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| YZ Reunion 2011 |
It was a radio format that kept talk to a minimum, yet it had people talking throughout Connecticut and beyond. I was part of a group of WWYZ alumni who got together this past weekend to mark the 35th anniversary of "YZ the Natural 92 FM". As the summer of 1976 began, Gilmore Broadcasting's WWYZ 92.5 dropped its failing easy listening instrumental format for a mellow, soft rock sound unique to the area. By the time I arrived there at the start of 1978, YZ had already caught on, filling a big void in the market. It was the creation of Program Director Bob Craig, who made a case for the new mellow sound based on what was being played on the old WKTU/New York and WEEI-FM/Boston. Many people in the business feel YZ actually ended up doing it better. Bob's imprint was all over the Natural 92. He had a clear idea of what he did and didn't want. He programmed the music cut by cut - something still rare in the seventies. I've heard the format described as "The Three L's: songs of life, love and loneliness." Women especially loved it. Bob left in 1979 for Philadelphia, and the eighties saw a decline in ratings as times were changing. Most of us moved on, with many developing impressive resumes, but the first song ever aired on YZ summed up what that mellow era really meant to me. It was "Friends" by Elton John... "If your friends are there then everything's all right." They were there then, and they still are.
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