Recorded 18 years ago today, Hot 106 was one of the earliest examples of the Rhythmic AC format that I’ve encountered. However, per Wikipedia, this was a short-lived era; not long after this aircheck was recorded, the station flipped to Active Rock as “Big Dog 106” – a format it still holds today.
My apologies in advance for the heavy doses of static heard throughout this aircheck.
Podcast: Embed
What is now WXSS (103.7) had a short stint of Rhythmic Soft AC between September 1996 and June of 1998 before they flipped to Mainstream CHR.
The station itself evolved from Soft AC in September and Easy Listening back in 1994.
The September ’96-June’ 98 phase of “Magic 103.7” was billed as “Rhythm & Romance” would play anything from Minnie Riperton, TLC, K-Ci & JoJo, Marvin Gaye, Spice Girls – 2 Become 1, Paula Abdul, George Benson, Robyn, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, UB40, Prince, Gina G, Los Del Rio – Macarena (Who didn’t play this?) The Fugees, Backstreet Boys and Monica. To get shocking, they’d throw in Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses”, plenty of Celine Dion, Savage Garden’s “Truly, Madly, Deeply” was the last song I heard on there.
KIOC in the early 90s was not your typical CHR. After their direct competitor CHR KZZB (now Country KYKR) went dark due to the owner’s financial problems and then-Urban KHYS (now Regional Mexican KTJM) begin to target Houston in the early 90s, the Golden Triangle area was left without any non-Country choices for young adults. So, KIOC, responded by adjusting their playlist by leaning toward reaction records and Modern Rock crossovers (similar to what KRBE/Houston was doing at the time).
By 1993, KIOC was very close to Modern Rock, billing itself as “Your All Rock, No Rap Radio Station”. In early 1995, KIOC, converted fully to Modern Rock, but ratings started to slide by that time and they went back to CHR sometime in 1996, now under the “Hot 106” moniker.
I was there for this short lived madness. The main reason for the stations demise was the sales people’s inability/unwillingness to sell the format combined with the arrival of KCTX (then The Touch) Urban AC that would become the market leader Magic 102.5. The Sales Mgr. actually told me that they “can have THOSE $$$$” when the station flipped back to the original Rock format.