I had a resolution this year. I was going to spend more time with current-based formats and less time with whatever Classic Hits station came along playing a slightly different mix from the agreed-upon PPM market megahits. But broadcasters keep turning on gold-based radio stations. (So far, there’s only been one new CHR launch.)
I’ve spent a lot of time this week listening to “Delmarva’s Super Hits” WKHI Ocean City, Md., instead of what I ought to be listening to. Just a few hours ago, I sat in the car to hear the rest of “Tired of Toein’ The Line” by Rocky Burnette. That’s the sort of song that had come back to the radio around the time of Bob- and Jack-maximus in the mid-‘00s, then disappeared again. In fact, WKHI is one of the best “what comes next?” stations since the first heyday of Adult Hits. Or maybe since the market’s own Love 92.1, which was very much Oldies, not Classic Hits, in the mid-‘00s. (The market has a total of six Classic Hits, Oldies, and Adult Hits stations.)
WKHI is one of two new Classic Hits launches in the Salisbury/Ocean City market in early February. It has the call letters and logo of the market’s heritage ‘80s CHR, while KHI’s former PD (J.J. McKay) is already in the building at a sister station. Like iHeart’s recently re-launched WLGX (100.5 FM) Louisville, Ky., they seem to be playing both the ‘80s that you’d hear on a Classic Hits/Adult Hits station and the Joe Public, “Live And Learn”-type ‘90s titles that often represent “the next format” to Classic Hits programmers. You’ll hear “Jessie’s Girl,” but right now they’re playing “Under The Milky Way” by the Church, and most of what you’ll hear is uptempo.
Here’s the station just before 8 a.m., February 10:
- Extreme, “Hole Hearted”
- Annie Lennox & Al Green, “Put A Little Love In Your Heart”
- Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You”
- Bryan Adams, “One Night Love Affair”
- Divinyls, “I Touch Myself”
- George Benson, “Give Me The Night”
- Van Halen, “Beautiful Girls”
- Culture Club, “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”
- Simply Red, “Sunrise”
- Herb Alpert f/Janet Jackson, “Diamonds”
- Mr. Mister, “Broken Wings”
- Motels, “Suddenly Last Summer”
- Queen, “I Want To Break Free”
- Smashing Pumpkins, “1979”
- Bobby Brown, “Every Little Step”
As you might remember from previous conversations we’ve had, I enjoyed the 94.9 KHI that launched a year or so ago and still enjoy the new incarnation. That old KHI has returned to the air as B-106.1 and remains excellent. The newer incarnation is more adventurous and makes me go, “Wow!”, fairly often, but it also has some clunkers that time has mostly forgotten that make me reach for the mouse.