… This is Dusty on duty …
The Top 40 world as WSAI 1360 knew it ended with Randy Michaels’ arrival to the Queen City. Michaels programmed Top 40 on FM with Q102 around 1975 marking an end to WSAI’s dominance. Michaels left the market a year later to program sister station WDAF in Kansas City. He changed the format from Middle Of The Road to Country. Michaels returned to Cincinnati in the summer of 1978 to lay his programming hands on WKRC-AM (55KRC). Much like WDAF, 55KRC was playing Middle Of The Road music and suffered ratings problems.
Rumors were strong that Michaels was planning to change 55KRC to Country. In reality, the presentation was updated to what we now call “Hot AC”. But WSAI’s management believed the rumor and decided to beat Michaels to the format. On August 22, 1978 at six A.M., WSAI 1360 changed formats from Top 40 to Country.
This aircheck is from the evening before, a “Goodbye to SAI”. Former WSAI night personality Dusty Rhodes was brought back to ride WSAI into the Top 40 sunset.
(Courtesy of California Aircheck)