“Thank you for the overwhelming love and positivity,” said returning WGTZ (Z93) Dayton, Ohio morning man Scott Sparks on Monday. After nearly 20 years of other incarnations, most recently “Jack FM,” new owner Connoisseur relaunched “the first station you ever loved” on October 2. There’s lots of love and positivity on Z93’s Facebook page. There’s even more in the comments on Radioinsight, and in my e-mails and messages from radio people.
What Classic Hits radio does for its audience is what Z93 has been doing for radio people in its first four days. Focusing on 1984-2004, it’s the music that several generation of broadcasters grew up or came up in the business with, but it’s also a validation of classic Top 40 radio. Good times. Great sweepers. Classic jingles.
Radio people were thrilled about getting all that for just one day when WLUM Milwaukee brought back ‘90s Rhythmic outlet Hot 102, even if it was just ahead of that station’s sale to K-Love. Last summer’s launch of similarly intentioned WQFM (92-Mix-FM) Wilkes-Barre, Pa., released a lot the same endorphins, but Z93 has a legacy to work with.
In particular, it’s that legal ID, playing off the phonetic similarity between Z93’s suburban city of license and another word. Z93 launched as CHR in 1984 with “WGTZ Eaton-Dayton-and-Springfield Alive!” Even when Z93 traded Top 40 for Adult Hits Fly 92.9 in 2008, that station brought back the famous legal as part of its launch.
Connoisseur’s takeover of Alpha Media in general has been generating positive comments. The Facebook postings are from pleasantly surprised former Alpha staffers, not from those laid off by another group, being seconded in even angrier terms by those who were laid off in a previous round of cutbacks. Connoisseur has made three format changes so far, including flipping Classic Country sister WCLI to Alternative “The Fridge.” Some groups no longer do three a year.
Because Z93’s CHR history started during the format boom of 1984, PD Java Joel Murphy, also PD of Hot AC sister WHBC-FM (Mix 94.1) Canton, Ohio, has a logical musical starting place, but I’m expecting that most Classic Hits sign-ons going forward will start in the ‘80s and end sometime in the 2Ks. The station that still plays even “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Dreams” is going to be the willfully older skewing holdover.
Here’s Z93 at 11 a.m. on October 3:
- Def Leppard, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”
- Justin Timberlake, “Sexyback”
- Janet Jackson, “Escapade”
- Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours”
- Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name”
- Wallflowers, “One Headlight”
- Black Eyed Peas, “Where Is the Love?”
- Madonna, “Holiday”
- Johnny Gill, “Rub You the Right Way”
- Alanis Morissette, “You Oughta Know”
- Shaggy, “Angel”
- Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name”
- Shakira, “Whenever, Wherever”
- Naughty By Nature, “Hip Hop Hooray”
Here’s the station on Monday morning, October 6, with Sparks, just before 7 a.m.:
- Technotronic, “Pump Up the Jam”
- Ricky Martin, “Livin’ La Vida Loca”
- Cyndi Lauper, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”
- Outkast, “Hey Ya”
- Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean”
- Savage Garden, “I Knew I Loved You”
- Tone-Loc, “Funky Cold Medina”
- 3 Doors Down, “Kryptonite”
- Tiffany, “I Think We’re Alone Now”
- Boyz II Men, “End of the Road”
Dayton recently got the older-leaning Classic Hits station when WYDB began simulcasting Randy Michaels’ The Oasis, the Cincinnati station we spotlighted last year. I also took a Fresh Listen to Cox’s WZLR (Eagle 95.3/101.1). Like other Cox outlets, WZLR is hit-driven Classic Rock, but has been trying to fill the Classic Hits hole as well. Here’s The Eagle, positioned as Dayton’s ‘80s station. Here’s the Eagle at 10 a.m., October 5:
- Def Leppard, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”
- Foreigner, “Cold as Ice”
- Tears for Fears, “Shout”
- Blue Oyster Cult, “Burnin’ for You”
- Pat Benatar, “Heartbreaker”
- Billy Idol, “Mony Mony”
- Huey Lewis & News, “Heart and Soul”
- Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
- Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again”
- Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Under the Bridge”
- Robert Palmer, “Addicted to Love”
- Bryan Adams, “Summer of ‘69”
Finally, revisiting Dayton gave me an opportunity to check in with WSWO-LP (Oldies 97.3), the wide-listed community oldies outlet with a much deeper/older take on the format. Here’s Oldies 97.3 at 3:40 on September 30:
- Al Green, “Tired of Being Alone”
- Hollies, “King Midas in Reverse”
- Len Barry, “1-2-3”
- Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva, “Swingin’ on a Star”
- Dion, “Lovers Who Wander”
- Linda Ronstadt, “Ooh Baby Baby”
- Buchanan & Goodman, “The Flying Saucer (Pts. 1 & 2)”
- Abba, “Knowing Me, Knowing You”
- Roy Orbison, “Running Scared”
- Hotlegs, “Neanderthal Man”
- Johnny Rivers, “Poor Side of Town”
- Jimmy McGriff, “I’ve Got a Woman”
- Dave Clark Five, “Glad All Over”
- Brenda Lee, “Thanks a Lot”
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