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WLIR was a radio station that played a
new music New music may refer to: Musical styles and movements Pre-20th century * Ars nova, musical style in 14th-century France and the Low Countries * '' Le nuove musiche'', collection of monody by Giulio Caccini * New German School, music style in late 1 ...
/
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
format on the frequencies 92.7 FM, 98.5 FM, and 107.1 FM from the 1980s into the 2000s. Bob Wilson, longtime WLIR employee and historian, created the website WDARE (Dare FM), which maintains the spirit of the original WLIR. He also programs the music playlist. The website broadcasts a mix of
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
from the past and present day, along with former WLIR/WDRE personalities, such as Larry The Duck, Chris Sharpe, Drew Kenyon, Andre, and Rob Rush.


WLIR on FM radio

WLIR was best known as an influential radio station that launched the careers of many music acts and
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s from the 1970s through the 1990s. In 1970, it changed to a
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
format before switching to a
new music New music may refer to: Musical styles and movements Pre-20th century * Ars nova, musical style in 14th-century France and the Low Countries * '' Le nuove musiche'', collection of monody by Giulio Caccini * New German School, music style in late 1 ...
/
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
format in 1982. The station originally broadcast from studios at the
Garden City Hotel The Garden City Hotel is a hotel in Garden City, New York. The first incarnation was built in 1874 by A.T. Stewart and the current fourth incarnation was built in 1983 by the late Myron Nelkin. It is famous for having hosted many world leaders ...
in Garden City, New York, then 175 Fulton Avenue,
Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...
, 1600 Stewart Avenue,
Westbury, New York The Incorporated Village of Westbury is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is located about east of Manhattan. The population was 15,404 at the 2020 census. History The firs ...
, and finally, 1103 Stewart Avenue,
East Garden City, New York East Garden City is a hamlet and former census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the Town of Hempstead, in the central part of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States, along the Hempstead/North Hempstead town line. ...
, with its transmitter located at the North Shore Towers in
Floral Park, New York Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The Incorporated Village of Floral Park is at the western border of Nassau County, and is ...
.


92.7 FM beginnings (1959–1970)

WLIR was founded in 1959 by John R. Rieger. It was licensed to Garden City, New York on the frequency 92.7 FM and played a mix of Broadway show tunes,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and light classical music from a basement studio in the Garden City Hotel.


The progressive era (1970–1982)

In spring 1970, announcers
Richard Neer Richard Neer (born c. 1949 in Syracuse, New York) is an American disc jockey and sports radio personality who has been involved in, and has chronicled, key changes in both music and sports radio. Biography Neer began his radio career as a student ...
and Mike Harrison convinced Rieger to change to a
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...
, with Harrison as program director. This meant playing obscure artists, playing album cuts instead of just hit singles, and having disc jockeys speak in a casual, conversational tone. The new format debuted on July 1, 1970. The station also began its long-running series of live concert broadcasts from the nearby Ultrasonic Recording Studios and later from local clubs such as
My Father's Place My Father's Place was a music venue in Roslyn, New York. It first opened in 1971, and according to ''The New York Times'', "created a scene that would influence music for decades to come." In the nearly sixteen years the club was open before it ...
and The Ritz. Artists featured on the series included Bruce Springsteen,
the Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...
,
Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...
,
Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
,
the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
,
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
,
Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...
and many other notable performers of the era. In addition to the live concert series, WLIR promoted local bands such as
the Good Rats The Good Rats are an American rock band from Long Island, New York. Their music mixes elements of rock with blues and pop. They are best known on their native Long Island, although they had some success nationally and internationally. History ...
. Neer and Harrison departed for progressive-rock
WNEW-FM WNEW-FM (102.7 FM, ''NEW 102.7'') is a hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, licensed to New York, New York and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located at the Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Ma ...
in 1971. The air staff in the early '70s included program director Ken Kohl,
George Taylor Morris George Taylor Morris (May 10, 1947 – August 1, 2009) was an American disc jockey and radio personality who grew up with and on the radio. Initially working on AM radio, then switching to the FM radio format, Morris' career evolved to where ...
, Jim Cameron, Joel Moss, Malcolm Davis (later a longtime
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
radio host as "Austin from Boston" on WODS), Charlie Ahl (
WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmi ...
, WHN and
WCBS-FM WCBS-FM (101.1 FM) is a radio station offering a classic hits format licensed to New York City and is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are in the combined Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood in lower Man ...
NYC as Chris Charles), Dave ("The Wrench") Friedman, Ray White, Earle Bailey, production director Ben Manilla, and public-affairs producer Heather Schoen. As the 1970s went on, many rock stations drifted toward more commercial
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orien ...
formats. WLIR would buck this trend by playing the increasingly popular punk rock and
new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
that were being ignored by other rock stations in the United States.


"Dare to Be Different" (1982–1991)

In 1982, it was decided that in order for the station to move into the future, a format change was needed. Program director Denis McNamara recommended to the station's owner that he choose one of two formats, either progressive
adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
or
new music New music may refer to: Musical styles and movements Pre-20th century * Ars nova, musical style in 14th-century France and the Low Countries * '' Le nuove musiche'', collection of monody by Giulio Caccini * New German School, music style in late 1 ...
. Although adult contemporary seemed commercially appealing, new music was chosen because it was more in step with the "dare to be different" campaign being used to promote the new format and it was more "fun". Denis and his staff were also playing pieces of new music from England and the
NYC New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kr ...
movement starting in the late 1970s, with Denis closely following publications like ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', always wanting to stay ahead of what was trending with new music across the globe. It was a perfect solution to what was needed in New York, since none of the other stations were going to "touch that stuff" On August 2, the format switch occurred, and the station featured new wave (McNamara "hated" that term because he felt it was a trendy phrase that might be out of style in a year), synth-pop,
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
, early
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
acts and
novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...
s. The personalities of the disc jockeys became much more upbeat. The station became known for playing new artists, and occasionally playing
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
before other stations. For example, as shown in the 2017 documentary ''Dare to Be Different - WLIR: The Voice of a Generation'' (see ), WLIR played the
Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...
single "Relax" just six days after its U.K. release, six months before the record company released it in the United States. The station arranged with a record store in London to get same-day air delivery of new records (years before this was the norm) from Heathrow Airport; WLIR music director Rosie Pisani would drive the to nearby
JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
on Thursday afternoons to pick up the records. WLIR also teamed with Dutch East India Trading, an independent record import company in the neighboring village of Rockville Centre, New York, to bring in test pressings before the finished records were mass-produced. WLIR's listeners could dial in to vote for the "Screamer of the Week", the top new song of the week. New Order,
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...
,
Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
, Yazoo and
Blancmange Blancmange (, from french: blanc-manger ) is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, or Irish moss (a source of carrageenan), and often flavoured ...
were early staples of the new music format. According to McNamara, the "entire music industry was looking upon 'LIR and that 'LIR marketplace of New York and
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
as one of the hippest music areas of the world. People used to refer to it as the gateway to America if you were an upcoming artist." WLIR’s success had grown the profits of its operators, 1959 founder John R. Rieger and his partner Elton Spitzer's Phoenix Media Corp., with an increasing share of the New York market, major concert promotions and popular dance club promotions. The station's
FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
license had been changed to a special temporary authority in 1972 as the result of slow-moving legal battle that had gone dormant later in the 1970s. The legal battle escalated when the station became more valuable, with new entities (not involved in the original 1972 battle) getting involved after 1982, culminating with the FCC revoking Phoenix Media’s 15-year "temporary" license in 1987. As a result of this revocation, Jarad Broadcasting wrested control of the broadcast license for frequency 92.7, taking ownership on December 18, 1987. The permanent license did not include the call letters, so the new licensee operated with the call letters WDRE, while Phoenix Media brought the WLIR call letters to an AM radio station in Rockland County, New York. Phoenix Media also took the "Dare To Be Different" slogan as intellectual property, so WDRE's moniker became "New Music First". The "Screamer of the Week" feature became "Shriek of the Week", but WDRE remained committed to new music as they introduced new bands into the next decade, such as Nine Inch Nails and
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
.


Alternative rock expands: The Underground Network (1991–1996)

In 1991, the station changed its moniker again, this time to "The Cutting Edge of Rock". The explosion in popularity of grunge and
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
in the early 1990s led to a period of turmoil. The synthpop-based music on which much of the station's playlist was based was now out of fashion. Alternative rock artists that formerly were played almost exclusively on the station were now being heard on many
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
stations. In 1992, WDRE started
simulcasting Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
its programming with what was 103.9 WIBF-FM
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Center City Philadelphia. History The community was named for William Jenkins, a Welsh pioneer settler. Jenkintown is located just ...
, which later became WDRE Jenkintown/Philadelphia. In 1995, WDRE created the first alternative rock network, known as the "Underground Network" and consisting of the following stations: Notes: Four years after WIBF became WDRE's first affiliate, the Underground Network was disbanded. In 1996, WDRE switched to an
adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
(AAA) format, brought back Malibu Sue (who had been fired earlier by then-program director Russ Mottla), reverted its call letters back to WLIR and changed its moniker to "The Island". That same year, WDRE Philadelphia became a local, independent modern-rock station.


After the Underground Network (1996–2004)

In 1997, Jeff Levine was named program director, Gary Cee assistant program director, and night jock
Lynda Lopez Lynda Lopez (born June 14, 1971) is an American journalist and author based in New York City. She is also a co-founder of Nuyorican Productions, an American production company founded in 2001 with Benny Medina which became active in 2006 with th ...
became music director. New features implemented during this era included Malibu Sue's All-Request Morning, the 5:00 Rush, Flashback Lunch, LIR After Dark, Andre's 9:00 Knockout and "In the Mix," an alternative dance show with DJ Theo and Andre. The station had a different sound during that era, formed by a combination of alternative chart-toppers like
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
,
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
and
No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...
with alternative dance from
Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
, Wolfsheim, Moby, Fatboy Slim and others. Gary Cee took over as program director and brought in British DJ The English Muffin (Orli Auslander) for the afternoon drive and Drew Kenyon joined Maria Chambers on the Morning Show. This sound helped WLIR's ratings and would continue until the station's end on January 9, 2004.


Move to 107.1 FM and brief NeoBreeze (2004–2008)

On January 9, 2004,
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...
bought the 92.7 frequency and other assets for $60 million and began simulcasting the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
radio format of WCAA Newark, New Jersey on 92.7 under the call letters WZAA. WLIR signed off at noon with a special dance version of " Forever Young" by Alphaville. Andre Ferro would be the last DJ heard on the 92.7 airwaves, followed by a message from ownership. The WLIR call letters moved to the 107.1 frequency on Eastern
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, which had been simulcasting WLIR for several years. The new WLIR adopted an
active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...
/
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
format and new image as "The Box". As 107.1 FM is located about 50 miles east of the original WLIR in Garden City, many of the station's fans in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, southwestern
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, southern
Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
, New York, northeastern
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and even the western parts of
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
itself could not easily receive the station. Many of these areas were closer geographically to other stations occupying 107.1 FM (
WXPK WXPK (107.1 MHz), branded as 107.1 The Peak, is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Briarcliff Manor, New York, and serving the northern suburbs of the New York metropolitan area. It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts an Adult ...
in central
Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
and
WWZY WWZY ("107.1 The Boss") is a classic rock music formatted radio station licensed to Long Branch, New Jersey. The station is simulcast on 99.7 WBHX Tuckerton, New Jersey. History 1960–1996 WWZY first went on the air on June 1, 1960 as WRLB ...
in Long Branch, New Jersey), which hindered reception. On September 12, 2005, WLIR changed formats to a block-sponsored
smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...
/
chill music Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
format known as "FM Channel 107: NeoBreeze". This same block-sponsored type of format was instituted at two other stations owned by the Morey Organization, WLIR's owner. As a result of this change, all of the on-air staff was fired. This truly marked the end of WLIR's unique over-the-air "new music" format after almost three decades. In addition, with the new format, the station would run commercial-free during the day, with the actual airtime during this period paid for by
advertisers Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
. According to the station's owners, this was an attempt to take on satellite radio and
MP3 players A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...
, which had been cutting into listeners of traditional radio. In an effort to keep WLIR and its alternative music alive, longtime employee and historian Bob Wilson developed the website WLIR.FM and began an internet broadcast of music called "Next Wave". On December 20, 2005, after three months of low ratings, the NeoBreeze format was dropped, and the WLIR alternative format returned. Jeff Levine was at the station from 2006 to 2007. During that time, WLIR had a safe, almost
hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
sound, similar to that of
WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmi ...
, and carried broadcasts of New York Islanders hockey games. On December 26, 2006, BusinessTalkRadio.net president and CEO Michael Metter announced the purchase of three
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
radio stations: alternative WLIR-FM (107.1 FM),
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
WBON WBON (98.5 FM, "La Nueva Fiesta") is a Spanish-language tropical music formatted radio station, licensed to Westhampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. The station is owned by JVC Media LLC with studios located in Ronkonkoma, New Y ...
(98.5 FM), and Top 40/rhythmic WDRE (105.3 FM). WBON was renamed WBZB and flipped to a business talk format on January 2, 2007. The sales of WLIR-FM and WBZB were approved on February 27, 2007. The selling price for WLIR-FM and WBZB was $1.75 million for each station, and the total price for all three stations would have been $5 million, but the sale was never completed, and WBZB returned to the WBON call letters. In September 2007, WLIR began broadcasting from a new antenna at a location five miles to the west of the original. On October 11, 2007, WLIR-FM began simulcasting on a
translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
in Manorville, W245BA (96.9 FM), expanding its coverage area into western Suffolk County and a portion of eastern Nassau County. On November 18, 2007, this simulcast of WLIR-FM ended with the new simulcast of 98.5 WBON, "La Fiesta", taking over the 96.9 frequency.


ESPN simulcast (2008–2011)

On January 3, 2008, partly because of the reach of the new antenna, WLIR-FM began simulcasting programming from sister station WDRE (Party 105), fueling speculation that a change in format to ESPN was imminent. On January 21, 2008, WLIR-FM became an ESPN Radio affiliate via a
local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...
with New York City radio station WEPN (1050 AM).


Jarad sells 107.1 FM (2011)

On February 9, 2011, Jarad Broadcasting of Hampton Bays entered into an asset purchase agreement with Holding Out Hope Church (WLIX Radio) to sell the station for $650,000. On February 17, 2011, Holding Out Hope Church assigned the agreement to Livingstone Broadcasting, Inc. On May 25, 2011, the sale of WLIR-FM to Livingstone was completed. On August 1, 2011, WLIR-FM began broadcasting Christian programming as part of the WLIX Hope radio network.


WDARE (Dare FM)

WLIR.FM began streaming online in 2005. It captured the style of the original WLIR, including the alternative music, air personalities, sounders, jingles, shrieks and screamers, along with the new music of the present day. In 2016, WLIR.FM began simulcasting on WPTY-HD3. The simulcast ended in 2020.
WLIR-FM WLIR-FM (107.1 FM, ''Talkradio 107.1'') is a radio station licensed to Hampton Bays, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. The station's studios and offices are located on Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, with additional offices on ...
, which hadn't broadcast alternative music since 2008, was sold to WABC radio, and began to simulcast most of the programming from WABC. WABC objected to the site's use of the name WLIR.FM, which used the same call sign of WLIR-FM. In November 2020, WLIR.FM changed its name to WDARE (Dare FM), and continued to broadcast the same alternative music and WLIR personalities that it had done for the last 15 years.


WLIR/WDRE legacy

After five years of production, the documentary entitled ''Dare to Be Different - WLIR: The Voice of a Generation'' by Ellen Goldfarb debuted at the
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
in April 2017. It details WLIR's history, program director Denis McNamara and team’s August 1982 format change, the influence the station had and its battles with the FCC. The station's staff, musical firsts and fans are documented. After the premiere,
A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...
, the Beat's
Dave Wakeling David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and General Public. Career Wakeling began his professional career ...
and
the Alarm The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh languag ...
played live sets.


People and personalities

Many WLIR personalities have had continued success and notoriety both on and off the air. Some of these include: * Alex "Alley Cat" Anthony * Amy "AJ Mistress of Modern Rock" Paige — On-air at
WKDF WKDF (103.3 FM, "103.3 Country") is a country music radio station from Nashville, Tennessee. WKDF is owned by Cumulus Media. The transmitter site is in Brentwood, Tennessee, and its studios are located in Nashville's Music Row district. WKDF fo ...
Nashville * Barry (Ravioli) Carollo — died in 2014 * Ben Manilla — President o
Ben Manilla Productions
and instructor at
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism is a graduate professional school on the campus of University of California, Berkeley. It is among the top graduate journalism schools in the United States, and is designed to produce journalists wi ...
. * Bob ("The Mighty") Waugh * Caroline Corley — died in 2013 * Chuck D (born 1960) - rapper * Denis McNamara — consultant at NYM, Inc. Inducted into the
Long Island Music Hall of Fame The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame was incorporated in July 2005 under the New York State Board of Regents, as a nonprofit organization and holds a provisional charter to operate as a museum in the state of New York. It recognizes ...
in 2010. * Dennis Daniel * DJ Theo — Live broadcasts & In The Mix 1997-2004, former MD of WXXP, now DJ/producer * Donna Donna — On air at
WBAB WBAB (102.3 FM) is a classic rock radio station licensed to Babylon, New York and owned by Cox Radio. The station is also simulcast on WHFM (95.3 FM) licensed to Southampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. History WBAB first wen ...
, appeared in 1988 concert film ''101'' and 2011 rockumentary about The Replacements, '' Color Me Obsessed'' * Elton Spitzer — Took over WLIR in 1973, died in 2016 *
Eric Bloom Eric Jay Bloom (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist, guitar and keyboard/synthesizer player for the long-running band Blue Öyster Cult, with work on more than 20 albu ...
— "The Bozo Patrol" *
Flo & Eddie Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie). The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 mid-to late 1960s rock and pop group The Turtles. After the Turt ...
— "By the Fireside" * Gary Cee — former program director - Now general manager and morning host on Pocono 96.7 WABT *
George Taylor Morris George Taylor Morris (May 10, 1947 – August 1, 2009) was an American disc jockey and radio personality who grew up with and on the radio. Initially working on AM radio, then switching to the FM radio format, Morris' career evolved to where ...
— died in 2009 * Jeff Levine — former program director; died in 2020 * John "Johnny McFly" Caracciolo — owner of JVC Media LLC * John ("Don't Call Me Johnny") DeBella — Morning drive personality at
WMGK WMGK (102.9 FM, "102.9 MGK") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. The broadcast tower used by the station ...
, Philadelphia * John R. Rieger — former owner, died in 2005 *
Lazlow Jeffrey Crawford "Lazlow" Jones (born September 4, 1973) is an American writer, producer, director, voice actor, and radio personality. He is best known for his work with Rockstar Games, for which he worked on the ''Grand Theft Auto'', '' Max ...
— "The Technofile" and "Underground Hard Drive" * Lenny "Peter Puberty" Diana — Now program director-music director at
WTTS WTTS is an FM radio station serving Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States, licensed to Trafalgar, Indiana, and broadcasting at 92.3 FM. The station's format is classified as adult album alternative or "triple A." WTTS u ...
Indianapolis and program director at
WGBJ WGBJ (102.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Auburn, Indiana, and serving the Fort Wayne metropolitan area. It is owned by Sarkes Tarzian and it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format, known as "Alt 102.3." The studios and of ...
Fort Wayne, IN * (John) Loscalzo — died in 2015 *
Lynda Lopez Lynda Lopez (born June 14, 1971) is an American journalist and author based in New York City. She is also a co-founder of Nuyorican Productions, an American production company founded in 2001 with Benny Medina which became active in 2006 with th ...
— Now mid-day anchor at WCBS-AM 880 * Malibu Sue — Now with the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
as a strategic communications analyst; also files traffic reports for WCBS and WINS * Pete "Captain Traffic" Tauriello — Traffic reporter at Metro Networks New York - SiriusXM Channel 133 and WKXW-FM * Ray White — died in 2021 *
Richard Neer Richard Neer (born c. 1949 in Syracuse, New York) is an American disc jockey and sports radio personality who has been involved in, and has chronicled, key changes in both music and sports radio. Biography Neer began his radio career as a student ...
— announcer at WFAN AM & FM * Steve "The Pistol" Jones — disc jockey-news anchor; now CEO-president at Skyview Networks * Tom Calderone — now president/CEO of Buffalo-Toronto Public Media *
Vin Scelsa Vincent Anthony Scelsa (born December 12, 1947, in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American broadcaster who was at "the forefront of the FM radio revolution" as the host of several Freeform (radio format), freeform radio show, radio programs, the best ...


Memorable moments and shows

WLIR had many memorable and unique shows. Some of these include: * Party in the Park — August 21, 1979 * Party in the Park II — August 23, 1980 * Tuesday Night Concert Series * "Off The Boat" Sunday night import show * "Party Out Of Bounds" Weekends (named after the B-52's song of the same name) * "Midnight Snack" with Ben Manilla * "The News Blimp" * Segue contests * WLIR "Heavy Hitters" softball team (featuring Billy Joel) * "Donna Donna's Spotlight Dance Dance" at Malibu Beach Club * "All-Request Morning Show" with Malibu Sue and producer Bill Holly * "The Bozo Patrol" with Ben Manilla and Eric Bloom (Blue Oyster Cult) * "The History of Modern Rock" * "Airline Club" and "DaREline" * "WLIR-kives" * Audio by Zimet * "WLIR Non-Conformal Ball" - April 1985 * "Left of Center" * "DRE After Dark" * "LIR After Dark" * "LIR After Hours" * "Saturday Night Modern Rock Dance Party at Malibu" * "Friday Night '80s Dance Party at Malibu"


Clubs and venues

WLIR music and bands were featured at many Long Island venues. Some of these include: *
My Father's Place My Father's Place was a music venue in Roslyn, New York. It first opened in 1971, and according to ''The New York Times'', "created a scene that would influence music for decades to come." In the nearly sixteen years the club was open before it ...
Village of Old Roslyn * "Spize" — Farmingdale * "The Angle" — Mineola * Calderone Concert HallHempstead * "007" — Franklin Square * Malibu Night Club — Lido Beach, New York, Lido Beach (last night open September 12, 1996) * The Dublin Pub — New Hyde Park, New York, New Hyde Park * Paris, NY — Huntington (CDP), New York, Huntington * Spit (nightclub), Spit — Levittown, New York, Levittown * Chevy's — Bay Shore, New York, Bay Shore * The Oak Beach Inn — Oak Beach, New York, Oak Beach * The Oak Beach Inn, Oak Beach Inn West — Island Park, New York, Island Park * The Ritz
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
* The 1890s Club — Baldwin (hamlet), New York, Baldwin * Speaks — Island Park, New York, Island Park * Reds — Levittown, New York, Levittown * Ultrasonic Recording Studios — Hempstead * Uncle Sam's — Levittown, New York, Levittown * Legz - Valley Stream, New York, Valley Stream * Luxe — Levittown, New York, Levittown (final simulcast venue on Saturday nights) * Camouflage - Bayside, Queens, Bayside * Rock Away - Rockaway Beach, Queens, Rockaway Beach


See also

* List of Internet radio stations * WFME-FM — the current Garden City, New York radio station at 92.7 FM *
WBON WBON (98.5 FM, "La Nueva Fiesta") is a Spanish-language tropical music formatted radio station, licensed to Westhampton, New York and serving eastern Long Island. The station is owned by JVC Media LLC with studios located in Ronkonkoma, New Y ...
— the current Westhampton, New York radio station at 98.5 FM *
WLIR-FM WLIR-FM (107.1 FM, ''Talkradio 107.1'') is a radio station licensed to Hampton Bays, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. The station's studios and offices are located on Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, with additional offices on ...
— the current Hampton Bays, New York radio station at 107.1 FM


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* *
Greg Morey
at iMedia Connection
WLIR Loses Its License (December 18, 1987)
— audio clip of WLIR's last day in 1987
92.7 WLIR Signs-Off (January 9, 2004)
— audio clip of WLIR's last day in 2004
The 92.7 Archive
- a retrospect on all things WLIR and WDRE. First established 1998. {{Long Island Radio Internet radio stations in the United States Mass media in Nassau County, New York Mass media in Suffolk County, New York Modern rock radio stations in the United States New wave radio stations