CLASSIC COOL TO DEBUT ON HOUSTON'S 650 AM

As a year ends and a new one replaces it, you can always bet that a certain number of radio stations around the dial will switch formats. Well this new year brings a new format to Houston radio. Beginning Monday, January 5, 2009, “Classic Cool” will reunite Houston listeners with the Rat Pack, Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, Michael Buble, and Norah Jones. Hosts Ronnie Renfrow and Tom Richards will join listeners for the drive home beginning at 4pm, Monday through Friday.

Longtime Houston radio personality Ronnie Renfrow and his Classic Cool team have created a format that is unique not only to Houston, but to the national radio scene as well. “This is by far the biggest programming void in radio. The artists of Classic Cool are selling millions of CD’s annually, but listeners have had nowhere to go on the dial – until now,” Renfrow said. “This is definitely not a nostalgia format,” Renfrow stressed. “Classic Cool is far removed from that approach in that we will feature new music from contemporary artists who are all over the Billboard charts.”

Classic Cool will present a blend of singers, classic jazz, Latin, and blues. Stars of the show include Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, Sade, Diana Krall, and B.B. King, to name just a few.

The format’s web site – classiccool.com - is the first of its kind, exploring music both new and vintage. Visitors to the site can register to win rare and valuable prizes, including musical collectibles. Listeners will also be able to participate in online exchanges with the hosts, who are experts on the artists and the music. Additionally, the web site will be a resource for information on live music performances in Houston.

While the Classic Cool format is being launched in Houston, its creators are in the process of syndicating programming to other cities. “We are excited by the possibilities that syndication holds, since we know that we have something truly unique and entertaining to offer,” Renfrow said.