There were a lot of radio station launches and format developments to look at in 2016—so much so that our annual look at the year’s “Intriguing Stations” stretched over two weeks in early January 2017. Many of them are stations still going strong or exerting influence in some way over today’s radio landscape. If you’re using the new year to look back on a decade ago, here’s that story back in print for the first time in several years.
The best format story of 2016 happened largely off the radar of most of the industry. The numbers for SBS’ WRMA (Ritmo 95.7) Miami weren’t even cleared for use by the trades by Nielsen until early this year. And even if you knew that they’d grown past a four-share with a limited signal between August and December, you’re probably not ready to launch a “Cubatón y más” format in your market. (I’m not going to completely dismiss it as a station that couldn’t happen outside South Florida, though. Reggaeton existed mostly on the radio in Puerto Rico for its first decade.)
Ritmo 95.7 beat the odds in a few ways. There was a time when even the idea of a specialty show devoted to Cuban music was shouted off the radio in Miami. (The Miami Herald characterized the format change as taking the genre “from blacklist to blockbuster.”) But it’s also good news for those who thought there would never be another new format based in an emerging genre. And it means that reggaetón, whose own durability was the subject of much speculation more than a decade ago, has endured long enough for a spinoff. (The “Latino and Proud” slogan that went with the format and caused as much buzz at the time perseveres as well, recently surfacing on WZOL Washington, D.C.)
The other key (but low-key) development happened this summer when more gold from the ‘00s and late ‘90s began showing up on WHTZ (Z100) New York. With tempo and pop/rock both in short supply at Top 40, it was possible to hear “We Are Young” into Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch” in middays (and hear “Hollaback Girl” a few songs later). Z100 is a station that, during other product cycles, has been more than capable of guiding the rest of the format to get the music it needs. When they went digging in the crates for melody and variety, it meant something.
At this writing, it feels like Z100 has backed off the older titles a little, but there was still disconcerting news for CHR as 2017 began with the flip of CBS’ KKHH (Hot 95.7) Houston and WZMP (Amp 96.5) Philadelphia. The last time CBS walked away from CHR in Philadelphia was when WCAU-FM became WOGL in 1987, one of several changes that officially signaled the end of the mid-‘80s CHR boom. And as Radioinsight’s Lance Venta notes, much of the format shifting as 2016 became 2017 was to Soft AC, Mainstream AC, or some form of Adult or Classic Hits.
It wasn’t that long ago that it looked like AC might disappear from (or become unrecognizably hot in) some major markets. But iHeart Media didn’t let that happen at KDGE (Star 102.1) Dallas. And in the markets where one Mainstream AC was doing well by dint of having a franchise to itself, it was an inevitability of the PPM era chessboard that there would be competitors (as happened frequently with Urban in 2015-16).
Yet, it’s hard to deny the new AC and soft AC stations in looking at the Most Intriguing Stations of 2016—the stations that weren’t just ratings successes, but represented (or defied) format trends. As usual, I find myself encouraged by an inability to cover everybody in one week. Here’s our annual look at stations that you may or may not have followed:
KISQ (The Breeze) San Francisco; KOSF (iHeart Radio ‘80s) San Francisco –The squeeze play against AC KOIT is what got the attention, but it should not be overlooked that:
- Supersoft AC the Breeze debuted with significant TV marketing as part of its big opening—proof that if broadcasters were really concerned with “telling their own story,” marketing was the way. (It was also good news that TV spots could still move the needle in an on-demand era.)
- KOSF, the market’s only Classic Hits station at the time, gave up that franchise and a local identity in favor of branding itself as iHeart Radio ‘80s. In a top five market, it was a significant salvo in the radio networking of America. Also, for that matter, in the evolution of Classic Hits to largely an ‘80s format anyway.
KXSN (Sunny 98.1) San Diego– “Before you wreck your old home, be sure about the new,” warns a Bill Withers lyric. But the former Easy 98.1 traded supersoft AC for a gold-based AC format reminiscent of what AC sounded like in most markets a decade ago, and kept its position at or near the top of 6-plus in the market.
WRME (Me-TV-FM) Chicago — Supersoft AC has already developed its own rules, most of which Me-TV-FM cheerfully discarded. (They’re playing Spanky & Our Gang, “Like to Get to Know You” as I write this.) And instead of streaming the signal, they created a parallel service with AccuRadio.com.
KTWV (The Wave) Los Angeles – It’s not exactly the successor to Jammin’ Oldies in the market, because it played currents from Zayn and Nathan Graham from the Wanted. It’s not the Smooth Jazz station it used to be, although instrumental jazz covers still pop up from time to time. If anything, it often recalls KACE, which was playing a mix of jazz and progressive R&B back when 94.7 FM was still AOR KMET.
WLIF (Today’s 101.9) Baltimore – Blurring the edges of Adult Contemporary isn’t news these days, but the former Lite FM was as bright as a bright AC could be this year. (Coincidentally, after a decade of pushing the edges of Hot AC, sister WWMX [Mix 106.5] has finally become a CHR reporter in some trades.) And it sounded good, not forced. Now, sister WZMP is trying the “today’s” position against WBEB (101.1 More FM) Philadelphia, which has been redefining bright AC itself for years.
WSM-FM (Nash Icon) Nashville — While Nashvillle’s two contemporary Country stations slugged it out, they led the field with yesterday-and-today Country. At year’s end, the other stations were tracking upward, while iHeart Radio had launched a similar format on a translator. But still a key development as PDs ponder the state of hot Country.
WMGC (105.1 the Bounce) Detroit — In six weeks, it topped one of America’s greatest and most competitive radio market with an eight-share, eclipsing the 7.8 share with which rocker WLLZ galvanized the market decades ago. Then it tapered off to the more realistic place at which throwback Hip-Hop/R&B stations eventually land. A nice coda for Greater Media, an empire built on Mainstream AC, which finally ventured into R&B/Hip-Hop just in time to help start the throwback Hip-Hop boom at WBQT (Hot 96.9) Boston.
KWEE (We 96.3) Portland, Ore.— The inevitable response to throwback Hip-Hop (in this case on yesterday-and-today rival KXJM), the “no throwbacks” station. And in Minneapolis, which got two throwback outlets, we got a slightly different take from KZGO (Go 95.3). By becoming the Hip-Hop sibling of KTWN (Go 96.3), KZGO also made strides for the long-overdue concept of brand extension. At year’s end, it appeared to be adding a little more R&B.
WHPB (95.3 The Wire) Orlando– The overall Urban radio building boom also brought us progressive Hip-Hop/R&B in another very different package. WHPB is a community minded low-power FM whose excitement, among other things, involved putting veteran Paul Porter back on the radio.
Spotify Discover Weekly – When broadcast radio lost its monopoly on new music discovery, the new business model became helping cull a bewildering supply of new music and legitimizing the hits. For many, that first job was usurped by this weekly customized delivery, only a fraction of which was music found anywhere near mainstream radio. Over the last year, Discover Weekly become a consumer press phenomenon. It also adds nuance to any discussion of why radio has become less enterprising on new music if a not insignificant number of listeners are waiting for a weekly delivery of 30 new songs, very few of them songs that are anywhere near being ready for mainstream radio.
KDDB (102.7 Da Bomb); KPHW (Power 104.3) Honolulu — As I write this, KDDB is playing “Lights Down Low” by Max, which is receiving more than 110 spins between Honolulu’s three Rhythmic CHRs, while getting little airplay anywhere else. That’s the kind of story that once used to be common in Honolulu radio, and there’s been more of it in recent months, especially since the format became a three-way battleground again between Da Bomb, Power 104.3 and the new KUBT (the Beat).
KDDB and KPHW also went through several Bruno Mars cuts before a second single emerged, and if Bruno in Hawaii doesn’t seem particularly daring, remember that “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift never ended up on New York radio. As with San Francisco’s KMVQ/KYLD battle, it was nice to see finding your station’s own music once again regarded as a secret weapon, not a liability.
KSXY (Y100.9) Santa Rosa, Calif. – A year ago, they were the pop-leaning Mainstream Top 40 station that also made aggressive use in Country crossovers, but throttled R&B and Hip-Hop slightly. Now they are truly playing everything (except gold). And the sort of experiment that usually lasts a few months is heading to the two year mark.
WZDJ (DJ105.3) Jacksonville, Fla. – This was an experiment that lasted six months. And on a single-owner rimshot signal in a medium market, the format’s mortality was pretty much inevitable. But shouldn’t there be a place somewhere for a hosted, produced radio station that plays dance music from the ‘70s through today? DJ105.3 was the reason broadcasters need to find a national platform for formats that are too niche for most single markets.
WCAT Burlington, Vt. –One might also naturally wonder about the long-term prospect of a station devoted not just to pre-Beatles Oldies, but one with an emphasis on the rockabilly and jump blues of rock and roll’s beginnings. “The Big Cat” indeed went dark at the beginning of the year. But it found an immediate successor in WPLB, running the equally intriguing “Mid-Century Radio” format also heard on WKCE Knoxville, Tenn.
WCVT (101.1 The One) Burlington, Vt. — Vermont radio has never been short of sense of place, with the progressive radio heritage of rocker WIZN resurfacing in various places from time-to-time. “101 The One” is wide-playlist Classic Hits by day. At night, “Chill Out 101 with Mr. Mellow” is like little else on the radio now—a combination of supersoft AC, ‘70s soft rock, and instrumentals.
No Shoes Radio, Sirius XM Road Trip Radio — Stations based on usage, not musical genre, have been a calling card for online radio and an obvious opening for satellite radio, which has enough available real estate to earmark some channels for mood service. One of those mood channels was homegrown, the other was “No Shoes Radio,” which began as a Sirius XM pop-up channel, built a following on the Web, then returned home. That was a significant development, because if Kenny Chesney needed satelllite’s critical mass, then how is a smaller standalone Internet broadcaster going to be found?
WLZR (Lazer 99.3) Springfield, Mass., http://lazer993.com/ WAQX (95X) Syracuse, N.Y. http://www.95x.com/ — When the “New Rock Revolution” was too big to deny in the mid-‘90s, it was a regular occurrence to see a heritage AOR or Active Rock station segue to Alternative. While the format isn’t the same kind of draw these days, Active Rock has bigger issues of its own. So this summer, Cumulus’ Active stations began experimenting with acts like Twenty One Pilots. But 95X kept going, putting a clever twist on an old slogan by declaring themselves “Syracuse. Rock. Alternative.” “Everything That Rocks” WLZR’s library approach evolved to mostly-modern gold, along the lines of the original WRFF (Radio 104.5) Philadelphia.
WQLQ (Live 99.9) South Bend, Ind. — Another throwback format flip, this time to the late ‘90s when the then-Clear Channel shook up many of its heartland markets with new CHRs that leaned rhythmic and promised “all the hits, not just some of them.” That somebody would revive that playbook in South Bend, Ind., speaks well for the resurgence in Hip-Hop and R&B these days. And, as Radioinsight’s Lance Venta notes, Live 99.9 publicized its flip in advance and hit the ground running, unlike many other stations.
Be sure to check out the “Intriguing Stations of 2025” as well.
