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This is a current picture of the WFLZ control board today. It is the same board that The Power Pig used once they moved to the Gandy Blvd location. The board was recently refurbished during a studio rebuild.
Left monitor: Internet access/audio, station information
Middle two monitors: Prophet Systems/Next Gen which plays all on-air audio (songs/sweepers) etc
Right monitor: VOX PRO digital editing station, mostly used for editing phone calls.
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This is where new additions to the PIG PEN are listed. New titles are listed in YELLOW so it's easier to find them.
COMING THROUGHOUT 2005 - A New Promo Section with 65 cuts covering 46 Power Pig promotions !
(NEXT UPDATE April 1, 2005) - TO BE ANNOUNCED
March 15, 2005 - Power Pig vs. Q105 daypart by daypart comparison composite from
Jan 1990 Pt. 2, aircheck of Scott Shannon with Power Pig's Three Little Pigs in the
morning section
near the bottom of this page.
March 1, 2005 - Power Pig vs. Q105 daypart by daypart comparison composite from Jan 1990 Pt. 1,
Power Pig night jock Bubba The Love Sponge aircheck from 1994, a few Power Pig promos.
Feb 1, 2005 - Power Pig Hidden Mic promo "MasonSaysCantBeatEmLieBoutEm",
Power Pig promos about lip synching , Some new 93.3FLZ imaging in Virtual CD Players Set 4
Jan 10, 2005 - Power Pig SIMULCASTING on Q105 sweepers-PART 2,
Power Pig Promos for Boob-related contests in the new promo section
four new liners complete Virtual Cart Deck 6, Power Pig Lie Detector Promo "Mason On Kabrich firing"
12/24-Power Pig SIMULCASTING on Q105 sweepers-PART 1
four new liners start off Virtual Cart Deck 6, two new liners complete Virtual Cart Deck 5,
"One Day Only Screw Q T-Shirt Sale" promo, two promos "Help! The Q Is Taking Us To Court",
new "As The Q Burns" promo "The Trial"
11/9-Tim & Tom aircheck from Aug 1990 in "Night Jocks" section, New liners in Virtual Cart Deck 5.
10/31-oldies Z93 aircheck of weekender "Smokin Joe" in "Pre-Pork" era section.
10/28-new "As The Q Burns" promos...thought they were funny before, New anti-Q promos called "That's The Crap",New parody "Power Pig Is There For You", New liners in Virtual Cart Deck 4 & a new Virtual Cart Deck 5, Jon 'RockNRoll' Anthony-93.3FLZ afternoon drive-1999 in the "Today's Hit Music" section.
10/26-Lisa Paige from May 2004 in the "#1 Hit Music Channel" section.
10/25-"Even Up An Ass" promo in Power Pig Hidden Microphone section, Jeff Thomas from May of 1996 in the "New Music Revolution" section, Carson- 93.3FLZ aircheck in the "#1 Hit Music Channel" section. |
 WFLZ FM - "The Pre-Pork" Era |
Through the 1980's, the 93.3 frequency in Tampa went through change after change including names like "The Surrounding Sound of WFLA-FM Stereo 93", "Orange Juice Country WOJC" & "Paradise 93". When Jacor Broadcasting first bought the station in 1988, they had wanted to make it a Top40 station THEN but couldn't. At the time, Jacor also owned a national ad rep firm that ironically represented Q105. Jacor had to wait out a one year contract before they could directly challenge the Q. In that year, 93.3 became a very aggressive & very high energy 60's oldies station "All Good Time Oldies Z-93". Jack Harris & Jon 'Rock N Roll' Anthony were lured away from the Q, taking identical shifts on Z93. Others like Dr. Don Carpenter, Dave Mann, Mark 'The Shark' Larsen were all already on board spinnin the oldies...and all of them would easily make the transition to the Top40 format when the time came. Former Q105 Promotions Chief Darcel Schouler was on the way to the Power Pig as well, to head up THEIR promotions department.
So, the reason for this section is so you can hear some of what lead up to the Power Pig's launch.
 As early as six weeks before the switch, and completely out of character for an oldies station,
Z93's jocks started taunting the Q, airing parody promos that jabbed at Q105's top jocks and then spent an entire week demanding ransom money from the Q. Yes, ransom...$1 million ransom that
went up another $1 million each day almost. Z93 said if Q paid up, they would NOT flip to
top 40.
The ransom audio cuts below more than speak for themselves and tell the rest of the
story.
(WEBMASTER NOTE: Everyone has always wondered if Q105 WOULD have paid the ransom,
would Z93 really have stayed oldies. Three sources have confirmed to me that YES, Jacor boss
Randy Michaels had every intention of honoring the ransom offer.) |
 WFLZ FM - The "Pre-Pork" Era |
One of the first times we heard the call letters WFLZ (:12)
...in the late 80's. 93WFLZ started as a short-lived adult contemporary station. Recognize the voice guy on this sweeper?
Think ABC TV... Love Boat.... It's Ernie Anderson.
Promo teasing flip from AC to oldies Z93 (1988-:17)
Recognize who this voiceover guy is? You probably know him better as longtime Tampa Bay talk show host Mark Larsen
Jingle from the 60's oldies format of Z93 (1988-:03)
Z93-Jeff Laurence-Middays (1988-:34)
Z93-SmokinKevin or Joe?-weekends (1989-3:01) Did he ask for a convenience store worker so he could have a second six pack sent over?
Z93 sweeper-While Q plays commercials.... (:12)
Most people don't know, the battle with the big Q105 started on the oldies format. It had only just begun.....
Don't Be A Q w/Z93 TopofTheHour jingle (:44)
An oldies station with a serious attitude problem most thought. ..next step? Ransom demands and a high profile kidnapping?
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 Z93 Holds Tampa Bay's Top 40 Format for Ransom |
It started out being real easy. A simple business proposal:
Z93 told Q105 to just simply pay them $1 million dollars and they would not change their format to Top 40. The gang at the Q kicked back & didn't pay them any attention, even though The Tampa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times, & the now-defunct Clearwater Sun daily newspapers, plus local TV news, were ALL over the story. So Z93 stepped it up a few notches....gave em a deadline to meet & started a clock ticking in the background of most everything they did on air.
For fun one day, they even flipped to "93 Jamz" for just an hour, then back to oldies. The tease & psych games were in full force...
now pressure was on at the Q.
On the left below are some tremendous audio bites of then-Z93 night guy Jon "Rock N Roll" Anthony. He had been the #1 night show in Tampa Bay at Q105 not long before this. A disagreement over who was going to pay a simple $25 parking ticket that Jon received (in a Q van while on Q station business) cost them way more than their #1 night show..... take a listen to these cuts from Jon's Z93 night show during the ransom period. He didn't hold back at all. (Nah, he wasn't bitter......) (WEBMASTER NOTE: One thing you will hear a lot are Z93 liners going into Top 40 songs, then a couple seconds later snickering and laughing as Z93 rolled into another oldie instead. This was one of the ways they continually teased Q105 (and everyone else) into thinking it was THAT MOMENT they were flipping format.
On the right,
four great cuts from the then-Z93 Morning Show Jack and The Doc & then-afternoon jock Mark 'The Shark' Larsen, also during the ransom period: |
PIGRANSOM #1 (1:59)
Starts with a couple Power Pig sweepers, the original Mason Dixon Lie Detector promo w/Jeff Laurence. Finally, a Jon Anthony message for B.C. over at The Q.
PIGRANSOM #2 (2:28)
Ransom is at $2 million by 5pm the next day. Z93 tests their EBS
(Emergency BOOGIE System).
PIGRANSOM #3 (1:56)
Ransom is at $2 million, Jon takes a listeners request and dedication for Mason.
PIGRANSOM #4 (1:46)
Milli Vanilli starts to play but noooot yet, another oldie. Mason hurries and calls Jon, tries to negotiate. No deals. Jon's got somethin ELSE over Mason's head.
PIGRANSOM #5 (2:23)
Jon Anthony let's it ALL fly at Mason here: "We're gonna kick your ass Mason! Remember Jon Anthony told ya so!" Cleveland Wheeler still being held hostage by Z.
PIGRANSOM #6 (1:50)
"Let's quit playin' games already, let's go Top 40!" Jon and the Z93 guys we're lovin this...tease after tease...
PIGRANSOM #7 (2:07)
Z93 airs a special "ABC Radio News" interview with Mason.
Thanks to Marky Mark, owner/morning man of Belgium's dance leader RGR FM for these cuts. None of us had EVER heard them & they totally define what the PIG was like then. |
RANSOM - Part One (4:54)
Dr. Don & Jack Harris in the morning and Mark Larsen in the afternoon now demanding $2 million.
RANSOM - Part Two (2:19)
Q105 doesn't make the 5pm deadline. Q calls begging for one more day. Mark Larsen gives em one more extension.
RANSOM - Part Three (3:50)
Fast forward a few days to Monday, Sept.25th. Ransom now at $4 million & on the previous Friday, listeners got a small taste of what was coming when Z93 became 93 Jamz for an hour. Jack & Dr. Don are trying to reach Q105 owner Gary Edens by phone to give him one final chance to pay up. Funniest part to hear is WHO actually tipped us off to what hotel Mr. Edens was staying in.
RANSOM - Part Four (3:29)
(aka-The Birth of a 100,000 watt baby Power Pig)
Jack & Dr. Don give Q105 owner Gary Edens his last shot to pay up. Gary tries scaring them by mentioning that he is "friends with" & had just recently had lunch with one of their BIG bosses. Unfazed, Jack & Doc, with the help of Gary himself, live on the phone still, launch one of the biggest Top 40 radio wars,
if not THE biggest, in history.
Famous last words: COME ON GUYS, LOOKIN FORWARD TO IT, LET'S GO, HAVE A HAPPY DAY!" - Gary Edens
Thanks to Dom Theodore aka Domino for these cuts |
 The Power 93-The Power Pig Era |
When it officially began... Monday, Sept. 25, 1989-8:15aEST/5:15aPST (3:03)
Dr. Don & Jack got a hold of the phone number to the man at the very top of the Q empire...and decided to call him, maybe even give him another chance to get out of it... in his hotel room in Napa Valley, CA. Uh huh, THAT's why I noted the Pacific Standard Time above. This gives ENTIRE new meaning to the phrase "famous last words". The first voice you hear is Jack Harris, voice on the phone is Gary Edens (Chairman of Edens Broadcasting-then owner of Q105 FM&AM),
third voice is Dr. Don Carpenter.
THE BIRTH OF A 100,000 WATT BABY POWER PIG
LEFT TO RIGHT: Morning co-host Dr. Don Carpenter launches Tampa Bay's newest Top 40 radio station
Power 93 The Power Pig while morning co-host Jack Harris, Jacor COO Randy Michaels, Program Director Marc Chase
and
Jacor marketing guru
(and actual man who came up with the name "The Power Pig") Michael Albl.
And if you're thinkin that doesn't look like Gandy Blvd studio you're right. They launched at the old Jackson St. studio.
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| The Power 93-The Power Pig Era |
| The original Power Pig control room had eight cart machines that were used to play all sweepers, jingles and yes, even songs. CD's weren't really even out yet. "Cassingles" or singles on cassette were still being sold in stores. Throughout the Pig Pen, you'll see sets of two four-stacks like these below. Clicking on the cart machines will play a different liner, sweeper, or jingle. Enjoy!
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Power Pig Virtual Cart Decks Set 1
1  The Power Pig jingle
2 PPPower93-ThePowerPigwlazer
3 Power93-fastshotgun
4 Power93-drysweep |
VOICE OVER GUY: Bumper Morgan
5 Power93-PwrPig-Genericw/pigs
6 Q105 Still Sucks sweeper
7 Power93shout-Weather out
8 Power Pig's KickAss sweeper!
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"hOLLYWOOd" Jeff Laurence doin the Saturday morning Pig (2:37-1989)
don't miss Jeff's recollections of this era of the Pig...it's DAMN good. CLICK HERE.
A Simple Power Pig Math Lesson (:38)
The Worlds Four Biggest Lies (:44)
Guess who the Q fires next-win $100 (1:07)
Power Pig conducts some short RadioBiz (:21)
Fact: Q105 Plays The Most Commercials (:19)
One of the Power Pig's favorite tricks was to monitor the Q in studio. As soon as Q started another long set of commercials, The Pig would play this. Listeners had time to hit their Q preset button, hear the commercials, & turn back to the Pig just in time to hear the second half & of course, more music. It worked more than you think !! Those Q presets quickly became
POWER PIG Presets!
Promo-More Mason Talk (:29)
Promo-Sadaam (1:35) Voice of Brian James
The Pure Hell of being a Q105 employee (:48)
Examples of Q105 Music (:43)
Listener Promo-Finally Tampa has a Decent Station (:20)
Promo Montage-Hide Da Salami (:33) plus custom Pig sing of NothingCompares2 U
Reverend Mason (:35) making sure Tampa Bay is "safe" from that "nasty ole Power Pig"
"Help! The Q Is Taking Us To Court" ver. 1 (:35)
"Help! The Q Is Taking Us To Court" ver. 2 (:32)
Ahh yes, the infamous "Screw The Q"
t-shirts started popping up EVERYWHERE. The Pig had collected a "$10 donation for each shirt to help keep the Pig on the air". So not only was The Pig promoting itself AND promoting that Q105 was bad, but it made $10 each time too. So Q105 asked The Power Pig to not only stop selling the shirts but to destroy any shirts they had left as well because the use of their trademarked logo was infringement. So sure, The Pig said they'd stop selling the shirts but of course they did not. Very shortly after, the debut ratings for The Pig were released and every top news & TV headline around indeed confirmed the Pig had "Screwed The Q" right out of their #1 spot.
Then came the lawsuit from Q105, also making bold news headlines locally and nationally. Public opinion was that the big giant Q105 was only suing little upstart Power Pig because they were mad about the ratings loss. Promos like these two were just the icing on the cake.
Now when the lawsuit was announced, sale of the shirts ceased until they got their day in court. So how would the underdog Power Pig pay for it's defense in court? Well, listen to the next promo....
"One Day Only Screw Q T-Shirt Sale" (:53)
(Parody songs below written/produced
by Mike Waters. Thank you to Donna Waters for getting them to us.)
Parody: Power Pig Is There For You (2:49) Sung to the tune of Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You"
Parody: Who's Afraid Of The BigBadQ (:11) Sung to tune of "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf"
Parody: We'reKickinAss (:51) Sung to tune of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" (has audio glitches)
These liners/sweepers are mini-montages with 2-4 sweepers each:
Pig-ThisLittlePiggy/PickNose/Nauseating (:25)
("Pick Your Nose" sung to tune of "Vogue" by Madonna)
Pig-Mason...YouAintWhatWeNeed/SamKinisonID (:23)
(sung to tune of Biz Markie's "Just A Friend"; Jimmy Lee is Mason's real first name)
Pig-WhosAfraidofBigBadQ/MikeyHorny/MeanerNastier (:47)
(Mikey Horny sung to tune of "Me So Horny"-2 Live Crew; Mike Horne was Q's General Manager when the Pig was born.)
Pig-YesTheZooIsHistory/HeavenDontWantUs... (:16)
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Power Pig Virtual Cart Decks Set 2
1 Best Damn Radio Station
2 It Aint Smuckers
3 Pump It Up!
4 Broadcast License |
VOICE OVER GUY: Bumper Morgan
5 Assume The Position
6 Don't Be A Dick
7 Small Band of Renegades
8 Better Than Sex
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...::: The Power Pig Mentally "Mind Fucks" Q105 :::...
That, point blank, is the best and only way to describe what started happening.
The promos and parodies never stopped coming. Pointing out Q's flaws was the Power Pig's favorite and EASIEST pastime. Flaws like loooong commercial breaks, DJ's that seemed to never stop talking & playing music from the 60's & 70's, all things that Top 40 stations just couldn't do anymore. It seemed like every day, The Power Pig had the competition by their gonads. Q105 just ignored the Pig, listeners were leaving Q105 and fast. The Pig would poke harder & harder. Ratings weren't Q's only problem. Most people (even Mason) agree that if Q105 would have kept doing what they were doing,
they would have survived as a popular adult radio station. But the decisions they ended up making, made you seasick.
For months after firing their top DJ's and management, NO ONE was even steering the ship there. There were NO DJ's for over three months in some shifts. When the new DJ's started, the Q decided to battle the Power Pig by playing the same music, even calling it "A Better Mix of Music". The Pig started in on the new Q staff with new promos & almost couldn't keep up with the revolving Q door. Some promos, as you'll hear below, even turned into a reoccurring theme or series there was just so much material. Listeners saw the "new" Q as just a bad copycat of The Pig. The Pig never blinked a second as the Q went through many different DJ and line-up changes, program directors, morning shows, tons and tons of research,
plus meaningless slogan changes.
They had been:
"Tampa Bay's Radio Station" "A Better Mix of Music" "Rededicating The Q to You" "Tampa Bay's Hit Music Station" "Tampa Bay's Brightest Music" (what the hell is BRIGHT music?) ...until they finally became "W-Garth" and started playing country music in 1993. (Yes, all they played was Garth Brooks for a while). Even as a country station, the slogan changed nearly half dozen more times: "Q105, Hot Country Hits" "Q105, Fresh Country Hits", "104.7 The Bee" "New Country Q105"
Right around the same time, Mason Dixon had the last laugh on the Q, he had re-created" what Q105 would have been
like in the mid 90's on a new station, Mix 96....and ok, we'll say it, he did pretty well with it.
Some of these cuts were not included before because the character "Low Rent Mayonnaise" is (if you don't know by now)
a parody of Clear Channel Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Lowry Mays. Clear Channel, just a small company then, was owner of Q105 at the time these were all produced & aired. However, when this tribute site began, it was a part of my staff bio on 933FLZ.com, now also a
Clear Channel owned station. In short, "Low Rent" (Lowry) was the big boss of the company I worked for...
and after you hear some of these, you'll see why we held back. |
"We now find the Power Pig Hidden microphone..."
(Yup, a multi-part series ! If I remember right, this series went on over a year.)
VOICEOVER GUY: Brian James
MasonSaysCantBeatEmLieBoutEm (:38)
Even up an ass? (:30)
LowRent seems to have something stuck somewhere .
LowRent's son visits station (:29)
LowRent turns someone's office into a playroom for his son
LowRent & his son in Q control (:48)
They talk to Ronnie ChooChoo...does he get a promotion?
inside Q105 owner's office #1 (:38)
"Well endowed" late night DJSara Barx is tested to see just what she might do to keep her job at the Q.
inside Q105 owners office #2 (:40)
Alicia K-Mart finishes her "duties" while Choo Choo is given the car waxing duties on Low Rent's Cadillac in the parking lot.
inside Q105 owners office #3 (:41)
LowRent needs a buffoon for his new country morning show. Who does he call and invite back? Mason? Cleveland?
inside Q105 owners office #4 (:35)
research results are in: Q Morning Show sucks, Q Music sucks...
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At Q's weekly research focus groups #1 (:43) The Word Association game....
At Q's weekly research focus groups #2 (:27) something is in one of the seats
At Q's weekly research focus groups #3 (:42) Is reality starting to set in???
inside Q105 Staff Meeting (:38)
Havin A Party! Woohoo! Ratings up 0.2!!
inside a 1992 Q105 Staff Meeting
w/Program Director "Gay
Taylor"-(:41)
rent month to month, hope for weekend jobs w/Mason
inside a 1990 Q105 staff meeting w/Operations Mngr Mason Dixon-(:44)
We're gonna trick listeners & say "You Can Hear The Difference"
a secret conversation at Q105 (:44)
Payola Pt 1-The Q105 Program Director had a TV interview going, stops it to take a call, but the TV cameras never stopped & had what amounted to a payola (pay for play) type deal (illegal) on tape. And yup, TV used it.
inside Program Director Gay Taylor's
office (:58)
Payola Pt. 2-The phone conversation you hear is mocking the one the TV cameras caught on tape. |
That's The Crap Makin Everyone Switch !
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 The Power Pig Lie Detector |
The Power Pig Lie Detector-(:31) Subject: Q105 Program Director "Gay Taylor"
The Power Pig Lie Detector-(:40) Mason comments on the firing of Program Director Randy Kabrich
VOICEOVER GUY: Brian James |
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As The Q Burns #1 (:53) Mason get's his test results...will they have to operate on his ego?
As The Q Burns #2 (:58)
Mason tries to cancel the needed surgery, is the ego big to fix?
As The Q Burns #3 (:46)
BC & Bobby argue in the hospital waiting room...over what?
As The Q Burns #4 (:56) Mason wasn't expected to make it, but he did, how?
As The Q Burns #5 (1:13)
Mason returns back to Q105...short message from Tim&Tom at the end.
As The Q Burns #6 (1:06) Mason's wife comes to visit... and finds p-p-p-panties.
As The Q Burns #7 (:49)
Once Upon A Time Q was happy, then an evil Texas banker buys them...
As The Q Burns #8 (:28) starring "Steve Assweighsaton"/"Alicia KMart"/"William Lame"
As The Q Burns #9 (1:03) ...we're at the Power Pig/Q105 Trial. Mason is reading his opening statement
but you guessed it - he can't stop tallking.
VOICEOVER GUY: Brian James
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Power Pig Virtual Cart Decks Set 3
1 Trained Professionals
2 SanitizedForYourProtection
3 DontLikeUs? Cut the damn radio off
4 Wakin U Up with 3 Lil Pigs Jingle |
VOICE OVER GUY: Bumper Morgan
5 Dave Mann Power 93 drop #1
6 Dave Mann Power 93 drop #2
7 Panties In Wad
8 Eat Me |
|  Moments with "Low Rent"...
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A Moment with Low Rent #1...on farm animals.
(WEBMASTER NOTE: This one takes a little explaining. At the end, this promo says "Hey Low Rent, Speaking of farm animals...efiwruoyswoh". E-mails from tons of people asking me to explain this one. Well, flip that jumbled mix of letters around and it says "How's Your Wife?" That's not the funny part. The rest of the story... at the time, the Q105 employees were all (but would never admit it) listening to the Power Pig promos all the time, sometimes getting better info on the Inside of Q105 than even they were getting INSIDE OF Q105. When they heard this one, they were not only baffled by the last part, but HAD to figure out what it was saying. In order to do that in 1990, they had to record the Power Pig until the promo played again, then go into a production room, record it on reel to reel, the play the reel tape BACKWARDS in order to actually hear "How's Your Wife?". Hysterical...well, for the Power Pig.)
A Moment with Low Rent #2... alone with Q105 midday jock Alicia K(FC).
A Moment with Low Rent #3...alone with Q105 Program Director Gay Taylor... and kneepads???
VOICEOVER GUY: Brian James
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The Power Pig vs. Q105 - Jan 1990 - Daypart by Daypart Comparison |
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