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Legendary NY Radio Personality and Programmer Frankie Crocker

From John P – Mr. Pop – I have a bet and say WBLS-FM – the very popular New York R+B station dethroned WABC back when it was the #1 music station in the country. And what’s your pop history opinion about another NY music rival – WNBC?

Mr. Pop History – Disco 92 – WKTU dethroned WABC and virtually stole their listeners right from under them in the summer/fall of 1978. WBLS was right behind WKTU, when it became the #1 station – give and take around 1979, 1980. By then, it was all over for WABC – a station that died a very slow death. It’s all documented here – on those week-by-week pages. Ironically – Frankie Crocker – the program director of WBLS must have felt vindicated. He was once at WMCA – a major rival to WABC. What goes around…  The confusion is – that WBLS was about to beat WABC anyway – as it was always #2 or #3 – but when WKTU went disco – that kind of put WBLS on the sidelines. WBLS eventually proved it had the staying power – and beat them all.

About WNBC – Good station with shades of greatness – but never a great, great station. For me – the great NY stations rank in this order:
WMCA – the greatest NY top-40 personality radio station ever. The goodguys were so fun and entertaining. Their ratings books still stun me! It always sounded like these DJ’s had the best time and were the best of friends.  
WABC – It eventually had huge ratings (In part to WMCA leaving the format). Hard to listen to over 15 minutes at a time. OK – Dan Ingram you could listen to forever – but eventually the heavy commercial load got on my nerves and if that wasn’t that, hearing the same tired #1 song again the next hour was boring. Their 14 song rotation was a tune-out. This station had zero imagination when it came to music.
WNEW – This station was the envy of radio for decades.
Z-100 – Always delivers. Whether it was 1983 or today. Z-100 is just a great station.
WOR-FM/WXLO – Great 1970’s teen station.  
WCBS-FM – On top of its game for years as an oldies station (but not these days).
WWDJ – I loved this little NJ station. Great personalities like B’wana Johnny.
WPIX-FM – Terrific personalities. They tried hard.
WWRL – Soul radio at its best.
WPLJ –The best rock album cuts with terrific personalities. PD Larry Berger really had it.
WNBC – C’mon WNBC – You Can Do It!.
WBLS – Cool and very New York.
WKTU (Disco 92) – Out of nowhere!
WNEW-FM – Heavy. Rock cool.

My favorite era of WNBC was in the mid-1980’s when it had Don Imus, Soupy Sales and Howard Stern.