Chicago Media Chat Message Forum

Forum Agreement, Terms Of Service Disclaimer

What is Alternative?

Posted by Zak_rok <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Zak_rok' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 17, 2022, 7:10 am

Here's an interesting read from Jacobs Media about the state of Alternative https://jacobsmedia.com/there-is-no-alternative/

Does alternative need to tweak or hit the reset button? Will WKQX continue to flounder?

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 17, 2022, 7:16 am, in reply to "What is Alternative?"

Hi Zak_rok,

"What is Alternative" was the question everyone was asking in 1995. Alternative was a word created by the radio industry that defined a CHR rock niche. For 101.1, they need to hit reset or find what the market wants right now. What the market wants is not a younger current format. Ratings prove that.

Z

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Jeremy Andrews <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Jeremy+Andrews' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 17, 2022, 7:32 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

WKQX’s format is very heavy on the 90s and 2000s Golds. Not many currents. They had been doing quite well 6+ for the format they have until 95.5 came around. In 2019 and years prior, they had a few books where they reached a 3.0. At the height of the format (Spring 1994) the signal had a 3.8.

I believe 95.5 likely chopped some of the older demos who don’t mind hearing 80s along with the 90s. 101.1 is usually somewhere at or just below the Top 5 in overall 18-34. That’s obviously nothing special either.

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Zak_rok <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Zak_rok' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 18, 2022, 8:59 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Yeah WKQX clearly ain't doing well with currents at this point. I wonder if an active rock/alternative hybrid with mostly golds would work?

Seems to be catching on for CHI with the gold tracks.

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Jeremy Andrews <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Jeremy+Andrews' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 18, 2022, 11:21 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Q101 under Emmis was being programmed with heavy influence from 105.7 The Point in St. Louis in it’s last couple years. Active hybrid. It didn’t do very well. Not saying it wouldn’t do any better now…

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Zak_rok <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Zak_rok' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 7:55 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Yeah it seems that people are tiring of the indie and club mix of Alternative. It seems like CHI playing the basic alternative golds with mainstream rock is drawing listeners away.Not sure if it would work here but something similar to what they did in KC may possibly work. This station would give CHI a run for their money.Heres something from radio insight reported on a few years back: https://radioinsight.com/headlines/181000/format-shift-imminent-at-x105-1-kansas-city/

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 9:52 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

KC is a different type of market compared to Chicago. Size, demographics. They even have 2 Christian CHR's and one of them is #11 with a 3.5 share. KCJK-FM the station you mention is in last place among all the rockers in town. No run for their money here.

I think the point is, what run for their money can be had when one station is a 2.3 @ 17 the other is a 1.7 @ 22? They are both running to be the lesser of the 2 market losers?

Z

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Zak_rok <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Zak_rok' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 11:49 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

All great points Z! Overall, just trying to drum up some conversation. Should be interesting to see what happens the next few trends with WKQX and Rock 95.5

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 12:34 pm, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Zak_rok, it is just really bad for new music on radio and it has been like this for a few years. Making it worse they are just making these stations jukeboxes with commercials. When these "oldies" stations can't make it, there is something bad going on.

I appreciate the conversation! I never realized the KC ethnic breakdown and having a successful Christian CHR and even a second one that rates.

The whole Cumulus thing here is weird. They only have 3 signals, if they had 5 they could compete easier among the others. Their AM literally needs to be shut off at this point. 101.1 is floundering. WLS-FM is successful pretending to be The Drive #2. With 95.5 iHeart is the outsider. You can't sell it (advertisement) with KISS, V103 or WGCI which is in the toilet itself. I have seen they are packaging it with WLIT, which explains why WCHI is not really that hard and plays a lot of female friendly songs.

Z

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Jeremy Andrews <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Jeremy+Andrews' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 12:54 pm, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

KCJK is kind of unusual. It was one of two Alternative stations in Kansas City. Audacy owns KRBZ, which is heritage. In 2019 instead of going up against just KRBZ, they decided to go up against all of Audacy’s Rock stations in the market at the same time. Playlist is literally all over the place as you can see here: http://kcjk.tunegenie.com/

WKQX in recent years has been very gold and guitar based. They don’t play anywhere near as much of the synth pop as they used to. Lots of Linkin Park and Alice In Chains compared to their sister stations with the same format and WXRT. The newer music gets dayparted to late evenings and overnights. I don’t think the syndicated show they run from 6PM-11PM helps the ratings. I don’t dislike the host, but I don’t think a lot of that audience likes syndication. Audacy is slowly learning that.

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Jeremy Andrews <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Jeremy+Andrews' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 1:13 pm, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

By the way, Life 88.5 is Christian AC, not CHR. I don’t know why Nielsen lists it as CHR. They do the same with one of the Christian AC stations in Grand Rapids. It’s one of Northwestern College’s stations. They have several with the same format, closest being in Madison.

Christian CHR is basically history. The BDS chart went dark at the beginning of this year. Boost (Rhythmic) and a few others like Power 88.3 in Port Huron, MI, and Fuel FM in Traverse City are exceptions. 104.3 The Bridge in Worthington, MN to an extent. Two of these are actually commercial stations. Air1 just dropped the rest of their Pop cuts last week. The college students seem to prefer the Worship music these days.

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 20, 2022, 8:01 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Awesome, at a time when society is at unrest, abandon all plans to try and gather in secular audiences.

Air1 and all these dying AM/FM radio bands can keep cutting the current acts and content. They haven't learned from commercial radio that the listeners will go elsewhere, notably online. But worse off for non comm religious most notably EMF, THEY WILL TAKE THEIR DONATIONS & PLEDGES WITH THEM.

Last one turn the lights off please.

Z

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Zak_rok <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Zak_rok' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 1:28 pm, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Yeah I wonder if KQX would try something similar to the Point in STL, and if it would work now? You are 100% right about the Cumulus cluster here. If they don't add a couple more I wonder if they would sell to Hubbard? I wonder how Hubbard would do with a rock station to flank the Drive?

95.5 is definitely a female friendly rock station. Would anyone ever try a male friendly one?

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Shizam <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Shizam' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 19, 2022, 10:41 pm, in reply to "What is Alternative?"

You know, WKQX sounded awesome when Merlin was programming it. Back then, they brought all the old original actual alternative back (after that terrible News 101 they tried) . I believe the ratings were up at that time too.

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 20, 2022, 8:08 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Shizam, I think Cumulus was doing an LMA the whole time it was Alt, after their 90s and Dance phase was done, so Merlin never programmed it. Merlin LMA'ed 97.9 WLUP and 101.1 WKQX to Cumulus and were making money hand over fist compared to running the stations themselves. When Cumulus was restructuring, Merlin decided it was time to sell and liquidate. WLUP went to EMF. WKQX went Cumulus.

If I am off here, Jeremy will know better and jump in to correct me.

Z

Re: What is Alternative?

Posted by Jeremy Andrews <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Jeremy+Andrews' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 20, 2022, 8:47 am, in reply to "Re: What is Alternative?"

Merlin LMA’d and launched Q87.7 just under a year after they took over the other two. At the time, there was a lot of good new music being released on that format. They took advantage of that and actually got decent ratings with that signal. Cumulus bought the other signals and simply shifted the format to 101.1 in 2014. They kept most of it as is initially. Different programming staff evolved the music over the years. The good new music kind of slowed down, so they went back to leaning on the golds. Most of what you hear now is still a variation of Q87.7 minus the music.

« Back to index

278

[ Chicago Media Chat Message Forum ]