Remember the Top 40 radio wars of the 60s? Well, they're back. CBS Radio announced Monday (March 9), it plans to ditch K-Rock on WXRK-FM in New York for Top 40, challenging Clear Channel Radio's Z100 (WHTZ-FM). Called "92.3 NOW FM," the Top 40 station will launch Wednesday, March 11 at 5 p.m. playing the hits that appeal to an 18-34 year-old listener.
92.3 NOW FM will be the first serious challenger to Z100, the No. 2-ranked station in the market, since it launched in 1983.
The strategy is not unlike CBS Radio's recent move last month in Los Angeles, when the group flipped KLSX-FM from Talk to a Top 40 called AMP Radio, taking on Clear Channel's iconic Top 40 station, KIIS-FM.
"When a competitor comes it makes things more exciting for the listener and makes for a more vibrant radio market," said Greg Strassel, senior vp of programming for CBS Radio.
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