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Mix 106.1 switches formats to focus on throwback hip hop as 'Real 106.1'

"We're thrilled to launch a station that really represents Philly," iHeartMedia Philadelphia senior vice president of programming Brian Check said.

iHeartMedia has converted its Mix 106.1 WISX from the station's former hot adult contemporary format to focus on classic hip hop as "Real 106.1."

Calling itself "Philly's Real No. 1 for Throwbacks," the station will air hip hop and R&B music from the 1990s and early 2000s, including tracks from artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, and Beyoncé, a release states. Real 106.1 will also continue to air morning radio program Chio in the Morning.

Host Chio Acosta helmed the change from Mix 106.1 to Real 106.1 on Thursday with a stunt asking listeners to call and text with song requests. As Radio Insight reports, requests ranged from Metallica's "Enter Sandman" to "It's So Easy" by Linda Ronstadt.

"We don't want to be the same like all the others. There's 10 stations playing Taylor Swift," Chio said Thursday during the stunt. "Do we really need another station playing that?"

Real 106.1 is the second recent attempt at a throwback hip hop station in Philadelphia, as industry blog Urban Radio Nation notes. In 2016, the Radio One-owned Boom 107.9 moved to 103.9 and dropped its classic hip hop format in favor of focusing on more modern tracks after a two-year run of throwbacks. Prior to that, 107.9 was known as "Hot 107.9," and operated on a similar format.

"We're thrilled to launch a station that really represents Philly," iHeartMedia Philadelphia senior vice president of programming Brian Check said of the station's new format in a release. "We hear from our listeners all the time that this music is fun, infectious and timeless, so we can't wait to bring these songs back to the airwaves."

To celebrate the changeover, Real 106.1 will broadcast commercial-free through the weekend. Listen to the station's conversion over at FormatChange.com.