New York Losing Its Pulse

Gone

MEGA MEDIA GROUP Top 40/Dance WNYZ-LP (PULSE 87.7)/NEW YORK  has shut down operations as of 5p (ET) TODAY (10/30). 

The end was announced on the air at about 12:15p (ET) TODAY by MEGA CEO ALEX SHVARTS; the closing was rumored to be coming for several weeks. MEGA had revised its 10-year lease on the station, the audio channel of low-power TV station WNYZ-LP this SPRING.

Outgoing PULSE 87 PD JOEL SALKOWITZ told ALL ACCESS, "PULSE 87 was a phenomenon! A radio station at the remote end of the FM dial ... a place where nobody was likely to stumble on it by accident ... on a challenged signal and virtually no resources found its way into the hearts and, more importantly, the ears of over a million people in NEW YORK! We did something here that people actually sought out. In the current radio climate, that is nothing short of amazing.

I want to thank my amazing staff that worked through the toughest conditions and put on what was just an outstanding radio station!

"There is absolutely no doubt that if we had put this format on a full power FM here in NEW YORK that it would have been a much bigger success than any of the other recent format changes that were made in the market during our time here at 87.7. This was the only format change in NEW YORK, since CBS-FM switched BACK to classic hits, that anyone in this city actually cared about or showed real passion for. In this day of automated, voice-tracked, syndicated, centrally programmed radio stations, PULSE 87 was a breath of fresh air to a lot of people.

"I want to thank my amazing staff that worked through the toughest conditions and put on what was just an outstanding radio station! For all the drama about the company that made it into the news and trades, it never came out on the radio. There's just no way to say enough about that. These people fought an amazing fight and did it with one hand tied behind their backs! Their efforts helped to, among other things, force music and artists onto other stations in the market that would never have seen the light of day had we not been here!

"PULSE 87 also transformed much of the club scene in the NEW YORK area from Hip Hop to Dance and demonstrated that radio still had the ability to energize an audience! All you have to do is engage them! To all the trade publications and sites, record labels, area clubs and artists ... especially the local artists that supported us, I thank you too. Some of the things we did just would not have been possible without your support.

"PULSE 87 proved that a well programmed Top 40/Dance format can work in the right markets. Don't ever let anyone tell you that the demise of this station has anything to do with the viability of the format. Never forget that HOT 97 and POWER 106, when they did ostensibly the same format, were the stations that beat Z100 and KIIS-FM respectively!!

"In the meantime, for all the fans that will miss us and the radio folks out there that remember one of NEW YORK's legendary stations and still want to hear great dance music, you can get it on my Internet radio station at www.originalhot97.com."

Reach JOEL at NYFLYBOY@aol.com or (914) 736-9009.

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