Pop2K

Pop2K

Broadcast area	United States Canada
Branding	Pop2K
Slogan	The first decade of pop hits
Frequency	Sirius XM Radio 10 Dish Network 6010
First air date	2006-04-17 (as XM Hitlist) 2008-11-12 (as Pop2K)
Format	2000s hits
Class	Satellite Radio Station
Owner	Sirius XM Radio
Website	SiriusXM: Pop2K

Pop2K (formerly XM Hitlist) is a commercial-free all-2000s radio station that is broadcast on Sirius XM Radio. It is located on channel 10^[1] (previously 30), and Dish Network 6010 and plays a range of top 40 hits in the 21st century similar to Venus. Some music would come from the late 1990s (prior to March 2009, the channel would play music from 1997 and 1998, but 1999 titles continue on the playlist). The channel is also used for XM's annual pop music chronology, IT. Starting in late 2009, the station started to play more deeper cuts and not the popular hits from the decade, to give it a more or less nostalgic flavor that the decades stations have. By 2010, no new 2010s music has been played unless it is left over from 2009 (for example, "Tik Tok" by Kesha was a number-one song in 2010 but was released in 2009^[2]), making it a 2000s-only station. By December 18, 2009, Mediabase stopped reporting the channel's playlist.

The station gets its name from Y2K, the nickname for the year 2000.

History

XM Hitlist was originally created as a commercial-free alternative to Clear Channel's CHR hits station on XM, KISS, which began airing commercials in May 2006. When Clear Channel began airing commercials on KISS, DirecTV and AOL Radio dropped the KISS stream from their services, and added the XM Hitlist stream instead. XM Radio Canada dropped KISS entirely with no replacement. On April 1st, 2007, XM Canada added Hitlist to its channel line-up.

In 2008, the channel was rebranded as Pop2K as part of Sirius XM's channel merger. In 2009, Pop2K was dropped from Sirius Satellite Radio for seven years as the channel reverted to an XM-exclusive channel, leaving Sirius with only one contemporary hit radio channel. Sirius XM Hits 1 which plays a mix of the three XM CHR channels Top 20 on 20, KISS-XM and Pop2K format music. The channel was replaced by BackSpin on the Sirius lineup (which, ironically, is also part of XM's lineup). According to BackSpin's Wikipedia Page, the channel is incorrectly labeled as "Pop2K" on the Sirius receivers in the US and Canada. Former Pop2K listeners on Sirius would have Sirius XM Hits 1, The Heat, The Pulse or the French channel Énergie² from Canada, even though Pop2K's musical direction is much closer to The Pulse.

On May 9th, 2013, Pop2K was added back to the Sirius Satellite Radio lineup

On August 21, 2015, Pop2K was added to Dish Network 6010, to go with Sirius XM Radio 10 after seven years.

DirecTV Channel Lineup

During its suspension on Sirius, it was also the only XM-exclusive channel owned by Sirius XM Radio featured on DirecTV. On March 27, 2009, Pop2K was added to the Sirius line-up, as an internet only channel.

Until February 9, 2010 it was heard on DirecTV channel 817 but all of the Sirius XM programming was dropped in favor of Sonic Tap by DMX.

Former DJs

For a period of about six months between April and November 2006, Priestly and Michelle Cartier were moved from Top 20 on 20 to XM Hitlist, retaining their time slots. In November they were moved back to Top 20 on 20 as part of the channel's relaunch. They were subsequently replaced by other DJs on The Hitlist. Pop2K now airs without any DJs.

Programming

• The Pop2kountdown

Saturdays 11 am ET

Rebroadcasts Saturdays 6 pm; Sundays 8 am, 4 pm; Mondays 12 am

Lance Bass counts down the Top 30 hits of each week from a particular year of the 2000s. On February 13, 2016, Bass announced that week's countdown would be his last; the program currently airs jockeyless.

Internet Player

The internet player can be based to play either pop or rock, despite the name implying an all-pop format.

References

1. "XM Channel Lineup" (PDF). May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
2. Pietroluongo, Silvio (2009-12-23). "Kesha Clocks Her First Hot 100 No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-03-12.