“Jukebox Saturday Night,” hosted by Mike Saffran, on “Oldies 98.9”/WKLX-FM (98.9), Rochester, N.Y. Originally aired 6 p.m.–Midnight April 9, 1994.
Special notes: I previously shared (Jan. 28, 2025) my first show — from Jan. 28, 1995 — after becoming the regular host of “Jukebox Saturday Night.” Prior to being named the new host, however, I had “guest-hosted” the show a few times (for then-host Nick Evans — “Nick at Night”) on the station then known as “Oldies 98.9” WKLX (where I started working in October 1993). This show (April 9, 1994) was my first time. Although “The Jukebox” would later routinely run 7 p.m.–midnight, on this night it ran 6 p.m.–midnight. Little did I know, at the time, that within a few months I would be named host of “The Jukebox” — and begin my more than five-year glorious run! :-)
Back then, phone calls were still recorded onto a reel-to-reel analog tape recorder (making editing more cumbersome compared with after the arrival of digital editing via VoxPro). So, calls were kept overall much shorter (sometimes limited to the requested song-title only) — in stark contrast with later years (particularly during the 99 BBF era, marked by occasionally much longer, edited conversations with listeners). But calls were kept much simpler also because it was my first time ever hosting “The Jukebox” — thus, it wasn’t yet “my show” that I later would put “my stamp” on!
A few other notable changes from later years:
• Unique imaging and jingle package (including live top-of-the hour station ID)
• Different request line: 222-1600 (the first of three or four different phone numbers during my time as host)
• No use of music beds and coin-into-slot SFX with requests (added sometime later into my tenure as regular host)
• NewsSource 13 (WOKR-TV) weather partnership (later switched to AccuWeather)
• Weekday morning-show host was Chuck Lakefield
Callers aired and other show highlights:
00:08 Live top-of-the-hour station ID (“legal ID”) — including first of many references to filling in for “Nick at Night” (Nick Evans)
00:31 Unidentified female/Brockport (“Last Kiss”)
00:43 Weather forecast from NewsSource 13 (later references included mentions of meteorologist Dr. Paul Mroz)
01:07 Lisa/Rochester (“Chantilly Lace”)
01:29 “Oldies Night” at the Garage Door (Irondequoit bar later known as Maxwell’s), with Chuck Lakefield, reference
02:23 Unidentified female (“The Rain, The Park & Other Things”)
03:35 Sarah/Bloomfield (“Crimson And Clover”)
04:00 First of multiple plugs of “Sunday Night Fever” at The Creek (Henrietta bar) with Mike Vickers
04:23 Carol/Rochester (“Grazing In The Grass”)
05:42 Brian/Brockport (“Yes, I’m Ready”)
06:31 Joe/Henrietta (“Happy Together”)
07:21 Karen (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”)
08:24 Unidentified caller/Brockport (“American Pie”)
09:05 Unidentified female (“Do You Want To Know A Secret”)
09:46 Unidentified female/Hamlin (“Peppermint Twist”)
10:45 Joyce/East Rochester (“Unchained Melody” — dedication to husband, Herb)
11:29 Unidentified male (“Teddy Bear”)
12:08 Rick/Brighton (“Creeque Alley”)
13:25 Susan/Clarendon (“You Can’t Hurry Love”)
13:52 Unidentified male (“Michelle”)
14:31 Becca/Scottsville (“Big Girls Don’t Cry”)
15:10 Unidentified male (“I Like It Like That”)
15:55 Marra/West Irondequoit (“At The Hop”)
16:09 Darlene/Batavia (“Band Of Gold”)
All content (radio aircheck, audio podcast – all components, and show notes): © Michael J. Saffran
