CBS radio will launch a country music station in Baltimore at noon Friday, management announced today. The station, called New Country, will air at 106.1 FM on the dial.
This is the second station in the market that CBS is now programming through an arrangement with Hope Christian, a religious programmer that holds the broadcasting license. In August 2011, CBS started programming 97.5 FM under the same kind of arrangement.
WPOC (93.1 FM), with Laurie DeYoung, is the Baltimore station that has enjoyed much success with country music for a long time.
Is there room for two country stations?
"They're more broad-based, more golden country," Robert Philips, senior VP of CBS Radio Baltimore, said of WPOC in a telephone interview Thursday.
"We're going to feature new artists, new songs. The programming will be more upbeat, more up-tempo. The young listenership for country has grown tremendously, and that's the audience we're going to cater to."
Here's the programming lineup, according to Dave Labrozzi, VP of programming for CBS Radio Baltimore:
6 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Fast Jimi
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Jenn Marino
3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Steve Mann
7 p.m. to midnight: Scott Davies
Here's the station's release:
CBS RADIO Baltimore announced today the launch of a new local radio station, New Country on 106.1. The station will sign on the air on Friday, Oct. 25 at 12:00PM and feature today's biggest country artists, including Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and many other current artists both new and established.
New Country on 106.1 will be heard on-air, streaming online at www.NewCountry1061.com and the Radio.com app for mobile devices. In addition to its presence at 106.1 FM, the station will be available on HD Radio devices at 101.9 HD2.
Robert Philips, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of CBS RADIO Baltimore said, "We're excited to help put New Country on 106.1 on the air and round out our diverse range of programming in Charm City. Country radio today has a broad-based audience, including more listeners and younger listeners than ever before. Its cross-over popularity is at an all-time high, and country fans here in Baltimore are extremely passionate."
New Country on 106.1 debuts as the result of an agreement between CBS RADIO Baltimore and Hope Christian, the owner of the 106.1 frequency.
New Country on 106.1 is programmed by CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States. A division of CBS Corporation, CBS RADIO operates 126 radio stations, the majority of which are in the nation's top 50 markets. CBS RADIO Baltimore owns and operates WWMX, WLIF, WJZ-FM and WJZ-AM. The market also programs 97.5 FM in Baltimore through a pre-existing relationship with Hope Christian.