Cox’s KONO-FM San Antonio, Texas, has always stood out for its different approach to Classic Hits. Many stations, even in heavily Hispanic markets, have stuck to the pop/rock center.
For a long time, KONO-FM had more of a ‘70s/early ‘80s R&B and disco component than most stations. Now, under Cox San Antonio director of programming/branding Rob Roberts, KONO-FM has a greater emphasis on ‘80s pop than many of its counterparts. In a way, it’s covering the same position that Cox found on the gold-based AC side on WFEZ Miami and WDUV Tampa.
KONO is San Antonio’s regular market leader. In September’s PPM, it had a 7.1 6-plus, but it’s also had a 9.1 in recent month. It’s able to stake out the ‘80s pop lane even with AC KQXT (Q101.9) (5.9-6.1) in the market as well.
If you look at the songs getting more than 10 spins in this week’s Mediabase, you can see that the rhythmic tilt perseveres. There’s Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance (With Somebody Who Loves Me)” but also “How Will I Know.” There’s also “I Will Survive,” “Rhythm of the Night,” “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” Kylie Minogue’s “The Loco-Motion,” and “La Bamba.”
KONO was the winner of the NAB’s 2023 Marconi Award for Classic Hits on Wednesday night (Oct. 26). We took a Fresh Listen to the station’s Steve Casanova during middays. This column often looks for “sense of place” that goes beyond the music, and there were breaks about the Spurs home opener and the theater in New Braunfels that was showing “Psycho” for Halloween.
It’s also worth noting that there were crossplugs for two sponsor contests with morning host Robin Flores, as well as a third sponsor prize for the 3 p.m. “Double Take”—guess the year two songs are from– with p.m. driver Craig Chambers. In the national text-and-win era, tickets for Scream Fest at Six Flags Fiesta Texas reads as sense-of-place too.
Here’s KONO on October 25, just before 2 p.m.:
- Hootie & the Blowfish, “Let Her Cry”
- Blondie, “Call Me”
- Chic, “Good Times”
- Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives Me Crazy”
- Phil Collins, “You Can’t Hurry Love”
- Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
- Wham, “Careless Whisper”
- Cheap Trick, “I Want You to Want Me”
- Michael Jackson, “Thriller”
- Katrina & the Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”
- Kiss, “Rock and Roll All Nite”
- Berlin, “Take My Breath Away”
- John Lennon, “Imagine”
- Prince, “Raspberry Beret”
- Elton John, “Candle in the Wind (Live)”
If the sense-of-place you mention in the article isn’t standard operating procedure at every station, it’s no wonder the industry is in the shape it’s in.