SummitMedia has standardized branding, playlists and on-air lineups on its five Classic Rock stations.
The changes start with “104.5 The Fox” KFXJ Augusta/Wichita KS rebranding as “Classic Rock 104.5, “106.9 The Eagle” WBPT Homewood/Birmingham AL rebranding as “Classic Rock 106.9“, and “107.7 The Eagle” WSFR Corydon IN/Louisville becoming “Classic Rock 107.7“.
Those station join “Classic Rock 96.5” WKLR Fort Lee/Richmond VA and “Classic Rock 105.9” KKCD Omaha in utilizing the same branding within the format in the company. The five stations are all running nearly identical music logs and all now have the same on-air lineups.
The company debuts a new morning show hosted by Rachel ‘Ray-Gee’ Gellar and Cory ‘Kobe’ Fargo. Gellar joins the company from Stephens Media Group Rochester where she served as Digital and Promotions Coordinator and midday host at Alternative “94.1 The Zone” WZNE. She has also worked at KSLZ and KLLT St. Louis and KDXA Des Moines. Fargo moves to SummitMedia’s Classic Rock stations from mornings at Hot AC “103.7 Your Variety” WURV Richmond. Prior to joining WURV in October 2021, Kobe served as PD/afternoon host of WZNE Rochester where he worked with Ray-Gee. He has also served as PD of WWHT Syracuse, WAPE Jacksonville, WPUP Athens GA, WLDI West Palm Beach, and WIHB Charleston SC along with APD and on-air roles at WBZZ and WZPT Pittsburgh and on-air at WPXY Rochester.
Michale ‘MJ’ Stevens, who currently hosts middays at WSFR and Hot AC “Mix 106.9” WVEZ Louisville, will host the daypart on all the Classic Rockers. She has been with WVEZ since 2010 moving from sales to a previous stint in middays at WSFR, to a long run in mornings at WVEZ from 2014 until earlier this year when she moved to middays and added back WSFR last year.
The WBPT based Ricky Aaron will host afternoons on the five stations. Aaron had been with WBPT since 2014 and also had been heard in afternoons on WKLR.
Longtime Wichita market staple Phil Thompson will host nights on the five stations. Thompson has been heard in the market since 1980 with a long run at sister Rock “T95” KICT before moving to KFXJ in December 2006.
With Kobe moving off of mornings at WURV, the station becomes the latest SummitMedia station to add the syndicated Murphy, Sam & Jodi for mornings. Summit recently adding the show at “Mix 106.9” WVEZ Louisville and “Star 104.5” KSRZ Omaha.
With the lineup changes there are a few departures from the company. We can confirm two, but believe there are others.
Mike Rowe exits mornings at WSFR after just nine months. Rowe previously served as PD/morning host of “Cat Country 105.5” WLVK Fort Knox KY and spent fifteen years at iHeartMedia Louisville eventually rising to Program Director of CHR “98.9 Kiss-FM” WNRW and Variety Hits “100.5 FM” WSDF and evening host at Country 97.5 WAMZ.
‘Billy D’ Dunkley exits as morning host at WKLR after 18 years with the cluster. Billy D joined the then Cox Richmond cluster in 2004 with stints running their digital and promotions departments. He spent four years in mornings at Country “K95” WKHK form 2014-2018 before moving to the same daypart on WKLR. He also tracked mornings at WBPT.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com