weekly April 1, 2024, Issue 903
WXTU: By George, They’ve Done It
the late George Beasley
Mike Brophey
Shelly Easton
Mark Razz
On March 3, 1984, two days after Beasley WXTU/Philadelphia switched from Rhythmic to Country, the nearby Pottstown Mercury ran an editorial reading in part: “What a joke. The only worse format change they could have made was to go all free-form poetry or maybe an all Alvin and the Chipmunks format. Country music does not work in the city. Don’t take my word for it, ask WRCP, WUSL and most recently WFIL-AM. All those stations found that Country doesn’t cut it.” Forty years later, WXTU has proven Country does more than cut it in Philadelphia, with much of the credit going to the company’s founder, the late George Beasley. Prior to his 20-year run programming WKLB/ Boston, CRHOFer Mike Brophey spent 14 years at WXTU, pre-dating the flip to Country. “The switch was a big secret,” he recalls. “They asked me to help carry some boxes in; I was curious, looked in one and saw a cart labeled ‘Barbara Mandrell.’ The format had been on a couple of different frequencies in Philly before, but the Beasley company did it right. The signal was horrible at first, but they were able to move it in from 20 miles outside of town, and that changed everything. “Early on, we just put the music on and didn’t talk much because we didn’t know much about the format,” admits Brophey, who eventually rose to APD/MD. “It took me a good six years to really understand the format. Not too long after that Randy Travis came along, and then Garth, so the format got a lot of juice that it needed.” Growing up in the area, Shelly Easton’s history with WXTU goes back to childhood, when she admits, “I would argue with my mother to turn it off in the car.” Her career led her full circle, and she served as WXTU’s PD from 2009 to 2018. (continued on page 5)
”23” And We: 19 Recordings/Wheelhouse’s Chayce Beckham celebrates his inaugural No. 1, ”23,” with his label team. Pictured (l-r) are Ken Tucker, Beckham, Brittany Pittman and Lisa Mastrianni.
Tour Launch: Kane Brown
Kane Brown kicked off his 39-date, 38-city In The Air Tour March 28 at Charlottesville, VA’s John Paul Jones Arena, and WCVL/Charlottesville OM Paul “Uncle Pauly” McDaniel served as Country Aircheck’s reporter on the ground for opening night. The show was an eye opener for McDaniel, who says it “was cool to recall all the hits Kane has, for what I (wrongfully) perceived as a newer artist. He’s also really easy to be a fan of and root for.” As the show opens, Brown lowers to the stage on a platform as lights and smoke Paul McDaniel and replicate a storm, supplemented Kane Brown by images of falling rocks. A
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