Where I agree with this, listeners are declaring New York radio as dead and people at the station are proclaiming it as the end of an era (my paraphrase). In reality, that era ended in 2005, and some might argue 2009. This is an individual format that months ago was playing more modern Alternative than Alt-Rock. But the branding and format that they are memorializing has been gone for either 17 or 13 years, depending on whether or not people count the 2007-2009 revival.
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Alt 92.3 to Become WINS Simulcast
- Thread starter atthestars
- Start date
Also remember we had it briefly on 101.9 twice.
Why not do both? Radio is not just one thing.
That's the problem with Rock/Alternative/Alt-Rock stations on FM. They sound better when they are more Free Form, but deep cuts and B-Sides are only valuable to more avid music listeners. For the average fan, they are looking for solely the hits. As it's been documented across this entire forum, in all the individual market sections, these genres of music are fragmented to the point where there isn't a consensus on what the hits are, these days. Therefore, it isn't commercially viable. It's why in order to get ahead musicly, I finally came to the decision to ditch FM for satellite and podcasts.
But I listened today to hear how they handled their last day, and I agree with you. I actually joked to myself that I should have called and tried to get on; saying how I just found the station, thought they were playing great music, and couldn't wait to keep listening in the days, weeks, and months ahead to see what else they had for us.
BigA - I Don’t disagree. Both are full of potholes and pitfalls, but you have to keep driving. Maybe just not on the safe pavement. Never know what might evolve on the air next.
Also, I may have missed it in the comments above. So, you have a decision to make:
You’re in charge. NYCs 92.3. Pull the plug? Change formats? Go News cause its “the right thing too do?” What would BIGA do? Choice and reason. 20 words or less. 💰
Also, I may have missed it in the comments above. So, you have a decision to make:
You’re in charge. NYCs 92.3. Pull the plug? Change formats? Go News cause its “the right thing too do?” What would BIGA do? Choice and reason. 20 words or less. 💰
They changed the display too early because the station still uses the WNYL call sign in its legal ID.
Where (location and random AM frequency) is Audacy going to park the WNYL calls? That move is usually in the playbook.
I am curious as to how HD-2, HD-3, etc stations make money as I’ve listened to a number of them with no commercials
So there will be a wasted hour of stunting between the end of Alt and the start of wins fm, at least do it honorably.
Honor the 92.3 heritage and have a show of solidarity by having the out going Alt air talents and the incoming WINS newscasters join in studio together, play a mix of disco and grunge music, and everyone partake in some head line nose, yes uh baybi.
Honor the 92.3 heritage and have a show of solidarity by having the out going Alt air talents and the incoming WINS newscasters join in studio together, play a mix of disco and grunge music, and everyone partake in some head line nose, yes uh baybi.
Avid music listeners are the ones who used to listen to Alternative radio before it got homogenized.
When you get layer upon layer of executives in suits who believe the only way to succeed in radio is to test old music over and over again and play nothing but those songs you end up with those "hits". That works fine on AC radio which is a background format, but in Alternative you end up with tired old songs that have been burnt to a crisp that bore music fans to death.
Since this is New York you can be assured everything on 92.3 was music tested and micro-analyzed to death before getting a slot in their locked-down rotation and what did it get them? Not even a 2 share after two years.
Listen to the creativity and the music mix happening at 92.3 today. The creative people, not the consultants, are running the show for a change. That's the spirit that used to make Alternative radio good.
Listened to the last hour or so of Alt 92.3's final night show. Host Kevan Kenney did a lot of reminiscing, particularly about the K-Rock days. He played a short clip from one of Howard Stern's shows. That may have been the first time Stern was heard on the frequency in decades. Kevan also remarked that "live radio is becoming a thing of the past." He also mentioned that Alt 92.3 is moving to online and HD2, and said that HD2 is not difficult to receive in late model cars.
The final song Kevan played on the station was Goodbye Elisabeth, by Counting Crows. It seemed to be a rather melancholy tune.
They then went to automated music. A brief spot indicated WINS will be taking over the frequency at 8 AM (apparently for some sort of presentation one hour prior to the actual simulcast).
The final song Kevan played on the station was Goodbye Elisabeth, by Counting Crows. It seemed to be a rather melancholy tune.
They then went to automated music. A brief spot indicated WINS will be taking over the frequency at 8 AM (apparently for some sort of presentation one hour prior to the actual simulcast).
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That's what commercial radio is. People want to try to force a non-commercial genre on commercial radio, and then they complain how its done. If you spend any time with alt musicians, you know they're ANTI-commercial. They refuse to kiss butts, they refuse to bow down, and refuse to compromise. All of those are required if you want to be commercial. They don't. That's why they're happier in the non-com college world where they're allowed to be who they are.
Funny he said that on a station that will be replaced by a format that is almost 100% live & local 24/7.
It's just not that way. Program Directors, who seldom wear suits, push to get budgets for music tests because tests almost always help increase ratings. They look for more songs to add and songs that have not done well for a while that may have recovered a bit and for crossovers that "fit" in listener minds.
If a song tests positively, it is not burnt out and does not bore people. A music test is based on asking, for each song, "how much would you like to hear this song today?"
And if people don't want to hear it, why the heck would you want to play it? Testing is asking listeners to tell you what to play.
In any case, the reason why so few newer songs test is that the alt field is fragmented into multiple groups who don't care much for the well-liked songs of the other groups. So fining songs that all the possible listeners like is very hard because there are few of them.
That is because the "rock universe" is shrinking in a multi-ethnic rhythmic New York market.
And if they did this day after day, they would get a 0.1 share. There is a reason why they don't do it regularly. And, again, consultants and management don't pick the songs. The listeners do.
It's not thee sole reason for it's termination, but this imaging that insults the alt listener into this negative monolithic stereotype, how well would that be received if done to country or hip hop listeners? How bad does that play out for advertisers?
I could be wrong but the format is called Alternative for a reason. It's origins goes back to doing commercial radio differently. A model not based on strict over researched tired music preprogrammed logs, the passion of those this format is for against doing radio the same way and not doing an alternative approach is well represented in the posts here above mine. I'd really like to see how anyone can say that they are wrong for this exclusive format.
I could be wrong but the format is called Alternative for a reason. It's origins goes back to doing commercial radio differently. A model not based on strict over researched tired music preprogrammed logs, the passion of those this format is for against doing radio the same way and not doing an alternative approach is well represented in the posts here above mine. I'd really like to see how anyone can say that they are wrong for this exclusive format.
Basically, I agree.
But it apparently also belongs on AAA stations, such as WXPK 107.1 The Peak, which have been playing more of it in recent years.
I just can't see the audience this format is for participating in a corporate music test. Well, actually they might but how they would participate, you light up my life would test a perfect 5. No that's not offered but I'd bet lots of 5s for songs They are tired of as a way of sticking it to the man.
How can regularly asking listeners how much they would like to hear each song be "over researched?"
The purpose of that is to avoid the same songs playing too often or to close to the last play or never by some jocks. If you want a listener driven station, you let the listeners pick the songs and then play them so that they get heard across all hours and dayparts.
When Lee Abrams created his formatted AOR approach about 50 years ago, the stations where each jock picked deep cuts and played their own personal favorites died rather miserable deaths.
Yet if you play 1000 or 1200 or more songs for each person, you will find that there are very few that everybody truly likes... probably only 300 if that many. There is the alternative rock issue: there are subsets of listeners who don't like each other's music.
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