Is X going back to alternative?

[chrocket87]

While listening on iHeart, I heard artists like Grouplove, Neon Trees, and Gotye, a far cry from the Nickelback wannabes they've gotten into lately. After checking their playlist on Mediabase, it seems like they're dropping most of the active rock, at least from heavy rotation, and the playlist has really freshened up. Is this just a temporary mix-up or are they going back to alternative? If so, could this be the final nail in Click's coffin?

 

[lovejamminoldies]

I noticed this too. I don't hear much Active Rock at all, and it's all Premium Choice now except for afternoons that I believe is the premium choice log.

 

[MarkW]

Thankfully Dayton area listeners can still get their Active Rock fix from 96Rock. Far better station than The X anyway.

 

[hall]

96Rock is hit-or-miss once you get much north of Dayton 'proper' though. I've told some people to try 96Rock instead and many just can't pick it up reliably (at home).

The X's Facebook page has people commenting on the change but of course no response from X people or CC. The "new" part of the songs they are starting to play definitely applies. I Shazam'd two songs this morning and tried to tag the X in my FB post asking what kind of "new rock" songs these are. The songs were "Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men" and "Changing by The Airborne Toxic Event".

 

[alans613]

Interesting The X would go back to their roots as an Alternative-only station. I always loved The Edge/X until they went the "New Rock" direction under Steve Kramer. This HAS to be a response to Click, and it could be the nail in Click's coffin. Interestingly enough, The X recently picked up a new web address at newrock1039.com. With The X Alternative again, it leaves an Active Rock format hole. Then again, Columbus's sole Active Rock, The Blitz, isn't exactly setting the ratings on fire, either.

 

[mlb]

The only station I listened to in Dayton was 103.9... I still listen to 96 Rock. This just pushes me to SiriusXM further.

 

[hall]

My kids and I like(d) 103.9 while my wife didn't care either way (she's a channel flipper). She said on Friday or Saturday, they finished up playing good, hard song from someone like Five Finger Death Punch and the DJ mentioned something like "that was for those who think we don't play the hard stuff anymore". I thought it was odd that they even acknowledge those comments in the first place ! Worse though, they played a song like Goyte's "Someone I used to know" immediately after !

 

[stereolane]

Kramer is a genius. If I were building an active rock / alternative FM, he'd be the first person I would call. I haven't tuned in to "X" since he was shown the door.

 

[wjf82]

96Rock is a great station. They really make an efffort to play a lot of new bands WEBN won't touch (New Medicine, Red Light King, Dead Sara, Gaslight Anthem, AWOLNATION, Five Finger Death Punch, Rise Against, Black Keys, and Foxy Shazam). WXEG used to be the same way (a little heavier than 96Rock). Now they're no longer local and they're programmed on that Alternative Project thing so you're hearing the same rotation in Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Louisville, and other citites.

 

[chrocket87]

I'm not really into the Active stuff anymore, but I do like to listen to 96rock because they happen to play a great variety of harder stuff and alternative stuff. X has never been all that great, as half of heavy rotation has always been made up of re currents. Now it's boring like the rest of CCs alternatives, save for WRFF.