Another Flip

I'm two days late on this, but another station has swapped formats here in L.A.: Oldies 540/1260 AM is now calling itself "The Shuffle" -- playing a wide, wide range of music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

In some ways, it's an older-skewing version of 93.1 Jack FM, which plays mostly music from the 70s and beyond. Sampling "The Shuffle" last night, I heard mostly 50s/60s oldies, such as "California Dreamin'" and "Hey Paula" -- and promos that promised Connie Francis and Wang Chung.

Both stations are responses to the popularity of the iPod (540/1260 AM even co-opts the title of the iPod's most popular feature -- its "Shuffle" capability), and audiences showing that they're more willing to listen to a wider variety of music.

Don't expect "The Shuffle" to last too long on the frequencies, however. Owner Saul Levine has shuffled through several formats on the stations through the years -- everything from jazz to showtunes to an all-traffic format.