a 90s-only station?

[rdotinga]

Hi all,

My next North County Times radio column will be about 90s music... a few 90s stations have popped up recently and I'm wondering if this is a trend. Questions:

1. Is 90s music going to become the next "classic rock," making Gen Xers feel really old?

2. Was the 90s cohesive enough to be its own format?

3. Could a 90s-only (or 90s-mostly) station survive? How about in San Diego specifically?

Thanks!

-Randy Dotinga

 

[voice of reason]

Boy that sounds like an exciting read! Better take my heart pills before I read that one. And we wonder why newspapers are becoming irrelevant.

What's the column after that? How program logs are put together?

 

[Radio3787]

I'd listen to it. 90's on 9 (XM-Sirius Radio) is one of my favorites.

 

[RadeoEngineer]

Randy,

As a career engineer, but also wearing many other hats over the past 35 years, and more importantly as a listener, I think a 90's only format would not appeal to a broad listener base. There were many changes in musical styles during that decade, and to restrict the format to just the 90's would be problematic. It would be the same to use just the 70's, 80's and so forth. I do think a new form of "classic rock" based around the 80's and 90's with careful selection of 21st century offerings could be interesting. I believe something conceived of 30% hits, 30% "oh yeah I remember that one", and another 40% deep cuts could have the potential for a splash in a new format starting with the 80's and moving up from there. You'd have to stay away from any hip hop or rap, with some exceptions, and focus on aging hippie boomers, former beach people, and maybe some disenfranchised yuppies. It would be a tough crowd, because these are the folks that have already gone to iPods and satellite.

I also don't think anyone has the balls to try to develop something like this. It would take a huge investment of people (it couldn't be an automated jukebox to work) and a comittment of a couple of years to see results.

You know who could pull this off? Halloran. But he'll never get the chance would be my bet. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Garrett]

I agree with RadeoEngineer.
The 90s were a lot like the 70s, in that there were really two different types of Top 40: CHR/Modern and CHR/Dance. San Diego had two extremes: Hot AC (B100) and CHR/Dance (Q106 and Z90). There really was not a mainstream format until late in 96 or 97, when Hot AC and Mainstream began to sound very similar again (not to menton Jacor cramming WFLZ on to 933). I used to have to listen to KIIS FM in Los Angeles via AM 1150 before that to hear everything on one station, because San Diego could not support a mainstream station, and even then, KIIS had a lot of dance music.

I DO like the 90s on 9, but only when they play the dance stuff. I don't really care to listen to Vertical Horizon or Blues Traveler 4 times a day.

 

[DoctorWu]

There's already a 90s format. It's called A/C. Listen to KyXy.

-- Doc

 

[hipman2]

I'd listen to it if it were simply something like a weekly three-hour specialty show. Perhaps a radio station can do an all one-decade theme one weekend a month. The problem with an all 90s format is that it's sure to fail.

The Beach tried an all 70s format in 1994-95. Lasted just over a year.

There were two 80s formats in 2000-01, then one until 02 until 94/9's current format replaced it.

I don't think that an all 90s format would last even as long as 94.9's two-year 80s decade format.

Another problem with pop music in San Diego was that you had to tune in all over the dial to hear all of the songs you liked. I had to tune in B100 for A/C, Star for Hot AC, Q106 for Hot AC (was urban pop until they dropped the rap in 1993), 91X for alternative, 92.5 The Flash for some more alternative, Z90 from TJ and Power 105.9 from Los Angeles for rap, dance, new jack swing, hip hop, and R&B, 98.9 More-FM for weekend electronic dance james, Channel 933 from 1996-98 for dance hits, KUPR 95.7 and later Sets 102.1 for AAA music, Rock 102.1 then 105.3 for today's rock music, Radio Disney for teen pop, and so forth.

90's music was splintered all over the dial back then. There is just no way a 90s station would work in San Diego because you would have to literally narrocast the format as there just wasn't that many people who tuned into many stations to hear all of the songs they liked.