March 15, 2019
Beside your own, which stations nationally, inside or outside your format, do you admire and why?
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Raphael Opida, WIOQ: 102.7 KIIS-FM L.A.’s #1 Hit Music Station! Did I win? I admire KIIS-FM and John Ivey’s style of programming. The station is always on top of new music and they have the biggest stars come through the studio. It’s always busy at the station with artists, and that’s what I live for – a thriving station! Todd Shannon, WAPE: The station I listen to the most (other than mine) is 97.5 The Drive in Chicago. Rob Cressman continues to do an incredible job in imaging that station to Chicago. It feels and sounds like Chicago. It’s dayparted the right way and they constantly connect with the listeners. They following the simple basics of programming and do a great job of it!
Mike Miller, WZFT: Q102 Philly. Made me fall in love with radio. Bob Patrick, WXLK: Howard 100 and Howard 101. I’m a fan…the best to ever do it. Kobe, WWHT: Z100 Because they’re the brass ring and the standard by which all Top 40’s are measured. KROQ in LA because it’s just not a radio station, it’s one of the best brands in radio. KUBE in Seattle, even though they’re relatively young being back, the fact that they’re back shows how important that brand was to Seattle.
Jeff Hurley, WLAN: In general, I enjoy the attention to detail and storytelling on great ALL NEWS stations. It’s a complex dance and the best stations make it sound seamless on the air. Matt Talluto, WBYR: I grew up in Detroit so, of course, WRIF!!! From the promotions, legendary personalities, to the tight-ass imaging. Not to mention, managing to weather the storm active rock has been dealt by not being the format of choice it was in the 90’s with smart music choices. Then of course there’s KISW and WMMR. Both I hold in high regard like The Riff. |
Kobi, WNRW/WLGX: KYLD (Wild 94.9) in San Francisco. I like their style and stationality. WJMH (102 Jamz) I grew up listening to it and got me into radio. Out of format, I also have great respect Country WXTU/Philly and what Razz is doing.
Mike “OD” O’Donnell, WKRZ: I grew up with KISS108 in Boston so I’ve always admired it and still keep tabs on it. I also always loved PRO-FM in Providence as well. Both of these stations shaped me when I was coming up in the radio field, they were both big influences on me in my career. Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia: Nothing more admirable than stations that can take on a legit competitor yet continue to DOMINATE like: Z100, KIIS FM, KISS/Chicago, The BULL/Atlanta, WUBE/Cincy, WMIL/Milwaukee, WSIX/Nashville, XL/Orlando, WFUS/Tampa and many more. Be truly compelling and you’ll be admired by many.
A.J., WIOV: 93.3 WMMR, a.k.a. “The Mighty MMR” and 105.7 “The X.” Two of the major reasons why I wanted to get into radio in the first place.
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Chris K, The End: KISS108 in Boston and KHKS in Dallas, just because they both have doing what they’ve been doing so long and they’re so successful and still mean something to their towns. I like the success of MOVIN 92.5 in Seattle, lately they’re been coming on strong and what I good success story they’ve been. Obviously KIIS-FM in LA is legendary. Matt Johnson, KSLZ: KYLD, they aren’t afraid to expose new music and get a read on it as soon as possible, their personalities have tangible benefits to the listener every time they open the mic, and the overall vibe of the station is very cool and engaging something you want to be a part of.
Lenny Diana, WAQY/WLZX: I like Beats 1 from Apple. I like the personalities and mix of music they have on it. Josh Reich, WB Records: WNCI. Dominant morning show, tons of local content, and a sound curated to perfectly fit the market. Oh, and RATINGS. Kevin Kash, WIYY: 98 Rock Baltimore, not for obvious reasons. I grew up them and they still rock. KLOS, WXTB. Also, new generation of classic rock stations like The Shark in Tampa that recognize that the format should advance as the calendar has. |
Erik Bradley, B96: KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, Z100 NYC and KHKS Dallas, which is very well programmed and has been a dominating factor in North Texas for many, many years. Honorable mentions to Hot 97 NYC, Power 96 Miami and WBQT in Boston.
Orlando, WLLD: Power 106 and KIIS-FM because of their incessant re-iteration of the brand. Stationality rings through all they do. Power has always had a great synergy with artists and iHeart stations all sound alike, EXCEPT for KIIS.
Chris Michaels, FM100: WTMX in Chicago is a great station with great personalities. I love listening to WZPL, WUSN, and KBIG to name a few. I like the personalities, the music and imaging. The whole presentation is well done.
Jonathan Reed, WNOK: KMOX St. Louis. I’m a STL homer. I grew up with the brand in my life. Plus, I’m an information geek and like listening to news/ traffic/ weather/ sports reports. When I want more news stuff… I check out 1010 WINS New York. WXOS St. Louis. I love the Cards and Blues! This is the way I get my fix. KYSR Los Angeles and WNYL New York. Love listening on weekends, enjoying the music and attitude while taking a mental break from my format. WHTZ New York and KIIS Los Angeles. I try to catch the legal ID, close my eyes and think about me living in an alternate universe working at either station. One can dream, right? WFLZ Tampa. Just because it’s 93-3 F-L-Z. It’s an attitude. KHKS Dallas. Music, sweepers, jingles, promotions, personalities… etc. Every segue, song, talk break has a point. It’s a deliberate attention to detail.
Jonathan Shuford, WRVW: There’s so many well-programmed CHRs under the iHeart umbrella, but I really love some of the ballsy, topical, outside-the-box stuff that Q102/Philly, FLZ/Tampa, Power/Atlanta, and KHTS/San Diego do. Outside of the CHR format I love what Rich Davis is doing at Cities97 in Minny, and WRFF/Philly is a really fun listen.
Max Volume, KOZZ: KROQ/Los Angeles. I grew up listening to it. KLOS, for the same reasons.
Java Joel, WAKS: KHKS/Dallas & KYLD/San Francisco are my 2 fav CHRs in America right now. Top-notch on-air talent and both take chances on records they believe in (and get great ratings!) Outside the format? Always been a fan of Boom 97-3 in Toronto. Adult Hits with a Top 40 feel. Also have a soft spot for Westwood One’s “America’s Best Music” format (Don’t judge) and the MeTV format – A format that plays “Records That Don’t Test!” (GASP!) and still pulls numbers. And WFMU/East Orange – the best non-commercial in America for when I wanna get weird! One cannot live on Ariana Grande alone!
Dom Theodore, Radio Animal Media Strategies: Besides the ones I own, some of my favorites are: WLLD/Tampa, one of the most innovative stations ever, and a great morning show; WBHJ/ Birmingham, still personality driven with an ear to the streets and massive ratings success; WMGC/Detroit, one of the best programmed classic Hip-Hop stations in the country; KYLD/SF and KHKS/Dallas are both excellent stations that still take creative risks, as are XHTZ and XHRM in San Diego.Next Week’s Question Of The Week:
What everyday occurrence in life in general annoys you the most?
e-Mail your responses to: jodorisio@fmqb.com or bburke@fmqb.com
