CC Gives Jax The KISS-Off, Branding 97.9 'Radio Now'

Jacksonville radio station 97.9 FM WFKS in Jacksonville, FL tweaked its format Tuesday morning, changing from pop contemporary hit music to more adult contemporary hits, according to the station’s market manager.

“The music has definitely shifted a bit older,” said Aaron Wilborn, market manager for Clear Channel Radio’s six stations in Jacksonville, including WFKS. He told Mark Basch at jacksonville.com the target demographic for the station would now be 30-year-old women.

The station’s nickname changed from Kiss FM for the old pop hit format to Radio Now 97.9 for the new adult hit format.

To give an example of the change, the final song Tuesday under the old format was “Bye Bye Bye” from Nsync, and the first song under the new format was “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down.

Wilborn said Radio Now will play a mix of music ranging from Lady Gaga to Panic at the Disco.
“It’s a little crazy. But it’s something that this market has needed,” he said.

As a pop contemporary hit station, WFKS was competing with Cox Radio’s WAPE (95.1 FM), which has been a long-time leader in the Jacksonville market for that format. According to the most recent monthly ratings data from Arbitron Inc., WAPE ranked sixth in the market in May with a 7.6 percent average-quarter-hour share of all listeners aged six and older. WKFS ranked 11th with a 4.2 percent share.

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Here is a sampling of Radio Now's music from Tuesday 2pm hour:

• Katy Perry - E.T. (Futuristic Lover)
• Shakira - Hips Don't Lie (w/ Wyclef Jean)
• Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song
• Maroon 5 - Misery
• Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (w/ Pitbull)
• Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World)
• OneRepublic - Good Life
• The All-American Rejects - Move Along
• Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough
• Pink - Who Knew
• Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

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