio was never the same, as DRE got the prophet system that took all the personality out of programming. Funny, I think it was Tom Calderone, who later went on to ruin MTV that was at the helm of 'DRE for that. Thanks Tom!

[MARV]

Hi Doug. I'm going to e-mail you. I have a cousin who was an airliner during that time also. You must know her.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">Own. Rule. All.</a>

[club80]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marvymarv[/i]
<br>I wholeheartedly agree with Blir. It's important that we're able to easily mark the the points in time when the major changes happened. Plus we have closure to the entire 92.7 saga:

http://www.2shared.com/file/2672346/fd4 ... nutes.html

It was always plain to see that the LIR/DRE jocks were like a family unlike radio ever saw before and through their sincere love for the music and the station itself, we kind of felt drawn into it also. This wasn't your Z100 or PLJ - no way. These jocks were regular fans like us and we saw them at the clubs and shows. To me, LIR was like this community treasure. But, like everything else in life, radio stations change formats and hands. It could have happened a lot, lot worse. Honestly, I kind of felt lucky that we had it as long as we did. LIR was always outside the general musical landscape. Towards the end, it was becoming pretty mainstream and to be perfectly honest, that was even more painful to see. I barely ever tuned in those last two or three years.

Considering how constant change is and how almost constantly it goes badly, I have no sour grapes over the way it ended.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">Own. Rule. All.</a>
[/quote]


Well said...and thanks for the file!



We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[Demetri]

If I recall, the frequency went "dead" for about a day or two. Then, I want to say that I did hear the Spanish language station until FINALLY the DRE call letters came back. Is my memory serving me correctly?

Regardless, by 1987, new wave was dead and dying. No music movement last forever, and that's what makes it special. WLIR was the eye of the perfect "new wave" storm. But, with all of the new "new wave" that has happened over the past decade now, I don't know there wasn't a revival to mix the new (e.g. Ladytron, New Young Pony Club, Goldfrapp, Interpol) with the old (e.g. Depeche Mode, The Cure, Siouxsie).

Oh well... [;)]