WODS
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| WODS | |
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| City of license | Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Broadcast area | Greater Boston |
| Branding | Oldies 103.3 |
| Slogan | "The Greatest Hits of the 60s and 70s" |
| Frequency | 103.3 (MHz) (Also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Format | Oldies/Classic Hits |
| ERP | 16,000 watts |
| HAAT | 270 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 9639 |
| Callsign meaning | WODS OlDieS |
| Owner | CBS Radio |
| Sister stations | WBCN, WBMX, WBZ, WZLX |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.oldies1033.com |
WODS, known on-air as "Oldies 103.3," is a radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. WODS has a Oldies/Classic Hits format with music mostly from 1964 to 1979 (with an occasional early 80's song), and is also involved in the organization of several concerts and events within the Boston area. WODS is a CBS Radio station. The station plays little if any songs from before 1964.
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[edit] History
WODS began as WEEI-FM in 1948. It ran CBS's "The Young Sound" format beginning in 1965 after FCC regulations forced it to cease to be a 24-hour relay of the AM side (WEEI 590). "The Young Sound" was an easy listening format focusing on instrumental versions on recent pop tunes. In 1969, the other CBS-owned FM stations would switch to an Album Rock format while WEEI FM remained an easy listening station. By the 1970s, WEEI FM evolved into an adult contemporary format. The station evolved into a Top 40 format by the late 1970s and in 1980 became a Hot Hits station playing mostly current product. By 1981 all of the Owned and Operated CBS FM radio stations employed the Hot Hits format except for WCBS-FM. Unlike sister stations though, WEEI FM played hits from the past several years all along. The other Hot Hits stations evolved to what WEEI FM was doing in 1983. By then, the Los Angeles station had dropped the format and reverted back to adult rock.
In 1983 WEEI changed call letters to WHTT after WEEI (AM) was sold, WEEI-FM is now the call for the Westerly/Providence, Rhode Island relay of the current WEEI (AM), now on 850). The station was for a time in the mid 1980s one of Boston's most popular stations, but its stay at the top of the Arbitron ratings was not to last. WHTT continued with a Top 40 format until July of 1986. At that point ratings were decent but it was determined that it was tough competing directly with WXKS Kiss 108 as well as WZOU (now WJMN). Top 40 formats are generally hard to sell unless ratings are extremely high. It was also determined that Boston could not support three viable Top 40 stations. As a result WHTT launched an adult rock format known as "Boston's Quality Rock" playing a blend of softer Album Rock cuts, pop rock cuts, aome eclectic smooth jazz, and a few mainstream pop hits. The airstaff stayed on from WHTT initially, though most would gradually leave over the next year. The station became WMRQ. The ratings went downhill fast.
In October of 1987, the station switched to an oldies format playing the Rock and Roll Hits from 1955 to 1969. The station had a very deep playlist playing a larger number of songs than most oldies stations. Call letters soon were changed to WODS and the station became known as "Oldies 103". WMRQ's airstaff stayed with the station despite the format change. Several of these people are still with the station today. By 1989, WODS was also playing a very limited amount of music from the early 70s up to 1972 mixed with the 50s and 60s. Over the years WODS stayed consistent with little changes in the music. The airstaff gradually evolved but the turnover at the station is lower than the norm.
As time went on, WODS Oldies 103 added more 70s music but continued to focus on the 1960s and still played a considerable amount of pre-1964 oldies. In 2001 however, WODS began to move away from 50s music. The station added more late 1970s songs as well as a few 1980s hits.
At the end of 2001, the legendary Little Walter's Sunday Night Time Machine was replaced with the more generic "The Lost 45s with Barry Scott." In 2002 most of the pre-1964 oldies were eliminated and are now rarely if ever heard. WODS got deeper into music of the 1970s. Today WODS is just about half 1964-1969 and half 1970-1979. Occasionally they play a song from the 1980s. Prior to the mid 1990s WODS only played moderate amounts of Christmas music during the holiday season and did not go wall to wall even on Christmas. Beginning in the late 1990s the station began wall to wall Christmas Music on Christmas Eve and continued until Christmas evening. Beginning in 2003, WODS has played holiday music from a week before Thanksgiving until Christmas day. However in 2007, they started their Christmas Music Ambush on Monday November 12th- the earliest is has ever been. WODS has added Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 70's Saturdays nights at 11pm.
[edit] Current Air Personalities
Weekdays
5:30-9 a.m. - Dale Dorman - Jimmy Del Ponte - June Knight - Mauzy Stafford
9 a.m.-2 p.m. - Paula Street (with WODS since a few weeks after the 87 launch)
2-6 p.m. - Karen Blake
6-9 p.m. - J. J. Wright
9 p.m.-1 a.m. - Mike Finegan (with WODS prior to the 1987 WODS launch)
1-5:30 a.m. - overnight host is placed on-hiatus.
Weekends
Mike Osborne - Saturday Night 70's
Steve York
Scott Roberts
Norm Thibeault
Judy Pancoast
Michael O'Reilly
[edit] Other Programming
Saturday
11 p.m. - Best of the 70's American Top 40 with Casey Kasem
Sunday
8 a.m. - Elvis Only - Jay Gordon
9 a.m. - Beatles Breakfast
7 p.m. - Lost 45's - Barry Scott
11 p.m. - Wolfman Jack
[edit] Past Air Personalities
Austin Of Boston (Austin Davis)
Brian Murphy
Dan McCoy
Rick Hunter
Jay Gordon (still hosts Elvis Only)
Rick Shockley
Mike Addams
Sandy Benson
Michele "With One L" Hughes
John Potter
Tom St John
Steve Kelly
"The Famous" Jim Sands
Jason Wright
Doug Taylor
Joel McMillan
Bill Lawrence
[edit] References
- George, Peter (in part). WODS(FM). The Boston Radio Dial. The Archives at BostonRadio.org. Retrieved on 2006-02-20.
[edit] External links
- Oldies 103.3 FM - WODS
- The Lost 45s with Barry Scott
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WODS
- Radio Locator information on WODS
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WODS
- Karen Blake DJ
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