ROCK DEAD in 2012...??

[awp69]

I do think it's true though that Alternative does pretty poorly in the Southeast, apparently because conservative rock listeners tend to prefer Active or Classic Rock (they think Alternative sounds "weird" :-\)

This always seemed like a contradiction to me, particularly in Greenville, SC. Sure, I can understand the Classic Rock angle. A lot of classic rock has roots in the South ("FREEEEEBIRDDDD", ugh).

But younger "conservative" rock listeners listening to nothing but thrashing metal-ish active rock on our sorry station The Planet doesn't make sense. Guess it's the "good ol' boys" just wanting to jam to garbage. Anything more must be too much for their intelligence.

I know that I've brought it up before in the South Carolina thread, but even though the GSP radio market includes more than just Greenville, the area as a whole has grown tremendously because of an influx of outsiders -- from both other areas of the country as well as other parts of the world. Apparently, we also have the greatest percentage of engineers than any city in the country. So it's not all country boys. Greenville was named the fastest growing mid-sized city in the country recently and those people are coming from somewhere.

Anyway, enough of my rant, just is hard to understand how an area like ours couldn't support a true modern rock station as "weird" as the music may be. Hot AC is the next best thing and it, unfortunately, also isn't doing well.

 

[carolinaradio]

Hot AC continues to be pretty much dead in the southeast, though

I think that's because so many soccer moms in the Southeast listen to Country

Keep in mind, though, that a lot of CHRs in the Southeast lean Hot AC, and/or are fairly receptive to rock on CHR (WKZL/Greensboro, WDCG/Raleigh, WAEZ/Johnson City TN, WRVW/Nashville, WXLK/Roanoke, WYKS/Gainesville, WHHD/Augusta, WERO/Greenville NC, WWWQ/Atlanta, WMGB/Macon, WYOY/Jackson MS, WFBC/Greenville SC (periodically), and more recently WHQC/Charlotte)

I do think it's true though that Alternative does pretty poorly in the Southeast, apparently because conservative rock listeners tend to prefer Active or Classic Rock (they think Alternative sounds "weird" :-\) - WEND/Charlotte is technically Alternative, but Indie/Alt has a really hard time on that station

Another CHR that used to be Hot AC friendly was WNKS/Charlotte - I don't know what they're doing now, though - I'm really loving WHQC since they balanced their music out. They're quite quick with pop/rock. I actually listen to them more than WFBC these days.

Is active rock even that popular outside of the south (better way to phrase, as popular as Alternative)? I really can't stand most active rock stations, or the way they're presented, so I don't pay them much attention. WRFF in Philadelphia is my station of choice when I want to hear rock.

And in regards to what awp69 said - I know more guys that love the thrashing, grating sound of active rock, (many are also country listeners) than alternative - heck, not even just "good 'ol boys"...for whatever reason, that's what is liked around here. I can't stand it, personally.

 

[awp69]

Is active rock even that popular outside of the south (better way to phrase, as popular as Alternative)? I really can't stand most active rock stations, or the way they're presented, so I don't pay them much attention. WRFF in Philadelphia is my station of choice when I want to hear rock.

And in regards to what awp69 said - I know more guys that love the thrashing, grating sound of active rock, (many are also country listeners) than alternative - heck, not even just "good 'ol boys"...for whatever reason, that's what is liked around here. I can't stand it, personally.

I can't stand active rock either...or at least the way The Planet's mix of active rock is. Not sure if it's any better anywhere else. And yeah, WRFF, is by far my favorite rock station right now.

Even though there's satellite, seems like more cars are also coming out with Internet hot spots built into them (have no idea if there's monthly fees, etc.). And I'm sure there's a topic on these boards about what havoc that would cause in the radio industry. But I'd instantly be streaming WRFF and say goodbye to Greenville stations.

 

[atlantaboy]

I know that I've brought it up before in the South Carolina thread, but even though the GSP radio market includes more than just Greenville, the area as a whole has grown tremendously because of an influx of outsiders -- from both other areas of the country as well as other parts of the world. Apparently, we also have the greatest percentage of engineers than any city in the country. So it's not all country boys. Greenville was named the fastest growing mid-sized city in the country recently and those people are coming from somewhere.

I know it's frustrating, but Charlotte and Raleigh can't support a real Alternative station either, and those cities are something like 50% Northern transplants - maybe people that choose to relocate down South tend to be more conservative? Not sure...

 

[awp69]

I know it's frustrating, but Charlotte and Raleigh can't support a real Alternative station either, and those cities are something like 50% Northern transplants - maybe people that choose to relocate down South tend to be more conservative?  Not sure...

I don't think they're any more or less conservative. Most people relocate to the area for their jobs.

And while I don't have any statistics to back it up, I wouldn't be surprised if at least the Greenville metro area is close to 50% Northern transplants as well. Almost everyone on my street are not from the South. Same goes for the office I work in. A good percentage of them aren't even from the U.S. (here for places like Michelin, BMW and the many other international companies in the area). Of course, we've got all the outlying areas where the same couldn't be said.

But, as you mentioned, Charlotte and Raleigh are similar, and have trouble supporting an alternative station as well (although I haven't listened to them in a while, isn't 107.9 The End considered "alternative" or are they active rock?).

Could be a comination of still having a large Southern base as well as advertisers that shy away from the alternative format. I don't know.

BTW, not trying to offend Southerners as a group. That population in itself I'm sure is wide ranging in their musical tastes....just maybe more so in favor of active/classic when it comes to rock.

 

[justpassingthough]

Trying to figure who will and won't listen to a station based on demographics is certainly valid, but there is something to be said for looking at the psychographics as well. While its not true on every street or in every household, the South is more conservative than other regions of this country. There are more people who attend church regularly, there are more registered Republicans and, so on and so forth. (The recent vote amending the NC Constitution against gay marriage certainly affirms this, as well)

So while you may not be as conservative as your neighbors, or Greenville may not be as conservative as Macon, GA, its understandable that Active Rock does better than Alternative or Hot AC in Southern markets.

 

[carolinaradio]

I know that I've brought it up before in the South Carolina thread, but even though the GSP radio market includes more than just Greenville, the area as a whole has grown tremendously because of an influx of outsiders -- from both other areas of the country as well as other parts of the world. Apparently, we also have the greatest percentage of engineers than any city in the country. So it's not all country boys. Greenville was named the fastest growing mid-sized city in the country recently and those people are coming from somewhere.

I know it's frustrating, but Charlotte and Raleigh can't support a real Alternative station either, and those cities are something like 50% Northern transplants - maybe people that choose to relocate down South tend to be more conservative? Not sure...

Raleigh apparently can't support any kind of new rock - they have a station that flip flops between classic hits/classic rock and a station with a "play everything" rock format, but that's it...
The Raleigh area is one of the most transient areas I've ever visited/lived in. EVERYBODY is from somewhere outside of the state or country. It seems like it would be an Alternative-friendly market.

106.5 The End at least favors alternative rock (107.9 is The Link)

 

[awp69]

Raleigh apparently can't support any kind of new rock - they have a station that flip flops between classic hits/classic rock and a station with a "play everything" rock format, but that's it...
The Raleigh area is one of the most transient areas I've ever visited/lived in. EVERYBODY is from somewhere outside of the state or country. It seems like it would be an Alternative-friendly market.

106.5 The End at least favors alternative rock (107.9 is The Link)

Opps..you're right about The End. Not sure what I was thinking there. It is stranger with Raleigh considering the whole Research Triangle there and all the universities. Seems like a perfect place for an alternative station. Sure the colleges do have their own non-commercial stations to cater at least to their students.

 

[awp69]

So while you may not be as conservative as your neighbors, or Greenville may not be as conservative as Macon, GA, its understandable that Active Rock does better than Alternative or Hot AC in Southern markets.

What gets me the most, however, is that the music that's on the harder, thrashing Active Rock station in Greenville, The Planet, seems like it would be MORE offensive to a conservative market. There's plenty of anti-Christian messages in a lot of the songs they play. Alternative, generally, is a bit more laid-back.

So to me, it's kind of a contradiction -- particularly in the case of The Planet. Just because alternative may sound "different" it's usually far less offensive than a song from the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Ozzy Ozborne or Korn. The music they play definately does not reflect conservative values.

Oh and don't even get me started on The Planet's morning show -- far from church going material there. I guess I'll never understand how anyone can say Active Rock is any more conservative than Alternative.

 

[chrocket87]

I've always thought a station like Radio 104.5 would work in Raleigh or Nashville. It would put Dave and 99x out of business in ATL. Myrtle Beach has a really good Alternative station.

 

[justpassingthough]

So while you may not be as conservative as your neighbors, or Greenville may not be as conservative as Macon, GA, its understandable that Active Rock does better than Alternative or Hot AC in Southern markets.

What gets me the most, however, is that the music that's on the harder, thrashing Active Rock station in Greenville, The Planet, seems like it would be MORE offensive to a conservative market. There's plenty of anti-Christian messages in a lot of the songs they play. Alternative, generally, is a bit more laid-back.

So to me, it's kind of a contradiction -- particularly in the case of The Planet. Just because alternative may sound "different" it's usually far less offensive than a song from the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Ozzy Ozborne or Korn. The music they play definately does not reflect conservative values.

Oh and don't even get me started on The Planet's morning show -- far from church going material there. I guess I'll never understand how anyone can say Active Rock is any more conservative than Alternative.

I agree- and I think the same contradiction exists within the country format too. Country has just as many songs about boozing and sleeping around as it does about patriotism and religion- yet its a favorite in the conservative parts of the nation.

I think alternative music carries the stigma of being "different"- of representing urban people. Plus, its roots are in the new wave and punk genres that were popular in big cities but never quite made it to the honky tonks in a way that classic rock or today's active rock did. It doesn't fit into the lifestyle in the way that active rock may- despite the lyrics and message probably be less offensive than many active rock songs.

 

[awp69]

Not a huge surprise since he won American Idol, but just thought it was interesting that Phillip Phillips' "Home" is in the top 10 and gaining on CHR. Quite honestly, I think the song may have never seen the light of day on CHR if it weren't for the American Idol stigma.

This kind of somewhat folksy rock song is more typical on alternative, adult alternative or maybe Hot AC. What's funny is that I never watched American Idol this season (and very little in the past) so when I heard it the first time, I was like, am I listening to a CHR station? And wondered who it was.

Anyway, with this, Gotye and Fun.'s success, I hope we see more rock crossover. I think a lot of semi-alternative band's can ride the Gotye wave. Imagine Dragons is ripe for the picking with "It's Time".

Wanted to add that it's nice to see Grouplove's "Tongue Tied" make some CHR inroads. Not locally, but have heard it on other CHRs.

 

[chrocket87]

Check out KTWN (Minneapolis), as they seem to have jumped on stuff like Fun., Grouplove, and Gotye before Hot AC/CHR got to them. They added Imagine Dragons a month or two ago and turns out they're starting to move up on Hot AC as well.

 

[justpassingthough]

KIIS is playing GroupLove "Tongue Tied" quite a bit- although I haven't looked at spins, I've just noticed it enough in passing to know that they're playing it rather often for a minor alternative crossover.

 

[bobdavcav]

Although the style of music is far from dead, I wonder if rock as a generic term is? Look at the ITunes rock chart. How many of those songs are within the last 5 years? Even the Nickelback stuff is kind of questionable. I have both All the Right Reasons and Dark Horse, and when I put the CD in to rip to my IPod, it put it in as alternative, and All American Rejects, which are in alternative on ITunes, came up as punk when I ripped When the World Comes Down. I don't think rock is dead, but it has split into sub-genres of alternative and metal. What's a little odd is I have always thought KQMV was slow on rock songs, which makes sense because modern-leaning Hot AC KLCK is a sister station mostly picks those up, but I think it's kind of odd that KQMV plays Too Close by Alex Claire more than KLCK. Should be the other way around.

 

[CatCall]

I have always thought KQMV was slow on rock songs, which makes sense because modern-leaning Hot AC KLCK is a sister station mostly picks those up, but I think it's kind of odd that KQMV plays Too Close by Alex Claire more than KLCK. Should be the other way around.

According to All Access, KQMV doesn't have "Everybody Talks" in their top 50 played for the past week. You are correct with the "slow on rock" statement!!

 

[bobdavcav]

I have always thought KQMV was slow on rock songs, which makes sense because modern-leaning Hot AC KLCK is a sister station mostly picks those up, but I think it's kind of odd that KQMV plays Too Close by Alex Claire more than KLCK. Should be the other way around.

According to All Access, KQMV doesn't have "Everybody Talks" in their top 50 played for the past week. You are correct with the "slow on rock" statement!!

Well, I should know, I live in that market! I just thought about this, I find it ironic that the button that has 98.9 programmed on it is right below the one with 92.5 on it. We didn't intentionally program it that way, that's just how it was programmed years ago when 98.9 was smooth jazz and 92.5 was AC.