azfmfan said:
First off, alternative was in this market for almost twenty years and had more than a one share on a few stations. It only had a one share with a format the leaned 90's, had a morning show that didn't fit the audience and a station that shifted directions every 12-24 months. But thanks for being opened minded. I remember a time when this market could barely support one CHR and look now. Things change. My point being maybe with a different execution and a slight resurgence in the music it may work this time. Or even a Modern AC without any rhythmic tracks might have some success.
Alright, let's give your suggestion the serious consideration/discussion you desire:
The "Twenty years" of alternative consisted of a few mitigating circumstances. I suppose we'll start by lumping the old KUKQ into the conversation; it was a sruggling 'alternative' format with a very small, albeit very loyal, audience. More than fifteen years after it's downfall some of the long time listeners in the valley make it seem as though it was as popular as the old KZZP, but the ratings would suggest otherwise.
The Edge was, by far, the most successful alternative station in the market. When it signed on the air in 1993 replacing that classical station it made an impact. This impact was, at best, a 15th place station with perhaps a 1.5 share until mid 1995 when they began to air Howard Stern in the morning. Following the abrupt, but inevitable, death of KHOT 100.3 (the first experiment in the failed FM Hot-Talk genre) KEDJ took on the Stern show and the ratings shot up like a rocket... at least from 6a-10a or so... the overall numbers looked pretty decent because AM Drive now had the #1 morning show in the market with 20+ minutes of spots/hour. They could have shut the transmitter off after 11am and still had reasonable numbers given the high average am drive stats. So, the Edge had a great 6+ year run with Howard in the morning and this certainly helped the alternative audience in the valley.
KZON made the transition from a pseudo AAA to a more hybrid alternative in the late 90s and their ratings did well enough. It helps when you have a good stick and not the tinfoil and copper wire that KEDJ had. Once Stern went on in the morning on KZON in November 2001, the numbers certainly looked a bit healthier. Let's not forget that the Zone had been through a few morning shows and lineup changes over the previous three years since integrating that hybrid alternative format. One could hardly consider them a "true alternative" when they were playing Avril Lavigne, Nine Days and Vertical Horizon... very mainstream tracks. Even with Stern in the morning, their overall numbers after 11am weren't particularly fantastic, but they were still in the top 10 in the market most of the time overall. On a side note, CBS Totally killed any chance to really blossom an alternative station when they instituted the second incarnation of failed FM Hot-talk in the market with FREE-FM in January 2006.
The Edge, post Howard Stern, lived on but was relegated to a pretty bad stick on 103.9 and never really made any type of splash higher than a 1.5 ever again. Chuck and Vince were entertaining and maybe if more than 50% of the market could hear them, it would have been okay. Unfortunately, continuous format tweaks, shifting of air personalities and new directions made the station very unstable and by 2008-2009, the ratings were in the < 1.0 category and in a couple of surveys they didn't even show up. The buzz around alternative music had really dried up too as other formats took the mainstays of the format and played them on their respective stations. Mix 96.9 was now playing Linkin Park, Blink 182, MGMT and KUPD had Limp Bizkit, Korn and many other more 'active rock/alternative' leaning artists. Factor in the terrible programming decisions with regard to morning drive and you had a nightmare scenario... the station couldn't stay on the air.
So, nearly eleven of the twenty years that you talk about the success of alternative can directly be attributed to Howard Stern's presence on those stations. The first three years or so may have to do with the newness of the format---the honeymoon phase if you will. The last few years were the death cycle, where mismanagement, absorption of the format by other stations and a general decline in audience/interest means alternative doesn't really work here.
There may be an audience, but just like those that insist there's a dance audience in this market, I submit that it is negligible and not worth the investment one would have to make. Before you shoot the messenger, I liked the Zone and the Edge... no one was a more vocal critic than I when they brought in Free-FM and turned the Edge into... whatever the Hell it is now, but facts are facts.
If you could persuade Howard Stern to come back to terrestrial radio and then put his show on an alternative format for 5 hours a day... I think you have a legitimate shot, otherwise it's unlikely. What many people in this business need to realize is that times are a-changin' and media is going in a different direction. Radio stations need to be a lot smarter to retain an audience that is growing tired of the same garbage terrestrial radio offers. Real alternative stations used to offer that until big companies and bean counters came in and ruined that potential golden egg laying goose as well.
