Well, the good news is that 570-AM is back on the air after a 10-month hiatus. The station signed back on late Wednesday afternoon with no fanfare -- the first broadcasting on that signal since last April's tornado took out its broadcast tower.
Now for the bad news: 570-AM is no longer playing country oldies. The WQDR call letters have likewise disappeared, and going to the station's "Country Legends" website now takes you to a generic page for station owner Curtis Media Group.
Now for the really bad news: The station has been rechristened "WFNL, Funny 570." And the new format is...comedy. Seriously? Apparently so. This is, um, not what I had in mind when I said I wanted 570-AM back.
Comments
change happens, but this won't be too bad
Tue, 03/06/2012 - 23:53 — fair2middlingGuess they should just play Ray Stevens and Jerry Clower, and eveybody will be happy.
I will definitely miss the old classic country... loved it! During the summer of 2010, I listened to it all the time driving the kids around town. Really missed it last summer, and was looking forward to having it back this summer. Oh well! Tonight I listened to the commedy a while and it's actually pretty good. Made me LOL several times, and when I got home, I sat in the car and kept listening a while.
850 AM
Fri, 02/24/2012 - 09:00 — martmatI just hope and pray and beg and plead that Don Curtis doesn't mess up WKIX-850AM. I listen to that station nearly all the time, with the exception of when I'm listening to the WPTF gardening show or some sporting event. Most of the songs on 850AM were meant to be heard on low watt AM stations, just like KIX, and many of the songs they play were heard there back in the '60s and '70s. It's good to hear the jingles, it's good to hear REAL beach music (not that "Beach, Boogie, and Blues" stuff) with Charlie Brown on Sunday afternoon, and it's good to hear Pat Patterson again, even tho some of his schtick is a bit dated.
It worries me because I don't hear all that much local advertising there. Wish someone would step up to the plate.
Country Legends Gone, I Don't Think So
Sat, 02/25/2012 - 23:24 — SilverballRecordsWhen I turned on the radio today at 570 AM, I heard instead of playing country, the format had changed. Telling Jokes, Seriously.. I tell you what, I thought they would come back as they were but have a stronger signal. I for one am very disappointed about the format change and never thought that they would be a comedy station and was expecting when they returned to the air, it would be the same as when they left the air. They made us wait with delays on when they were coming back. Then when they finally do, the format is different. I think it stinks. I don't care how strong the signal is and you can pick it up on the other side of the country. I won't be listening. I guess I will always have my Country Legends in my own collection right here and have alot on my website at Silverball Records Get out your turntable and play your records and play them all you want. If you are looking for a record, please let me know. I hope they will change back, but for now it is my 45 RPM Records. As I say, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. A poor format change decision from a former dedicated listener. I guess the closest thing to a country legend station is 98.9 The Bear or WTSB out of Smithfield,Selma NC 1090AM. or if you have the internet, you can type in CountryLegends971 dot com and you will hear the exact same thing as 570AM played. Hope this helps.
Steve
Album-driven radio?
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 12:29 — IonlyTrustOmnivoresWhat this town really needs is a station that plays the unknown, more experimental songs from known artists and music from artists that have were unknown and/or forgotten. IE: Not the same old boring corporate stuff. (current and past) 88,1 does this to some degree, but mostly with new Indie Rock stuff.
Who plays Gentle Giant, Zappa, Gong, and ect? No one.
go back to rock
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:59 — outhousecatWQDR needs to go back to its rock roots. There isn't a decent rock station that I can find anywhere on the radio around here. Everything is country, rap or Spanish. Since 96.1 deserted their listeners, there's nothing left.
And an AM comedy channel? Somebody's going to lose their job over that brilliant decision.
Yea, right.
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:38 — ironageI'll give it three months at best.
Funny!
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:13 — mjjunkThe funny thing is that people still listen to AM radio!
Well, WQDR really does stand
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:12 — The_Nags_HeadWell, WQDR really does stand for "We Quit Doing Rock"
Besides bluegrass, I'm surprised at the lack of a blues show on any of the local stations. The station at UNC-Pembroke (WNCP) has a great blues show on Friday evenings I can get while driving down to Wilmington. I send them a few bucks every now and then in hopes of upping their signal. Given the legacy of blues in this area, I'm shocked that I can only find that programming on the Internet.
blues radio alternative: WSHA
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 13:14 — dmenconi (author)Thanks
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 15:10 — The_Nags_HeadI listen to SHA occasionally, but mostly I listen to jazz on WNCU - their R&B and Funk shows on Saturday are the best. The staff at NCU has responded positively to my idea of a blues show to help cut down on that endless raggae show they play on Sundays. I wish they could somehow tape or syndicate the blues show from Pembroke.
Boo!
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 08:40 — newsjunkyNot funny at all. Bring back the country!
Comedy??? Curtis misses a great target genre
Thu, 02/23/2012 - 08:11 — classicwhalerThere's nothing funny about a comedy channel on AM radio. Well, there is one thing funny: Don Curtis decided to brand this station with continuous comedy yack. This market is clamoring for a full-time bluegrass station. WQDR and WUNC already acknowledge the genre with limited programming that has been successful for years, attracting listeners AND advertisers/underwriters unique to the programming. And while it's great to have a little bluegrass on FM, it would be great to have bluegrass from different decades available locally full-time without subscribing to satelite radio.