98.9 THE BONE

[acheron1982]

Good station! Much like 105.7 The Point in St. Louis. The magic of these two radio stations is that they incorporate alternative and active rock to their format. I must say, KFMA does a better job at it because while they still play all the active rock, they remain very adventurous with alternative as well. If you had a radio station that did this, it would block any need for a strictly alternative or strictly active rock station because ONE station does it well (key word is they have to do it well). Not only could it be a "safe" station in terms of not flipping due to competition but it would also have a much more expansive playlist playing hits from both the active and alternative chart.

If Atlanta does not do this then the other option would be combining alternative with AAA. Similar idea but considering Atlanta is a southern city, Alternative/Active Rock combo might be smarter.

If 99X does go to 100.5 or 100.5 goes alternative they should be something like KFMA (great station) out in Tucson.

 

[Kent]

So how is Streetz 94.5 staying on the air?

Simple. Streetz 94.5 could not exist as anything other than a translator at its current location either. As a translator, Streetz only has to demonstrate that it won't interfere to listeners of nearby stations in order to get licensed. Because there is no "short-spacing" of translators, Mountain Country 94.5 can't get the FCC to order Streetz off-air under spacing algorithms. It has to get listener complaints, and, if it gets any, Streetz must go. Some of these protests are valid while some are not. It will be up to Mountain Country to prove it's losing listeners because of Streetz.

You'll never find these practical demonstrations with full-power stations because the spacing algorithms already determine whether or not stations can be licensed. If a station is "short-spaced" to another station, it either can't be licensed or has to come up with a way to get around the "short-spacing." Otherwise, it doesn't get licensed and never goes on-air. Translators, however, are secondary services and can be ordered off-air if they interfere. So, it's easier to get a translator licensed because it doesn't have to follow the traditional spacing requirements, but the tradeoff is that it can be ordered off-air if there are interference complaints.

 

[jabba17]

Can regular class A/Cx stations get the FCC to enforce interference complaints against translators from listeners/locations OUTSIDE of their protected contours?

If that is the case, it would seem to be simple for radio operators to play dirty pool against one another and get people to make interference complaints because one time they heard a bit of spit from the translator on the class A/Cx way outside the contour one morning when the DXing was good.

 

[Kent]

Can regular class A/Cx stations get the FCC to enforce interference complaints against translators from listeners/locations OUTSIDE of their protected contours?

Yes. In fact, most listener complaints against translators come from listeners outside the complaining station's protected signal contour.

If that is the case, it would seem to be simple for radio operators to play dirty pool against one another and get people to make interference complaints because one time they heard a bit of spit from the translator on the class A/Cx way outside the contour one morning when the DXing was good.

The interference as well as reception of the full-power station are supposed to be consistent. However, I suppose there's a small possibility that could happen.

 

[agentUrge]

Am I the only one that finds their tag line juvenile as all hell? I just heard Lewis say "The only station that gives it to ya hard. 98.9 The Bone."

I can now see TRG being the morning show for this station.

 

[Aspec]

Am I the only one that finds their tag line juvenile as all hell? I just heard Lewis say "The only station that gives it to ya hard. 98.9 The Bone."

I can now see TRG being the morning show for this station.

I agree. Just heard "the only station that plays loud and hard" -- this must be a late April Fool's joke?!? I've been listening, online, since 989 does not reach NE ATL (you know, 60-70% of the target demo) and so far I am not at all impressed. Hopefully Axel is not stuck on this dead-end station. If so, what a waste of on-air talent.

 

[acheron1982]

Axel is not happy. I can read it in his tweets. I'm sure he's just glad he still has a job though.

I'm much more of an alternative fan than an active rock fan but this station is horrible imaging and I'm not that fond of Lewis on this station at all because he keeps repeating his self.

One slightly positive note: For an active rock station, their playlist is a little broader.

 

[agentUrge]

One slightly positive note: For an active rock station, their playlist is a little broader.

Seems like a lot of it is the more aggressive of the 99x play list.

 

[acheron1982]

I agree. I, for the life of me, cannot understand why cumulus just does not make 100.5 an alternative/active rock hybrid. This is an example playlist from another station:

http://www.kpnt.com/Music/Broadcast-History.aspx

One slightly positive note: For an active rock station, their playlist is a little broader.

Seems like a lot of it is the more aggressive of the 99x play list.

 

[agentUrge]

I'd be good with a classic alternative station...when you consider all of the commercials we're hearing now with new wave 80's songs being played or mimicked, it stands to reason that people exposed to that music will eventually want to hear that music.

 

[acheron1982]

I love new wave alternative but remember, that was what was killing 99X and people wanted newer and more cutting edge stuff. New wave show would work but a station that limits its playlist to the niche 80's new wave will be short lived and very repetitive.

 

[agentUrge]

yeah, I'm just hopeful. ;D

 

[RTibbs]

Am I the only one that finds their tag line juvenile as all hell? I just heard Lewis say "The only station that gives it to ya hard. 98.9 The Bone."

I can now see TRG being the morning show for this station.

I agree. Just heard "the only station that plays loud and hard" -- this must be a late April Fool's joke?!? I've been listening, online, since 989 does not reach NE ATL (you know, 60-70% of the target demo) and so far I am not at all impressed. Hopefully Axel is not stuck on this dead-end station. If so, what a waste of on-air talent.

Hoy cow I never realized 60 - 70% of the Young Male Adult population lived in NE ATL. Us NW ATL and Northsiders must re-evaluate our position or offer move-in discounts.

 

[atlantaboy]

^I'm pretty sure that, at this point, Active Rock targets males well into their 30s, and even 40s - I don't think it's necessarily a "young" format

 

[jabba17]

I love new wave alternative but remember, that was what was killing 99X and people wanted newer and more cutting edge stuff. New wave show would work but a station that limits its playlist to the niche 80's new wave will be short lived and very repetitive.

You just summed up what I hate about alt stations.

 

[awp69]

Just heard about this (reading a SC thread about WTPT's response to Greenville, SC's new alternative rock station X-98.5) and am saddened to hear this. I lived in Atlanta twice once after college from 1991-93 and again from about 2001-2005 and always listened to 99X.

Just prior to the last time they went off the air and went online only, they seemed to drift away a bit from alternative and mixed in a bit more of the harder active rock -- probably in an attempt to save the station. But online and then when they came back as 98.9, it felt like they found their way again and were a proper alternative station.

Hard to believe they flipped to what sounds like a pure active rocker. I'll be interested to follow this to see if they again try to keep the station alive online -- or even, again, as an HD station.

Funny how times change, Atlanta loses its one-time landmark alternative station and Greenville, SC, which has been sorely missing alternative for years finally gets one. Hope "The Bone" is at least better than Greenville's The Planet (probably the worst excuse of an Active Rocker I've ever heard), which ironically is mixing in more '90s alternative as a reaction to X98.5.

 

[Sgeirk]

Alternative actually delivers a smarter, more affluent audience. Cumulus are idiots.

Today's "alternative" or "indie" artists are outselling and breaking through to sell more records than any of today's artists that are "Active Rock."

Cumulus would have to have someone in charge somewhere that is smart enough to get that in the first place.

Alternative is a more viable format than Active Rock, unless there's a 20 year heritage morning show involved on the Active Rock station.

 

[acheron1982]

Correct me if I'm wrong but that is also why DAVE dropped to much lower shares before they pulled the plug vs Project. DAVE listeners spend more money than Project listeners, generally speaking of course. Therefore, alternative and AAA stations can deal with lower shares than active rock stations because 1.0 share for AAA vs 3.0 share for Active is nearly the same if you look at spending by both parties.

Alternative actually delivers a smarter, more affluent audience. Cumulus are idiots.

Today's "alternative" or "indie" artists are outselling and breaking through to sell more records than any of today's artists that are "Active Rock."

Cumulus would have to have someone in charge somewhere that is smart enough to get that in the first place.

Alternative is a more viable format than Active Rock, unless there's a 20 year heritage morning show involved on the Active Rock station.

 

[atlantaboy]

Alternative actually delivers a smarter, more affluent audience. Cumulus are idiots.

Dave is still on the air, though, and most of its listeners have no clue that it's going anywhere

I think waiting until Dave flips, and THEN flipping 100.5 to Alternative is the right way to go

 

[BIGSTICK]

Alternative actually delivers a smarter, more affluent audience. Cumulus are idiots.

Dave is still on the air, though, and most of its listeners have no clue that it's going anywhere

I think waiting until Dave flips, and THEN flipping 100.5 to Alternative is the right way to go

WOW, that sounds great I cannot wait, just keeps getting worse and worse.................. : : : :.