The best incarnations of 101.1 FM

The frequency of 101.1 FM has had a long, varied history in St. Louis, offering everything from soft rock to its current ESPN sports programming.  Three of its best incarnations, in my opinion, were:

• WMRY (1975-1986) During this era, WMRY played a jazz/pop mix during the day.  It was refreshing to hear soft rock hits paired next to smooth jazz tunes.  It was even more refreshing to hear what WMRY turned into at night, under the guidance of longtime jazz authority Leo Chears.  I always thought Chears had one of the best jobs in commercial radio.  He programmed his own shifts using his collection of jazz albums, which I remember him estimating as somewhere over 30,000 then.  It was great to hear the likes of Clifford Brown, Stanley Turrentine, and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, among many others, played by someone who truly knew the music.  I always appreciated it when he would play my requests--Grover Washington, Jr.'s "East River Drive," Cedar Walton's "Warm To The Touch," and once, in an impressive display of generosity, an entire side of a strong Crusaders album, "Rhapsody And Blues."  His announcing style was always natural, sharing his knowledge of the music along with birthday and anniversary acknowledgments, promos for concerts at jazz venues, and his own poetry, set to jazz. Two of his best poems, in my opinion, were "You're Born To Win" and "We Can Learn How To Be Real," which worked especially well with the Bob James tune, "Touchdown," as its backdrop. 
• WMRY (1986-1989) The greatest mixed emotions I've ever had about a format change struck me in January 1986, when WMRY switched to an album rock format with a 24-hour no-repeat policy.  I enjoyed hearing album rock tracks that didn't usually get played on the radio.  It's very common, for instance, for rock stations to play Chicago.  It wasn't--and still isn't--common for rock stations to play such overlooked gems as "Loneliness Is Just A Word" and "Mongonucleosis," as WMRY did.  It also wasn't common for rock stations in that era to play Nektar's "Remember The Future," "Back To My Music" by Good Rats, or Squeeze's "Footprints."  WMRY played all of those tracks, giving St. Louis a good taste of underplayed album rock.  However, I still wish this incarnation of WMRY had been on a different frequency because it displaced Leo Chears and WMRY's excellent jazz programming, and that was a tremendous loss.  Fortunately, Chears resurfaced on WRTH and WSIE.  In April 1989, WMRY became WSNL, "Sunny 101," and switched to a soft rock format.
• WFXB (1993-1994) During its last year and change as "The Fox," 101.1 FM played an impressive blend of singer-songwriter rock.  This was an AAA (adult album alternative) format as it should be done.  Among the pleasant surprises on the playlist: "Ashes Of My Heart" by The Bad Examples, "Be Free" by Loggins & Messina, Lyle Lovett's "Penguins," Dee Carstensen's "Rooftops," Joan Armatrading's "Show Some Emotion," Donald Fagen's "Teahouse On The Tracks," and "A Trick Of The Tail" by Genesis.  I was surprised to learn from a friend in the radio business that this was a consultant-driven format.  Given the expansive playlist, quirky track selections, and willingness to delve deeper than usual into an album, I would never have guessed that a consultant programmed it.  This incarnation of "The Fox" was the predecessor to "The River," WVRV, which debuted in November 1994 and maintained some of its predecessor's unpredictable programming for several more years.