HOULTON, Maine — A local radio station is changing its musical format for what is believe to be the first time in the station’s history.
WHOU-FM owner Fred Grant announced Friday, May 18, that the station will be switching to its new format as of midnight, Thursday, May 24. WHOU’’s new music format will be classic hits from the 1970’s and 80’s. This change marks the first format change in the history of the station.
“We all miss those days of your youth,” Grant said. “The radio cranked with the sounds of The Eagles, Huey Lewis and the News, Queen, The Rolling Stones and many more. (It was) radio when music was music and times were real.”
Grant purchased the station in 2011 and since that time WHOU has experienced many changes which have included the addition of local DJ’s — Chris Putnam in the morning, Jules Summer during the mid-day, and Greg Koster in the afternoon drive.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am for the change to classic hits,” said Putnam “I get calls constantly from listeners asking for more classic hits. That’s what our population wants and I’m thrilled we can provide it on a continuous basis moving forward.”
The idea of switching formats on WHOU happened organically based on both staff and listener feedback and was later solidified by market research.
“We just got to a point where we were tired of listening to current music that was mostly unoriginal and produced by people looking to be famous rather than making great music,” said Grant. “As we played more classic hits the feedback was overwhelming from listeners. Turns out, the research supports the switch.”
With the switch WHOU will be the only classic hits format station in Aroostook County and western New Brunswick. They will be leaving behind a field of at least three other stations playing “adult contemporary” music in the area.
Additional research found that in the 2010 US Census, 48 percent of the population in Aroostook County was between the age of 30 and 64 with a median age of 45, a very large target market for a classic hits format. In total, over 67 percent of the population is 30 years old or older in Aroostook according to the 2010 census.
“A lot of work has gone into this change,” said Grant, “we’ve hand selected thousands of the best hits of the two decades, updated our on-air station imaging, and releasing new features throughout the summer. It’s going to be a very exciting time and switching the format for Memorial Weekend is the perfect way to kickoff the summer season.”
In addition to the format change WHOU will be bringing back their online player so listeners can tune in from anywhere in the world. The popular classic hits syndicated show “The Daily Show” with Mike Harvey will be taking over evening hours (7 p.m. to midnight) when the Boston Red Sox aren’t playing.
Putnam adds, “let’s face it, the music from the 70’s and 80’s is the best and that’s what the majority of our area wants to hear – the best.”
WHOU can be found online at WHOUFM.com, on Facebook and on the radio at 100.1 FM.For more information, contact Grant at 532-3600 or by email at fred@whoufm.com.
