Brian Thomas is a highly-skilled programmer. He is the person who recreated WCBS-FM after their ill-fated flip to Jack FM.
I think Kicks sounds really good in middays and afternoon drive. Dallas sounds great, and Scott Gaines is top-notch. Formatics are also very good.
I was surprised that after CJ left the morning show, they didn't hire someone to fill his role. Another factor hindering Kicks is having to carry the syndicated NASH Nights with Shawn Parr while The Bull is programming locally. But nighttime listening levels are low so this probably does limited harm to Kicks.