Re: "frequency shorthand"

["David W. Harris" <dwh@totalnetnh.net>]

Martin J. Waters wrote:  "...one of the earliest instances of an AM
station changing its reference to its own frequency that I recall is
WBZ. Sometime relatively early in the game -- it seems like it may have
been the very early '70s -- it dropped "Radio 1-0-3 and became "Radio
10-30." I can only guess that was done at least partly because 103 also
is an FM frequency."

The way I heard it, CBS was convinced WEEI-FM was losing ratings points
because of diaries listing "103" being credited to WBZ.  Somehow they
got Westinghouse to change--I'm sure somebody else on this list knows
the story.  I remember billboards all around town that said, in large
letters, "X  XXX"--this would be around 1977.  Bostonians were supposed
to figure out that that was the way Romans of yore would say "10-30."
Overlooked downside to this change:  "Radio 1-0-3" rhymed so nicely with
"W-B-Z" in those old jingles.

One of the more curious "frequency shorthand" cases I recall involved
WGBH-FM.  After decades of announcing themselves as being on 89.7, in (I
think) 1980 they started calling themselves "FM 90."  This was right at
the time when digital frequency readouts on radios were no longer an
expensive novelty and it was clear to any observer of the hi-fi scene
that within a few years nearly all new radios would have this feature.
It was also around 1980 that newscaster Greg Fitzgerald could be counted
on to tell FM 90 listeners to "stay tuned for the third half of All
Things Considered" at 6pm.  Maybe there was something in the Western
Avenue water.

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