Here is a clip from an article about the Wave when it launched. It really "pulls back the curtain" about how radio programmers work. Surprised they only started with 400 songs? Me too.



The whole article is worth reading.



San Francisco Examiner: The station KKWV is programmed by veteran programmer/consultant Don Kelly.



'Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to have been involved with several out-of-the-box-thinking formats,' says Kelly, who has taken a hiatus from his 20-year radio consultancy business to handle The Wave's programming.



He refers to the launch of Los Angeles' KPWR-FM 'Power 106,' calling it the first CHR/Rhythmic (contemporary-hit, radio/rhythmic) station that attacked the Hispanic market, and says it was natural for the Bay Area to follow suit.



He says, 'The research here in San Francisco was similar in a way to what we saw in Los Angeles. There was a cry for a certain type of music. In this case, many folks want a significant amount of reggae mixed in with their format. This came after it was determined that the vast majority of people ... indicated they were really bored with radio. They felt there was a sameness about it and everything was homogeneous.'



The exception was adult-alternative 'classic rock' KFOG-FM (104.5/97.7), which came out well in the research.