Philly's last alternative rock station off the air

[91TTZ]

Over the past several years, Philadelphia's alternative rock stations have been all leaving the airwaves, being replaced by rap, R&B, and gospel music. There used to be several to choose from, but they've all gone away. Y100 was the last alt rock station around that played bands such as Muse, Coldplay, Oasis, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, etc. Yesterday Y100 was kicked off the air and replaced by Gospel music. There are already tons of rap, R&B and gospel stations on the air in Philly, but I guess the powers that be want the rock off the air and replaced by rap/urban music.

I used to listen to 103.9, but that station was bought out several years ago and replaced by rap. I changed stations a few times but they also were bought out and replaced by rap music. The general trend is that all the "white" sounding stations are being taken over and their format changed to "black" sounding stations. Here's what the station has to say about it:

Radio One, which also owns adult R&B station WRNB-FM (107.9) here, wants to urbanize its overall sound; most of its 69 stations target urban and African American listeners. The signal at 100.3 has better coverage than the one at 103.9.

Here's the station's webpage:
About Radio One

It seems like they're aggressively going after the rock stations and changing the format. As of now, there are 0 alt rock stations in Philly.

I'm glad I got satellite radio for Christmas.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I'm glad I got satellite radio for Christmas.

All my local stations suck ass. I'd shoot myself if someone took my satellite radio unit away from me.

 

[BrokenVisage]

I live in Philly too but don't really mind these alt rock stations going under since I either listen to my CD's (mostly rap and 80's rock) or 610 WIP (sports talk radio) but yeah I use to love stations like Y100, doesn't WMMR and WYSP play alt rock sometimes though? I know its mostly older stuff but I thought they played some new crap.

 

[Wallydraigle]

I blame the schools.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
I live in Philly too but don't really mind these alt rock stations going under since I either listen to my CD's (mostly rap and 80's rock) or 610 WIP (sports talk radio) but yeah I use to love stations like Y100, doesn't WMMR and WYSP play alt rock sometimes though? I know its mostly older stuff but I thought they played some new crap.

Yeah, 94.1 will once in a while but it's mixed in with mostly older rock like ACDC, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. 93.3 is mostly a classic rock station.

What gets me is just how aggressively they've seemed to go after the younger-audience rock stations. Any alternative rock station for younger people that springs up gets pounced on and the format switched to rap or R&B. It's as if someone with money has an agenda.

 

[crab]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
I live in Philly too but don't really mind these alt rock stations going under since I either listen to my CD's (mostly rap and 80's rock) or 610 WIP (sports talk radio) but yeah I use to love stations like Y100, doesn't WMMR and WYSP play alt rock sometimes though? I know its mostly older stuff but I thought they played some new crap.

Yeah, 94.1 will once in a while but it's mixed in with mostly older rock like ACDC, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. 93.3 is mostly a classic rock station.

What gets me is just how aggressively they've seemed to go after the younger-audience rock stations. Any alternative rock station for younger people that springs up gets pounced on and the format switched to rap or R&B. It's as if someone with money has an agenda.

Someone always has money, and with money comes an agenda. This is all about money.

 

[Shawn]

Wow that sucks. We have 3 or 4 rock stations around here and we're just a little city. It if wasn't for the poor sound quality and commercials I wouldn't even have XM.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Does a rap station really make that much more money than an alternative/hard rock station?

 

[BrokenVisage]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Yeah, 94.1 will once in a while but it's mixed in with mostly older rock like ACDC, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. 93.3 is mostly a classic rock station.

What gets me is just how aggressively they've seemed to go after the younger-audience rock stations. Any alternative rock station for younger people that springs up gets pounced on and the format switched to rap or R&B. It's as if someone with money has an agenda.

VH.. now your talking my language!

I know where you're coming from though, I hate when any station just up and changes formats just because someone with money says so.. its a shame for the DJ's, producers and especially people who listen in.

 

[mugs]

The stations are all changing to "black" music because the white kids with money all listen to "black" music. Y100 had badratings, and their morning show hosts were already planning on moving to MMR in August.

I'll miss the Sonic Sessions though

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: mugs
The stations are all changing to "black" music because the white kids with money all listen to "black" music. Y100 had badratings, and their morning show hosts were already planning on moving to MMR in August.

Y100 turned into a gospel station. You think those white kids listen to gospel?

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: mugs
The stations are all changing to "black" music because the white kids with money all listen to "black" music. Y100 had badratings, and their morning show hosts were already planning on moving to MMR in August.

Y100 turned into a gospel station. You think those white kids listen to gospel?

I was referring to the general trend that you referred to in your OP. You know it's about money and ratings. What do you expect them to do, leave it on the air when they could be getting better ratings with a different format? If Philadelphia is a viable market for alt-rock, then there will be a replacement for Y100.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: mugs

You know it's about money and ratings. What do you expect them to do, leave it on the air when they could be getting better ratings with a different format? If Philadelphia is a viable market for alt-rock, then there will be a replacement for Y100.

I was suspecting the same thing, but it doesn't seem like it would be that bad for rock around here. I don't know.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: mugs

You know it's about money and ratings. What do you expect them to do, leave it on the air when they could be getting better ratings with a different format? If Philadelphia is a viable market for alt-rock, then there will be a replacement for Y100.

I was suspecting the same thing, but it doesn't seem like it would be that bad for rock around here. I don't know.

What's odd is that there are now three classic rock stations in the Philadelphia market now (if you consider YSP classic rock... they play stuff of all ages). Hawk and MMR are the others. I'd think that if 3 classic rock stations can survive together, one alt-rock station could.

 

[StageLeft]

crap a city that big and not one alt-station? VERY LAME.

 

[mugs]

http://www.y100rocks.com/

 

[Mloot]

OP, I feel your pain. Similarly, Houston's only hard rock/metal station, which had been on the air for something like 30 years, was recently bought out and turned into a Spanish pop station. Classics such as Mandatory Metallica (9:00 pm every weeknight) has been usurped by bands whose names I'll never know and music I can't even understand. :|

R.I.P. KLOL

 

[lokiju]

I know exactly what you're going through, just a few weeks ago the same thing happened here in Miami, they got rid of the one and only rock station around that had been here for many many years, but on the plus side a local techno/trance station switch formats within a week and is now the new rock station for the Miami area it is a lot better than the one that got replaced.

So who knows, maybe good will come out of it for you also.

 

[glenn1]

I feel bad for ya. I lived in the Philly area until a couple years ago. WMMR has sucked goat balls for a dozen years now and WYSP isn't that much better. Of course Philadelphians made a sh!tty radio personality like the turdburglar John DiBella and his "morning zoo" program into a superstar so we already know your tastes suck. The radio stations there cater to your peers, the typical dumbass Philadelphian rocker who is perfectly content to listen to YSP play "Iron Man" seventeen times a day. Of course you should have seen this coming when they turned WHFS in D.C. into a Latino station. Unless you live in a smaller marketplace city with some actual new population (like me here in Richmond VA with 2 big alternative rock stations duking it out along with some smaller competitors) you're going to have choices defined by your neighbors, namely those so stupid that they still live in Mayor John Street's Philadelphia.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Originally posted by: Mloot
OP, I feel your pain. Similarly, Houston's only hard rock/metal station, which had been on the air for something like 30 years, was recently bought out and turned into a Spanish pop station. Classics such as Mandatory Metallica (9:00 pm every weeknight) has been usurped by bands whose names I'll never know and music I can't even understand. :|

R.I.P. KLOL

Mloot,

Mandatory Metallica is on at 10:00 pm every weeknight on 94.5 KTBZ The Buzz.

Besides that, I recommend 97.5 KIOL for alternative KLOL listening.

Take care.

 

[Mloot]

Originally posted by: SmoochyTX

Originally posted by: Mloot
OP, I feel your pain. Similarly, Houston's only hard rock/metal station, which had been on the air for something like 30 years, was recently bought out and turned into a Spanish pop station. Classics such as Mandatory Metallica (9:00 pm every weeknight) has been usurped by bands whose names I'll never know and music I can't even understand. :|

R.I.P. KLOL

Mloot,

Mandatory Metallica is on at 10:00 pm every weeknight on 94.5 KTBZ The Buzz.

Besides that, I recommend 97.5 KIOL for alternative KLOL listening.

Take care.

Hey, thx for the suggestions, Smoochy. Since KLOL went down the drain, I haven't listened to FM much at all (CD's now, mostly). I'll give those two a try.

 

[bootymac]

We had one alt rock station go under in Vancouver. Overtime you were expecting it because less and less people were talking on the station. Then overnight, it suddenly became a soft music station.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Originally posted by: Mloot

Originally posted by: SmoochyTX

Originally posted by: Mloot
OP, I feel your pain. Similarly, Houston's only hard rock/metal station, which had been on the air for something like 30 years, was recently bought out and turned into a Spanish pop station. Classics such as Mandatory Metallica (9:00 pm every weeknight) has been usurped by bands whose names I'll never know and music I can't even understand. :|

R.I.P. KLOL

Mloot,

Mandatory Metallica is on at 10:00 pm every weeknight on 94.5 KTBZ The Buzz.

Besides that, I recommend 97.5 KIOL for alternative KLOL listening.

Take care.

Hey, thx for the suggestions, Smoochy. Since KLOL went down the drain, I haven't listened to FM much at all (CD's now, mostly). I'll give those two a try.

If you were a fan of Walton & Johnson in the morning, 97.5 is where they're at.

97.5 is the new KLOL.

And Mandatory Metallica rocks.

 

[nageov3t]

*tear*

Y100 was one of my favorite stations in the nation. I used to date someone in Philly, and whenever I drove down there, we'd listen to Y100. said SO's best friend was also an overnight DJ at Y100 and he got us into the best concerts he hooked us up with tickets to Smashing Pumpkins final concert in Chicago.

 

[tokamak]

face it, rock 'n' roll is dead. what's left of it is surviving on the saccharine-pop hollow and manufactured "punk/emo" that's being churned out these days. the kids are listening to the "rap" thats being shovel-fed to them these days. even ClearChannel won't throw rock fans a bone anymore - this is happening all over the country.