98.9 The Buzz in Rochester is Sailing the Seas of Yacht Rock

Summer may only be two weeks long in Rochester, NY, but Dan Hardee, Regional Brand Manager of Audacy Adult Hits WBZA (98.9 The Buzz)/Rochester, has found a way to keep things easy breezy from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox.

With the “98.9 The Buzz Sunday Night Yacht Club,” Hardee programs all-Yacht Rock favorites every Sunday night all summer. I asked Dan some questions about it.

Keith Berman: What made you think of doing this?

Dan Hardee: I’ve always been a fan of late ‘70s and early ‘80s soft rock. One of my first cassette tapes as a kid was Christopher Cross with that iconic flamingo on the front. My first radio discovery was KKLI, a soft-rock station in Colorado Springs. I was listening to music that wasn’t exactly cool for a 7-year-old, but I couldn’t get enough.

In 2022, I saw a band from Los Angeles called “Yachtley Crew.” They dressed up in Yacht Rock attire and played the best covers. The show was sold out, and it was an absolute blast. They took the softest songs and made them the loudest, most exciting things ever. The sax solo on Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” was more intense than a solo from Slash. I saw people losing their minds, all dressed up, reliving their younger days.

I also discovered Yacht Rock stations on iHeartRadio and SiriusXM, but they run a bit deep. Typical radio listeners love the hits. I thought, why not have it for a few hours on the weekends during the summer? That’s how the 98.9 The Buzz Sunday Night Yacht Club was born. 

I scoured Spotify playlists and made a master list of all the Yacht Rock songs I could possibly think of. Then, I went through Mediabase and checked the national airplay for each song. From there, I did a music sort with primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, then built my clocks so every other song was a primary, with the next song being secondary with a tertiary thrown in twice an hour for spice. I didn’t want it just to be the usual songs. I wanted to throw a few zingers in there. But you don’t want to drive too far into other music lanes for too long.

KB: How do you promote it?

DH: I air a promo every other hour, starting on Thursdays and going through Sundays. I also created some banners for our social media, especially Facebook, since that’s where our listeners are. I have the jocks read liners on Thursday and Friday, and the morning show even went on the local Fox TV affiliate to talk about it.

KB: What has the response been like?

DH: The response has been slow but good. Nothing negative: a few comments saying they love it, and I’ll take that. If they hated it, they’d definitely let me know. When I told the cluster that I was kicking off the feature, the sales staff responded, “YESSSSS! LOVE THIS STUFF!”

KB: Have you changed other elements for this, like revoicing station IDs to make them sound more “yacht rocky”?

DH: Sure have! I used Suno to create soft rock jingles in the same style as the music. I even created a “host” named Captain Smooth. It’s just me, but I run through a “suave” voice filter using ElevenLabs. It’s very chill Barry White-ish. It even fooled my GM—she had no idea it was me until last week.

Each hour has a custom intro by “Captain Smooth” relating to local things in the Rochester area. Each sweeper is also a dry voice between songs, with waves and seagulls in the background. I really try to paint the full picture and take you on a yacht rock escape. One sweeper might say, “Grab your floaties; it’s yacht rock time!” It’s cheesy, but it’s fun! ChatGPT is your friend for imaging copy.

KB: Have you found value in doing a limited-run feature?

DH: It’s definitely a niche thing that could get burned out too quickly. People love yacht rock but wouldn’t listen to an all-Yacht Rock station every day on their commute. It needs to be a limited run. Plus, it gives them something to look forward to next summer.

There’s value in doing limited-run features in diary markets. It makes the stations stand out in people’s minds, enhancing recall. I think it’s a bit harder in PPM markets, partly because of the Nielsen methodology, but it could be done with the right, carefully chosen programming and features. It just depends on the feature and the demand from listeners.

KB: What advice would you give other PDs about doing unique features?

DH: If you’re in a smaller to mid-market and have a loyal following, try it out! Especially on weekends. Experiment after 7pm and see what happens. You might land on something spectacular. You have to be more careful in PPM markets because of how it’s measured. However, I know some PDs in PPM markets who turn their overnight shows into specialized features and develop a huge following.

Another factor is if it’s sellable and something your sales staff is passionate about. That’s huge. If you can find a sponsor, run with it. If anything, you’ll make some money off it and make your GM happy. Just make sure you strategically place it in the schedule. Listeners love your station because they know what they’re going to get. If you change the menu too much, even for a short time, they could leave.

Think of it like McDonald’s and Taco Bell bringing back certain items for a limited time. It creates excitement since people know it’s only available for a short period.

KB: Who is the King of Yacht Rock and why is it Michael McDonald?

DH: Michael McDonald is THE guy for Yacht Rock. His sound is so distinctive. The secondary kings would be Kenny Loggins, Gerry Rafferty, Hall & Oates, Paul Davis, and Christopher Cross. And let’s not forget Al Stewart, Donald Fagen, and Pablo Cruise.

Keith Berman

A former air personality and industry journalist, Keith Berman worked at the late Radio & Records for several years, where he held a number of positions before being promoted to format editor. While at R&R, he also served as a writer and reporter, covering breaking news; authoring weekly columns, format roundups and features; and contributing heavily to Street Talk Daily. When R&R folded, he co-founded RAMP (Radio and Music Pros) and spent 3 years covering radio and record labels before taking a hiatus from the industry. His experiences also include time on-air at stations in Connecticut, Boston and Southern California. He can be reached at KeithBerman@gmail.com.