Classic Hits, Throwbacks, and the Station In Between: WBEN, WOGL, and KKRG

When the Bob- and Jack-FM Adult Hits formats debuted in the early ’00s, their focus on ’80s music made them a decade newer than the Oldies format, which it sent scrambling. When the rebranded Classic Hits recovered its equilibrium in the early ’10s, becoming more ’80s-centered, Adult Hits pushed further into the ’90s and kept its differentiation. (The format had also defined itself by being able to play recurrents from the outset.) 

Twenty years later, the distinctions between Classic Hits, Adult Hits, and now Throwback Hot AC/CHR are blurrier than ever, as are those between Classic Hits and gold-based AC. Two recent station reformulations illustrate that. In May, WOGL (Big 98.1) Philadelphia went further than most of its Audacy sisters into late-’90s/early-’00s R&B/Hip-Hop, including a Memorial Day Throwbacks Weekend centered on rhythmic titles. 

Stations built around late-’90s/early-’00s “Throwbacks” have manifested as everything from focused “next-generation oldies” outlets to Hot ACs and CHRs trying to accommodate more gold. Earlier this week, Hot AC KKRG (Mix 105.1) Albuquerque, N.M., relaunched under OM Michelle Matthews and PD Jonathan Steele. Mix is still Hot AC with some current titles but emphasizing “feel-good throwbacks” with mostly rhythmic gold. 

WBEN (95.7 Ben-FM) Philadelphia was definitely the newer station when it switched to Adult Hits in 2005, a few days before WOGL could make the change itself. WOGL’s changes effectively make Ben-FM the more traditional late-’70s through early-’90s Classic Hits outlet, but with the “MTV ’80s” variety that has always been a calling card for Adult Hits.

Ben-FM and Mix 105.1 are two very different stations at distinct points on the solid-gold timeline. Big 98.1 is splitting the difference. The Philly battle also raises the question of whether to focus on an era, or just “play the hits” listeners give you, even if that turns out to be as broad a swath as WOGL is playing now. It was, after all, Adult Hits that showed programmers 20 years ago that many listeners were sincere when they claimed to like “a little bit of everything” rather than traditionally defined formats.

In May, Ben-FM was up 3.4-3.6 6-plus, edging ahead of Big 98.1, which went 4.1-3.3. Those numbers have to be contextualized given the fluctuation of both stations in recent years. Listeners usually respond to format evolutions (e.g., CHR to Hot AC) over the course of 6-12 months, not immediately, even in the PPM era, but WOGL’s move did define the difference between the two stations more sharply.

The issue of expectations applies to Mix 105.1, too. As stations decide whether throwbacks are better served by their own format, or in existing gold libraries, it’s frustrating to turn on a CHR station for today’s hits and hear mostly throwbacks. The music on Mix 105.1 may have shaken out the same way, but imaged as “Feel-Good Throwbacks,” it came across differently.

We took a First Listen to Mix 105.1 and a Fresh Listen to the Philly battle. We’re presenting them together, for what they show about programming gold at this moment. I enjoyed all three, but where you land may depend on whether you would have chosen “Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling on WBEN or “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock on WOGL, two distinct choices, even though only five years differentiate them chronologically.

Here’s Ben-FM on June 17 “playing anything we feel like” just before 4 p.m.:

• Avril Lavigne, “Complicated”
• Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
• Rod Stewart, “Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me)” — the kind of ’80s depth that made the early days of Adult Hits great, but has been less heard in the PPM era
• Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know”
• Loverboy, “Working for the Weekend”
• Aerosmith, “Walk This Way”
• Spice Girls, “Wannabe” — with a variety stager
• Dead Or Alive, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”
• Go-Go’s, “Vacation”
• Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again”
• Paula Abdul, “Straight Up”
• Bon Jovi, “It’s My Life”
• George Harrison, “Got My Mind Set on You”
• Queen, “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions”
• Peter Schilling, “Major Tom (Coming Home)” — with a variety stager about throwing darts in the music library
• Spin Doctors, “Two Princes”
• Madonna, “Like a Prayer”
• Robert Palmer, “Addicted to Love”

Here’s Big 98.1 during the same time frame with p.m. driver Niko. Morning host Coop had just ended a walk from Philadelphia to Atlantic City on behalf of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which was the big topic in both jock breaks and promos this hour.

• INXS, “Need You Tonight”
• Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”
• Cyndi Lauper, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Under the Bridge”
• Survivor, “Eye of the Tiger”
• Nelly f/City Spud, “Ride Wit Me”
• Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”
• Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams”
• Twisted Sister, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
• Montell Jordan, “This Is How We Do It” — WOGL was one of the first Classic Hits stations to play this song in the late ’10s
• Tina Turner, “What’s Love Got to Do With It”
• Lumineers, “Ho Hey”
• Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, “It Takes Two”
• Snoop Dogg, “Gin and Juice” — first song following a stopset

Finally, here’s Mix 105.1 on June 16 at 9 p.m. Steele has just moved to nights and it was nice to be able to listen at that hour and still hear a hosted shift.

• Aaliyah, “Are You That Somebody?”
• The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
• Pras f/ODB & Mya, “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)”
• Maroon 5 f/Cardi B, “Girls Like You”
• Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
• Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise”
• Shinedown, “Three Six Five”
• Nelly, “Hot in Herre”
• Sir Mix-A-Lot, “Baby Got Back”
• Teddy Swims, “Lose Control”
• Lady Gaga, “Paparazzi”
• Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
• Sean Paul, “Temperature”
• Jennifer Lopez, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”
• Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name”
• Tate McRae, “Sports Car”
• Harry Styles, “As It Was”
• Britney Spears, “… Baby One More Time”
• Mary J. Blige, “Family Affair”

Mix 105.1’s launch generated a lot of nice comments from radio people on social media Monday. I also liked its launch promo (which repeated as the :00 ID for the first day), which, among other things, talked about the music better reflecting a diverse market. You can listen to that promo here.