Shout out to WMMM/Madison WI. Also owned by Entrecom, but has retained a local sound, and maybe even local music choice. A commercial station doing a good job at balancing alternative, new and old. I grew up on New York Radio, moved with Scott Muni from Top 40 to all that was hip on WNEW. But commercial radio in NYC is too valuable to take many chances. So try TrippleM for a sense of what it could be (restaurant ads offering free cheese curds only a bonus...)
2
Im a middle aged Yorker who loves music. Here’s a primer for the author of this piece and for everyone else:
Stations: kexp, wfmu, wfuv
These stations play new and old but not the old that have been played to death. That’s the way it should be done. All non commercial and easy to stream.
Bands: Fontaine’s d.c., parquet courts, the raconteurs, jack white, Iggy pop (he’s still doing new things with a just released album), Titus andronicus, pottery, the liminanas, Death Valley girls, Lynn Koch emery, the black tones, the idles, pronoun, f***ed up, and many many other ROCK bands.
Rock is not dead and it’s a shame this new station has an issue with the word. Maybe like most they don’t get out in the world and see what’s really going on. I go to shows and they are almost always sold out which makes getting tickets a challenge. Rock is not dead especially when you see young people in their 20’s going crazy for the bands I just mentioned. I see a hunger for band music but the corporate interests would make you believe otherwise. I recently saw the 70’s band Television and most all the people there were in their 20’s.
I saw a couple that must have been in their 70s at a Fontaine’s d.c. show in Williamsburg. Get out there support these bands and have some fun because seeing them live is an unbelievable experience.
6
The Mighty CKUA
https://ckua.com/listen/ - check it out! Good for what ails you. 'Nuff said.
1
Wonderful article, but, of course, limited by a refusal to consider alternative shows by free-thinking stations like WFMU on the East Coast and KRFP in the West. Might we suggest as a corrective, almost anything on either station and our favorite BEATSVILLE on the aforementioned KRFP. Said show airs at midnight EST on Thursdays and streams at krfp.org
1
Been waiting for the battle between ALT 92.3 and WFUV to emerge. I listen to both quite a lot, ALT 92.3, when in doubt, its Coldplay every time. WFUV is warm, community-oriented and gives the baby boomers the music of its youth. ALT’s two- minute pledge on advertisements is a good innovation. All in all, ALT’s presence on the dial has been good but sorry to hear I don’t fit their demographic.
3
Listeners interested in a greater variety and depth of "alt" music should go up the dial a couple of notches to 90.7 WFUV, one of NYC's under-appreciated cultural gems.
7
@Richard
My second go to station after WQXR. But was quite unhappy when they removed the much loved Rich Conaty show. I realize he is no longer with us but I crave the music he played.
2
@Richard try WFMU as well . . .
1
Ultimately, rock radio is dead because they don't play ROCK music. With a laundry list of amazing true rock bands slowly starting to make their way into the current rock landscape (The Glorious Sons, Dirty Honey, Badfinger, Greta, Rival Sons, etc) IMO what needs to happen is for ROCK programmers to step out of this "active" rock phase that started in the early 2000's that is NOT rock but rather watered down metal (Godsmack, Disturbed, FFDP, Pop Evil etc). Essentially what was once (and should still be) a niche format, took over the entire landscape. Kick the angry "my dad didn't love me enough" post metal garbage to the curb.
Keep the 90's era grunge stuff and more proven modern era rock acts like Cage The Elephant, The Black Keys, Foo Fighters and Green Day as your gold catalogue. Play REAL rock music and rock radio may just make a comeback. Remember commercial radio is supposed to be mass appeal, NOT a niche. Move the heavy dumpy stuff to specialty or day part it to nights and feature the larger cuming/mass appeal acts for prime day parts. I can't even wrap my head around some of the comments made about the alternative format that were in this article and in this comment section........
But nobody mentioned Velvetears.
1
“If there’s anything polarizing that I see in the music, it’s a no-go”
I'm throwing up the two-finger salute so hard for that. Rock On! Oops, I mean *Alt* On since "rock" doesn't test well with our target demographic.
1
Just wanted to flag - in the “most popular” section of the home tab (mobile app), the title of this article is “What Alternativ Rock o Sound Now.” Maybe in need of a quick fix?
speaking of 92.3 our alternative choice in New York.
I was hoping it would have been more of a WLIR 92.7 from back in the day, but when I tune to the station and I hear Dance Monkey and not Oso Oso I feel like we missed the alternative bulls eye.
2
@Aesop Fabel
WLIR is online!! There’s even an IPhone app for it. Check it out Aesop.
1
Now write about WFMU. A station that blows everyone else out in NYC out of the water.
6
@Peter exactly and out West, there is KRFP, an absolutely amazing leftist station . . .
Looking at the comments... I hear you!!! But fear not, the rock and roll radio that many of us grew up on and continue to love is alive and well... and spinning on my show, Freeform Radio, a lively mix of ROCK (no shame) in all its glorious subgenres including but never limited to—classic rock and roll, American and British blues, glam and garage, punk and new wave, indie and roots, folk and country—plus a heavy dose of R&B, soul, funk, hip-hop and more. So tune in Sundays 6-8pm to Long Island’s only NPR station WPPB 88.3 FM in Southampton, stream live from anywhere in the world on 883wppb.org or check out my archived shows on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/meg-noonan-mcwilliams
This is the most uninformed clueless article I have ever read in the Times, and that's saying something. A commercial station cannot be alternative because it is trying to make money and thus sponsoring corporate "music." Try listening to a free-form, listener sponsored station to understand the word alternative. It's "alternative" because it isn't commercial. Whether or not you listen to FUV or DVR or FMU or WERS or KCRW might reflect your taste, but taste does not reflect commercial or not commercial. Those are two separate issues. And not using the word "rock" has nothing to do with radio or commercial viability. It has to do with...I don't know...gimmicks? ignorance? disrespect?
7
I’m 50 female and I’m an alt “rock” girl. We are listening and going to events like KROQ weenie roast. Only way to see these bands is these radio events or festivals which is sad. Keep it coming but someone please tell Coachella to stop having Beyoncé perform. Yuck!
2
Hey Mike Kaplan: this might come as a shock to you but we men listen to musicians who also happen to be female. Sleater Kinney, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, The Beths, Middle Kids, Courtney Barnett, Priests, Mannequin Pussy, Savages, St. Vincent, the list goes on and on. By the way, those are all great MUSICIANS, not "male" musicians or "female" musicians. The gender of your audience has nothing to do with the gender of the musicians you are playing, or should I say, you should be playing. It's sad that this sort of retrograde thinking in music is still alive and well today. And, incidentally, I bet many of the bands mentioned above have paid a visit to Guitar Center recently.
11
This 55 year old has been listening to 103.3 WPRB out of Princeton for the past thirty years. Easily the best station on the east coast(if not the country). They continually play new and old, yet sticking to the original Punk themes. The will also play electronic and other new stuff. Based on this article, ALT 92 just plays the same old tired garbage as most other stations. Like seriously, the Foo Fighters? That stuff could put an insomniac to sleep.
9
Does the ideal listener as characterized by that market manager even own an FM radio?
2
Check out Iowa Public Radio for the best music programming.
I’m disappointed but not surprised the reporter did not mention either WLIR, as mentioned by some readers, or the amazing WNEW-FM, the classic alternative rock station NYC of the 1970s, and from where at least a couple of WFUV DJs came from.
RIP Alison Steele, the Nightbird.
5
Who listens to this 20th Century technology, with nonstop advertising and mindless DJ babble?
1
So sad. Their entire playlist sounds awful. Whatever happened to the days of playing “deep cuts” or live performances otherwise unavailable?
Still, when you are playing the likes of Weezer and calling it “classic” you’ve essentially telegraphed the hopeless vapidity of terrestrial radio in a large urban market.
Perhaps New York listeners looking for true alternative radio might want to check out KPIG streaming out of Santa Cruz, CA.
Good luck. Long Live Rock (be it dead or alive).
4
“Does anyone really go to Guitar Center anymore and pick up the guitar?”
Yes. Yes they do. Radio stations like this exasperate me to no end—don’t call it alternative if you’re pandering to our millennial nostalgia and then sneaking in with autotuned pop stuff! It’s just a hodgepodge.
Rock isn’t dead, it isn’t done, it’s just not being played for...reasons...? I can’t fathom why. The Toadies are still making great music. Local H is another excellent group. I can hear Billy Eilish on the pop stations, thank you very much, now please give me something with more guitars and people who can actually sing without the aid of autotune.
6
So much of the music on this station is flat in dynamics at all-loud, all the time. It simply lacks the talented arrangements of old school productions. It’s a headache in 30 min or less.
NYC radio is pure garbage. I’m always happy to get on the road and get away from these stations. Music of small creativity, little talent, pumped out at maximum dynamic force at all times. Ugh!
The country station is no better. Nor the pop dance urban stations. All the same!
How is it that not a single programmer in this region can find it within them to play Gary Clark Jr? Brothers Osborne? Chris Stapleton? Kacey Musgraves?
Gah!
2
"Does anyone really go to Guitar Center anymore and pick up the guitar?”
The short answer: Yes.
5
i live in akron ohio where we have a non-commercial alternative station, WAPS, and they have no problem with playing billie eilish between munford and sons and walk the moon.
1
I can’t imagine why people would listen to commercials, with so many streaming options. They re so insanely annoying...how do people tune that noise out?
1
In the era of streaming, YouTube, etc, commercial radio stations have little to offer. Whatever my musical taste or demographic segment, if I want to hear a limited universe of songs I’ve heard many times before, I can go to a streaming service and hear them with fewer commercials or none. For discovering new or overlooked music, which is rarely played on commercial stations, I can go to the excellent WFMU.
4
ALT 92.3 is not alternative. It is what someone decided would be the acceptable alternative, and after a few days of listening to the station, you'll hear that it has just as much repetition as any other station. There is also no diversity in terms of the actual artists (READ: they are all white).
WFUV at 90.7 is slightly better, especially if Alisa Ali is curating the songs. Otherwise, it relies too much on 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s nostalgia.
WFMU at 91.1 has the most diverse shows - there is something for everyone, depending on the day and hour - and my favorites are Wake and Bake (M-F during rush hour) and Sophisticated Boom Boom. This station is TRULY alternative and the only one I donate to.
Finally, WNYU shares 89.1 with another station and it starts its shows at 4 p.m., I think, many of which have excellent experimental electronic music. I recently discovered Magma's new Zess release on this station, just in time to pre-order.
4
@GYA You left out Radio Free Brooklyn. NYC's true freeform alternative.
1
Our public radio music station, KXT, plays an excellent selection of new tracks--Dylan LeBlanc, Jadebird--and their syndicated music shows, particularly World Cafe, are great. But, they, too, often play it terribly safe. Heaven help me if I hear "New Birth in New England" or "Fake Plastic Trees" one more time.
Best part of this article are all the recommendations for radio stations. I’m a faithful WFUV listener. WNEW babies can find Dennis Elsas weekday afternoons. All the DJs have vast knowledge and will blend genres and eras beautifully. Have your Shazam open and you can train Spotify to your tastes with it.
3
The answer: alternative music radio today sounds like KEXP. I don't know anybody who listens to AM/FM radio who also likes alternative music, and I don't know any devoted alternative music fans listening to their locals outside Seattle. There is still plenty of high-quality guitar-rock driven alternative music emerging in the marketplace, but for alternative listeners, it is fair to say their tastes have broadened and the voices and sounds have become more diverse. Which is the raison d'etre for not listening solely to mainsteam radio in the first place.
KCMP 89.3 The Current is a Minnesota Public Radio channel that has been playing this kind of mix (with a greater range) since 2005. Stream it online for a great non-commercial, non-corporate musical mix.
2
Hey Joe: This Article has elicited the best Comments I’ve ever read giving out info on the few quality radio stations out there who are playing great music.
Thank you!
In that regard I’d like to give a shout out to KBIA in Columbia, Missouri. It’s an NPR station associated with the U of Missouri. I stream it every Saturday night for what they call they’re rock block. From 7 to 9 CST it’s Little Stevens Underground Garage, Then from 9 to 10 it’s Every Little Thing (all about the Beatles) and from 10 to 12 Beale Street Caravan, a superb blues show. I stream it on Tunein.
Quality rock and roll from any era is the balm that soothes my soul during these troubled times.
1
I have reached the age where I can legitimately wear the T-shirt that reads "I May Be Old, But I Saw All The Cool Bands". Presently, my favorite bands are The Shins, Foo Fighters, Greta Van Fleet and The Raconteurs. (I recently saw The Raconteurs' great concert at The Kings Theater in Brooklyn). My go-to radio station in NYC is WFUV Public Radio either streaming online or on 90.7 if the signal is strong. They play The Raconteurs and The Shins daily, Foo Fighters occasionally, and Greta Van Fleet not at all (nobody's perfect). I may be an outlier, but I still spend money!
6
@Chris F Sorry buddy. These are not cool bands.
I suggest you read that scathing pitchfork article on Greta Van Fleet. Quite a few people find that article to be an accurate assessment of them.
3
Our family (mid 50’s parents and young teens) listen to Alt 105 in SF 95% of the time...unfortunately it’s not as much to our liking as the old Live 105. We have seen Weezer and Greenday as a family, and our kids love listening to Sum 41, Blink 182, Rancid, Bush, Nirvana, and all the pop-punk, grunge, and rock bands that I like.
HELLO! The original dare to be different station WLIR has been broadcasting over 105.3. It's a nice mix of the older 80's new wave to mainstream alternative (basically post 1990 rock bands not getting played on pop stations) and very new stuff. It's also available via iHeartRadio.
3
The problem with corporate ownership is that alt rock stations cannot truly experiment. I thank god for streaming radio online and my favorite station is still 91x in Baja California. May it stay forever free.
4
Yeah there are plenty of young people going to Guitar Center buying guitars and amps and other stuff too, like keyboards, mixers, etc.. All the ppl I know who have Macs also have a real instrument at home.
8
Did anyone mention satellite radio? They took the better parts of WNEW, WLIR WFUV and even WFMU and we still get to hear music curated by a real person with decades of experience and enthusiasm. My personal favorite is The Loft, sadly only available on the net but the receiver in my office has been on for over 10 years. If you read this Meg Griffin, I still have the hots for you!
4
@Demersal I also love Meg, but satellite radio has taken on much of the attributes of commercial radio (except for the commercials themselves) because they hired commercial radio people to program it. So satellite has also become highly fragmented and repetitive with only a few exceptions, which makes no sense because it's not advertising driven - all satellite has to do is get you to renew your subscription. It doesn't even really matter if one listens.
If one wants to hear what great creative radio can be, there's the syndicated Little Steven's Underground Garage (also on satellite, but also available on the web), there's Don McGee on WFUV Saturdays from 4-8pm, Paul Cavalconte on WFUV Sundays 8-11pm and doing the American Songbook mixed with some rock on WNYC Sundays from 12-4pm and Saturdays 8pm-12m, and a number of other well programmed shows. And of course Dennis Elsas on WFUV weekday afternoons. There's also the Blues Break on WBGO from 2-4pm weekdays.
It's like the early days of FM rock radio in the 60's before WOR-FM: there was good rock/pop/jazz/blues music on the radio, but it took a little work to find it.
4
I haven't turned on an actual radio in years. WNEW was the go to when it was free form back in the day. Does anyone remember Allison Steele, the "Night Bird"? Now I stream KEXP in Seattle. Discovered lots of new music there.
10
Here, here for KEXP. It’s a publicly supported station that is on your FM dial and also streams on their app. They do remote weeks from SXSW, Iceland, Mexico City, France, etc. They have their own performance space for in-studio performances. (It’s all available in their archives) Commercial
radio is always trying to pump up it’s numbers to charge more for advertising. They can’t afford to be on the leading edge of anything. The stations that do it for a true love of music instead of the bottom line will always do it better. I was in a Guitar Center two days ago and there were people in there playing guitars Mr. clueless author man.
2
The only positive is that in 5 years we won't remember any of the artists being pushed as the cutting edge in music. Synthesized drums and electronic bass have taken the soul out of modern music. (I can't say modern rock music since there is so little of it left.) There is hope, my teen daughter and her friends have discovered grunge and even some older rock and have complete disdain for what is now termed "alternative." Funny, does calling it alternative make listening to pop that much cooler? Take a listen to Wolf Alice, Band of Skulls, Joy Formidable, others still playing instruments and playing what they want to rather than what will hit top 40 for a moment.
3
Isn't any pop/rock music that isn't Taylor Swift called "Alternative" these days?
When you look at what would be in another age traditional rockers like the Black Keys, or Kings of Leon, who is playing them except the alt rock format?
The description of this NYC station perfectly describes WXRT in Chicago which has been doing this since the 70's. Every day they play something from the Beatles, Stones, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc and then a rotation of new music from all of the groups mentioned.
9
@Hugh G
Every time I return to my hometown of Chicago, the first thing I do as soon as I get into a car is tune it to 93.1 for WXRT (or, if I'm close enough on the north side to it pick up, to 89.3 for WNUR, my alma mater Northwestern's venerable college station, which digs deeper into the college/indie genre). I dread the day I find a format change for XRT, but for now at least I can always count on a perfect mix of classic rock, 90s alternative/grunge and new indie/alternative. Back home in central VA, I have to rely on toggling between Alt Nation, XMU, Lithium and First Wave to get the same balance!
@honeywhite
Exactly! I started listening to XRT in the mid 70s while in school in Chicago. I recall Terri Hemmert's sendoff to Charles "CD" Jaco in 79, Roxy music's "Dance Away", when he left for fame and greener pastures. I love that song. Miss you Terri! Every time I fly back from Georgia to visit family and hop into my rental at Midway Airport I turn the dial to 93.1. You can stream it now. Check it out.
1
@honeywhite
Exactly! I started listening to XRT in the mid 70s while in school in Chicago. I recall Terri Hemmert's sendoff to Charles "CD" Jaco in 79, Roxy music's "Dance Away", when he left for fame and greener pastures. I love that song. Miss you Terri! Every time I fly back from Georgia to visit family and hop into my rental at Midway Airport I turn the dial to 93.1. You can stream it now. Check it out.
Very few alternative rock stations remain.
Where I live, all but one of the so-called rock stations plays the same stale playlist.
Stairway to Heaven, Two Tickets to Paradise, Don't Stop Believin', and Freebird...over and over.
Only one station, WMNF, based in Tampa and also distributed by livestream, plays a wide variety of music.
1
WFUV (90.7) is the best game in town.
9
So they’re redefining what “alternative music” means.
Sort of like Fleetwood Mac did with the term “electric blues” after Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer left and Mick and McVie decided to sell out, and cash in by going pop.
The “new alternative” is simply pop music sounding like the old, but without the same urgency, thematic risk taking and artistic relevance.
There is a band that is still making alternative music as art. Go see the Raconteurs, it’s a transformative experience. Ask anyone at their recent stand at House in Blues in Boston.
3
Why not play good music from all the eras? A good song by, let's say, The Beatles sounds as fresh and contemporary as anything put out today.
4
@MIKEinNYC
It really doesn't to most people. 30 years ago I was fine with the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Who, and it's ok now once in a while but at some point it got tired.
2
@Val Schaefer
Sorry but The Beatles will never get tired.
1
I don't think there is a future for rock music, alternative music, whatever in terms of commercial radio. I do think there is the possibility to introduce listeners to new guitar driven music because its still popular despite what some critics say.
What is missing is what the now long gone old rock music industry had: big platforms that bring fans together. Radio stations, record stores, big concert promoters/venues, a rock press.
For better or worse they provided easy to access, widely recognized places for rock music discovery.
The internet and music has disappointed for many reasons, but chief among them is its failure to deliver on its promise of creating great new platforms that bring people together regardless of geographic distances. There are great guitar bands right now in Sweden, Australia, Brazil, LA, Detroit, etc. But its really hard and time consuming to find out about them across all of the micro platforms.
1
The agenda for radio has always been to sell advertising. It is not a musical media for exhibiting art. It is tool to get that donut in your mouth as fast as possible. There was a time when musicians were paid by the radio station a percentage of the income the radio station earned from their advertisers. Today's musician's are not compensated that way anymore, if at all.
This is just another discussion about making money off the backs of other people's passions. The writing should be in the business section. The comment regarding no one playing guitar shows the ignorance and disregard for any artistic value and is a great example of how our cultural values have eroded and those in a position to tend to it only answer to the money. How much has Green Day spent to keep their music on the air? Ask that question first. Then you might understand the whole situation when you get the answer. Ever wonder why you hear a random '90's song on a commercial station? Someone paid to have it played. Usually someone with a vested interest in the rights of that piece. It takes money to make money. Especially when it comes to commodities, pork bellies, coal, oil, and yeah, songs on a commercial radio station.
10
How this article fails to mention WFUV, 90.7 on your FM dial out of Fordham University, is beyond me. It plays rock, folk, electronic, old stuff, and new-breaking bands all the time. Maybe Coscarelli didn't want to include public radio?
Beyond this, I am appalled that the word "rock" won't be used by the station. Talk about a way to ring the death knell for a critical component of American cultural history! What do they call the "oldies" they play? And to ask whether anyone still goes to Guitar Center is equally amazing to anyone who went to the recent Raconteurs show or notices how many great bands still include guitar an an audible part of the mix. That New York radio still seems to take so few risks or be willing to be tastemakers is astonishing.
20
@Brandon This article is badly researched. There are a lot of good stations out there for FREE and with minimal commercials!!! WFUV, KEXP, KUTX...They are all NPR stations.
1
There hasn’t been a decent radio station in NY since WNEW-FM, the original album based station of the 60-70s.
Guitars and Blues/Rock-and-Roll will live forever.
13
@Aces NoTrump
The recordings will last a long time, but forever is a long time. It's hard to get excited about popular music from 100 years ago. Classical music from that time is more popular now than it was then.
Blues tuning, arrangements, and chord changes seem to have exhausted the format. It's drilled into my brain, but doesn't excite. I bet you and I can name that tune in 3 notes. What surprises me is how tame everything sounds these days. Like people need to be soothed, not turned on.
4
@Aces NoTrump
Let us also give due credit to WLIR, 92.7 which may have been the best station in its time. Contemporary, progressive rock plus a live concert almost every week.
5
@MIKEinNYC
+1 for WLIR, especially in the late 70s/early 80s
4
I’m surprised no one has mentioned The Peak 107.1. They play everything from rock and roll from the 60s, all the way up to contemporary music and everything in between. I find it far more enjoyable and diverse than listening to the stodgy WFUV.
8
@Renee I like The Peak and WFUV, as they both have a good mix of new and old. WFUV plays some more surprising songs, but The Peak is more consistently something that I like. Also, bonus points to the Peak for giving away free concert tickets to me more than once.
3
@Renee Hmm, can't say I've listened to The Peak, but I'm seriously doubtful a commercial station can be more diverse than FUV, with programming from around the world and every musical genre. And "stodgy" is the last adjective I'd used to describe FUV, but to each his/her own.
4
@Renee I have been listening to The Peak since it first started to air I heard Jimmy Fink and I thought I was hallucinating I've been listening ever since. A great mix of music.
1
Just turn to the left a tad and discover 90.7 WFUV. This station is a multi-genre, cross-generational treasure.
For a more underground rock approach 91.1 WFMU will suffice.
26
@PDNJ Look no further... the rock and roll radio that many of us grew up on and continue to love is alive and well... and spinning on my show, Freeform Radio, Sundays 6-8pm on Long Island’s only NPR station WPPB 88.3 FM in Southampton, stream live from anywhere in the world on 883wppb.org or check out my archived shows on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/meg-noonan-mcwilliams
1
at 63 I am way outside of their demographic, but it's what I listen to. And it's Matt Nathenson....
Dear lord, Kaplan, there are so many amazing female indie bands that it should be so incredibly easy to have 50/50 even if you're going to ignore Billie Eilish (and you shouldn't, 'Bury A Friend' would work very well next to Mumford & Sons): Stealing Sheep, The Joy Formidable, Oh Pep, The Go! Team, Laura Marling, First Aid Kit. And these are just bands I know. Isn't it your job to be able to find new and interesting stuff?
16
He thinks his job is to keep the people who are already listening tuned in through the commercials. His audience is the advertisers, not the listeners. Sound familiar?
11
@Jill Not to mention Speedy Ortiz, Swearin', and Screaming Females, who are guitar-driven, fan-adored hard rockers from right around here with incredible technical skills (and there's Metz, Lightning Bolt, Titus Andronicus, Parquet Courts, and tons of others keeping rock alive with their own styles as well). Anyone who thinks rock can't be interesting should get themselves to Ridgewood and see a show or two.
2
@Jill - didn't the article kind of imply that bands with women are for female audiences and men won't listen to them so it doesn't matter - others from my current playlist - Emily Rowed, Metric, Shovels and Rope, MO, Fragile House, The Beths, Sneaks, Ex-Hex, Dream Wife, Ladytron, Average Sex, Sleeper, Bis, Mammoth Penguins and the list goes on.
1
Commercial terrestrial radio with its barrage of advertisements and playlists programmed by computer or committee is as outdated as broadcast or cable TV.
14
@Pat Well over 90% of all Americans listen to terrestrial radio each week so hipster fantasy land doesn't match up with reality...like we seen a few short years ago on a grand stage nationally.
2
@doug davis
Old-fashioned content delivery in radio and video is being quickly replaced by on-demand streaming services. That is reality. So is grammar, although you don't seem to get that either.
1
Why no one listens to FM radio anymore, summarized in one quick article. Rock is alive and well, but people like Mike Kaplan wouldn't know it if it smacked them in the face. And it will hardly ever be played on the radio again, for better or worse.
32
@Ed Three things destroyed quality commercial music radio: the obsession with demographics (forced on the industry by ad agencies), the reliance upon bad research, such as music testing where the first 10 seconds of tracks are played and focus group participants "vote", and debt service.
When radio was deregulated and the big chains went on buying sprees, they overpaid and built up debt that no quality radio station could ever pay back. As a result, radio programs to the lowest common denominator with highly repetitive pap -- it's all become fast food radio.
In spite of some of the content, radio is quite conservative and owners and managers buy into ridiculous memes, some of which made sense before the web, but make no sense whatsoever in the age of streaming, which now constitutes 82% of music industry revenues in N. America.
I'm amazed that anyone listens to commercial radio anymore because streaming provides every advantage except one: radio is still a bit easier to listen to and it's available in virtually every car. But as people replace their cars (average car on the road is 12 years old) with cars that better support streaming, it's over for commercial radio. It will just be milked.
Commercial radio has had substantial declines in listeners, share, advertising revenue and cultural impact and they STILL insist on doing things the same way they always have. But audiences are to blame as well because they didn't support better stations.
6
@Martin Brooks
Excellent summary.
Most of what you describe applies similarly to broadcast/cable television networks and content providers. They are also doing business the same way in spite of declining market share -- formulaic pap content, endless advertising, making customers accept bloated overpriced packages of channels, etc.
3
The question was asked if anyone went to Guitar Center and picked up a guitar. Well I do but I walk right past the electric and go to the acoustic guitars. There is lots going on there.
10
@Ronald Stone Agreed that that was a silly quote, as if no one is playing guitar anymore.
1
Stations like this--afraid of touching anything polarizing, alienating its listeners with too much new music or offending anyone--are where rock music goes to die.
Fortunately there are very healthy and diverse underground music scenes in NY and around the country, and the Internet (and your local record stores!) is bursting with their output.
19
Pandering to nostalgia is a tried and true mechanism of any ideology, commercial radio notwithstanding. Art and emotion always suffer in this environment.
The implication that there is an aesthetic through-line among RHCP, All American Rejects, Vampire Weekend, and Twenty One Pilots is a tenuous one at best. So what is the alternative to capital-A Alternative?
Find your local community-supported, non-profit radio stations and therein you will find a true alternative: people/DJs with a passion for music, discovery, and art. This is not to denigrate the mainstream; a good DJ can take you through many eras, genres, and moods in the same set.
Unfortunately for the good and would-be DJs, corporate radio prefers a metrics-generated computer playlist, and so those with true ability and feeling will always be relegated to doing it on a volunteer basis or for pennies on the dollar.
Spin that FM dial as far to the left as you can get it. Rock is alive and well for those willing to step out of the nostalgia-induced haze.
16
Lived in the NY metropolitan area from 2000-2005. I along with other transplants was appalled by how awful the commercial radio stations were. The one exception was a college radio station out on LI. Grand Rapids, MI literally had commercial radio that was more edgy than what you would find in NYC. Too many "suits" choosing the playlists was our guess. And believe me Chicago isn't much better. Thank goodness for Spotify. I don't understand the algorithm, but it plays the punk/new wave I grew up with and consistently introduces me to new acts I really enjoy. Not sure why an app can broaden my musical horizons at 55, but a commercial radio station no longer can.
10
Money changes everything.
And it crushes playlists into repetitive machines.
There is no such thing as “ alternative “ radio
anymore, it’s been absorbed into the big bright green pleasure machine.
6
@db2
" keep the customer satisfied "
I still yearn for the WHFS of my youth in the DC area. I have tried to creat my own on Pandora, but don’t find enough “new blood” on my own.
12
ALT 92.3 is about as good as it gets for the likes of me. At 44, I'm definitely older than their target demographic, but as someone who grew up with Depeche Mode and Cure posters on her wall, listening to WDRE/WLIR, I will take any attempt at alt-rock I can get. I sure hope they stay in business.
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@Anjou I loved WLIR/WDRE too. Check out 90.7 WFUV (on a weekday) if you haven't already done so. They play a wide range of stuff with occasional visits to the New Wave classics.
7
@Shelly alas I live in Jersey so 90.7 doesn't always come in for me! I do listen to 90.3, which is college/community radio out of the Rutgers area.
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@Anjou
If you are in the broadcast area (or can stream) WXPN 88.5 out of Philadelphia has a great mix of music - alt rock, folk, blues, new and old. I really enjoy it.
7
Good luck to any radio station looking for a sizable audience these days. It's akin to the broadcast TV stations competing for eyeballs against all the streaming and on-demand services. It was the Internet and not video that killed the radio star. My go-to station in NYC for years has been WFUV. It's technically a college station but they play most of the stuff mentioned in this article, with more of a focus on new artists. Not surprising to hear a Dylan standard followed by Gary Clark Jr. But unlike commercial stations, FUV is not a slave to ratings or data-driven playlists. The DJs have been there forever and are free to express their tastes and musical sensibilities.
21
Radio should be a leader, not follower. It was Murray the K, back in the day who is credited with coining the phrase "Rock and Roll!" Growing up listening to WNEW in New York, it was a golden treasure chest of wonderful rock artists.
Rock is very much alive and well, despite focus groups. Greta Van Fleet is filling arenas and selling millions of units, James Bay is loyal to the historic tradition of the bluesman-guitarist walking in the footsteps of Clapton and others.
I am thrilled to discover ATL 92.3, and may it not become the J. Crew or Banana Republic of musical programming, but rather the leader for the rest of America, and the world to take not of a future Prince, or Kurt Cobain, or Tom Petty of the future.
For those about to rock Mike Kaplan- we salute you!
10
@Larry D - I think Alan Freed (sp?) created the term "Rock and Roll" in the 50's - a while before Murray the K. And yes, 'NEW in NY was my go-to station too.
Actually, it was DJ Alan Freed who coined the term “rock and roll.”
@Larry D
It was Alan Freed who coined the term “Rock and Roll”.
1
There are rock sorts of formats available online, from KCRW to KEXP. I’m amazed that more stations don’t copy them, but just give it time, they will.
4
The radio station of my youth was located in Hempstead NY where one could hear unknown groups like Talking Heads, Blondie, and a surprise visit by The Ramones. The call letters were WLIR 92.7 FM. This station brought to the airwaves some of the best "new wave" punk bands including Elvis Costello, Rockpile, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Squeeze, The Smiths, The Cure Depeche Mode, the list is endless. This is what I was listening to and I was even able to see the Ramones perform for free at the local college. They still don't get the recognition they deserve as THE group that started it all sadly the Clash earned more recognition and money. I will have to tune in to 92.3 ( I seem to remember many incarnations on that station from Howard Stern and I think Latino music).
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@Margo Channing - Thanks for making me remember WLIR! It was all I listened to -- when my roommate moved to LA in 1984, I taped hours of their programming for him to take with :-D
7
@Margo Channing I still miss that radio station! Best. Radio. Station. EVER!!
10
@Margo Channing I respectively disagree visa via Ramones vs Clash but I think you'll find that the Ramones are starting to get the recognition you crave -- and they deserve. They topped the list of the 40 greatest Punk Albums of all Time that Rolling Stone compiled a few years ago, for instance.
1
What’s the “ideal station” for someone in their 50s who just wants to hear good songs - whether they be by the Beatles/Stones or by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheehan?
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@Steven Roth
For the eastern Long Island, try WEHM 92.9 and 96.9.
2
@Steven Roth Are you willing to listen to streaming? Try BBC radio 6, which plays music from a whole bunch of genres.
2