It wasn’t long ago that a subset of media enthusiasts took the concept of “excellence in broadcasting” seriously. It was enough of a thing with Rush Limbaugh and his fans that there was a 2010 episode of “Family Guy” sending it up — with Limbaugh’s own participation, even. While the phrase never actually comes up in “Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York,” the movie feels inspired by the concept.
Directed by Mitchell Stuart, the documentary recounts the tale of one of the last FM radio sensations in New York — which wasn’t even actually in New York. The station’s studio — bought by Milton Maltz of the Cleveland-based Malrite Communications in 1983 — was in scenic Secaucus, N.J. Free-form FM radio was gone, Album Oriented Rock FM radio was on life support and AM radio was embracing talk, so the new Z100 went to a Top 40 format. The D.J. and programming director Scott Shannon, who was known for a semi-gonzo style, came up from Florida to helm the ship.
There’s some nice wonky stuff here about how the station’s chief engineer contrived to make Z100 louder than other stations on the dial. A handful of rock stars (Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett) rhapsodize about how great it was to hear their songs on the radio. Shannon himself tells a few mildly amusing stories. But the movie’s prefab on-screen graphics are just one reason “Worst to First” has such a limp tone overall.
Some Z100 veterans tell a tale of Madonna haunting the station’s lobby in the early 1980s with an offer: In return for airplay for her first single, she would give the station exclusive access to the premiere of her 1987 movie, “Who’s That Girl.”
Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 4 minutes. Rent or buy on Apple TV, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.
Discussion about this post