Adiós Platinum 96.7

In order to further secure my reputation as an old codger, I am hereby confessing that I did, at times listen to KPMZ-FM 96.7, an oldies station.

As of yesterday, Platinum 96.7 is no more.

Over the weekend, the frequency will be stunting, running an all Ronald Wilson Reagan format, featuring speeches from the Gipper.  I guess the demise of Platinum can have somewhat of a silver lining.  On Monday, word has it that the frequency will simulcast WBAP-AM 820's program (Hal Jay, Amy Chodroff, Steve Lamb, Brad Barton) on FM.

(This, my friends, was a real President!)

Platinum, in the year and a half or so that it lasted (following the Twister country format), apparently picked up some market share from the other oldies station, KLUV 98.7, but not enough for its owner Citadel Broadcasting (which also operates WBAP).  Though he wasn't an on-air personality, veteran announcer Ron Chapman lent his voiceovers for station ID and commercial spots, reportedly as a favor to Citadel CEO Farid Suleman.  Hearing Chapman's voice on the airwaves (with no disrespect to his successor on KLUV, Jody Dean) somehow gave the illusion, however fleeting, that everything's OK in the world.

The station probably played Everyone's Gone to the Moon too frequently, and repeated its playlist, but, where else would you hear Roy Clark's Yesterday When I Was Young, Charley Pride's Is Anybody Going to San Antone, or Noel Paul Stookey's Wedding Song in today's market?

Well, it was fun while it lasted.








(Note to Lake Worth readers: Noel was one third of the folk-pop group Peter, Paul & Mary)
This version is not as good, audio-wise as the link above, but it's clearly from the '60s.