Last year, New Zealand/Australia broadcaster Richard Phelps created a pop-up online radio station celebrating KKHV Hill Valley, Calif., the fictitious radio station of Back to the Future. That station played the music of 1955. It was inevitable that this year’s version of the stunt would be the hits of 1985, the time of Back to the Future 2.
Last week, I shared what Phelps had written about the new KKHV-FM. The station debuted on Oct. 26 and I took a Fresh Listen. The current programming is spotlighting 1985 as an adult-leaning CHR until Nov. 5. On that date, the original KKHV returns to 1955 until Nov. 16. Then 1985 comes back “with a twist.”
In the meantime, there are again spots for Hill Valley businesses. There is a customized jingle package from TM Studios’ “Legends Remastered” series. There are sweepers promising “the hits of the past, present, and future.”
Here’s the new KKHV-FM as it would have sounded just before Noon, Oct. 26, 1985:
- Prince, “Pop Life”
- John Waite, “Every Step of the Way”
- Culture Club, “Karma Chameleon”
- Whitney Houston, “You Give Good Love”
- Rick Springfield, “Jessie’s Girl”
- John Parr, “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)”
- Sting, “Love is the Seventh Wave”
- Ashford & Simpson, “Solid”
- Jermaine Jackson, “Dynamite”
- Huey Lewis & the News, “I Want a New Drug”
- Commodores, “Nightshift”
- Michael Jackson, “Wanna Be Starting Something”
- Thompson Twins, “Lay Your Hands on Me”
- Simple Minds, “Alive and Kicking”
- Tears for Fears, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
- Christine McVie, “Got a Hold on Me”
