Audacy rebranded its Philadelphia station 96.5 FM from Top 40 pop to country on Monday, October 20, launching the new identity as US 96.5, which PhillyVoice reports will be 'Philadelphia's new home for country music.'

The switch went live at noon, opening with Post Malone and Morgan Wallen's 'I Had Some Help' followed by Ella Langley's 'Choosin' Texas.'

The last song under the former banner, per RadioInsight as cited by PhillyVoice, was Green Day's 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' — a pointed send-off for two decades of pop programming.

The move stands out because 96.5 has played pop and Top 40 in some form since 2004, when it was known as Wired 96.5, and rebranded as The New 96.5 as recently as 2023 after Audacy reported $36 million in losses, according to PhillyVoice.

A commercial-free run until Friday is being used to buy the new identity attention before the full schedule begins.

PhillyVoice details the weekday schedule Audacy says starts Monday, October 26: Katie and Company from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Coop from 3 to 7 p.m., Rob and Holly from 7 p.m. to midnight, and Mo and StyckMan overnight from midnight to 5 a.m.

A new morning show slated for 5 to 10 a.m. has not yet been announced. The station broke the news to listeners on Instagram with a farewell: 'They say all good things come to an end — or just crossover like Post Malone. … Our boots just started itching!'

'Country music has a special way of connecting people and we are excited to bring a brand-new destination to this important market,' Tim Roberts, Audacy's country format vice president, said in a statement cited by PhillyVoice.

Former midday host Mike Adam, meanwhile, posted his own goodbye, telling followers the frequency 'became my Philadelphia home' and thanking listeners for giving him their ears for a piece of their day.

PhillyVoice notes Audacy's spokesperson did not respond to a request for further comment on the change.

The story's most shareable moment is the station's own announcement, which PhillyVoice describes as an Instagram post thanking Philly listeners and joking about 'crossing over like Post Malone' — a nod to the pop star's country pivot.

It matters because the rebrand itself was delivered in the self-aware, meme-literate register country's new audience expects, turning a corporate format flip into fan-facing entertainment.

The flip lands the same week that a Massachusetts Daily Collegian columnist argued readers should drop overgeneralized takes on country and explore songwriters from Townes Van Zandt to Jason Isbell, and that The Chicks drew a sold-out Nashville crowd celebrating 'Taking The Long Way,' as American Songwriter reports.

Neither outlet covers the Philadelphia market, but together they sketch the backdrop Audacy is betting on: country's cultural reach is widening beyond its core geography, and major-market radio is repositioning to catch it.