The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 12, 1986, Page 4, Image 4
Spotlight
4 Tuesday, August 12, 1986
Album rock r
playing to col
By PAULA WETHINGTON
Spotlight editor
On August I, WKWQ-FM became an oddity in
Columbia area radio as an alburn-oriented rock station
in the midst of adult contemporary heartland.
"Four adult comtemporary stations are all playino
lhi> camp thino unrl nnhnHu'c rpafhino t h r> 1
demographic," said Bob Hearion, WKWQ's
general manager. "If you turn across the dial in
Columbia, you'll hear the same songs. Everyone
who comes to the market can't bclcive it. There's a
void."
A void, yes, but one he hopes the revamped station
will fill. Formerly WBLR-FM, a country station
in Batesburg, WKWQ became "K95 Rock," an
album rock station focusing towards the college and
military crowd in Columbia.
"This town is very ready for album rock," said
Jack Anthony, WKWQ's music director and afternoon
DJ.
"We're going to be a bit more commercial than
WUSC," Anthony said. Anthony worked for
WUSC-FM in 1980-83, and he said all but one of
WKWQ's staff members also had worked at the
USC station.
But he added, "We play the hits earlier and stop
playing before anyone else picks them up."
Although the Batesburg station puts out only
3,000 watts of power at 95.3 on the FM dial,
H#??rinn cnirl it is nnccihle to nirk it nn in fnlnmhin
He said they planned to move the transmitter closer
to Columbia by October 1, after a 60-day waiting
period.
"It takes some effort to pick it up, but it can be
done," he said. As part of a promotion for the station,
K95 is giving away free antennas to those who
request them by writing to WKWQ at P.O. Box 410,
Batesburg, S.C. 29006.
"We're getting letters of compliment," Hearion
said, naming various addresses in Columbia where
the station can be heard.
ti/t/ii> _ -1 i: i i r a*_a. t
wiv wy s piaynsi inuuucs songs irom arusis sucn
as Led Zepplin, Missing Persons, Rush, Praties,
Summer graduate s
By ABDY IAVALLEY band Bachelors
Staff writer album, to be re
Robin Wilson doesn't like to year, has been 01
talk about herself. And that's too lately,
bad, because there's so much to "We did a t
yea 15 u^u, auu 1
Wilson does like to talk abou over pretty well
the things that excite her though, feel like it came
things like her band's upcoming wanted it to," sh
album release and her graduation "The main th
with a Media Arts degree this learned how to d<
week. pie at recording
Since her sophomore year at think that'll shov
USC, Wilson has been the lead album. I think i
singer for the locally popular really good."
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adio station
liege crowd
David Lee Roth, Echo and the Bunnymen, Phil Collins
and Steve Winwood.
"I expect since there are six adult contemporary
stations in town, audiences who are listening out of
default will be switching to us," Anthony said. "In
our rotation we'll be playing two-to three thousand
songs, twice as much as others. They're all chosen
well."
"At another station (WZLD-FM), we were getting
excellent response from rock," he said. WZLD
usually plays an adult contemporary format.
A combination of soft rock, pop country and current
hits, adult contemporary music is designed to
not turn anyone off and is aimed more towards
older people, the baby-boomer generation, than
album rock music.
Adult contemporary is America's most popular
radio format, played by about 30 percent of the nation's
radio stations, according to the National ~
Radio Broadcasters Association. In Columbia, 9
about 50 percent of the stations play adult contemporary
music.
None of those stations are currently among the
top three in Columbia, according to the latest Arbitron
ratings. The top-rated station in the area in &
WWDM-FM, an urban contemporary station based
in Sumter, with a 14.3 audience share.
In second place is country music station WCOS- H
FM with a 14.2 share and third is current hits station
WNOK-FM with a 12.2 share. The highest rated
aauit contemporary station is WMMC-FM, with an
8.7, but combined, the six adult contemporary stations
collect a 31 share.
In addition to a larger playlist than some other
local stations, WKWQ expects to feature syndicated
programs such as the King Biscuit Flour Hour,
Power Cuts and Rock Over London, as well as
broadcasting USC football games in the fall.
Anthony and Hcarion are confident of their station's
success. "WKLS in Atlanta is number one in
their market and AOR stations are generally in the
top three," Anthony said. yh,
ets job plans ? she
of Art. Their The band, including Wilson, m
leased later this bassist Jay Owen, guitarist Tom ni
n her mind a lot Alewine and drummer Jim A
Sonefeld, arc planning to move
ape about two to Atlanta sometime around ci
although it went Christmas to get a better shot at 01
, we just didn't success in the music business. le
out the way we "I really do love Columbia, th
le said. but I feel moving to Atlanta will sh
ing was that we help the band tremendously," gc
eal with the peo- Wilson said. "We've pretty much to
; studios and I done all we can do musically h?
v up on our new here, so it's time to get out and
it's going to be try something new." wi
Wilson has another reason for in
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0 Beatles, Ruth and Misting Parsons ara just soma of the
's going to the m
oving to Georgia ? she's plan- if everything els
ng to attend the Art Institute of have those four
tlanta. tion to fall back
Unlike many prospective musi- Wilson doesn
ans who give up an education in fail at anything
dcr to play, Wilson has kept a point in her
vel head. "I never really graduate with a
Alinht oKnut niiittin a r^AcnitA linifinn K
VSVlg tit UUWU I ^Ullllll^ 3V11UUI, UVjpilV 1IOTUI5 u
e said. "Well, I mean everyone to four times a
>es through the stage of wanting ing throughout
quit, I think. But I wouldn't play gigs.
ive quit just to play in the band. It has taken h
"Getting my college degree years to earn he
as very important to me, just as "I could hav<
lportant as my music, because years, but I got i
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JENNIFER STEIBfTho Gamncock I
? band* on K95's playlist
lrld of rock music
e failed I would the Media Arts classes last
years of educa- semester and ended up failing my
on." Philosophy class," Wilson said,
't seem likely to "But 1 figure it might be some
she does at this kind of sign having to stick
career. She'll around this summer with the }
solid B average, album coming out."
and practice two She said she realizes that
week and travel- breaking into the music business
the Midlands to involved a lot of luck and even
more hard work, but that doesn't
er just over four deter her from looking on the
r degree. positive side of her chances.
i done it in four "I've already done what I set out
really involved in to do in college," she said.
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