The station stayed up for sale and had many offers, but none that were acceptable, throughout 1980 and 1981. WAPP (1982–1986) In early 1982, Doubleday bought the station, and by April its call letters were changed to WAPP. However, the format would remain the same for a while longer until new ownership decided what to do with the station. On June 14, 1982, WAPP switched to an album-oriented rock format similar to WPLJ and WNEW-FM, and was renamed "The Apple 103.5"; the format began with "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who. The station launched with a commercial-free summer. In 1983, a then-unknown Jon Bon Jovi visited the station and wrote and sung the jingles for the station. He spoke with DJ Chip Hobart, who suggested Bon Jovi let WAPP include the song "Runaway" on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. Bon Jovi was reluctant, but eventually gave them the song, on which Bon Jovi had used studio musicians to play on "Runaway" (which was written in 1980). As part of a marketing effort, WAPP-FM launched a contest called "New York Rocks 1983." Local music acts were encouraged to submit demo tapes to this competition. Among the tapes submitted to this contest was "Runaway", but didn't win the competition. Another act called the "Frankie Carr Band" won the honors. This competition was repeated in 1984. WAPP worked with WWOR-TV in nearby Secaucus, New Jersey on a music video show, Rock 9 Videos, for a short time in 1984. As 1984 progressed, WAPP's ratings were on the upswing. However, the station's owners decided to abruptly change the station's format to CHR that October. They felt that if co-owned stations in Washington, D.C. and Minnesota could do well with the format, then this station could as well. This would not be the case, as the station could not compete with WPLJ or Z-100, and their ratings fell. The station quietly segued back in a rock direction with a rock-leaning CHR format in June 1985. The station leaned toward current based rock while playing a limited amount of rhythmic cuts. Even that would not be able to turn the station's ratings around as 92.3 FM, the original WKTU, flipped to rock as "K-Rock". WQHT (1986–1988) In 1986, Emmis Communications bought WAPP from Doubleday. On August 13, 1986, WAPP began stunting with a classic rock format as "Classic 103." On August 15,