Some things worth noting about Classic Hits KCMO-FM Kansas City: on the day after a major ratings accomplishment.
KCMO hasn’t followed most of its format counterparts into the early 2000s in any significant way. There are only a handful of 1990s-or-later titles on the station, and most are either sonic holdovers (“Life Is a Highway”), heritage artists (Michael Jackson’s “Black or White”), or remakes (“Drift Away”). Even “Iris” only plays a few times a week. KCMO doesn’t play “Under the Bridge.”
What KCMO does play still goes back as far as “Brown Eyed Girl.” The ’70s titles really kick in around 1976, but there are some late ’60s/early ’70s and you can sometimes hear them in close proximity. (The station does go all-’80s on the weekend, but also still does a “’70s at 7” feature.)
KCMO plays its fastest-rotating song, “Jessie’s Girl,” only 11x a week, not upwards of 3x a day.
In other words, KCMO is the reminder that there is more than one way to do Classic Hits successfully. Cumulus sister WLS-FM Chicago is closer to Audacy’s newer/more aggressive KRTH (K-Earth 101) Los Angeles model. WGRR Cincinnati, also consistently highly rated, has added some ’90s titles.
KCMO has held the line under PD Jim Fox. And still plays “Hold the Line.” Yesterday, in the October PPM, it was up 13.4-15.0, the largest topline share for any station in Kansas City since Country WDAF-AM in 1989, coincidentally the year that KCMO went Oldies. We took a Fresh Listen.
KCMO’s middayer is Dave Fogel, also the morning host at WLS. When heard yesterday, Fogel was giving the codeword for a national Trans-Siberian Orchestra flyaway. He was also crossplugging AC/DC tickets with morning team Mike & Mackenzie. KCMO’s main promotion is the Secret Sound-like “Name That Noise.” (It’s currently on No. 8.)
Despite a middayer shared with another market, KCMO in manages to maintain forward motion and a “big station” feel — things that have been logistical victims for other radio stations. The station voice is Greg Simms and all imaging is produced in-house, Fox notes.
Here’s KCMO just after 11:30 a.m., November 5:
- Elton John, “Rocket Man”
- DeBarge, “Rhythm of the Night”
- REO Speedwagon, “Keep On Lovin’ You”
- Simple Minds, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
- Fleetwood Mac, “Landslide (Live)”
- Starship, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”
- Roxette, “The Look”
- Rockwell, “Somebody’s Watching Me”
- Pat Benatar, “We Belong”
- Michael McDonald, “Sweet Freedom”
- Beatles, “Come Together”
- Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives Me Crazy”
- Rod Stewart, “Forever Young”
- ZZ Top, “Legs”
- Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”
- Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
And here, according to Mediabase, is the station at 2 p.m., November 1 on a Totally ‘80s weekend:
- Bananarama, “Venus”
- Cars, “Drive”
- Simple Minds, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
- T’Pau, “Heart and Soul”
- Rod Stewart, “Forever Young”
- Irene Cara, “Flashdance (What a Feeling)”
- Don Henley, “All She Wants to Do is Dance”
- Journey, “Open Arms”
- Dead or Alive, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”
- Corey Hart, “Sunglasses at Night”
- Huey Lewis & News, “The Heart of Rock & Roll”
- a-Ha, “Take on Me”
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