In 1996, major-market radio veteran Bill Hennes was programming Top 40 WQSL (Q92.3) and Country WWQQ (Double Q) Wilmington, N.C. WQSL was a rhythmic-leaning Mainstream Top 40 at a time when most southern CHR stations were effectively Modern ACs. Q92.3 was also all-current. So was WWQQ at a time when Country’s Garth Brooks-era boom was winding down and most stations were starting to lean more heavily on recurrents and gold.
I was already interested in anything Hennes did because of his involvement with two of my all-time favorite stations: programming CKLW Detroit in the mid-‘70s; consulting Rick Gillette’s WHYT Detroit in 1989-90. During that time, the latter station, traditionally rhythmic leaning, became an “all-the-hits” outlet that could play Motley Crue next to New Kids on the Block; it was also part of an all-time great radio war with WDFX (the Fox).
In 2004, Hennes started three Internet radio stations connected to AllAboutCountry.com, but shut them down the same year because of streaming costs. In 2017, he launched Country, Top 40 and Hip-Hop/R&B channels. Last year, Hennes relaunched Today’s Hottest Hits, Today’s Hottest Country Hits, and Today’s Hottest Hip-Hop on the revamped Live 365. The stations are unhosted, although Hennes is hoping to make them more full-service.
As the Wilmington stations (and the name of Hennes’ current stations) would imply, Hennes has also been one of the programmers most concerned with carrying the “Hot Hits” legacy of consultant Mike Joseph forward. (The channels play some gold but are becoming newer on an ongoing basis.) Joseph’s all-current format relied on record sales, which he termed “going to the boxoffice.” Every programmer is grappling with what that looks like in the streaming era. Hennes is the programmer looking at that in a historical context.
Here’s a Fresh Listen to two of the stations, starting with Today’s Hot Hits around 4 p.m. on March 16:
- Cardi B, “Up!”
- Ariana Grande, “34 + 35”
- 5 Seconds of Summer, “Youngblood”
- Justin Bieber, “Anyone”
- Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”
- Olivia Rodrigo, “Driver’s License” (#1 this week)
- Chris Brown & Young Thug, “Go Crazy”
- Lewis Capaldi, “Before You Go”
- 24kGoldn f/Ian Diorr, “Mood”
- Tiesto, “The Business”
- Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now”
- Bebe Rexha, “Sacrifice”
- Billie Eilish, “Therefore I Am” (#2)
- Tait McRae, “You Broke Me First”
- Drake, “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Here’s Hennes’ Country format just before 5 p.m. on the same day:
- Keith Urban & Pink, “One Too Many”
- Luke Bryan, “Down to One” (#5 this week)
- Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, “Nobody But You”
- Dylan Scott, “Nobody”
- Dan + Shay, “Glad You Exist”
- Old Dominion, “One Man Band”
- Jon Pardi, “Tequila Little Time”
- Thomas Rhett, “What’s Your Country Song” (#2)
- Dustin Lynch, “Momma’s House”
- Luke Combs w/Eric Church, “Does to Me”
- Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard, “Undivided”
- Brett Young, “Lady” (#3)
- Matt Stell, “Prayed for You”
- Gabby Barrett, “The Good Ones”
- Parmalee f/Bianco Brown, “Just the One”
