• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Kcxx (x 103.9)

X103.9 was my favorite alternative station in the country. In a sea of alt stations that have almost all become soft, acoustic and folk based, this station was airing actual alternative ROCK.

Similar stations include 105.7 The Point/St. Louis, 94.1 KRNA/Cedar Rapids IA and 106.1 KRAB/Bakersfield.
 
Saladressing said:
X103.9 was my favorite alternative station in the country. In a sea of alt stations that have almost all become soft, acoustic and folk based, this station was airing actual alternative ROCK.
Click to expand...

And that seems to have been their problem. Both KYSR and KROQ in LA are less "intense" and do quite well.
 
The Ritalin Generation can have their watered down pap of music that is actively and consciously and purposefully playing a key role in helping to feminize what used to be MEN.

Meanwhile, rock and roll is becoming a relic of the past. The exit of the Inland Empire's X103.9, weak-signaled as it may have been, is certainly a milestone reflecting this.

If a breakthrough band like Nirvana were to sprout today (and doubtless there are bands out there with the same sort of unbridled energy), they would never see the light of day in the mainstream.
 
They went from Slipknot to Pit Bull at 7am and became"Hot 103.9"
Sounds like a rhythmic leaning pop station that will compete with KDAY, KGGI, etc.
Q104.7 and few years back, 96.1 tried and failed. Maybe different this time??
 
Khti

Neel said:
They went from Slipknot to Pit Bull at 7am and became"Hot 103.9"
Sounds like a rhythmic leaning pop station that will compete with KDAY, KGGI, etc.
Q104.7 and few years back, 96.1 tried and failed. Maybe different this time??
Click to expand...


96.1 was sold. It was profitable but the owner got more than he could down. He bought it for $2 mil and sold it for $25 mil.

104.7 was also profitable... but Old School was a bigger upper demo hole.

This is not Top 40 .. it's Hot AC ... no one between KOLA and KGGI ...
 
radioresearcher said:
This is not Top 40 .. it's Hot AC ... no one between KOLA and KGGI ...
Click to expand...

There certainly seems to be an opening for Hot AC in that market, even despite the huge signal of KBIG which covers more of the market than 103.9.

I do wonder whether going more towards eithwer the KROQ or KYSR varieties of alternative would have yielded results. Neither of those two LA stations has a great IE signal, so the weaker 103.9 signal would not be competing with LA's biggest Mt Wilson signal.
 
Saladressing said:
The Ritalin Generation can have their watered down pap of music that is actively and consciously and purposefully playing a key role in helping to feminize what used to be MEN.

Meanwhile, rock and roll is becoming a relic of the past. The exit of the Inland Empire's X103.9, weak-signaled as it may have been, is certainly a milestone reflecting this.

If a breakthrough band like Nirvana were to sprout today (and doubtless there are bands out there with the same sort of unbridled energy), they would never see the light of day in the mainstream.
Click to expand...

Times change. Get over it.

If you'll step back and look at this objectively, music has always been in one transition mode or another.

1920s: Ragtime
1930s: Swing (ragtime evolving to a danceable form)
1940s: Big Band (swing evolving to more of an orchestral form)
1950s: MOR (orchestral sounds with vocals dominant)
1960s: Rock and roll (the beat turned up again, the instruments became amplified)
1970s: Underground rock and top-40 (a split where some liked a heaver sound and others, an upbeat pop sound)
1980s: New wave (here comes that beat again) and a wider variety in top-40
1990s: Rhythmic (rap and hip-hop), alternative (new wave gone gloomy)
2000s: Higher crossovers of R&B to rhythmic, alternative gets gloomier
2010s: Rhythmic is the mass appeal format

The "Ritalin generation" remark is offensive and the rest of that sentence tells me what's really bothering you. I think you had best talk to someone with letters after their name about misogynistic biases on your part.

X103.9 gave it a two decade try before ultimately realizing they had no long-time future financially in the ever-changing environment of what the masses want to hear.
 
As far as the non-musical stuff, these are two of many reference points
New York Times article "Raising the Ritalin Generation" http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/opinion/sunday/raising-the-ritalin-generation.html
New York Times article "Crossing Gender Boundaries Again" http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/fashion/In-London-Fashion-Crosses-the-Gender-Boundaries.html

My post was not addressing music as a whole but was rather providing an analysis of the mainstream "modern rock" genre specifically, which today much of the time is anything but rock. Hence, rock and roll appears to be going away. Of course music in many instances is not purely a reflection of the tastes of the audience in a vacuum, but rather a reflection of an audience that is having its tastes dictated to it.
 
Last edited:
Saladressing said:
A
My post was not addressing music as a whole but was rather providing an analysis of the mainstream "modern rock" genre specifically, which today much of the time is anything but rock. Hence, rock and roll appears to be going away. Of course music in many instances is not purely a reflection of the tastes of the audience in a vacuum, but rather a reflection of an audience that is having its tastes dictated to it.
Click to expand...

Nobody listens to a station that plays songs they don't like. That is why radios have buttons and switches.

No station can dictate taste. Stations reflect taste.

But you are looking to blame listeners and the radio industry for liking stuff that you do not like and for not liking the things that appeal to you. As KM said, you might seek some professional advice.
 
Last edited:
I can see why a fan of "true" rock music -- i.e., new, mainstream rock -- would be frustrated with LA radio. When was the last time we had one of those here? KNAC? Our rock stations are classic rock, not new or active rock. As for alternative stations, like KROQ and KYSR, I see them as not true rock but somewhere in between rock and pop in terms of musical style. It's similar to the way rhythmic stations are in between urban and pop. I am not a fan of active rock so I prefer the pop leaning sounds of KROQ and KYSR.
 
There was a time back when 93.1 The Arrow was around that KLOS was airing a pretty interesting Mainstream Rock format. As classic rock stations go, The Arrow was really good with superb air talent.

Another cool thing about LA is that it has hosted some of the most groundbreaking stations in any genre - the launch of Power 106, Mars FM, Groove Radio 103.1, KDL 103.1, Indie 103.1, KNAC, KROQ, etc. etc.
 
Saladressing said:
Another cool thing about LA is that it has hosted some of the most groundbreaking stations in any genre - the launch of Power 106, Mars FM, Groove Radio 103.1, KDL 103.1, Indie 103.1, KNAC, KROQ, etc. etc.
Click to expand...

I can't help but note that four of the seven stations you cite were the same physical station, and none of the four lasted even 25% as long as X103.9 ...
 
Saladressing said:
There was a time back when 93.1 The Arrow was around that KLOS was airing a pretty interesting Mainstream Rock format. As classic rock stations go, The Arrow was really good with superb air talent.
Click to expand...

Yet the ratings and revenue performance of Arrow was such that the owners, who are among the most committed large broadcasters, decided to change format.

Another cool thing about LA is that it has hosted some of the most groundbreaking stations in any genre - the launch of Power 106, Mars FM, Groove Radio 103.1, KDL 103.1, Indie 103.1, KNAC, KROQ, etc. etc.
Click to expand...

Power 106 has had several formats since it launched. It is not, today, what it was back then. Freestyle anyone? (As KM said, music goes through transformations and eras. Power changed its music as music tastes changed so they would reflect what listeners wanted at any given time.

KNAC was bleeding in its final years. Ratings that were barely a one share, and an audience and "atmosphere" that advertisers did not want.

KDL rode another ephemeral trend. "Castles in the Sky" anyone. Same for Swedish Egil and one of the prior incarnations of 103.1.

Indie: lights were on, but no one was home.

KROQ: another station that followed the market's tastes. It has had a number of flavors over the decades and the fact that they knew when to change speaks highly of management over the years.
 
AM FM listener said:
When was the last time we had one of those here? KNAC?
Click to expand...

Yes, a station which, after a few fair years, fell in ratings and could not sell advertising except to bail bondsmen, pawn shops and head shops. It was sold for a very low amount in 1994 so the owner could cut the losses.
 
AM FM listener said:
As for alternative stations, like KROQ and KYSR, I see them as not true rock but somewhere in between rock and pop in terms of musical style.
Click to expand...
I would have to agree with you on this point as well. You brought up KNAC also: LA radio can have its exciting moments today too, such as Real 92.3 vs. Power 106 or even KIIS vs. Amp Radio. It's fun to see that good old fashioned radio competitions for market share such as Real vs. Power are still going on. LA radio has been and continues to be a medium where national radio trends and nationwide radio formats - not to mention international cultural trends - take hold.
 
Last edited:
There has definitely been a trend away from rock music at Alternative which is what Mr. Salad is referring to. If you look at the most successful years for Alternative radio (and they are not right now despite what the trade press might tell you), it was when it had more guitar rock music in it. I don't think his post was intended to offend anyone. The younger generation is certainly different and I agree that it would be hard for even Linkin Park to break through in today's environment.

As far as KCXX goes, the fact the station made it 20 years in a market that has grown to north of 50% Hispanic and had very little for rock shares is remarkable. That was the commitment of the owners, GM, and a PD and staff who put their blood, sweat and tears into that station and believed in their product.

I'm still a fan of a good Alternative station but I do wish there'd be a little bit of rock back into it..
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom