Wow! I don't think any of us are surprised by Wild's demise, but an Alternative format is still a long overdue and refreshing surprise in this market. With the mass-appeal success of the Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters & Men, Fun. and the like, there's no justification for the lack of an Alternative outlet in Atlanta.
A few notes in the first hour:
- There are two routes an alternative station can take with imaging: an understated, borderline AAA "music first" presentation, versus an aggressive, forefront tenor. Radio 105.7 seems to be opting for the former approach, almost certainly a bid for Dave's displaced adult alternative audience.
- The first hour features a noticeably heavy gold/recurrent component, including lots of 90s material - again, likely intended to build cume from 99X and Dave's former base. I'm hopeful the station will start playing more currents in the near future as the station generates a following. However, I'm expecting this station to be fairly hit-driven.
- I'm pleasantly surprised to hear Aly, formerly of Project 9-6-1, already installed in middays. Of course, given the plethora of available talent with brand equity in Atlanta right now, there's no real excuse to be jockless. I'm curious as to who else will show up on the air. Jordin Silver, Project's night jock and current weekender on Power, is evidently moving over for early afternoons, a wise move which doesn't remotely surprise me. I'm guessing nights will be voicetracked.
ETA: Well, I was wrong about nights. Apparently the lineup is as follows:
5 - 10 a.m. – Aly Young
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Roche (VT'ed from WWDC/Washington)
1 - 4 p.m. – Jordin Silver
4 - 9 p.m. – Mike Jones (VT'ed from WRFF/Philly)
9 p.m. - 1 a.m. – Kevin (presumably Kevin Cruise from Wild 105.7)
I don't foresee this station breaking into the 6+ Top 10, but there's no reason it shouldn't fare well in 18-34 and, given its presentation, maybe even 25-54. Regardless, I'm incredibly thrilled that many of my favorite bands have returned to Atlanta radio once again.
