As it loses the distribution rights of “Jack-FM” to Local Radio Networks/Skyview Networks at the end of the year, Cumulus Media’s Westwood One will launch two new Variety Hits networks in mid-October.
Both networks will feature a music library stretching from the 1970s through 2000s. Variety Hits Pop lists core artists as including Journey, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Maroon 5, while Variety Hits Rock lists Aerosmith, Queen, Nirvana, and Fleetwood Mac as theirs.
CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One, the industry powerhouse in satellite delivered 24-hour radio formats, has announced the launch of two Variety Hits formats to offer stations fresh content and competitive advantage in their markets. Variety Hits-Pop and Variety Hits-Rock will join 20 other radio formats which the company provides to 1500 affiliated radio stations. Westwood One’s Variety Hits formats will debut in mid-October.
Variety Hits focuses on familiar hits from five decades of music with long music sweeps, fun production and imaging, numerous opportunities for local station identification, and complete spot-break flexibility. It is distributed on STORQ2, Westwood One’s patented delivery platform. Affiliated stations retain their desired image, slogans and live shows, and local identifiers are supplied by the network imaging voice.
The Variety Hits format is available in two distinct versions: Variety Hits-Pop featuring artists like Journey, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Maroon 5, and Variety Hits-Rock skewing toward artists like Aerosmith, Queen, Nirvana, and Fleetwood Mac. Both versions will have large libraries spanning the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s.
“The Variety Hits format checks a lot of boxes for many markets, and the time is right for us to build a satellite-delivered version that enhances our successful custom music-scheduled format,” commented Kirk Stirland, President of Programming at Westwood One. “We designed this to accommodate our customers who wanted an unbranded, flexible structure, with up to 13 opportunities an hour to make it their own.”
Complete information on Variety Hits and all Westwood One formats is available at http://www.westwoodone.com, and through Eric Sundstrom, Vice President of Affiliate Sales, at esundstrom@westwoodone.com or (505) 510-2373.
