Cumulus chills out on "Warm," launches a refreshed "Ninety Nine X" @ 98.9

[RadioFreak69]

The February ratings are out and 99X is doing GREAT! In January they debuted with a 0.3 share. Now they're down to a 0.1 share! Face it, the only format on 98.9 that drew decent ratings was Oldies.

http://ratings.****************/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb047

 

[chrocket87]

You gotta think Oldies was doing better in 18-49 than this disaster. Not sure why Cumulus thought this was the hole that needed filled....

 

[awp69]

Funny I was just streaming 99X to see how it sounded for the first time since they started. And I hear they FINALLY branched out a bit from playing only currents/recurrents to at least include some 2000s and 2010s. I like the aggressive take on new and local music, but I think it was a mistake to almost go exclusively with it. But it may be too little too late.

It's bizarre how it seems like programmers for alt stations in ATL don't seem to get that you need to play it in the middle. Radio 105.7 seems the complete opposite being too safe with new music and way to repetitive with gold tracks. And they aren't doing all that hot either.

Be aggressive with new music but balance it with a GOOD selection of 2000s and 2010s is the best formula for alt stations IMO (I personally like some 80s and 90s thrown in there too, but I won't bring up that argument again).

Sad though. I had hoped this last desperate attempt to revive 99X would be successful. I have to say this HAS to be the last. It just is a dead brand at this point with poor programming decisions since the glory days in the 90s.

 

[jabba17]

It just is a dead brand at this point with poor programming decisions since the glory days in the 90s.

It was a different time then and alt was so much more popular. Now 90s alt is beginning to appear on classic rock stations, with a straight face.

As they say (wait for it)...you can't step in (hang on)...the same (NEW!) RIVER twice...

(I'll be here all week...)

 

[awp69]

It was a different time then and alt was so much more popular. Now 90s alt is beginning to appear on classic rock stations, with a straight face.

As they say (wait for it)...you can't step in (hang on)...the same (NEW!) RIVER twice...

(I'll be here all week...)

Alt has rebounded well in a lot of markets. Sure, the original 99X was able to ride the coattails of the grunge wave in particular, but they still did it with a great mix of music and also being a pioneer for breaking bands. In the 2000s, they went too far towards the active side of the spectrum, which IMO, was what doomed them.

And I'm not saying 90s alt is necessary to do well in today's market, but you can't just play only currents/recurrents. There are fans of many bands from the 2000s/2010s that expect to hear that as well. Problem is the new 99X started without even playing those tracks. And, as I mentioned, Radio 105.7 doesn't freshen up its playlist enough and only plays the same few tracks from various bands over and over again. Neither approach is good.

 

[max100]

They have a HOLE in their head.

 

[max100]

Hilarious, esp when AM stations have better ratings. What a joke they are. Throw the Westwood one 60/70s hits on it and let it fly, case closed,

 

[MarkW]

In the 2000s, they went too far towards the active side of the spectrum, which IMO, was what doomed them.

I disagree.

The ratings - for the most part - were strong when the station played a lot of current Active Rock product.

It wasn't until they started playing a lot of burnt out 90's post grunge/Modern AC and scaling back on the harder stuff that their ratings really began to tank (i.e. "New Rock and 90's Alternative"). Their roster of air talent wasn't exactly top notch, either. Once the ratings began spiraling downward, they never recovered. That downward spiral began even before Buzz moved from 96.7 to 105.3.

 

[acheron1982]

I think I may have to disagree with both of you.

99X went downhill when it was taken over by Cumulus and the playlist became generic. Alternative in the early 2k's went in a harder direction. In fact, the harder direction started in the late 90s with Marilyn Manson and Tool which were first heard on Alternative stations. First time I ever heard of Type O Negative was on 99x back in the day. Type O was a doom metal goth band. In the early and mid 2ks, alternative charts went more in the pissed off skater boy bands like Three Days Grace and Hoobostank. In 2003, billboard charts has Saliva's Always at number two. Fact is, commercial alt stations were leaning harder because the charts were going in that direction and with the popularity of harder rock, active rock stations were booming and you had AAA stations for the softer alt pop music (Dave FM). So in Atlanta, you had harder active rock on The Buzz (later Project) and AAA on Dave FM. 99X no longer had an identity.

When 99X reemerged in the late 2k's, they were incredibly "safe". I remember them airing M83's first hit about three months after other big city alt stations were playing it. Under Axel, 99X did start adding in 90s metal like White Zombie which in the 90s, was being played on alt stations. Again, no identity with a AAA station (big stick) covering the college rock and adult alternative rock and project playing the harder rock.

Today, Alternative is sorta back at it's early 90s roots or dare I say late 80s. Lots of synth pop and folk.

Personally, I like the new 99X and think they have a good idea. I don't think it would work though because it's still a commercial radio station. Alternative, true alternative music, should be left to college radio.

I'm not a fan of active rock BUT I think some active rock would work in Atlanta. Ideally, an active/alternative hybrid much like 1057 The Point in St. Louis which leans alternative but isn't afraid to play Disturbed either. Project got old because they would play Disturbed and a few other popular active rock acts every hour. I would think an active/alternative hybrid would widen the playlist enough to where it wouldn't get old.

 

[acheron1982]

Some of the new stuff 99X is playing I have never heard of and I'm an alt music junkie. Not sure where they are pulling it from. They play lots of local artists and I am familiar with most of them but some of the 'fresh' stuff they play is stuff I've never heard of. Meanwhile, I've yet to hear the new M83 or Joy Formidable, instead, they are playing stuff form artist that you can't even find on wikipedia which may be a bit too indie for a commercial radio station.

 

[acheron1982]

This is interesting.
Alternative Billboard Charts 2003
1- All My Life - Foo Fighters
2- Always - Saliva
3- No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
4- Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5 - Bring me to Life - Evanescence Featuring Paul McCoy
6 - Somewhere I belong - Linkin Park
7 - Like a Stone - Audioslave
8 - Headstrong - Trapt
9- Send the Pain Below - Chevelle
10 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

Active Rock Billboard Charts 2003
1- When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down
2- Always - Saliva
3- Fine Again - Seether
4- Straight Out of Line - Godsmack
5- The Red - Chevelle
6- Know One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
7- Poem - Taproot
8- Remember - Disturbed
9 - Like A Stone - Audioslave
10- Head Strong - Trapt

See how close they resembled each other? Also, with the exception of Taproot, all of the active rock songs were also being played on alt stations in 2003. The only thing that really differentiated between the alt station and active rock station would be your Modest Mouse, The Strokes, Interpol, and The Killers. Those also never made it up high on the charts in 2003.

 

[awp69]

This is interesting.
Alternative Billboard Charts 2003
1- All My Life - Foo Fighters
2- Always - Saliva
3- No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
4- Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5 - Bring me to Life - Evanescence Featuring Paul McCoy
6 - Somewhere I belong - Linkin Park
7 - Like a Stone - Audioslave
8 - Headstrong - Trapt
9- Send the Pain Below - Chevelle
10 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

Active Rock Billboard Charts 2003
1- When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down
2- Always - Saliva
3- Fine Again - Seether
4- Straight Out of Line - Godsmack
5- The Red - Chevelle
6- Know One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
7- Poem - Taproot
8- Remember - Disturbed
9 - Like A Stone - Audioslave
10- Head Strong - Trapt

See how close they resembled each other? Also, with the exception of Taproot, all of the active rock songs were also being played on alt stations in 2003. The only thing that really differentiated between the alt station and active rock station would be your Modest Mouse, The Strokes, Interpol, and The Killers. Those also never made it up high on the charts in 2003.

This is EXACTLY my point. In the early 2000s, active rock infiltrated alternative heavily. I think it was partly due to a lull in alternative product or at least alternative hits. But that didn't make active rock alternative simply because it was on alternative stations.

I don't care if that period had higher ratings or not --- it simply wasn't the same. And today's alternative is far more like what it started out. Diverse with folkier stuff like Vance Joy and Mumford & Sons, electronic pop like Joywave and Saint Motel, alt rock like Muse, Nothing But Thieves and Silversun Pickups, honky tonk rock like Nathaniel Rateliff, female led
bands such as Elle King and Florence and the Machine, pure alternative like Alt J and Foals as well as the originals like Weezer.

Active rock IMO never really belonged on alternative. And it's funny to watch bands like Disturbed try to get on the alt charts today. They generally never make it into the top 40. They probably only pop onto the charts because there still are some alt/active hybrid stations.

Frankly, I'm quite glad that alternative has turned back towards its roots sounding more like it did in the 80s and 90s when it was at its peak.

 

[RadioDoogie]

I think Alternative came on strong in the 90s because pop music was in a slow state and pop radio was also having an identity crisis trying to figure out whether or not to play the rap side of top 40 or eliminate the rap altogether hence creating the Hot AC format. I personally think the early 90s pop was awful. There were a few good songs but nothing really hit worthy like nowadays. This is why I think people turned to alternative at that time. I loved the early 90s alternative. I felt at the time that it was something new and completely different from the pop crud playing on the radio at the time. I agree with you in that there was a lack of product in the 2000s and pop radio seemed to come back together and get better in the late 90s/early 2000s therefore killing alternative radio. I don't think there is nearly as much alternative product now as there was in the early 90s.

 

[awp69]

^^ Well it' not the explosion it was in the 90s, but there's definitely more product today than there was in the early 2000s. Hence the move away from active for the most part.

 

[acheron1982]

You guys bringing up TOP 40 radio stations in the 90s is interesting and worth more review. G105, a popular Top 40 station in the Raleigh Durham area use to have a show on Saturday nights back in the early 90s that played alternative music. It was a specialty show. Remember, Nirvana was on TOP 40 stations as well and so was Garbage. Top 40 radio in the 90s was dance, alternative and some softer stuff but little to no rap.

awp69, check 105.7 The Point's playlist. In Atlanta, I think this approach would be best. They have shows that go more indie on Sunday nights. The format, tends to lean newer and more alternative at night and slightly more active during the day. When you listen to 105.7 The Point, you will rock with System of a Down and Disturbed, you will get a bit unusual with Nine Inch Nails and Ministry and you will be introduced to new music from Joywave and Mumford and Sons. They devote a weekend out of the month to nothing but 90s music and it's everything from Mother Love Bone to Helmet to Misfits to Coal Chamber to Garbage to REM to Pavement. I mean they cover it all and its very popular. Now does this mean I just LOVE active rock? No, actually I hate it but what I hate even more is a 200 songs playlist and if you widen out the format vs sticking to the niche of a niche, you get more variety. I think this would do great in Atlanta.

 

[acheron1982]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to 99x but it's life expectancy is less than a year. They are on the right track but they need to include more 2K's and hit it hard. Yes, that means incorporating some of the harder 2k alt music and more of the post punk revival stuff. More stuff from The Strokes besides Last Night. How about Interpol? How about Hot Hot Heat? How about Angels and Airwaves? How about Wolfmother? A Perfect Circle (yes this is alternative)? Keane? Interpol? Story of the Year? Yeah Yeah Yeahs?

Off my soap box! LOL!

Oh and one more thing - MAX100 is also correct with regards to some sort of AC station that covers the 70. Not sure if that would include 70's 80's and 90's or just 60's, 70's and 80's. I disagree with Max on using satellite. Live and Local is so very important with any format. My advice would be getting in touch with Entercom and dropping ideas into whoever's ear about 92.9 or 94.1 attempting an AC or classic hits station. I'm seeing lots of Variety Hits stations which I'm not sure your oldies/classic hits folks would be thrilled about considering it mixes it up from the 70s to today but hey, I guess better than nothing. About three years ago, The River started digging deeper with the classic rock but has recently pivoted back to the same old songs over and over. Let Rock 100.5 take the classic rock trophy and The River go back into a more Classic Hits/pop format and drop the AC/DC, Black Sabbath and 80s hair bands.

 

[acheron1982]

This is EXACTLY my point. In the early 2000s, active rock infiltrated alternative heavily. I think it was partly due to a lull in alternative product or at least alternative hits. But that didn't make active rock alternative simply because it was on alternative stations.

But in all fairness, it wasn't that 99X was leaning to Active but the billboard charts were moving more active and correct me if I'm wrong but those billboard charts are based on record sales. That's just what folks were listening to. I like the Joywave but some of the poppier stuff I'm hearing on Alt stations is annoying. I have to use the "MY XM" option on Sirius XM to cut out some of the teen pop crap I hear. Joywave is almost experimental and very complex. Some of the crap I am hearing is straight up Belinda Carlisle or Debbie Gibson pop music.

 

[awp69]

But in all fairness, it wasn't that 99X was leaning to Active but the billboard charts were moving more active and correct me if I'm wrong but those billboard charts are based on record sales. That's just what folks were listening to. I like the Joywave but some of the poppier stuff I'm hearing on Alt stations is annoying. I have to use the "MY XM" option on Sirius XM to cut out some of the teen pop crap I hear. Joywave is almost experimental and very complex. Some of the crap I am hearing is straight up Belinda Carlisle or Debbie Gibson pop music.

Oh, I wasn't blaming 99X. I'm just saying that in the early 2000s, just like the charts you showed, active started to take over to some extent, the alternative charts. Not just on 99X but in general. It wasn't until the late 2000s and now the 2010s that many alt stations started to play less and less active. Today, MOST alternative stations play very little if any active rock. There are exceptions that are more of an alternative/active mix.

I just don't think active rock belongs on alternative. It wasn't in the beginning and, while yes, there is a lot of "poppier" stuff on alternative now, it still is more like the 80s and 90s alternative. That's just my opinion. Things like Garbage, Jesus Jones, Matthew Sweet, Erasure, INXS, etc. were definitely more on the pop side even then. Not saying that 80s/90s alternative should be in today's mix (since they're now "oldies") but if you were to play many of the bands of the 90s back to back with today's alt, it would sound a hell of a lot better than putting Disturbed or Five Finger Death Punch in the mix. And it should because Active just isn't a good fit. It wasn't in the early 2000s but stations did it because there just wasn't enough "hit" alternative coming out. It was a lull and I think it killed alternative as a format (regardless of ratings). It wasn't until bands like Imagine Dragons and .Fun became huge that alternative really picked up steam again (and I hate .Fun with a passion, but they were a big part of the rejuvenation of alternative).

Most alternative fans I know instantly flip the dial if a hard rock active band suddenly came on. I know I would. The alternative station here in Greenville, SC, X98.5 used to play some active rock to try to lure people away from our God awful active The Planet station. And I hated it. I understood why they did it, but I knew it was a stupid decision anyway. People who want to hear Disturbed, Chevelle or Saliva are usually not the same people that want to hear Walk the Moon, Elle King or Death Cab for Cutie. They are completely different in tone and audience IMO. They have since purged the active from the playlist and it sounds much better.

 

[awp69]

Another note. Back in the 90s, where did Alanis Morisette, Dido and even Sarah Mclachlan get their start? Alternative stations. More recently, Adele got her start on alternative.

Today's pop stations also lean WAY more rhythmnic. So things like Halsey would never make the cut unless it "crosses over".

 

[acheron1982]

Another note. Back in the 90s, where did Alanis Morisette, Dido and even Sarah Mclachlan get their start? Alternative stations. More recently, Adele got her start on alternative.

Today's pop stations also lean WAY more rhythmnic. So things like Halsey would never make the cut unless it "crosses over".

You are right but in the 90s, where did White Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Tool get their start? Alternative stations. Go listen to the old 99x podcasts from the 1996 time period.