The Infinite Dial

It's no surprise now that stations are starting to trickle back into the Oldies format--or at least the '70s/Classic Hits-driven format that Oldies has become. But yesterday's switch from smooth jazz to "The Greatest Hits of All Time" at KPKL (Kool 105.9) Portland, Ore., is interesting for (kind of) giving Portland the first major-market Oldies battle in recent memory.

As heard this afternoon, Kool 105.9 is a '70s-driven Classic Hits outlet that falls somewhere between the Clear Channel "Superhits" outlets and the early days of its WOLL (Kool 105) West Palm Beach. It's mostly '70s with a few '60s (Beatles, "Do You Want To Know A Secret") and '80s on each side (Journey, "Any Way You Want It", Bruce Springsteen, "Dancing In The Dark"). That puts it in the same neighborhood with KLTH (K-Hits 106.7), which bills itself as "Portland's Home Of The '60s and '70s," and replaced one-time Oldies powerhouse KKSN. It also overlaps with KKSN's successor, KYCH (Charlie FM) and its '80s/'70s-based format.

If one had to make a fast characterization after a day on the air, it might be that KPKL is somewhat newer and more aggressively produced than KLTH, which has always had a little bit of a WDRV (the Drive) Chicago earnestness to it. But it's still two '70s-centered stations with similar functionality. It also says something about the evolution of AC that Clear Channel would launch a station that played some of these songs even with KKCW (K103) next door.

Here's some KPKL in middays today:

Journey, "Any Way You Want It"
Wild Cherry, "Play That Funky Music"
Carole King, "It's Too Late"
Manfred Mann, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy"
Bruce Springsteen, "Dancing In The Dark"
Ace, "How Long"
KC & the Sunshine Band, "That's The Way I Like It"
Romantics, "What I Like About You"
Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds, "Don't Pull Your Love"
Diana Ross, "Upside Down"
Fleetwood Mac, "Don't Stop"