Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern? - Idolator Comments

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

f1sh3r — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:26:33 EDT

i know this is old, but 99x got canned because the owners were chasing off all the talnet, which lead to lower ratings (?) and then that godawful bert show on q100 got popular, so they wanted to give it the stronger signal. the people who listened to 99x most likely would not listen to the bert show, so instead of just moving the show, they moved the station. 99x was one of the last decent stations in atlanta, and rock 100.5 is just 96 rock reborn. 96 rock is now project 961 which is somewhat sorta like 99x was...sorta. basically in the words of the ataris "the radio still sucks".

f1sh3r

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

wakeupbomb — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:40:24 EST

@Al Shipley:

The classic rock station in Minneapolis (KQRS)plays those bands, but also plays a lot of Zeppelin and Beatles. I was a little miffed when I first heard Collective Soul on there, mostly because that song sucks and if they're going to start calling 90's music "classic rock" then they could at least play something good like Nirvana or Soundgarden.

wakeupbomb

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Al Shipley — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:58:15 EST

@MrStarhead: This is really splitting hairs, but "GnR, AC/DC, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. Some Collective Soul" sounds more Active than Classic to me. Active stations play a ton of older stuff, but most proper Classic stations still cut off their chronology at maybe Synchronicity, or The Joshua Tree at the latest. If the newest song they play is Collective Soul's "Shine," though, maybe they're some kind of Active/Classic hybrid.

Al Shipley

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Clevertrousers — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:20:21 EST

Why would anyone ever listen to anything besides WFMU? Commercial radio has been dead as a doornail since 1996. Satellite radio is cute, but still not great. WFMU is the only thing left listening to in this rotten hellhole of a country.

Clevertrousers

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

MrStarhead — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:24:46 EST

For the record, Cumulus owns two stations in Atlanta: 99.7 and 100.5. 100.5 (Q100) was a Top-40 station, and they moved it over to 99.7 (because it has a stronger signal), then started up ROCK100.5 on the other frequency. And so far (only one day of material to judge), it's a classic rock, not active rock station. They played a lot of GnR, AC/DC, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. Some Collective Soul, but you expect that in Atlanta. 99X lives on as an HD station and online only.

And KHBZ in OKC is on its fourth flip in 10 years: it was a modern-rock station (95X), then a lite-rock station, then back to modern rock (94.7 the Buzz this time), now active rock.

MrStarhead

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

dr.randy — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:30:06 EST

I'm pretty relaxed already, but thanks for your concern. Streaming online is great (my favorite is Pandora), but it's not much use in a car or anywhere else outside. But okay, I'll admit there may be a dozen decent broadcast radio stations, scattered around the US. Some would consider KEXP to be one of them; I can get KEXP on FM but sat radio is still better.

dr.randy

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

DJorn — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:49:44 EST

@dr.randy: Relax, Dr. Dogma. There are still plenty of good college stations, and you can stream them from all over the country online. Try Drexel's and Boston College's for instance.

DJorn

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

SomeSound-MostlyFury — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:33:40 EST

@Al Shipley: sweet, thanks for the heads up.

SomeSound-MostlyFury

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

teknohed — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:49:05 EST

I remember when both of Santa Barbara's alternative stations turned into easy listening and rock en espanol back in the late 1990s while I was in college. It was exactly as you described, I thought it was a cruel joke...how could they have easy listening jazz in the middle of the dial I thought...that's for NPR stations down between 89.1 and 91.0...but it was for real.

That's why I personally stopped listening to over the air radio long ago. In LA there are few OK stations, better than most other locations...but still I'd ahve to wade through a whole lot of total crap on Kroq indie 103.1 to hear a good song.

I listen to internet radio now as I sure as HELL am not going to hear VNV Nation or even Depeche Mode or Siouxsie's new stuff for more than the first week of release on the over air stations. with internet streams you can so easily find exactly the genre that you want why would you listen to anything else?

And if you were to rip those streams or podcasted shows you can listen to those on your (bike) commute and laugh at the chuckle heads foreced to listen to an hour of creed, nickel back, and jack johnson.

teknohed

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Chris Molanphy — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:18:35 EST

As much of a scourge as it is for hip-hop radio and its ilk, the new Arbitron people-meters could actually end of saving rock radio from oblivion. If the entire yardstick changes and it shows that the few modern-rock stations that remain are pulling a lot of secondary/casual listening, the format could make a minor comeback. (This is a theory I've heard bandied about since last summer.)

I'm not sure how good of a thing that would be, because a big part of me thinks -- as you imply here -- that rather than being saved, the whole rock-radio format needs to have a come-to-god moment and rethink its entire existence. But in the meantime, maybe somebody will keep playing the White Stripes.

Chris Molanphy

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

wakeupbomb — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:48:04 EST

A few months ago the alternative station, Drive 105, here in Minneapolis switched to the soft rock/cheesy love song station Love 105. It pissed off a lot of people who wanted to hear mainstream "alternative" acts. Our college station (Radio K), and our newer college-like station (89.3 The Current operated by Minnesota Public Radio) play some of that stuff sometimes, but generally if you wanted to hear some Nirvana, or some Beck you'd tune into Drive, now you've got nothing. Sometimes the metal station will play those things but usually you just hear shit like Nickelback, and Seether on that station.

wakeupbomb

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Al Shipley — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:26:58 EST

Related breaking news: WNNX owner Cumulus is putting a rock station on the 100.5 frequency that was just vacated by the top 40 station that moved into 94.7:
[www.fmqb.com]
So it looks like they just swapped frequencies, but did essentially replace an Alternative station with an Active one after all.

Al Shipley

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Al Shipley — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:38:39 EST

@The Van Buren Boys: Yeah, my aforementioned radio biz friend worked at Y100 and I think he said they found out just the night before. Those guys really put up a fight, too, big protests and everything, and now at least kind of ended up merging with WXPN.

Al Shipley

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

The Van Buren Boys — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:18:17 EST

A friend of mine had just started working at Y100 in Philadelphia about a month before they suddenly changed formats to Hip-Hop/R&B. I remember him saying that they didn't tell him until the day before that he would be out of a job.

The Van Buren Boys

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

dr.randy — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:59:40 EST

There is no broadcast radio station that I'd want to listen to. Not one. Anywhere in the country. But if you must have someone else deciding what you get to hear, for dog's sake at least go satellite.

dr.randy

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Al Shipley — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:58:38 EST

BTW, this is my 2nd column in a row with a gratuitous reference to a hard rock soundtrack hit from a '90s comedy. If anyone has any suggestions on how I can work the AC/DC joint from Last Action Hero into the next one, hit me with an e-mail.

Al Shipley

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Al Shipley — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:51:21 EST

@SomeSound-MostlyFury: Ooh, yeah, you're right, that initial linked report said it was "flipping formats to a more Rock-leaning outlet," but upon further inspection it looks like Cumulus gave their frequency to a top 40 station and made the modern rock station HD-only. Thanks for the catch.
big lolz @ the visual you guys came up with for this post.

Al Shipley

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

semiserious — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:40:35 EST

I think the main problem with mainstream radio rock is that after 15 years a picture of Kurt Cobaine is still the best way to illustrate it.

semiserious

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

Jon Can Dance — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:35:08 EST

How can you pluralize The Lone Ranger?

Jon Can Dance

Is Rock Radio Slowly Going Post-Modern?

SomeSound-MostlyFury — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:27:46 EST

It was my understanding that WNNX had become more of a straight top-40 station. At least from what I'm hearing from it this last week - more pop, R&B, rap than had ever been on it before. Maybe that's what Active Rock is though?

SomeSound-MostlyFury