What's going on with WTRV 100.5 in Grand Rapids?

[new_friends_gr]

It seems to me like 100.5 is trying desperately to stay relevant in the Grand Rapids market these days.

Just a year or two ago, it was strictly a soft AC station ... playing lots of music by artists like Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Bread, the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, etc. Now it's moved away from the "soft AC" format to more of regular AC format...playing more current artists like The Fray, John Mayer, and more. Other artists like Celine Dion, Elton John, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, etc. have stuck around. Now what really cracked me up was when I heard Gwen Stefani's "Sweet Escape". I found it really odd to hear that song on 100.5, but I guess it's truly a sign of the times. 100.5 is trying to keep up with its listening audience. I appreciate its format because it hasn't quite made it to the point of being progressive like 105.7 WOOD FM, but it is definitely trying to interest younger listeners.

It kinda makes me sad though, because those classics from Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, etc. are great songs and are quickly fading from relevance.

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[ChrisInMI]

Yep. The new sound of "The River" is not bad for an AC, but I miss the old "traditional" soft AC sound.

If you miss the Streisand, Diamond, Carpenters etc. music you may want to check out AM 1180 WXLA out of the Lansing area. They might come in well in Grand Rapids now since their signal upgrade. They air Dial Global's "America's Best Music" format which is similar to what WTRV used to sound like, with some '50s/'60s MOR hits mixed in.