Highlights from the author’s week of (always decidedly random) listening and the week’s radio headlines, ending May 6, 2010. Stations I’ve worked with recently in my Edison Research capacity are asterisked.

Station (FM)

**Gold-Based AC WHOF (My 101.7) Canton, Ohio** – “I smiled when I read [last Thursday’s] column. ‘Ebony Eyes’ [by Bob Welch, cited as one of the week’s “oh wow” songs] has been spinning on My 101.7, since we launched three years ago. It’s one of those secret AM Top 40 hits people remember in Canton. And it sounds great on the air,” writes Clear Channel/Akron-Canton director of programming/operations Keith Kennedy. CC has always done interesting gold-based ACs, including the nearby station that became the forerunner of the Bob- and Jack-format more than a decade ago, WMVX (Mix 106.5) Cleveland.

Station (Online)

**Lynn Briggs Unplugged** – The Las Vegas and Detroit radio veteran goes after the Smooth Jazz fans displaced by this year’s change at KOAS with a site promising “jazz and more.”

Format Change

**Alternative WDYL Richmond to Rhythmic Top 40 WHTI (Hot 100.9)** – Unlike sister WMXB, which recently switched from Adult Top 40 to what could best be described as the first gold-based Modern AC as The River, Cox’s second new Richmond launch in a week is pretty straightforward. A vote of confidence for Rhythmic during its ongoing evolution.

Rebranding

“Chillout Radio Network” didn’t exactly fit Broadcast Architecture’s new Smooth Jazz-evolves-to-Hipper AC network, at least not for anybody to whom “chillout” was a genre of music (essentially smooth techno) and not just a verb. So now it’s the “Bright Radio Network.”

Ratings Stories

WENN Birmingham, Ala. – Kori White, OM of Cox’s Birmingham R&B cluster checks in to report a 1.7 for the pioneering “Neo-Soul” station’s first individual month as well as mid-two shares in 18-34 and 25-54. “Nice for a station that came from four years of zeros in the market,” she says. Also, nice for an AM/translator combination in a market that size.

WUUQ (Q97.3/Q99.3) Chattanooga, Tenn., is up 1.9 – 3.6 in the winter book, its first with Classic Country. Then again, there’s still some likely upside since the station it’s replacing in the format, WLND, had a seven share before it switched to Hot AC.

Best Disaster Response

All the stations that had immediate fundraisers for victims of Nashville’s 100 Year Flood. Triple-A WRLT (Lightning 100) staged its “Re-Build This City (on Rock and Roll)” benefit concert last night. The Clear Channel Nashville cluster had already raised more than $240,000 in its on-air efforts.

Worst Teaser

“I’ve got information on what neighborhoods to avoid because of the flooding coming up in seven minutes.”—A Nashville station, otherwise said to have done a good job in covering the disaster, can’t stop doing those PPM teasers. (PPM isn’t yet even pre-currency in Nashville.) The break, when it comes, refers listeners to the station Website for full details, mentions the flooding in downtown and the Opryland area, pretty well documented by then, and then plugs the Website again.

Promotion Copy

“I love you, my little monsters. And I love you New York City.” – The tagline from WHTZ (Z100) New York’s “win a makeover from Lady Gaga” promo. Z100, never short on starpower or pop culture zeitgeist, still seems to have put on that little extra burst of energy lately. They’re also bringing winners in to meet the cast of “Glee” when they appear with morning host Elvis Duran.

Promotion Name

“Meet The Beat” – It’s the upcoming WBTS (The Beat) Atlanta station show. Clearly, it will be something of a disappointment to everybody if the jocks or listeners don’t fumble the name occasionally.

Station Liner

“Where It’s What’s Between The Music That Counts” – Radio’s oft-expressed rallying cry of the post-iPod years is heard on Philly-based Hy Lit Radio. Of course, it was on one of the station’s throwback jingles, in this case for Philly Top 40 WIBG from the late ’60s.

Web Content

Melissa Etheridge’s “Stay With Me.” – Etheridge takes on Lorraine Ellison’s ’60s soul classic (by way of Bette Midler in “The Rose”) in a Clear Channel Stripped performance. Fortunately, she does not collapse afterwards.

Consumer Press Radio Coverage

Gordon McLendon’s pioneering All-News XETRA Tijuana/San Diego is remembered by the Los Angeles Times. Many of the problems of the early ’60s anchors in broadcasting from the Mexican studios didn’t sound very different from those described by staffers in the station’s ’80s Top 40 and Oldies days.

Unlikely Mother’s Day Tearjerker

Aqua, “My Mamma Said” – Okay, they did give us “Turn Back Time” as well, but did anybody really expect the “Barbie Girl” band to release a song about losing a parent? They’re back together and again having hits in Denmark, where this song was a hit from a “Greatest Hits” album last year.

Oh Wow Song

Dave Edmunds, “Slipping Away” on Sirius XM’s Classic Rewind, its newer Classic Rock channel.

Really Oh Wow Song

Bob Welch, “Precious Love” – Dave Newfell’s syndicated ’80s (and thereabouts) show “Foundcuts” sees last week’s “Ebony Eyes” and ups the ante. From a show that also included Adam Ant’s “Room At The Top,” Jermaine Jackson’s “I Think It’s Love,” Kenny Loggins’ “Vox Humana,” Boston’s “We’re Ready,” Winger’s “Headed For A Heartbreak,” and Soulsister’s “The Way To Your Heart.” Lest anybody get the wrong idea, it also included Journey’s “Lights,” the Romantics’ “Talking In Your Sleep,” ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and the Cars’ “Let’s Go.”