WRIF
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| City of license | Detroit, Michigan |
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| Branding | 101 WRIF |
| Slogan | 101 Riff Rocks |
| First air date | 1970 (1948 as WXYZ-FM) |
| Frequency | 101.1 (MHz) |
| Format | Rock |
| ERP | 27,000 watts |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning | guitar riff, referring to Chicago's blues scene (was supposed to be placed at the current WZZN) |
| Owner | Greater Media |
| Website | www.wrif.com |
WRIF (101.1) is one of the longest-running rock radio stations in the United States, located in Detroit, Michigan. WRIF's HD Radio multicast signal is called "RIFF2" and features music by local Detroit artists, both rock and hip-hop, as well as other non-mainstream artists largely ignored by commercial radio.
WRIF's transmitter is located in Royal Oak Township in suburban Oakland County near the intersection of 8 Mile Road and Wyoming Avenue. WRIF transmits its signal with an ERP of 11,000 watts from an antenna 955 feet in height. Five other Detroit radio stations transmit their signals from the same tower as WRIF.
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[edit] History
It was 1948 when WXYZ-FM signed on at 101.1 MHz in Detroit. For most of the station's early years, the station was simply a simulcast of WXYZ-AM 1270 (now WXYT-AM), but that changed in 1970. The station was owned by ABC, and they made WXYZ-FM an affiliate of the "Love" network, a nationally syndicated underground rock format from ABC that predated today's satellite-fed radio formats. WXYZ-FM hired at least one local jock for this format - Arthur Penhallow.
On February 14, 1971, the station changed its call letters to WRIF. It's widely believed that ABC made a mistake when applying for these calls - they had intended the WRIF calls for their 94.7 in Chicago, while 101.1 in Detroit was supposed to have been WDAI (Detroit Auto Industry), and they mixed up the two stations when applying for the call letters. Chicago got the WDAI calls, and their 94.7 frequency was destined for years of failure through many format and call letter changes. Meanwhile, Detroit's WRIF was on its way to becoming a legend.
WRIF was a pioneer in the AOR format, utilizing many elements of progressive rock radio while maintaining a tight, Top-40 style playlist. Other ABC stations with a similar sound included WPLJ in New York and WDVE in Pittsburgh. WRIF was not a pure rocker in its early years - you could hear such artists as KC & The Sunshine Band and the Bee Gees alongside Alice Cooper, Traffic, and the Allman Brothers. After 1975, WRIF dropped most of the pop artists to concentrate on rock, but they would play a pop or disco song if it was extremely popular. "Stayin' Alive," for example, got many spins on WRIF in 1977-78.
Many young people in the Detroit area considered WRIF to be a stepping stone in those years - if you were too hip for Top-40 800 CKLW or 93.1 WDRQ, but not quite ready for progressive rock 99.5 WABX or 106.7 WWWW (W4), you listened to WRIF.
The 1980s was probably the decade that saw the most change in the Detroit radio dial. Among other changes a new rocker was installed at 98.7, WLLZ ("Detroit's Wheels", now known as "Smooth Jazz V-98.7"), and it proved so popular that it took out two other Detroit rock stations. WWWW went country in 1980, and WABX as we knew it was gone in 1983 (today it's country WYCD). But WRIF soldiered on, even though it was sold twice in the 1980's and its rock format was on the chopping block more than once. In May 2006, WRIF outlasted yet another rock station but with a twist. 106.7 "The Drive" switched to country (this time as "106.7 The Fox") just as it did back in 1980 when it was known as "W4". This means WRIF helped knock it's competition off the same frequency twice. It's probably safe to say that this hasn't been done by very many stations in any format.
The 1980s saw the Morning Crew -- Jim Johnson ("JJ") and Dick The Bruiser (AKA George Baier) -- in their prime, spoofing songs with hits such as "96 Beers", "Beer Frame", and "Bars", and lampooning Meet the Press with "Meet the Bruiser". Despite WRIF's playing of disco songs, JJ and the Morning Crew created DREAD: Detroit Rockers Engaged in the Abolition of Disco.
In 1991, WRIF hired a new morning team from Phoenix, AZ - Drew & Zip. Zip was gone by 1994 and was replaced by local personality Mike Clark. Drew and Mike went on to become the #1 rated morning show in Detroit, and today (2006) they're #2 in the Arbitron ratings books.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed one company to own more than one station on the same band in the same market for the first time, and Greater Media, who already owned Detroit's classic rocker 94.7 WCSX, wasted no time purchasing WRIF. They own the station to this day.
In 2006 WRIF ranks as the #9 (Arbitron rated) radio station in the Detroit market. Their format is best called Heritage Rock, and you will hear a wide variety of modern rock and classic hard rock. Arthur Penhallow, the local DJ that WXYZ-FM hired way back in 1970, is still doing the afternoon drive at WRIF. Hosting the same time slot on the same radio station for over 35 years is be one of the longest tenures in radio history. Baaabbbyyy!
The station served as a backdrop for the Kevin Costner film The Upside of Anger.
[edit] Programming schedule
[edit] Weekdays
- 5:30AM to 11AM - Drew and Mike
- After D&M to 3PM - Doug Podell
- 3PM to 7PM - Arthur Penhallow
- 7PM to 12AM - Meltdown
- 12AM to 6AM - Screamin Scott
[edit] Weekends
- Various Shifts - Anne Carlini
- Various Shifts - Kelly Brown
- Various Shifts - Steve Black
- Various Shifts - Dave Doran
- Various Shifts - Suzy Cole
- Various Shifts - Jay Hudson
- Various Shifts - Screamin Scott
[edit] Specialty Programming
- Weekdays 12PM to 1PM - High Noon Request Hour
- Weeknights 8PM - Feedback with Meltdown
- Weeknights 9PM to 10PM Request Hour
- Weeknights 10PM Mandatory Metallica
- Every Tuesday All Day - Two for Tuesday
- Weekdays 5PM to 6AM - Request Hour
- Monday Nights 11:30PM to 1AM - Rockline
- Tuesday thru Thursday nights - Midnight Metal usually hosted by Screamin' Scott
- Saturday 6AM to 10AM - The Saturday Morning Shuffle
- Saturday nights 7PM to midnight - Amped on the 80's
- Sunday 5AM to 7AM - Harddrive with Lou Brutous
- Sunday 9AM to 10AM - Chopshop Radio
- Sunday 10AM to 12PM - House of Hair with Dee Snider
- Sunday Nights 10PM - Motor City Riffs
- Sunday Nights 11PM to 2AM - Night Call with Peter Werbe
[edit] External links
| FM Radio Stations in the Detroit / Windsor Market (Arbitron #10)
By Frequency: 88.1 | 88.1 | 88.1 | 88.1 | 88.3 | 88.3 | 88.7 | 89.1 | 89.1 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 89.5 | 89.9 | 90.9 | 91.3 | 91.5 | 91.7 | 92.3 | 93.1 | 93.5 | 93.9 | 94.3 | 94.7 | 95.1 | 95.5 | 96.3 | 96.7 | 97.1 | 97.9 | 98.7 | 99.5 | 100.3 | 101.1 | 101.5 | 101.9 | 102.7 | 102.9 | 103.5 | 103.9 | 104.3 | 104.7 | 105.1 | 105.9 | 106.7 | 107.1 | 107.1 | 107.5 | 107.9 By Callsign: CBE | CHYR | CIDR | CIMX | CJAM | CJBC | CKSY | CKUE | W206BI | W208BB | WAHS | WBFH | WCBN | WCRZ | WCSX | WDET | WDMK | WDRQ | WDTR | WDTW | WDVD | WEMU | WGPR | WGTE | WHFR | WHMI | WHPR | WHTD | WIOT | WJLB | WKQI | WKRK | WMGC | WMUZ | WMXD | WNIC | WOMC | WPHS | WQKL | WRCJ | WRIF | WRVF | WSAQ | WSDP | WUOM | WVMV | WWWW | WXOU | WYCD Past stations: WJR-FM | WHYT | WPLT Detroit (FM) (AM) | Grand Rapids | Lansing | Flint | Saginaw-Bay City-Midland | Ann Arbor | Kalamazoo | Traverse City-Petoskey | Muskegon | Battle Creek |
