Though it's been in radio limbo for a few weeks, the "World famous" WLIR won't be coming back to 107.1 FM and its groundbreaking new wave/alternative format is, unfortunately, a goner too. Starting Monday, 1050 ESPN New York will take over the 107. 1 FM frequency.
Off-and-on for 26 years or so, WLIR developed a format that focused on new music, introducing countless bands to Long Island long before they made their way to other stations. Its cultural power grew so wide that it has even become part of memoirs and novels. The station also took great pride in supporting the Long Island music scene, playing local bands in regular rotation, alongside the biggest stars of the day to show that there was little if any drop off in quality in music produced here and produced elsewhere.
In recent years, though, WLIR, which moved from its powerful 92.7 FM frequency in 2004 to the new frequency that served only Suffolk County, has struggled to maintain a large enough forward-thinking audience. Like many younger-skewing rock stations around the country, its listeners have moved away from radio to iPods and the Internet to find new music. Though the switch was likely inevitable, it doesn't make WLIR's passing any less sad.
PHOTO: WLIR fave Depeche Mode. Did any other station in America play them as much for as long?
Comments (5)
Wanted to leave a thanks on their site but it is closed. Thanks Andre & all the rest of the DJs over the years(quack).You will never be forgotten.
> its listeners have moved away from radio to iPods and the Internet...
If this is the case and not just a very lame excuse for failure, then radio in total is dead.
I think it's the programing that killed WLIR, they missed about every beat, and changing the format once every year or so does not work, even the giant ClearChanel found that out.
Actually I blame the director of programing for the failure of WLIR. They ran it into the ground with very poor choices.
well i guess this is it. the morey organization will never fully appreciate and fully recognize the importance this NY institution was. It upsets me that the latin and dance stations survive and the only station that still had any legit music is sold out to friggin sports radio? isnt that what AM radio is for? you will be very sorely missed. PS. XM's Fred on44 is a pretty good newave station
I remember the early days of WLIR ...When I was 15 years old in 1982 and I was discovering New Wave sounds on the station.. The music still to this day has a special place in me... When I left Long Island for College in New Jersey I felt prepared to explore this music more and actually go out and see some of these bands featured on the station in concert.. I also wrote about them in my school newspaper... I always loved coming home from school and listening to the station as much as I could when on Long Island...
THANK YOU WLIR-FM!
REST IN PEACE!!!