Real Oldies 1690 didn't launch until 2003.

All I know is they wanted CHR and there were rumors either WLIT or 103.5 were going to go CHR. People were hoping if they did go CHR that they would do it right. Instead when KISS 103.5 launched, it was pretty much all voice tracked out of market except for Rick Party and Pyke (Later Java Joel) and Craig Carson that first year. The imaging was literally KIIS Los Angeles' imaging simply adding "103.5" and "Chicago" to it.

They eventually brought in a few people, particularly Rod Phillips, Jeff Murray (Smash) and Java Joel later in the year. Scott Tyler came on in 2002. They tried to get Eddie & Jobo during the contract dispute in the summer of 2002 but ended up Drex, and Nikki for Middays in 2003. They put on a very good radio station until 2005. It was brutal between 2005 and 2013. Instead of trying to be different from B96, they basically copied B96 during those years.

But the first year overall was pretty much cookie cutter.