Alternative rock

[Mike Thomas <nostatic@earthlink.net>]

I've got to agree with Steve on this one.  Although recently the music has gotten
better at alternative, the ratings haven't. In fact, more and more markets are
losing their alternative stations, most recently Cleveland and Louisville.  Many
of the acts that are crossing to Top 40 are using Alternative as a springboard to
build a story before crossing over.  The other hot acts, like Lit, Limp Bizkit
and Korn have themselves crossed over from active rock, which seems to be surging
as of late.

Too many formats (Active Rock, CHR & Modern AC) are sharing Alternative's music,
so listeners are scattered to those other formats and alternative doesn't have a
true core audience anymore.  Alternative at one time was a mass appeal format,
and it's audience was almost equally split male/female.  Once grunge kicked in,
Alternative focused on men 18-34 and times were good...for a while.  Out of that
developed Modern AC, which took the female alternative listeners.  Once grunge
dried up, Active rock stations like WAAF started pulling the male listeners in
with Metallica, Korn, Primus and the like.

Today, stations like WXRK-New York dabble with Active Rock, and WBCN uses Stern
and the Pats to prop themselves up while more talk programming starts to settle
in at the Rock of Boston. Despite all the good music out there, the format is in
tough times.  The minute I heard Metallica on WBCN, I knew the Alternative
format, as we knew it, was on life support.

Mike Thomas
WXLO & Mediabase 24/7


GF015@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 8/4/99 12:27:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> steveord@xtdl.com writes:
>
> << Add that to the fact that alternative rock's heyday has
>  passed...doesn't sound like a great idea. >>
>
> Who said this Steve?  In my honest opinion, modern rock has surged back in
> 1999.  Taking a look at current Top 40 crossovers I see Sugar Ray, Smash
> Mouth, Pearl Jam, Citizen King, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goo Goo Dolls, Len,
> Blink 182 and this one I know is highly requested on both your station and my
> station: Lit.  Plus aside from Top 40, Korn, Limp Bizkit and Offspring have a
> huge following out there as well.

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