The “6-7” arrives in the ‘burbs (with a 9 in the back)

The Star falls as the Hot AC format is replaced with Classic Hits

After 22 years, Joilet’s Star 96.7 fell on Friday morning, went “on hold,” and was replaced with the new phrase the kids are using these days and posting on social media: “6-7”. 

However, there is a key difference: there is a “9” in front of the “6-7”. And there isn’t a chance that “The 9-6-7” will catch on social media.

But it’s good enough for radio, and Connoisseur Media (formerly Alpha Media) rebranded and flipped WSSR-FM from Hot AC to Classic Hits, featuring pop hits from the 1980s to 2000s. The move puts them in direct competition with WTBC’s Throwback 100.3 FM, which also has the same format, minus the ’80s tunes. 

The on-air lineup is unchanged, with Eddie Volkman continuing as morning personality. 

“We all grew up and cruised these Chicagoland suburbs with this music as the soundtrack. It was everywhere. It’s been so fun building something we know will feel instantly familiar, and in a way that fits where our listeners are today”, said Operations Manager Gordon Hays. 

The format is similar to what Connoisseur did in Dayton, where they dropped Jack FM from WGTZ-FM late last year and rebranded as “Z93” (in a creative stunt, WGTZ pulled the plug on the Jack FM format by playing Ray Charles’ Hit the Road, Jack on a loop).

“After the success we’ve had in Dayton with Z93, we decided the next station that makes sense for the brand-new classic pop format is WSSR,” Connoisseur Media SVP of Programming Keith Dakin says. “With morning show host Eddie V’s history with this sound, it’s a match made in heaven: the pop music Chicagoland grew up with and the DJ they listened to.”

In the midnight-12:30 a.m. timeframe Tuesday morning, the following was played: “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson”; “Baby Got Back” by Sir-Mix-A-Lot; “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry feat. Juicy J; “Nuthin’ But A G Thang” by Dr. Dre; “Africa” by Toto; “Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down”; “Always Be By Baby” by Mariah Carey; and “Royals” by Lorde. The oldest of these songs was “Africa” (1983) and the latest was “Royals” (2013) – a thirty-year stretch on their playlist. 

For the WSSR flip, the station stunted starting on Friday using “on-hold” music, and mixed it with the type of messaging when you are put on hold (at least the music they played was far better than the on-hold crap I had to endure when I was calling the Friend Family Center when I was a caregiver to my Dad.)

Even though the station is still targeted to suburban listeners, WSSR is branding the station as “The 9-6-7: Chicagoland’s Classic Pop”, although the term “Chicagoland” does rankle some locals here. Two years ago, Star 96.7 began simulcasting over Waukegan’s WXLC-FM and Crystal Lake’s WZSR-FM. But a year later, WXLC became Free Country Radio with a Country format, simulcasting Joilet’s WCCQ-FM. WZSR retains its Hot AC format and the “Star 105.5” branding. 

In the just-released radio PPM ratings for February, WSSR earned a 0.7 rating overall (Cumulus Media’s stations are delisted due to its dispute with Nielsen). Audacy’s WBBM-AM led the market with a 5.9 rating.