WZRC Z-Rock 1480 New York - Final Hour / Sign Off - Crankin Craig - May 27 1993

WZRC Z-Rock 1480 New York - Final Hour / Sign Off - Crankin Craig - May 27 1993. The final hour of of the Satellite Music Network's Z-Rock format on WZRC, before flipping to a Country Format. Radio Aircheck.

[@davidjohnson1543]

The only Radio station where I actually knew all the DJ's names...Radio hasn't been the same since.

[@EllisFeaster]

David Johnson It was a one of a kind radio station!

[@Musicradio77Network]

3:33 is the last song ever played on WZRC’s “Z-Rock” at 1480AM was “Trampled Under Foot” by Led Zeppelin from the album “Physical Graffiti”. Here is the full song. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJLQg5iCirSfqKM

[@jeffk7734]

I remember ZRock when they were on in Detroit from 1992 until 1997. Is the ZRock Network even still around? I never would have thought radio would be like the way it is today. Now, 102.7 in Detroit is KLove after many format changes over the years.

[@JL-sm6cg]

Oh shit! LOVED Z-Rock in Detroit in the 90s. Listened to Crankin Craig in the mornings on my way to school!

[@mr198221]

OMG. BRO!!!! IN ALL CAPS. TY THIS WAS MY STATION! I USED TO CALL CRAIG ALL THE TIME. MEMORIES!! When I lived in Brooklyn. Wow.

[@EllisFeaster]

Surprise! You never know what I'll pull out of the vaults!

[@mr198221]

Sharkman, Wipeout, Madd Maxx Hammer. I used to call them all. Sometimes from pay phones. Sadly, in the last couple of years the station was forced to play poppier and classic rock stuff, but it was still heavy as hell. I have a lot of cassettes with a lot if Z stuff. This was a fun, amazing station while it lasted.

[@EllisFeaster]

mr198221 If you’d like to share some of those tapes, I’d love to post it here. There is not a lot of Z-Rock on the web. Let me know if you are interested!

[@mr198221]

Ellis Feaster I am, but don't really have the time right now

[@EllisFeaster]

Whenever you have the time, let me know. If you let me borrow the tapes, I'll get them right back to you with a digital copy as well.

[@mr198221]

Ellis Feaster Ok

[@toddstewart9070]

Count me in please. id be glad to trade ya something for them. I posted one of my z-rock tapes awhile back that i captured using Audiograbber 1.82 to 192/mp3 long time ago. Ive got a couple more tapes somewhere but i cant find them. They have been sitting in a box since 1994, but I know they are still in there somewhere. Ive got a bunch of old headbanger's ball full episodes from back in the day that i captured from VHS to DVD mpeg2 several years ago using vdub/avisynth/cce, and they look pretty good for VHS rips. They range from 1988 to 1994. Ive got probably around 20 of them, complete with old commercials.

[@MugsyNJ2]

I remember the night they went off the air. I was sitting in my car listening getting ready for class. I went inside to take the class and when I came out for a break I flipped the radio back on only to find the format changed to Korean. I was so bummed I called Sharkman to find out what happened since I missed the announcement. I still have a 90 minute tape I made which I converted to mp3. I'd be happy to upload it if anyone's interested.

[@gabrielwettenstein8659]

Please do, and post a link here when you get a chance.

[@MugsyNJ2]

Actually it was 2 hours, not 90 minutes. Anyway here it is in all it's AM radio glory. www.4shared.com/mp3/N8YY4ZHXfi/zrock.html

[@falconater51]

@@MugsyNJ2 The link is dead, do you have a new one?

[@MugsyNJ2]

@@falconater51 Looks like my account was deleted due to inactivity. Try this one: www.4shared.com/mp3/wnjUWYbZgm/zrock.html

[@eddieweiss1485]

it's hard to believe it's been 26 years since it changed formats

[@saku411]

29 now

[@gabrielwettenstein8659]

I have a few cassettes from the early 90s, like when I called back rockwards, Zweek 23 with Contraband, the Zrock 1000 when Enter Sandman was #1, the commercial for the Zrock staff shirt, the guitar version of the Muensters opening theme, "Lies, Lies Baby". I won a bunch of stuff from them back in day too. If you're in the NYC area and can transfer & uplaod them, I'll lend them to you. I even still have my Metal Militia dog tag.

[@EllisFeaster]

Gabriel Wettenstein I do have the equipment & software to make a digital copy, but I am in Orlando. If you’re able to drop it in the mail, I can get you a digital copy of the files when I return the cassettes. If you are interested, you can send it to: Ellis Feaster WPOZ-FM Altamonte Springs, Fal 32714

[@bobwire2414]

"Lock it in and rip the knob off, RRRAWWWRR!" - The Z - Rock Shark

[@zackamanda9799]

This station introduced me to a lot of new bands back in the late 1980's and early 1990's. I only wished it was on FM so it would of been in stereo.

[@PreApocalypseJitters]

I threw my clock radio out the window of my bedroom when I discovered the change in format. I was disconsolate. NY Radio has not been the same. Deaths of 92.3 KRock and 102.7 WNEW Where Rock Lives. Just garbage out there now, well, how fitting. Welcome to the 5 boroughs, pull up a pile of sh*t and get comfortable.

[@STEVSGONE]

You're not alone most of Pennsylvania is now a hot mess.

[@PreApocalypseJitters]

@@STEVSGONE I had to re-locate to central Connecticut to find a decent classic rock station.

[@STEVSGONE]

@@PreApocalypseJitters was it the whale?

[@PreApocalypseJitters]

@@STEVSGONE haha yes

[@MichaelHuntter]

The Lead Screamer of the Nova's lives on!

[@mr198221]

Hey, Ellis. I found time to check old Z-Rock cassetres for ya. I have some real Gold! Let me know how I can send them to you. I have 2, some with some Stern on it and will check more tapes this week.

[@JL-sm6cg]

Z-Rock was on an AM station?! WOW!

[@mattboland7063]

Sounds like this was a fun station. Got any more?

[@EllisFeaster]

I'll try to find some.

[@methuselah2k2k5]

I got alot of commentary with the DJs, Would listen and record religiously for songs during "Old Stuff for an Hour". Still have tapes.

[@EllisFeaster]

If you’d like to share some of your audio, I’d love to post it!

[@eddieweiss1485]

I can’t believe it changed formats to country

[@St4r_Z0mb13]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@erich84502b]

Some switch formats but SOME stations cut the power for good and go silent because its cheaper.

[@Musicradio77Network]

I've never heard of WZRC when I was living in Brooklyn at the time when it was on 1480 AM. It was a failed attempt at a rock format, but it went absolutely nowhere. WXRK's "K-Rock" and WNEW-FM are the two rock stations remaining where they brought in a lot of rock listeners due to the loss of "Z-Rock". Over in the Hudson Valley, WBWZ in New Paltz also carried "Z-Rock" when it was on 93.3 back in 1992 when the station signed on, right up until 1994 when they pulled the plug on "Z-Rock" and flipped to an all-70's format as the original "Z93". After nearly a year, the station flipped to AC throughout the 1990's right until the new millennium. By the mid-2000's it was rebranded as "Star 93.3" for a few years until 2013 or 2014 when the station flipped back to rock as "Rock 93.3" for two years until it was rebranded once again as the new "Z93".

[@EllisFeaster]

Playing Rock on AM, in 1993 was darn near impossible. They were trying to attract 20 & 30 something men, who in many cases, never ever listened to AM. Infinity probably thought Z-Rock would be a good combo buy with WXRK.

[@VBaskin2010]

Or Cumulus?

[@EllisFeaster]

Cumulus Radio did not exist in 1993. They did not come into existence until Summer 1998.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Ellis Feaster So does iHeart, that didn't existed until the early 2010's.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Ellis Feaster That didn't work too well on 92.3 while Howard Stern was doing mornings at the time. After "Z-Rock" pulled the plug on 1480, they tried the country format, it bombed miserably due to its competitor WYNY when it was at 103.5. After country failed, it flipped once again to Korean programming, and I said, WTF? I don't listen to some sort of Korean talk shows, or something. After a few years, the station flipped once again to Chinese format where is still remains to this day. I don't listen to Chinese programming on 1480 since I don't speak Chinese, because no one is listening to a Chinese station on the AM band. 1480 has been through so many formats over the years. It went from Spanish, to disco, to rock, to talk, and then to top 40, and then to Spanish and Spanish AC right up until "Z-Rock" came on the air, and it was a disaster since day 1.

[@eddieweiss1485]

i think z rock 1480 signed off 26 years ago and it changed to a country station

[@marchoffman6017]

Wzrc 1480 AM

[@thomasduemey8859]

The station is now a Chinese-language station.

[@eddieweiss1485]

did anyone remember z rock 1480 before it went country it was 26 years ago when something happened to that station and it lost to k rock 92.3 so it beat z rock 1480s butt

[@thespeez]

K-Rock was a classic rocker while Z-Rock was hard rock/metal. Keep in mind that Z-Rock had a difficult time by late -1987 and made a plea to AM stations to pick up the format! Several stations took Satellite Music Network up on their offer and by 1990, about two-dozen stations took them up on their offer. WZRC 1480 was among those stations! Unfortunately later that year, Lee Abrams who was PD of the network decided to make the format more commercial and acceptable to FM broadcasters. In order to do that, he had to take it more mainstream thus'watering down' the format! That didn't go over too well with many people and the network was gone by 1996.

[@marchoffman6878]

wzrc 1480 am