THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9602020392
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Mike Arlo, a midday fixture on WNOR-FM since 1981, is pulling up stakes. But he isn't going far.
The mustachioed deejay is moving down the hall, and up the dial, to sister station WAFX-FM (106.9). He'll take over the 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m. shift at the classic hits outlet beginning Monday.
Otherwise, it's business as usual, Arlo said. ``Electric Lunch,'' his popular listener-request program, will still be heard at noon.
``I'll be parking my car in the same place and taking the elevator to the same floor,'' he said. ``I'll just have to walk 21 paces further to a new studio. I measured it myself.
``The neat part is I'll get to play a lot of the music that I really love. I'll get to play Jimmy Buffett again. I'm a real Parrothead.''
WNOR program director Harvey Kojan said Arlo fits right in with WAFX's format - rock 'n' roll hits from the '60s, '70s and '80s. The reassignment has been discussed periodically since Michigan-based Saga Communications, which owns both stations, purchased WAFX in 1994.
``It was a natural thing to consider, because he is Mr. Classic Rock. He made the classics classic,'' Kojan said. ``He'll also help WAFX solidify their lineup and take them to the next level.''
Arlo, 47, follows the morning team of Jeff Allen and Gigi Young. Sabrina, who's been working 7 p.m. to midnight at WNOR, moves into his old slot.
Moving Arlo makes good business sense, Kojan noted.
``When you have a duopoly, you look at both stations and see what helps both,'' he said. ``It makes sense to not duplicate each other.
``It makes more sense now, because WNOR has continually evolved. We're playing less classic rock. It's not the same station it was five, 10 or even 15 years ago.''
Arlo, a graduate of Princess Anne High School, started working overnights at FM99 in 1975. Two years later, he was filling in during morning drive, before moving to middays in July 1981.
``The really strange part is a lot of people who grew up listening to me now have children listening to WNOR,'' he said. ``At WAFX, I'll be talking with the same people who've listened to me already. It's kind of a win-win deal for everybody.'' ILLUSTRATION: Mike Arlo, known for playing classic rock, will play hits from
the '60s, '70s and '80s at WAFX-FM.
by CNB