WOXY sold!

[cREWBILLY]

WOXY, out of Oxford, Oh., the last great independently owned station for alternative rock listeners sold today according to Cincinnati Enquirer.


OXFORD - WOXY-FM (97.7) has been sold to a Texas radio investment group for $5.6 million, but will continue broadcasting online.

The Oxford station, bought by Doug and Linda Balogh in 1981 for $375,000, was sold to First Broadcasting Investment Partners LLC of Dallas, Texas.

WOXY-FM gained national recognition over the years for its eclectic alternative rock format and a commitment to corporate independence.

Fred Stern, a publicist for First Broadcasting, confirmed the sale this morning. He also said the group had bought two other radio stations in the Cincinnati area, though declined to say more.

A broadcast merchant bank, First Broadcasting primarily buys, invests and resells stations. The company owns roughly a dozen U.S. radio stations.

According to Stern, the Oxford station plans to continue its format online, while First Broadcasting puts other programming on the frequency.

[Kenobi]

That makes me feel like I've been punched in the gut. That station got me through three-plus years in Oxford, and was one of the few radio stations left that I can still listen to. At least it will still be online.

[Kenobi]

Or maybe not. What a disappointment.

From woxy.com:
THE FINAL DAYS...

Well, guys, it looks like this is it. Our Internet broadcast will cease at the same time as our over-the-air broadcast at 97.7 FM, later this week. While there is a chance that we may be able to revive our Internet broadcast at some point in the future, it's unlikely. Woxy.com and the message boards will continue to exist as a community gathering point, and we'll be tweaking them to become even more community focused. Enjoy the A To X as we celebrate 23 years of The Future of Rock and Roll.

[nancyb]

Well, I've never listened to this station, but I have to assume that you just lost another creative radio station. The new one is bound to be like what's called "alternative" programming here in Washington, DC, which is to say, your station will now be sending out the prepackaged, preprogrammed, market survey-driven crap we're offered here in the nation's capital. I mourn the loss.

[Kenobi]

Well, I've never listened to this station, but I have to assume that you just lost another creative radio station. The new one is bound to be like what's called "alternative" programming here in Washington, DC, which is to say, your station will now be sending out the prepackaged, preprogrammed, market survey-driven crap we're offered here in the nation's capital. I mourn the loss.

You got it. They had a library of over 11,000 CDs, and you could hear anything from anyone of them on any day. They've been going through 23 years of playlists in alphabetical order the past few days, and it's been fantastic. Here's a sample of what they played in the last 15 minutes.

NOW
BUILT TO SPILL - SIDEWALK
Album: Keep It Like A Secret

05:44:35
TRAVIS - SIDE
Album: The Invisible Band

05:41:09
MATTHEW SWEET - SICK OF MYSELF
Album: 100% Fun

05:36:59
THE PRIMITIVES - SICK OF IT
Album: Pure

05:34:13
THE DAMBUILDERS - SHRINE
Album: Encendedor

[Kenobi]

Shockingly, the Cincinnati Enquirer has some good coverage:

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/10/tem_tem1a.html

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/10/tem_tem1aread.html

"WOXY effortlessly manages to be completely cool without actually trying. It creates trends instead of following them. It breaks acts. Its broadcasters aren't "celebrities" and all of 'em treat the music as the reason they're on air. It's everything I wanted a radio station to be, and everything I had never heard before."

[amerifolklegend]

Shockingly, the Cincinnati Enquirer has some good coverage:

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/10/tem_tem1a.html

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/10/tem_tem1aread.html


They had a very nice full page spread in the paper yesterday about it.

Not that anyone here cares, mind you.

[Flyer Fan]

"97X, Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll."
"97X, Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll."
"97X, Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll."

[nicodemus]

"97X, Bam! The Homogenization of Rock and Roll."
"97X, Bam! The Homogenization of Rock and Roll."
"97X, Bam! The Homogenization of Rock and Roll."

Fixed.

[amerifolklegend]

Fixed.

"X97.7 - New music first."

Heard that this morning. Then they played Love Shack.

[Kenobi]

Did anybody else listen to the last broadcast last night? God, how depressing. They ended with Sunday Bloody Sunday, the first song they ever played, then "Goodbye to the Future of Rock 'n Roll," and then, dead air.

Although, I did find the dead air to be a lot more preferable than the crap that's playing now.

On to KEXP's audio stream for me, I guess.

[nancyb]

"X97.7 - New music first."

Heard that this morning. Then they played Love Shack.

That's so typical of these "new" music stations. Or, maybe there's hope - was it the B52's Love Shack or X's? Neither of which is new, but one would elevate the station's stature in my eyes.

[amerifolklegend]

That's so typical of these "new" music stations. Or, maybe there's hope - was it the B52's Love Shack or X's? Neither of which is new, but one would elevate the station's stature in my eyes.B52s.

Actually, the new format (X97.7; New Music First) doesn't kinc in for two weeks. For now they're mostly just playing a lot of Soundgardeny type stuff.