I was a small part of the reniassance of WKBW, Buffalo(now WWKB). From 2003-2006, we ran a similar format with 50's, 60's, and some early 70's music. KB was a "dead, waste of signal, anyway, and the expectations were low enough that management stayed out of our hair.
The format forced changes in both the current oldies FM, at the time, WHTT, as well as the standards station, WECK. Both stations eventually dropped those formats for others, and they have scored lower, in the ratings,ever since!
It's worth a try, in any market!
Had this been promoted more by Entercom, I think we would have been able to have been a more significant presence in the market. We had great response from listeners, both in the area, and along the East Coast and Canada.
The format affected the current oldies FM, at the time, WHTT. They began to shift away from the 50's N