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An idea to save the format!

U

upstate29651

A few years back, the alternative format was cut in two, spinning off its sibling format called active rock. I'm not sure what the thought process was. Probably it was due to consultants who wanted to add classic rock tracks to the playlists, to get older listeners (bad idea). Or maybe it was due to the onset of the "emo" bands. Whatever the reason, this certainly led the way to the sorry state of rock radio today.

I keep hearing people say that alternative is on its last leg. Some say PPM will help bring rock back. Who knows. Here's a crazy idea: Why not merge the alternative & active rock formats back together again, as it was in the beginning? Give the AC/DC, Ozzy & Areosmith back to the classic rockers, and give the emo bands (which are mercifully fading away finally) back to the CHR's, and volia! Problem solved!

I'm aware of very, very few markets that have a classic rock, an alternative & an active rock station. Matter of fact, many alternatives in these markets basically walk a fine line between alternative & active as it stands now. So why not re-merge the two formats, and recapture the glory days it had during the 90's. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

G
 
"Active Rock" was a term conceived around 1995-1996 by Radio & Records to identify those rock stations who wanted to co-opt (i.e., grab) the Alternative format but didn't want to call themselves "alternative." See, in many cases, brand-new alternative stations had beaten the crap out of established rockers, and... well, it's a long story.

Nobody in their right mind has ever paid any attention to the format labels when actually programming their radio stations.

If you have been, and it's something that bothers you, stop it.

Play the music that works for your station in your market. Call it whatever the listener thinks it is. What you think doesn't matter.
 
I know I should probably know the answer to this,but what exactly is an "emo" band? I have heard that term a few times and
have my guesses as to what it means but I figured I would ask someone that knew for sure. ???
 
amfmxm, well freaking said!

I applaud upstate' for bringing up such a cool thought.

After working in active and alternative for years, I am now in a market which has only 1 "semi-active" rocker-- but it wisely plays "Everything That Rocks"... a blossoming idea, I'm told. Sort of a Jack for rock (or whatever). All the testers, old and new-- and in some markets I'm hoping they even include a few White Stripes/Muse-ish alt. tracks. In THIS market, they're covering all relevant bases and seemingly ready for a more narrowly focused competitor.

Originally, the label of ALTERNATIVE meant something more than "wussy pop rock for kids". Right now the whole concept appears to need an image makeover incorporating all aspects of successful branding (as in, be careful not to disinvite listeners who might save your ass). Maybe dump the too cool for school thing, get to the hooks, bring in the bigger guns from the rock world, and lighten up the attitude (there's witty and irreverant, and then there's snotty). I would love to see the best of alt mix with the best of active, but Upstate', I'm afraid that does include AC/DC, Ozzy, Floyd and Zeppelin.

Thanks!

OH, for TR1992, here's a piece that might help with the emo thing: http://piercevoice.com/images/FAT_EMO_GUY.mp3
 
My first dose of alternative rock radio came from KANR Fly 92.7 and you'd never, ever hear anything along the lines of Zep, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Metallica, etc..

Instead, its a nice mix of Weezer, Cake, U2, Green Day, The Killers, Muse, Modest Mouse, etc.. with the addition of the eventual emo era including Hawthorne Heights, Lostprophets, Taking Back Sunday, and so on.

There's a lot of alternative out there that 'rocks' but its not HEAVY enough to be in the 'Everything that Rocks' station...

"True Alternative" leads to a station playing things you won't hear everywhere else, with a few songs here or there that are popular enough to make it to mainstream radio. Hell, I'd hear the new Killers jam on Fly 92.7 months before I ever heard it on a Clear Channel Top 40 station.

The alternative word, I believe, can't just be seen as 'alternative rock' - but instead, it is what it is.. an ALTERNATIVE to the normal music you'd hear elsewhere. Alternative means something different.. and that's what I like.
 
Boston is one of those markets that has an Active Rock (WBCN & WAAF), Classic Rock (WZLX) and "True" alternative station (WFNX). As far as true alternative, I'd say WFNX is as true as they come. Here's a sampling of an hour of their playlist from the other day:

Dropkick Murphys - The State Of Massachusetts
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin
U2 - Mysterious Ways
Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry
The Police - Spirits In The Material World
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
AFI - Miss Murder
Peter Gabriel - Steam
The Killers - Shadowplay
The Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore
Angels & Airwaves - Everything's Magic
The Offspring - Come Out And Play
The Shins - New Slang

As you can see, theres newer bands you've probably never heard of (Cutting edge bands like Cold War Kids, The Shins, Rogue Wave etc.) mixed in with newer familiars like The Killers and AFI, older alt essentials like U2, The Police, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, New Order, Peter Gabriel etc. and to me that's REAL Alternative. Some of the other "alternative" stations I've heard in other markets tend to play too much active rock, such as Breaking Benjamin, Finger Eleven etc. that'd you'd NEVER hear on WFNX...thankfully
 
I sound like a broken record but I really wish alternative stations would give more play to female artists. In the 90s there was approximately a 60/40 split of male to female tracks on alt. stations. After the embarrasing rap/rock wave, this changed to 99/1 at best. The WFNX sample hour highlights the fact that the only station that plays singles from female artists on a regular basis seems to be the great Indie 103.1.
 
I'm pretty sure the emo stuff is staying... Fall Out Boy, The Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, The Academy Is...,My Chemical Romance, & The Gym Class Heroes are doing pretty well so yea I think they're staying.
 
Saladressing said:
I sound like a broken record but I really wish alternative stations would give more play to female artists. In the 90s there was approximately a 60/40 split of male to female tracks on alt. stations. After the embarrasing rap/rock wave, this changed to 99/1 at best. The WFNX sample hour highlights the fact that the only station that plays singles from female artists on a regular basis seems to be the great Indie 103.1.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...I'll tend to disagree. That hour may have been that particular dj picking mostly male music, for the most part 'FNX tends to spin lots of female artists/groups, Feist and Shiny Toy Guns are all in heavy rotation. Here's another hour sample from 2 nites ago:


PJ Harvey - Down By The Water ****
Simple Minds - Someone Somewhere In Summertime
Feist - 1234 ****
Duran Duran - Save A Prayer
The Charlatans U.K. - The Only One I Know
Squeeze - Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
Vhs Or Beta - Can't Believe A Single Word
Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy ****
Boys Don't Cry - I Wanna Be A Cowboy
Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin
The B-52s - Rock Lobster ****
Tori Amos - God ****

I put asterisks next to bands/artists who are primarily female or have female singers. That's 5 out of 12...not bad, considering that they "never" get airplay as you said. I'm sure Indie throws on a few female artists as well. WFNX is one of those stations as you can see too.
 
Great point. I would also add to your correction of my post that KNRK/Portland also spins quite a bit of female artists. HOWEVER, it is not the norm industry-wide.
 
The alternative format got sidetracked in the late nineties when many of the (relative handful of) programmers involved seemed to become comfortable playing the same damn songs--and artists--over and over again. It happens in every format. It's called "laziness."

It was--and is--a relative handful of people. There have never been more than a few hundred alternative radio stations on this continent; and many of those stations have relied--and still do--on a few consultants to do their thinking for them. It's so much easier that way!

The shame of all this is that the format itself emerged as a response to the exact same development in the world of established rock stations. They wouldn't play anything NEW!!!!!

"New" is the key. Yes, you can throw in an old tune every now & then for variety's sake, but stop boring the crap out of your listeners by playing the same thousand songs over and over and over and over and over...

Take a chance. Maybe you'll lose your job, maybe you won't. But at least you'll know you're still alive.
 
Thank the heavens above for stations like indie 1031 in los angeles and wfnx in boston and cd101 in columbus and knrk in portland. At least there are some staions out there that know what alternative means!!!In my hometown of louisville ky we have a triple a station but not an alternative station.
 
hotpatrick2004 said:
Thank the heavens above for stations like indie 1031 in los angeles and wfnx in boston and cd101 in columbus and knrk in portland. At least there are some staions out there that know what alternative means!!!In my hometown of louisville ky we have a triple a station but not an alternative station.
Click to expand...

Indie 103 is way too pretentious and would only work in Los Angeles. I think of all those listed, FNX has the best balance. Not afraid to stray from the mainstream but still plays the "hits" from time to time. The solution to the problem isn't just playing Arcade Fire, The National, Radiohead and LCD Soundsytem with The Smiths, Depeche Mode and Duran Duran sprinkled in.
 
valhallafred said:
Let's not forget WEQX. Independent & Alternative for 23 years. I think Tolkof used to consult them way back. They do an amazing job!
Click to expand...
Agreed!
 
In the market I'm at, Huntsville, AL, there's only one rock station I can pick up now and that's The Rocket 95.1-WRTT. It's supposedly active rock, although some days I question if they are really going to flip to classic rock after all the classic rock that gets injected into the playlist. The market used to have an alternative rock station (although in the last years of operation it was more of a modern rocker). It was out of Birmingham but it was still better than the Rocket in my opinion. Yes, it was a major flamethrower.

The X used to be one of the best alternative rock stations in the country in the late '90s, but it fell victim to poor management from Citadel whom brought the station in 2000 from Dick Broadcasting. It was moved to 100.5fm after Citadel purchased a cluster of stations in that market in early 2005 to make room for yet another Urban cookie cutter station "Hot 107.7" or as I would call it "Lukewarm 107.7". Surely the new "The X @ 100.5" tanked in the ratings due to poor coverage and flipped to sport talk radio in late 2006. Shortly after, WENN flipped to alternative rock and became "Vulcan 105.5". Vulcan has very weak coverage and from what I read, is basically a water-down version of The X.

So, in the land where urban and country music stations are everywhere (Alabama), I doubt that the format can be saved here. As long as The Rocket or Vulcan 105.5 is still half-hearty playing modern rock, no one is going to invest in that format in those markets.
 
BlueWanderer said:
In the market I'm at, Huntsville, AL, there's only one rock station I can pick up now and that's The Rocket 95.1-WRTT. It's supposedly active rock, although some days I question if they are really going to flip to classic rock after all the classic rock that gets injected into the playlist. The market used to have an alternative rock station (although in the last years of operation it was more of a modern rocker). It was out of Birmingham but it was still better than the Rocket in my opinion. Yes, it was a major flamethrower.
Click to expand...

I just went to The Rocket's Website. Seems more like an Active rocker to me. Pretty good variety too, seems pretty loose with it's playlist. Reminds me a lot of WAAF up here in Boston. Will play a couple classic rock hits here and there (Pink Floyd, Zeppelin Ac~Dc) and then throw on some alt/modern rock (Chili Peppers, STP, Live, The Offspring) with some newer active rock like Three Days Grace. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Stevie Ray Vaughn.

: Three Days Grace - Never Too Late
05.01.2008 9:59am
: Eve 6 - Inside Out
05.01.2008 10:03am
: Nickelback - Someday
05.01.2008 10:06am
: Nazareth - Hair Of The Dog
05.01.2008 10:10am
: Live - I Alone
05.01.2008 10:14am
: Linkin Park - Numb
05.01.2008 10:20am
: Breaking Benjamin - Breath
05.01.2008 10:23am
: Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead Or Alive
05.01.2008 10:27am
: Soundgarden - Burden In My Hand
05.01.2008 10:33am
: The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop
05.01.2008 10:38am
: Creed - What's This Life For
05.01.2008 10:42am
: Pink Floyd - The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
05.01.2008 10:46am
: Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
05.01.2008 10:47am
: Sixx A.M. - Life Is Beautiful
05.01.2008 10:53am
: Collective Soul - Shine
05.01.2008 10:57am
: Incubus - Nice To Know You
05.01.2008 11:02am
: U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
05.01.2008 11:06am
: The Offspring - Self Esteem
05.01.2008 11:11am
: Foo Fighters - Times Like These
05.01.2008 11:15am
: Evanescence - Call Me When You're Sober
05.01.2008 11:22am
: Blind Melon - No Rain
05.01.2008 11:25am
: Ozzy Osbourne - Flying High Again
05.01.2008 11:29am
Buy from: iTunes | Amazon.com
: Three Days Grace - Just Like You
05.01.2008 11:37am
Buy from: iTunes | Amazon.com
: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Look At Little Sister
05.01.2008 11:40am
: Linkin Park - Bleed It Out
05.01.2008 11:43am
: Radiohead - Creep
05.01.2008 11:48am
Buy from: iTunes | Amazon.com
: Lit - My Own Worst Enemy
05.01.2008 11:52am
: AC/DC - Thunderstruck
05.01.2008 11:55am
: Nickelback - Animals
05.01.2008 12:00pm
: Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
05.01.2008 12:05pm
: Puddle Of Mudd - Drift & Die
05.01.2008 12:08pm
: Creed - Higher
05.01.2008 12:13pm
: Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' With Disaster
05.01.2008 12:18pm
: Stone Temple Pilots - Creep
05.01.2008 12:23pm
: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Face Down
05.01.2008 12:30pm
: The Black Crowes - Hard To Handle
05.01.2008 12:33pm
: Theory Of A Deadman - Make Up Your Mind
05.01.2008 12:36pm
: Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy
05.01.2008 12:40pm
: Green Day - Longview
05.01.2008 12:44pm
: Metallica - Enter Sandman
05.01.2008 12:48pm
 
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