If there is any qualitative measurement in which Ross On Radio readers are almost certainly No. 1, it is the number of streaming radio stations per capita. Throughout the history of the newsletter, readers have been alerting me to projects, and still do so on a regular basis.
Anecdotally, that number may have declined slightly in recent years. Starting a podcast has become a more prominent alternative and also has more flexible time demands than being on the air four hours a day. Some stations were post-retirement projects 15 years ago by broadcasters who no longer feel the same need to stay part of the radio business.
Readers’ stations have always varied in their intent and level of commitment. There’s a line beyond which somebody’s “beyond-the-safelist” wide Classic Hits station can become just “my collection on shuffle.” There are still relatively few hosted stations, and many of those are hosted for just one daypart, but given the number of jockless broadcast stations I encounter these days, that’s also a less meaningful distinction than ever.
In June, radio veteran Jerry Houston, the longtime PD of iHeart Radio’s LGBTQ-formatted PRIDE radio, announced his new venture. Houston, also a veteran of WIHT (Hot 99.5) Washington and WPOC Baltimore, teamed with the Capital Pride Alliance to launch the similarly targeted Pride365, promising “anthemic dance hits to intimate interviews and community spotlights” as a vehicle to promote celebrations across the country.
Houston hosts noon-6 p.m. on Pride365 and when he’s on, the streaming outlet has as much of a “real radio” feel as any broadcast outlet (particularly when you consider how much of the commercial Dance format lives either on satellite or HD2 radio). At any hour, it’s a good place to keep up with current dance pop and to hear a more accessible mix for a Top 40 listener than some of its rivals. When I listened, most of the content was about the music, but Houston says there are also news features through the day as well as contesting.
Pride365’s sponsor sets it apart from a lot of streaming-only outlets in terms of resources and mission, but the four stations spotlighted here—all hosted in at least one daypart—have varying goals, some that go beyond labor of love. (I also included one new, unhosted launch that might be of interest anyway.) It’s worth noting that four of the five are platformed through Live 365 although Houston emphasizes that Pride 365 streams everywhere.
Here’s Pride365 just after 4 p.m., September 18:
- David Archuleta, “Crème Brulée”
- MK f/Chrystal, “Dior”
- Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You”
- Kylie Minogue, “Lights Camera Action”
- Sabrina Carpenter, “Tears”
- Mary J. Blige, “No More Drama”
- Tate McRae, “Revolving Door”
- Whitney Houston, “It’s Not Right but It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Mix)”
- Cher, “Woman’s World”
- David Guetta & Alesso f/Madison Love, “Going Home Tonight”
- Jojo, “Too Little Too Late”
- Londonbeat, “I’ve Been Thinking About You”
- Anabel Englund, “King Size”
- Cheat Codes f/Demi Lovato, “No Promises”
- Pink, “Get the Party Started”
- Lena Leon, “Seconds to Sunrise”
Keener13.comWKNR Detroit was one of its era’s great Top 40 AMs and one of the stations that fostered Detroit radio’s enduring template of R&B and rock together. Scott Westerman salutes that era daily on Keener13.com. Westerman hosts middays, but notes that when traffic is heavy, he might jump on at any time. The station is an extension of the Keener tribute website that Westerman launched in conjunction with Michigan radio veteran Steve Schram.
Even with a significant number of ’60s/’70s-focused outlets on broadcast radio, Keener13.com is still a good place for “oh-wows.” Westerman is based in Jacksonville now, but the station has a mission of “promoting the Motor City around the clock,” as one sweeper notes. You’ll hear references to VisitDetroit.com, and Westerman notes that the station is looking to do more with them in the future.
Whenever I bring up streaming-only outlets on Facebook, there are “is anybody making money” questions from both broadcast radio detractors and those who would do their own stations, if only there was time and a revenue model. Westerman says there have been donations to cover streaming. For 2026, he and Schram are looking for a non-intrusive way to expand that next year.
Here’s Keener13.com at 11 a.m., September 22:
- Beach Boys, “Fun, Fun, Fun”
- Chuck Berry, “No Particular Place to Go”
- Illusion, “Did You See Her Eyes” — hearing Westerman boogie over this intro is pretty much the reason you would want a station playing Keener legacy songs
- Ringo Starr, “It Don’t Come Easy”
- Jay Ferguson, “Thunder Island”
- Marvin Gaye, “Inner City Blues/What’s Going On (Reprise)”
- Lionel Richie, “You Are”
- 5th Dimension, “California Soul”
- Dan Fogelberg, “Missing You”
- Neon Philharmonic, “Morning Girl”
- Detroit f/Mitch Ryder, “Rock ’n Roll”
- Chi Coltrane, “Thunder and Lightning”
- Beatles, “Roll Over Beethoven”
- Boz Scaggs, “Breakdown Dead Ahead”
Radio veteran Buzz Arnold transitioned to a full-time job in the health-care industry. J-Bear Radio is his tribute to former Beasley station WJBR Wilmington, Del., the often market-leading AC sold to Christian ministry VCY America. Arnold calls it a “hybrid AC/Hot AC/Classic Hits,” with a wide-ranging mix that spans ’60s to now. One distinctive feature is the “lost ’00s” component. (The station is playing Hailee Steinfeld’s “Most Girls” as I write.)
J-Bear is hosted in some dayparts by Arnold and a second personality on weekends. Here’s the station on September 19:
- Katy Perry, “California Gurls”
- J. Geils Band, “Freeze-Frame”
- Mike Posner, “Cooler Than Me”
- Enrique Iglesias, “Bailamos”
- Sarah McLachlan, “Better Broken”
- Chicago, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”
- Paul Russell, “Lil Boo Thang”
- Good Charlotte, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”
- Mike & Mechanics, “The Living Years”
- Prince, “When Doves Cry”
- Hootie & the Blowfish, “Let Her Cry”
- Neon Trees, “Everybody Talks”
- The Script, “Breakeven”
Young achieved “jock’s jock” status on legendary “Hot Hits” CHR WCAU-FM Philadelphia. “I left WTMP Tampa in 2022 and started WTYT.FUN because jocking is like a sport. I wanted to stay on the air and couldn’t handle the corporate rule of three breaks an hour and the station voice talking more than the DJ,” he says.
Young sees the station as a demo reel for an independent broadcaster willing to pick up the format. He hosts 5-9 p.m., and his show repeats the following morning. In the spirit of “Hot Hits,” the format is punctuated by countdowns, as well as three-song blocks from various years. Here’s Terry Young’s TYT.fun on the evening of September 23:
- John Waite, “Missing You”
- Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy” (final song in 1984 set)
- Raspberries, “Go All the Way” (first song in 1972 set)
- Chi Coltrane, “Thunder and Lightning”
- Bread, “Guitar Man”
- AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long” (1980 three-play)
- Pretenders, “Brass in Pocket (I’m Special)”
- Lipps Inc., “Funkytown”
- Blue Oyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” (1976 set)
- Wings, “Let ’Em In”
- Daryl Hall & John Oates, “She’s Gone”
- Tommy James & Shondells, “Mony Mony” (1968 set)
- Avant-Garde, “Naturally Stoned”
- Phil Collins, “Don’t Lose My Number” (No. 5 on 1985 countdown)
- Kool & Gang, “Cherish” (4)
- Madonna, “Dress You Up” (3)
- A-Ha, “Take on Me” (2)
- Dire Straits, “Money for Nothing” (1)
It isn’t currently hosted, but Red Rocket Radio is reader/radio veteran John Davis’s take on an all-2K Classic Hits format, something he says was inspired by this column’s ongoing look at how stations in that format are evolving. Davis is still tweaking the music, he says. As one Facebook poster noted, listening to Red Rocket does come with the warning that you will be hit by a sudden realization that a certain song is really 25 years old now. Here’s Red Rocket Radio just before 3 p.m., September 23:
- John Mayer, “No Such Thing”
- Ja Rule, “Always on Time”
- Ne-Yo, “Closer”
- Matchbox Twenty, “Unwell”
- Lady Gaga, “Paparazzi”
- Panic! At The Disco, “High Hopes”
- Twenty-One Pilots, “Stressed Out”
- Marshmello & Anne-Marie, “Friends”
- Blink-182, “The Rock Show”
- Drake, “Hotline Bling”
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