iHeartRadio's Real 106.1 Debuts as Philly's Real #1 for Throwbacks
The station had been hurt by the emergence of CBS Radio's "Today's 96.5"-- as the former Mix 106.1 had been chasing ratings leader "101.1 More FM." In a last ditch attempt to save it's ratings, Mix starting playing music from the 80's. Today's 96.5 has been doing so well siphoning listeners from More FM, that their Oldies station WOGL has gained in the market place. However iHeartRadio's Urban AC station WDAS-FM garnered a number 1 share in the most recent ratings. Something WDAS hasn't done in years.
The programming of Real 106.1 is essentially Modern AC and geared towards the suburban listeners who are now adults but grew up on the Hip Hop and R&B of the early 2000's. (Lauryn Hill, DMX, JaRule, Ashanti, and Eminem's Slim Shady) One of those main host during that time period was Chio, who was heard on iHeartRadio's Hot AC station Q102. But the marketplace misses the Wired 96.5 brand, when it was owned by Beasley and the morning man back then, ironically enough, was none other than Chio. So he is a wise choice to lead the format change. Wired 96.5 was purchased by CBS and flipped to AMP Radio, then eventually it became Today's 96.5, which in essence made Mix 106.1 expendable.
This is the second attempt at a Classic Hip Hop station in Philadelphia. Radio One's Boom 107.9 did not make the immediate splash it did in other cities and relocated to 103.9. It also dropped the Ed Lover Morning Show as well and is now your typical Urban/Hip Hop station with a limited amount of throwbacks.
Real 106.1 is set to go commercial free through the July 4th holiday.
OFFICIAL RELEASE from iHeartMedia:
iHeartMedia Philadelphia announced today the debut of the new Real 106.1, Philly’s Real No. 1 for Throwbacks, effective immediately.
Real
106.1 will broadcast a variety of Hip Hop, R&B and Rhythmic music
from the ‘90s and early 2000’s, including songs from popular artists
such as Notorious B.I.G., Eminem,
Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kanye West. The station will continue to feature
Chio in the Morning, the popular local morning show heard in the
community for 14 years.
“We’re
thrilled to launch a station that really represents Philly,” said Brian
Check, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia
Philadelphia. “We hear from
our listeners all the time that this music is fun, infectious and
timeless, so we can’t wait to bring these songs back to the airwaves.
“This
will be amazing for our listeners and our partners,” said Richard
Lewis, President of iHeartMedia’s Philadelphia Region. “Our Philadelphia
stations already
reach two out of three Adults 25-54 in the market; and now after our
quest to connect with even more people in the area, we’ll be able to
deliver even more entertainment, companionship and connections for
Philly radio listeners and a larger audience for our
partners.”
iHeartMedia
is a leading media outlet in the Philadelphia market and its content is
available across multiple platforms, including its broadcast stations;
online via its
branded digital sites; mobile; and social, with nationwide listening
through iHeartRadio, the all-in-one streaming music and live radio
service – with its more than a billion downloads and 100 million
registered users.
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