When “25+” took its recent look at being “Under 30 And In AC Radio,” one of the readers who responded was Josh Strickland, PD of Saga’s “bright AC”/Triple-A combo WOXL (Mix 96.5)/W251AO (98.1 The River) Asheville, N.C.

Mix 96.5 celebrates its third birthday as an AC station in December, following a long stint in Oldies and Classic Hits. Strickland, who co-hosts mornings, arrived in July from WFMK Lansing, Mich. “Both stations have taken a decidedly more contemporary and aggressive approach with respect to music, but even more so, with respect to social media and general activity/visibility,” Strickland wrote.

Arriving in July, Strickland has brought a "rearranged talent lineup, new clocks, new imaging and a significantly updated music approach," according to the 32-year-old PD. "It won’t be long until my graduating class is in the middle of the demo—and what we’re doing here in Asheville is catering to the ‘new adult."

Strickland also gave the station a Facebook page for the first time. "While we only have 755 people right now, one promising sign is Facebook's 'Talking About' metric. We consistently have more people 'talking about' our page than most stations in the market, all of whom have a significantly greater number of fans. So the people that we do have are engaged… We've built our Facebook page in about one-third of the time it has taken WFMK to build its presence."

With the ability to cover much of the pop turf to the right of CHR WQNQ (Star 104.3), Mix 96.5 is able stretch from “Only The Good Die Young” (there's still one '70s an hour, but it's down from 2-3) to “Pumped Up Kicks.” A Fresh Listen to the station found it very listenable—avoiding the claustrophobic feel that some modernized ACs get when they have to rely on a smaller body of available music.

Here’s Mix 96.5 on Nov. 17, just before 10 a.m. Positioners included “feel good variety” and “most music while you work.”

Ricky Martin, “Living La Vida Loca”
Daughtry, “September”
Sheryl Crow, “Soak Up The Sun”
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
Andy Grammer, “Keep Your Head Up”
Spin Doctors, “Two Princes”
Bon Jovi, “Living On A Prayer”
Alicia Keys, “Falling”
Lady Gaga, “You And I”
Jewel, “You Were Meant For Me”
Corey Hart, “Sunglasses At Night”
Kid Rock, “All Summer Long”
The Band Perry, “If I Die Young”
Kelly Clarkson, “Already Gone”
Journey, “Lights”
Natalie Imbruglia, “Torn”
Sara Bareilles, “Love Song”
Foster The People, “Pumped Up Kicks”