WQSH made the flip to 80s/90s Hits “Rewind 105.7” at 7am this morning. Positioned as “Hits From The 80s, 90s & More”, the station is promoting itself as “Feel Good songs from Prince, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, Michael Jackson, Alanis Morissette, The Cure, Madonna, Def Leppard and more”.
The first hour of Rewind consisted of:
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch – Good Vibrations
INXS – New Sensation
Jody Watley – Looking For A New Love
Expose’ – Point Of No Return
Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Clash – Rock The Casbah
Janet Jackson – What Have You Done For Me Lately
Power Station – Some Like It Hot
Digital Underground – Humpty Dance
Peter Gabriel – Shock The Monkey
Update 3/9: While many mainstream media outlets including Jezebel, Billboard, and quite a few newspapers bought into the press-release lie about the Christmas music being a permanent format, Townsquare Media has begun planting the seeds for what the new format will be.
Townsquare has registered Rewind1057.com for WQSH and the existing Facebook page for the former “PopCrush 105.7” is now titled “Rewind 105.7“. A gold-based format will place WQSH in competition with iHeartMedia’s “Oldies 98.3” WTRY-FM and Pamal’s “Magic 590” WROW.
Original Report 3/4: Townsquare Media Hot AC “Pop Crush 105.7” has dropped its format and is currently airing Christmas music as “Santa 105.7“.
WQSH had been in its now previous format since September 2012, and previously used the “Santa 105.7” moniker during a stunt in the fall of 2010 between its flip from AC “Buzz 105.7” to 90s Hits “Crush 105.7“.
Townsquare sent out the following release to promote the changes at WQSH:
It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS in Albany!
“This might strike some as being risky in this environment of new media, but I’ve looked at the numbers and they don’t lie. There’s literally a clamoring for Christmas music 24/7/365/52,” says Townsquare Media’s Local Market President, Jake Demmin.
Promising “Everything from Sting to Bing,” 105.7 Santa-FM has, even in its first few minutes on the air, received an outpouring of support from the Albany community.
Joseph_Gallant
On the one hand, the press release suggests it will be a year-round all-Christmas format.
If it is, it would be the first-ever year round all-Christmas format on analog radio.
But I think this is a stunt, and that by the time the all-important Spring book begins, WQSH-105.7 will be programming something other than Christmas music.