Recently returned from a brief stint year in Philly. I cannot believe that the WIZZARDS of Infinity would do such a a thing. I grew up with Doo Wop. We love Doo Wop in NYC (Metro) Some of us even BLEED DOO WOP!! The OLDIES are in 'our' blood. My kids and I would Doo Wop and sing along in the car and on vacations. It's a sad day in MUDVILLE. Not ONLY did the YANKEES and METS disappoint us this year...so did the idiot management at CBS 101.1. Bad decision HONCHOS. Even Sumner Redstone will turn over in his grave. Cannot believe the ratings by us Baby Boomers in the NYC/NJ and as far west as Chicago on a clear night, didn't make up a significant enough LOYAL listening audience to satisfy the ratings gurus. In the end, Cousin Brucie, et al will live to see another day. And well for JACK, he'll be in radio heaven VERY soon. REMEMBER always those famous words by the poet ..."ROCK N' ROLL IS HEAR TO STAY."

Hairymon, thanks for your comments. As you are only 37, you may not remember when one of the greatest jazz stations in NYC, WRVR-FM (106.7), abruptly changed formats back in 1980 at the drop of a hat to a country music format. There was no warning....nothing. What an outrage! But you know what...that's business. Turns out that it was a bad decision as country music in NYC is as common as hearing Iranian music in Kansas. I think it's hard for most people to realize that the way businesses work today, there is no loyalty to any 'base'. It's all about profit. I don't wanna sound harsh, yes, I liked the old format but it's only music we're talking about here. If they wanna play "Mack The Knife" followed by "Smells Like Teen Spirit"....it works for me.

What were you thinking when you unprofessionally pulled the plug on the only great oldies show on N.Y. Radio? Feedback via phone,letters & e-mail would have a better impact on correct demographic programming to suit your listeners. Should'nt you be pleasing us,your public?It does'nt seem so. I strongly suggest you think about reverting back with a day a week devoted to playing the mix you are now playing.That could please all. We miss news,weather and road conditons, not to mention all our favorite D.J.s

Greg H., you don't get it.

First off, since about 2000 or so, WCBS-FM has played about as many 50's songs as JACK-FM plays 60's songs, so their "oldies" format was already shifting with the times, as evidenced by the end of the "Doo Wop Shop" show in 2002. I'd say on average most of their songs in the last few years were about 30-40 years old, not 50.

Second, I think what bothers most people is not so much the death of the format, but how the change was done and who it was done to. WCBS-FM was a New York institution because of the personalities involved and their historic significance to radio. When other such stations like WABC-AM, WNBC-AM or WNEW (both AM and FM) changed with the times during the last decade or two, significant notice was given to the public to say goodbye to them and the stations on their last days gave tribute to the DJ's service to a generation or more of New York fans. This move essentially shoved these people and their fans out the door like they were complete "undesirables".

Yes, many stations change formats with no notice to the public, but it is not often that it is done in a way to provoke criticism by the likes of New York's mayor and senators and even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In my first post about how WCBS-FM "grew" on me over time and my comments about people of varied ages posting here, I didn't note how old I am. I am 37 and my now wife who got me into it is 40, so we're somewhere in between the people for whom WCBS-FM's songs were "from their generation" and the surprisingly young posters I've seen here.

In all honesty, it was probably my third or fourth favorite station and averaging out the songs between the two, I could've been one of those people who would've preferred "Jack" (my wife would never have though), but as I posted 2 or so weeks ago, the way they did it as well as the snarky "dissing" comments they give between songs had and has completely turned me off to them. Good riddance.

I was upset when the formats changed. But after about a week I liked the Jack format. Lots of strange obscure stuff, no DJ's (sad to see the old guys go, but no DJ's is better...like my TV cable music stations...) and aside from a few crappy Mellencamp tunes, they play good stuff. I don't enjoy the smug automated announcer, wish it could just be music, but whatever...like the article said...this could be a good time to get satellite radio. Commercial radio has always sucked anyway.

Hey " INFINITY" I have an Idea!! Lets change the recipe for " COCA COLA"!! WHAT FOOLS YOUR ARE!!!

I posted on June 6, 2005. It is now June 19 and I am still depressed over the hiJACKING of CBS FM. I was at two graduation parties this weekend and all we talked about was the hole in our hearts. Micky, if you are reading this, I want you to know, that even people who weren't original Monkees fans were won over by your warm, high energy morning show. You, Mike, Davy, Peter (oops! wrong team!!! : ) ), Mike, Karen, Mr. G, Brucer made the commute a pleasure and you are all sorely missed. Karen, if you are reading this, you gave me plenty of ammuntion to shop! (Ahhh, honey! Karen went to H*** G**Ds, why can't I???) Mr. G, No one on the face of the earth made weather so entertaining and I will sorely miss hearing about you mom Ida's antics, God Bless Her! This is just so damn unfair and insulting. CDs are are great and I have 6 nice ones in my car right now (MICKY & DAVY in Canada ...picked it up at one of the AIDA performaces, Sarah Brightman, Herman's Hermits, ROlling Stones, Beatles, Mamas & Papas) but after a while, I can sing every song in succession and it gets boring and it's a pain in the ass to climb into the trunk to change them, thanks to the moron at FORD who installed it too far into the trunk. I WANT MY CBS FM BACK!!!!!! AGGGGGH!!!

Like I said earlier, times change. And besides, if you REALLY wanna listen to the old CBS-FM it's on the internet. Let me guess, you guys are too old and refuse to learn how to use a computer!

Jack radio doesn't know Jack about radio!! Whoever made this stupid move should be fired!! Oldies music was what CBS-FM was all about - but it was the DJ's that made it what it was. It was always nice to hear a familiar voice - it was like family. What a mistake to end it. I will never listed to Jack - email me when CBS-FM comes back on the air. There's no way it will last even 3 months. The oldies are still the best - the music will never die.

You oldheads need to get a life. I liked the golden oldies like anyone else but hey...life moves on. Think about it...the stuff they've been playing is 50 years old! How many times can you hear "Up On The Roof"?!? People complained when they stopped playing 30's and 40's music and now it's the 50's turn. I'm 47 and absolutely love the format. I love ALL music and this 'round robin' is just what progressives like myself needed. Times change and so should you. Get used to it. ;-)

I am also as mad as hell over this change. My next task is to contact "Jack's" advertisers and let them know that my days of doing business with them is over.

I have already contacted AAMCO Auto transmissions and I'll continue right down the list. Since Infinity made this a "money" issue, what don't WE let them know that just because we love the oldies, our spending dollars buy more than just prune juice and Depends!!! Please join me..

What's worse besides the way they destroyed a New York "institution" is the stupid way that the first day of Jack (the only time I listened to it) made fun of the WCBS-FM oldies listeners.

Sometimes between songs you'd hear snide remarks by the "computer DJ" like "WCBS-FM, yeah you wish, this is the new Jack-FM" or "WCBS-FM? Yeah, maybe in some announcer world, we're Jack-FM and we play what we want". The worst one is where a pretend caller says that he was angry at the switch but now likes the new station, then the "DJ" says "sorry we will not take your request".

This alone would turn me off to the new station no matter how much I would like the songs. What are these guys thinking? Do they think all this "dissing" will make their fans think they are "hip"?

I read that since the format first caught on only 2 years ago just one station has dropped it, in Hawaii. I think 101.1 will become the second (and well-deserved) and sadly, I think they will be going the way of 102.7 NEW-FM where an institution was also tinkered with and ever since they are still constantly changing formats.

Lots of great posts on the demise of WCBS, so I won't repeat the obvious. I'm 47, and was in high school when WCBS switched to oldies, and was hooked from that day. While my friends were listening to Elton John, I discovered the greatest song I had ever heard - Johnnie B. Goode (I bought an old K-Tel record on TV with that song, and literally wore out the track).

The station has been a wonderful way to bring generations together, including my two teenage sons who couldn't wait to tell me recently that Roling Stone named the Chuck Berry classic as one of the top rock songs of all time.

The station had a warmth and comfortable feel like family, but I knew the end was coming when they eliminated the 50's and most 60's a few years ago; instead of expanding the playlist, it became smaller. I agree with an earlier post that it was a deliberate attempt to make CBS fail - though at the time of the switch it was still in 8th place.

I will never listen to JACK / 101.1 again - it's been removed from my cars pre-sets. It was an insult how they handled it, and I can only hope that the station's future failure will drive all of those responsible into the obscurity they deserve.

Thanks for letting me vent.

GREAT JOB INFINITY!!! You took away a cornerstone of NYC!!!! Maybe that president of yours would like to move the YANKEES to Oregon next!!! What an A-hole!!

You don't treat employees like that, you don't treat loyal listeners like that and you don't treat NYC like that. You don't know JACKSHIT!!!!!!!!!

I've been listening to cbs seen I was a kid, I'am 40 years old now and will deeply miss the station my father and I shared together. You can never know what it meant to me. My father died 9 years ago and every time I listen to 101.1 I would think of my father. This is a sad day that people can't enjoy the music everyone loved to hear.

WCBS-FM changing to JACK-FM is just like WABC changed from musicradio to talkradio which it happened in 1982. What's going on? Everything is changing. I can't even listen to it while I'm driving. Now, I listen to B-103. To listen to WCBS-FM, I have to go on line. Bring back the good old days. Change back to the original format to WCBS-FM, bring back the music on WABC. If there is such a thing, put me in a time machine & take me back to the years. I missed these years. The WCBS DJ's, originally from WABC were great. Well, times are changing. It's very hard to please everybody. In my opinion, the oldies are the best, I enjoy them. It brings back memories form way back then.

Go to WWW.ILIKEJACK.COM click on feedback and send your comments. Let them know how much you don't like the new format.

Our daughter - aged 14, 11, and 8 - loved CBS-FM and are very upset and surprised that it's now off the air and turned into such a blah, canned-station with no human beings on it. What a waste. I'm not worried, though... Brucie and the other "Cousins" will resurface somewhere, somehow...

MM

Don't know jack....

What a mess. I remember listening to WCBS FM when it went from Lite radio in the 70's to all oldies right in the middle of the day as I recalled and played oldies I never hardly heard and it was great. They became the number one radio station in New York and lasted a long long time. In fact stations all over the country imitated the format.

Now 30 some years later with a strong following, great name in NY and all over they morph into junk radio. "what a joke" Maybe it's like one of the Bee Gee songs " I started a joke"

We can only hope so.

This is doomed to join WNEW-FM

Infinity!! Jack-Off