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Another new Cox translator for Greenville?

Instead of continuing to derail the 102.5 thread, thought I'd bring back this thread.

X has been sounding really great since I returned from MB. Definitely seem to be pulling away even more from any active lean they originally had. They had already been moving away from it, but guess hearing WKZQ seeming to move a little more active (still a good station), I can easily see the differences.

Some nice adds by some bands I hadn't heard before today. And while they could still do better with 90s alt, I find it less and less necessary for me to want to tune away at all due to an active-ish track.

Maybe they are going to start breaking from that corporate-Cox way of thinking.
 
The playlist is still quite tight, though, mainly with the 90s - that's a typical Cox hallmark they seem to still have. All I can think of with the tight and stale 90s library is that the more non-grunge hits from the 90s don't test well in the market, or maybe they figure the audience that is old enough for that music should be listening to Chuck FM (which plays a lot of the more pop-friendly Alternative hits from the 90s that X ignores) and they don't want to lose those listeners. I have no idea.

They do a very good job adding new music, and have been for quite a while (even while still under Cox). They started out conservatively (with all of that grunge and post-grunge) with few risky/new adds and transitioned in to being up to date with adds quite well, and in a good amount of time. It was certainly better executed than that horrible MY transition. Their adds are in line with the chart (and sometimes more risky), and nothing seems to be skipped.

I think it sounds pretty good considering it's been almost a year. I'd hope they could do better than around a 1 share, though (105.7 in Atlanta, where 99X struggled for quite a while, is really taking off, and I think they're more conservative than 98.5).
 
I have to get back to the library that has it, but I found a playlist for WKZQ. I know how I found it at that library and there's a charge if you use this site at a library that doesn't pay for it.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I have to get back to the library that has it, but I found a playlist for WKZQ. I know how I found it at that library and there's a charge if you use this site at a library that doesn't pay for it.
Click to expand...
Here it is.

I hope this doesn't violate any rules.

Here is the Top 20 spin list from local new rock and classic alternative station 96.1, WKZQ -FM.

 

1. “Demons” - Imagine Dragons

2. “Panic Station” - MUSE

3. “Diane Young” - Vampire Weekend

4. “Up In The Air” - 30 Seconds To Mars

5. “Harlem” - New Politics

6. “Breezeblocks” - ALT-J

7. “Sweater Weather” - The Neighborhood

8. “Babel” - Mumford & Sons

9. “Recovery” - Frank Turner

10. “If So” - Atlas Genius

11. “Out Of Time”- Stone Temple Pilots

12. “Ways To Go” - Grouplove

13. “Out Of My League” - Fitz & The Tantrums

14. “Came Back Haunted” - Nine Inch Nails

15. “There’s No Going Back” - Sick Puppies

16. “My God Is The Sun” - Queens Of The Stone Age

17. “King And Lionheart” - Of Monsters & Men

18. “Purple Yellow Red & Blue” - Portugal The Man

19. “Goons (Baby I Need It All)” - MONA

20. “Bleed Out” - Blue October
 
^^ That may represent their top 20 spins, which with the exception of Sick Puppies, is pretty close to X98.5 in Greenville. But as a whole, they seemed to interweave a bit more active tracks in between those. At least I seemed to hear a difference in the mix.

Also realized that the new STP also isn't being played on X. And the more active leaning Queens of the Stone Age also appears to have been dropped. So, I would say there is a bit more active on KZQ. But it's still a very good station with a nice and wide playlist.

Interesting to see Blue October's new track. Hope X adds that one.
 
I know I have a habit of overanalyzing things, but I'm fearing that the Summit change may actually be leading to even tighter playlists and less risk taking.

I've been noticing a fairly dramatic cut back in the "new music". It used to be like one out of every three or four songs, they'd play a new or at least more recent track. Don't get me wrong, they still cover the charts. But it seems like currents are getting fewer spins. And also fewer breaking cuts.

I keep hearing Fun. and older hits by Imagine Dragons ("Tongue Tied"), The Lumineers("Ho Hey") and even playing more of Mumford & Son's "I Will Wait" more than their newer tracks. All of that stuff has been beat to death.

I posted on their FB page that it was the new music that was keeping me as a fan (since they never seem to want to expand their '90s tracks).

So while hoping Summit would give them a little more freedom, I think they may have been better run under Cox.

They may be playing it "safer" to get more listeners but their numbers at least have been slowly rising so to become more repetitive IMO is also risking losing those who liked the "freshness" of the station.
 
Well, once again proven wrong, seems like X is headed back in the riskier, put out lots of new music swing again. Lots of new adds late last week, over the weekend and again today. Maybe playing a bit of catch up?

Interesting that they posted asking what people's favorite new songs were and pretty much all of the responses were for the more adult-leaning alternative vs. active. Don't think a single person mentioned the new Pearl Jam. And also have noticed they aren't playing the new STP (both good things IMO).

Maybe that response is helping to push them further away from active and keeping emphasis on newer adult-leaning tracks. One oddity, even though "Get Lucky" had been in the top 10 Alt tracks, it was low in spins on X. Personally, I think it doesn't belong on alternative period (and very weird that it seeming was pumped to alt, CHR and Urban all at the same time).

Still wish for that 90s mix to spread its wings, but seems like they're venturing further into the more adult-lean, which I can deal with after years of just The Planet.

(And, of course, as soon as I write this post, they'll start moving the other way :) ).
 
I'll admit to not listening to them much lately (it's impossible in the morning, there's no signal half of the time in my area), but the Active rock tracks never made much sense in the first place. People that want to hear that will listen to The Planet. People that want Alternative will listen to X. It's really not rocket science. I've never understood why you would mix two genres, that, save for a few massive hits, have no commonalities or crossover. Maybe it made more sense once upon a time, but it certainly doesn't with the amount of material there is now.

"Get Lucky" is one of those songs that seems to pass as Alternative (like "Thrift Shop", "Too Close", "Safe & Sound", etc.), but they sound way more dance-oriented to me. I know Alternative doesn't just mean rock, but those songs just sound rhythmic/dance oriented to me. I'm not getting any "alternative" vibe from them. Phillip Phillips was a much better fit.

I can't explain the adds then the lack thereof. I know B-93.7 has been consistently slow with adds for ages, and tend to get more risky at times, sometimes sounding more rhythmic than others. Maybe it's the market. No consistency. LOL. A year in, X-98.5 sounds good, but their resistance to more mainstream hits of the 90s is disheartening. I still think a special block dedicated to the 90s would be a good idea.
 
Yeah, I'm getting tired of the morning issues. It used to happen mostly on sunny mornings, but noticed today, with plenty of cloud cover, I still had static issues. Guess it must have more to do with the atmosphere overall and not just sunshine. Kind of sad. I could deal with the shorter range of a translator, but to have issues even within that area sucks. Wish that 98.5 signal in Atlanta that seems to cause the issue could be toned down, but doubt that will happen.

Don't know the rules, but wondered if there's another open spot on the dial that X could apply for to transmit, even keeping he current translator - just with a signal that's less affected by overpowered stations outside the Upstate.

As for "Get Lucky", I also don't consider it "alternative". "Safe and Sound" and "Too Close" are closer to the alt spectrum so I don't mind them so much. What I especially didn't get about "Get Lucky" is how - to my knowledge - it didn't even start out on Alternative. I believe the track was promoted to CHR and Urban stations at the same time. Just strange overall. When I first heard it, I thought I must have hit a different preset on my radio.
 
Since people talk about WKZQ here, I thought I'd just ask the question. The Myrtle Beach ratings just came out and Rock 107 seems to be doing well, although WKZQ is not a station that allows their numbers to be shown. The site called Rock 107 "active rock", but that isn't how I remember it. I couldn't find a playlist, but based on what I remember, Rock 107 is mainstream rock, more like 105.9 the Mountain than 93.3 the Planet. If you really want active rock in the Myrtle Beach area, you have to be lucky enough to pick up 94.3 the Dam. Now THAT will clear your sinuses.

But if Rock 107 is moving in an active direction, could that be why WKZQ is moving that way too?
 
I just saw this online. I haven't taken the time to compare it to the one above. There may be no need to do this every time.

Here is the Top 20 spin list from local new rock/classic alternative station 96.1, WKZQ-FM.

 

1. “Out Of My League,” Fitz & The Tantrums

2. “Sweater Weather,” The Neighborhood

3. “Demons,” Imagine Dragons

4. “Ways To Go,” Grouplove

5. “Harlem,” New Politics

6. “If So,” Atlas Genius

7. “Came Back Haunted,” Nine Inch Nails

8. “Pompeii,” Bastille

9. “Mind Your Manners,” Pearl Jam

10. “Goons (Baby I Need It All),” MONA

11. “Babel,” Mumford & Sons

12. “King & Lionheart,” Of Monsters & Men

13. “Trying To Be Cool,” Phoenix

14. “Elephant,” Tame Impala

15. “Purple Yellow Red & Blue,” Portugal, The Man

16. “Super Soaker,” Kings Of Leon

17. “Right Action,” Franz Ferdinand

18. “Dots & Dashes,” Silversun Pickups

19. “I Love You,” Said The Whale

20. “Bleed Out,” Blue October
 
Yeah, going by that list it's pretty much Alternative. When I listened, it seemed like the active stuff were not currents. I'd say overall they're definitely an alternative station.
But they used to lean more adult like Philly's Radio 104.5. Just seemed like they were leaning at least a little more active than they were in the past.

But I don't listen to them on a regular basis so it may have just been the times I was listening or something.
 
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