They're playing Pink and the All-American Rejects? Wow! I thought Maroon 5 and Gavin DeGraw, artists Cities has played for quite some time, were pretty mainstream for a AAA station, but Pink and AAR are straight up pop. That's not a dig, either. Pink is one of pop radio's finest artists, and "Gives You Hell" is a great record.
This is almost certainly in response to KS95's resounding success and reads as proof that AAA stations don't need to expend all their energy trying to be too cool for the room. Even CHR/HAC artists can produce upscale, quality material that draws in audience you wouldn't grab by solely playing granola indie music. It looks like Cities had a nice January, and I hope they sustain that growth.