Why No Alternative Rock Station In SA??

[davi78239]

I wish they'd try a 101X alternative here in SA. I bet you guys that would hit. I'm tired and burnt out of KISS. Yea, it's a leader in the market but what other choice do we really have?? Funny how Austin, Dallas, and Houston all have alternative stations and for some reason, San Antonio being the 7th largest city in the nation doesn't and has never had one.Even El Paso had one back a couple of years ago for about a year, but didn't make. Just like a "small town" aren't we? Notice all the major markets and even mid size cities have an alternative but yet we don't. I think they're just too scared that KISS will run it off but if you think about it, the music format would be different. Before I die, I'd love to see a station like this in SA and I'm only gonna be 29 this coming August.

 

[johnqdoe]

Dallas and Houston's "alternatives" are cookie cutter shells of their former selves. You want Green Day, Offspring, Toadies, and some Nirvana and Soundgarden gold...there's your "Alternative" station. At least KISS is true to the black t-shirt wearin, rock n rollin dudes that are their P-1s. I don't think SA is small town, but you'd have to think the research has been done on this.

 

[sdh483]

Dallas and Houston's "alternatives" are cookie cutter shells of their former selves. You want Green Day, Offspring, Toadies, and some Nirvana and Soundgarden gold...there's your "Alternative" station. At least KISS is true to the black t-shirt wearin, rock n rollin dudes that are their P-1s. I don't think SA is small town, but you'd have to think the research has been done on this.

Yeah, The Buzz in Houston is a McClearChannel station. Booring and dull "alterative" playlist with the same Green Day songs played daily. Plus they play stuff that is considered active rock. Alternative rock is great, but should be left to college radio and internet. 91.7 plays indie alternative after 10pm nightly, and KSYM dabbles in alternative as well.
The "alternative" format is meant to be another choice of rock music with out the glam of mainstream rock. That message was lost in translation as the 90s progressed when Pepsi, MTV, ESPN2 and other corps. branded the genera of music to sell products...this was not the intended audience of alternative rock, but who could resist a big wad of cash?

As they say about Texas, there's two political groups: conservative and Austin. San Antonio, Houston, Dallas are very conservative, Austin is not. That's why an alternative format fairs well there, even though 101X doesn't do well in the ratings. That's why Cox went ahead with a conservative talk format on 106.7. This is why there is and will be no alternative rock station in San Antonio. There's really no use of asking "why is there no ______ format in *insert city*? Radio will never listen back. iPods, internet streaming (now you can stream on your cell phones) and XM/Sirius is killing radio.

I have given up the quest for active rock in Houston; the airwaves here just as dull here as in SA and Dallas.

 

[MINDonDAradio247]

In my opinion I would think Mix would be more a direct competition for alternative music than KISS. But then again with pop music having a heavy load of Hip Hop thrown into it I dunno. Either way I think San Antonio could handle an alternative station. Regardless of what corp radio did to it this city was able to handle two Hip Hop stations at the same time. A thing a lot of people said could never be done.

 

[Kent]

I wish they'd try a 101X alternative here in SA. I bet you guys that would hit.

I don't know. Alternative is down nationwide. Keep in mind that Entercom jettisoned a 20 year alternative station in Sacramento about six weeks ago, and more are likely to be blown up in the near future. The new product doesn't resonate with the masses like the grunge era did. PPM has helped a little, but it's still not what it was 10-15 years ago.

Funny how Austin, Dallas, and Houston all have alternative stations and for some reason, San Antonio being the 7th largest city in the nation doesn't and has never had one.

According to BIA, Dallas has 82 stations; Houston has 68. San Antonio has 52. Although I risk sounding like my favorite Midwestern sportscaster when I say this, when you have more stations, you probably have more formats to choose from. Austin, by the way, has 40 according to BIA. However, Austin also can't support nearly the number of Spanish-language stations that San Antonio can and is also a very large college town. Even with the Austin demographics in 101X's favor, it's really struggling right now. It's lost almost half its audience in the course of a year, and the latest trends aren't looking any better.

 

[dlf]

Keep in mind that 99.5 KISS and KLTO (97.7 Rock) have playlists that straddle the line between Active Rock and Alternative. An alternative station is not going to out "harder edge" 99.5 KISS. That leaves the more pop oriented alternative option and a CHR (Mix 96.1) will pick that up. Alternative would be a very tough format in the current San Antonio radio landscape. I thought Clear Channel might try it with 92.5 (signal limitations and all) with a "92.5 The Buzz" incarnation; simulcast Rod Ryan from 94.5 KTBZ in Houston and VT the rest of the day. Pair that on the sales side with KZEP and you technically have a "rock wall". Although a signal challenged 92.5 probably would not do any damage to 99.5 KISS.

In the late 90's when KROX (101X) was still licensed to Giddings and had their antenna in the Bastrop area, they put a decent signal into Comal and North Bexar County and even showed up in the San Antonio book a few times. Once they downgraded and moved their tower to downtown Austin, that was it for any San Antonio listeners for the most part. Of course as Kent correctly stated, the Alternative product produced much higher ratings overall in those days.

dlf

 

[daypart]

KZEP's HD-2 signal is broadcasting CC's eRockster format, which includes music ranging from "classic rock to indie rock, soul to brit pop, and dance to hip hop." (There was another thread here discussing it here that is no longer available.) This might cover some of the Alternative Rock bases that the OP was looking for.