Omar Torres does mornings.
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Alt 92.3
- Thread starter BJSteigner
- Start date
I see various posts about Audacy and iHeart’s alternative endeavors on this board - perhaps a more popular format than oldies!
Out of curiosity, how do those of you all that have listened to SiriusXM’s Alt Nation feel about it compared to its terrestrial counterparts? It’s programmed out of NYC, SXM channels have generally favored the east coast and flyover country.
Out of curiosity, how do those of you all that have listened to SiriusXM’s Alt Nation feel about it compared to its terrestrial counterparts? It’s programmed out of NYC, SXM channels have generally favored the east coast and flyover country.
between Alt Nation, XMU, and college radio, I have no need for commercial alternative. Sirius' hosts are all about the music, no schticks or gimmicks. Wonderful variety of music with an excellent choice of recurrents and golds.
There Is No Alternative is the latest Jacob’s Blog. And is an interesting read…
???
Coming into the city I ALWAYS started hoping for a decent 92.7 WLIR around Bridgeport. I'd keep it there on my way to Brooklyn and by the time I reached Canarsie on the Belt Parkway could obtain a solid FM 106.3 WHTG. There it would stay into Bensonhurst and my various forays into the Rockaways. Those two stations, (plus the very brief time WZRC 1480 lived as Z Rock), were the sound tracks of my life. Watching videos we'd take while driving under the El on 86th Street still amaze me how much their music added to the gestalt of the scene.
Guess what? Thanks to 5G, WLIR is still very important (albeit on-line) radio in my life. WHTG may no longer be with us... No big deal! WEQX is Rock and Roll Radio! They play the correct music. They have the proper personalities. They possess the proper spirit to do the format. Their programs are germane to the goal of good music. They have a listenable morning music show!!! By that I mean pleasant personalities that cogently comment without sacrificing the music. The station is in the middle of nowhere yet has a very competent SALES DEPARTMENT that can sell beaucoup spots to LOCAL merchants!
In other words, they don't sound like somebody's mom is programming it.
So, WLIR and WEQX are excellent examples of Rock and Roll radio and is accessible to anyone with 5G.
KROQ? Really?
Only because it's basically a copy of Alt 92.3,
Agree.
If I can remember correctly, Frank Zappa was asked what he considers to be the state of Rock and Roll. He said something along the line of "The state of radio IS the state of Rock and Roll.".
Alt radio should aim at 18-34, accenting 18-25. Recurrents and Gold are counter productive to this demo. New music attracts younger fans and creates an audience that is continually "growing" into the format. Sure, some of the audience is aging out of the format. Fine! Let them move on and find a station catering to their tastes. There is certainly plenty of such stations out there for them! Kids want to go see and hear new music and performers that they can relate to.
Proof is in the many Alt (and Rock!) stations that are successful, some for decades, until a corporate buyer brings in a "dilettante" to increase revenue. How many long term rockers have you seen purchased, "repaired" and ultimately, practically "gifted" to EMF for a song?
I suggest some people should sample WEQX or even WLIR and compare them to the programming and music of the current stable of so-called Alternative stations out there. I understand that Alternative is a difficult format for many people not into the genre to grasp.
Which one is "The Real McCoy" that you believe is most fitting and acceptable for those into that particular musical scene?
If Frank said that, he didn't intend it to be a compliment. Frank was not a fan of rock radio, and mocked it in his songs.
That would be fantastic if there was consensus current music that could attract an audience. Unfortunately, there isn't.
Everyone in radio would LOVE to stop playing the old stuff. But they like getting paid, so they put up with it.
You'd be surprised how many classic rock stations are #1 in 18-34. This is why alt stations play older stuff. It doesn't hurt their demos.
AAA stations attract older audiences because some in that demo are looking for new music. Not all old people like old music.
Lord Huron, Elvis Costello, alt-J, Parquet Courts, Black Pistol Fire, Jungle, Glass Animals, Tune-Yards, Mainland... These are just a few of artist selections currently played on a good, crankable Alternative. Queen? Eagles? Kiss? Similar artists? Where exactly would you try to place them in this mix? WLIR plays their fair share of Gold. Except they'll play an "OH! WOW! I totally forgot about that great tune!". Meanwhile, KROQ is likely to to play something that elicits a "CALIFORNICATION AGAIN???" just before you kick the radio through the dashboard.
AAA stations are not crankable. ZZZZzzzzzzzz.
Not surprised at all about some classic rock stations and their high ratings. WHJY is an excellent example. But then, there is always a story... 94HJY has been a very good, very popular "Big Banger" for 40+ years. The Home of Rock and Roll. Nobody argues that fact. Very few times, until recently, they ever reached #1 in the ratings. The reason was WBRU, an Alternative rocker that had been around nearly 50 years. WBRU was lucky to ever get half the ratings of HJY. The thing was WBRU's audience was virtually all P1s. In 2017, WBRU sacrificed itself to EMF, as many other stations have also done. Within a reasonable period of time, WHJY ascended to #1 in the ratings. It's basically been there ever since. Although WBRU had 1/3 the power of WHJY, it had no problem effectively keeping them from the #1 ratings for 37 years.
You wouldn't. It's a different genre.
That's alternative's version of Hotel California. It serves the same purpose. It's consensus music that everyone knows and agrees is classic. Just that some people are tired of it. Unfortunately, nothing made in the last 10 years is good enough to replace it. That's the problem, and why the format is likely to disappear from commercial radio.
OK. I think that the solution boils down to simple semantics.
I feel that your version of Alternative is to maintain the status quo of the current format. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I'm guessing at least 50% of music would be recurrent and/or gold based. New music would feature artists currently established in the format. It works but everybody knows it could be more productive than it actually is.
My version of Alternative is also very simple. I bought a 5G phone with unlimited data. Then I downloaded a radio app and added 91X, KBZT, KYSR, KROQ and WBRU. I saw WLIR and added it with great joy! I'd heard of WEQX so added it. I grew up listening to WLIR and they sound exactly as I remember and yet contemporary! WEQX is an incredible blessing to my ears! Either or both are my ideal description of Alternative.
I think any FM radio station aiming 18-34 with a skew toward the younger half of that bracket, in most instances, would be making a major mistake in the year 2022.
Most of the "Amp Radio" CHR/Pop stations launched by CBS Radio skewed young on purpose, and we all saw how that turned out. As time rolls on, radio is becoming less & less relevant to teenagers and young adults. That's one reason CHR/Pop, hip-hop and, yes, alternative stations have seen erosion in share in recent years. It also explains why companies like iHeart have invested heavily in digital streaming.
What radio ought to be doing is figuring out a way to do a better job of monetizing listeners over the age of 50. Those are the folks who are most loyal to AM/FM radio. Cable TV can do it. Radio should be able to follow suit.
You realize cable TV is a different medium? Advertisers can use visual disclaimers for all the legal information they need to provide for the various drugs and financial products they sell on cable. A lot of those over-50 ads on cable are 2 minutes long. Some are longer. There's a reason why advertisers with products aimed at over-50 use cable instead of radio. The way radio monetizes over-50 is with infomercials. Is that the kind of programming you want to hear more of on the radio? Would you like to hear a 3-minute ad for dementia drugs or "A Place For Mom" in the middle of 60s oldies? It's not pretty.
Audacy has several stations in NYC that mainly reach 50-plus. It's pretty obvious which ones they are. They've got that demo covered. What they're looking for is a way to reach other audiences the advertisers want to reach.
Agreed, but I think crafting an FM station for the purpose of super-serving young adults (i.e. age 25 and younger) - as some on this thread are suggesting - is not a good strategy. That ship has largely sailed. There are other audio ecosystems they like a lot better.
I certainly do NOT want to hear more infomercials on the radio, for the record.
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