Early into my time in New York, I met someone who would become one of my closest friends. Mike Erickson was the Chief Engineer of WCBS-FM, and quickly impressed me because he’s one of the most passionate people I’ve ever met in radio.

We both share a passion for great audio processing, and one night over a slice of New York pizza, we talked about something that we both recognized about the GREAT radio stations… they become a “person writ large,” or a “living, breathing thing” as I always like to say. Great radio stations have a ‘station-ality’ that cuts through so strongly that a listener immediately knows what station they’re listening to without a jock or a piece of imaging even saying the station’s name. These are the stations with personality oozing out of the speakers – great jocks, well written imaging, a unique format, and a strong brand that stands the test of time. These aren’t just ‘radio stations,’ they are true companions with a genuine relationship to a community of listeners. These are a rare breed these days, but some still exist.

A few weeks after this conversation, Mike invited me to join him on a short road trip out to eastern Long Island to see a radio station that was a great example of the traits we had talked about a few weeks earlier. We arrived at our destination in Sag Harbor, NY… and that was the day that I first encountered the legendary WLNG.

At first blush, WLNG sounded like a parody of a 1960’s style small market top 40 – complete with a “Swap n’ Shop” show, PAMS jingles, personality jocks, and a long playlist of mostly classic hits. But this was no parody. WLNG just never stopped doing this kind of radio. Not only was it still doing it, it was thriving at it. Many competitors have tried to de-throne WLNG through the years and wrongfully assumed that the audience felt WLNG was “hokey” and old. But WLNG’s loyal listeners and advertisers kept it on top year after year. As the old saying goes, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Touring through the building, I couldn’t help but to notice the storied history of WLNG posted all over the wall in the form of newspaper clippings, community awards, and pictures galore. WLNG’s founder, a legendary Long Island broadcaster by the name of Paul Sidney, was featured in many of the clippings going back to the late 1960’s / early 1970’s. One photo showed Sidney doing a remote from the storefront window of a local furniture store. The story goes that the furniture store owner didn’t believe that radio worked, so Sidney lived in the storefront window to prove him wrong. Sure enough, it worked.

The place sounded and felt like the “living, breathing thing” that I spoke of earlier. It didn’t take long to figure out why WLNG had become such an institution in the Hamptons.

In the years since I’ve left New York, I continued to watch this station because it was such a great example of true community radio. And, as I later learned, I’m not alone – many of the most respected people in our industry are fans of WLNG for the same reason.

But sadly, it seems like the legendary WLNG is on the verge of being dismantled. In spite of the fact that Paul Sidney passed away in 2009, the station has continued to operate with the same general philosophy that he developed – until this month – when WLNG was sold.

What has happened since is the perfect example of my previous article from May, 2015 entitled “Destruction of a Brand.” In that article, I outlined 8 major reasons why long running successful brands die. WLNG is a great example of reason #5 from the article: “CHANGE FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE. Usually some corporate pencil-pusher comes into town and becomes a self-appointed “expert” on the market within a matter of hours. With total disregard to the nuances of the market, they make arbitrary changes to the successful brand with the thought that they are “improving” it, when in reality they kill it.”

I’m sure the new owners have the best of intentions, but they are eliminating many of the things that made WLNG the unique brand that it was. The jingles are now gone. The talent is only allowed to talk 4x per hour. The playlist has been cut. Many of the community service elements have been eliminated, including far fewer newscasts. It’s starting to sound like just another classic hits station. But WHY?

In their defense, WLNG probably could have used some subtle updating – perhaps tightening up the music, and moving it forward a few years to keep up with changing audience demographics. And some of the PAMS jingles were sounding a bit worn. But simple updating could have been done without extinguishing the soul of WLNG like they have. Unfortunately, it seems like the new owners are being reckless with a beloved brand, and I can almost predict where this going.

I’m only guessing, but I bet the new owners are getting advice from outsiders who, although well-intended, do not know the nuances, history, and unique qualities of WLNG. It’s my hope that they would instead talk to the people who know the brand first hand – the people that currently work there. Find out what works and WHY it works. Certainly the current staff is more than capable of developing an updated WLNG while still preserving those elements that made this unique station so successful all these years. And who better to know what has made that station special than those who have been there all along?

It’s not too late to save WLNG. But if history is any guide, my guess is that the new owners will forge ahead with their plans without regard to the rich heritage and uniqueness of WLNG, and the end will soon be near. And what a tragic end it will be – another one of America’s broadcast treasures unnecessarily transformed into just another radio station.