Update 8/29 7:30pm: Just after 7:00pm, 96.1 dropped its “Project” format and has begun stunting for an hour leading into the launch of “Power 96.1“.

Update 8/29 5:30pm: 96.1 WKLS will flip to CHR as “Power 96.1“. Power961.com was registered earlier this week and currently features a full site for “Atlanta’s New Hit Music Station”. The site seems to indicate a more Mainstream CHR approach to what Clear Channel is currently doing on “Wild 105.7/96.7“.

The current occupant of 96.1, Alternative “Project 9-6-1” which we expect to relocate to 105.3, is promoting what can best be described as “a sad announcement” at 7:20 Thursday morning.

Update 8/9: Clear Channel has registered an additional four domains either indicating a possible future identity for 96.1 WKLS or attempting to play into the rampant guessing going on.

The new domains are: 961Jack.com, 961ThePeach.com, 961Wild.com, and TheLakeAtlanta.com. Funny in that all these names have been suggested in the speculation our post has triggered.

Original Report 8/5: Following Cumulus’ launch of “All News 106.7” WYAY and CBS announcing it will flip AAA “92.9 Dave-FM” to Sports, Clear Channel has registered some domains this past week indicating some more changes may be on the way to the Atlanta market.

The Clear Channel Atlanta cluster in its current form consists of two full market Class C’s (Country “94.9 The Bull” WUBL and Rock “Project 9-6-1” WKLS), two rimshots that cover portions of the market (Regional Mexican “105.3 El Patron” WBZY Bowdon and Rhythmic CHR “Wild 105.7” WWVA-FM Canton), a southwesten suburban simulcast of 105.7 on 96.7 WWLG Peachtree City, and an AM News/Talker 640 WGST simulcasting on translator 92.3 W222AF Marietta.

With Wild having the best ratings in the cluster, it would appear the plan is to move the format to the stronger 96.1. One of the newly registered domains, Project1053.com would indicate that format would displace Regional Mexican “El Patron“. The second domain, ESPNDeportesAtlanta.com would return the spanish language Sports format to the market after being dropped by Beasley’s 1100 WWWE last year. The question we cannot answer at this time is where El Patron and ESPN Deportes will end up.

We try to have all the pieces in place before we go public with domain reports of upcoming changes. In this case there are so many parts that we don’t think that is possible. As more pieces of the puzzle come in to place we will update with further details.