[Massachusetts] What's up with Rock and Alternative (in the Northeast) these days?

[The Fat Man]

So, Greater Media (or whoever bought them out) owns a cluster of stations in the Boston Market. One station is WBOS. Historically, WBOS has kept the call letters, but jumped several formats over its fairly long history. The latest format is labeled as Alternative. It ran under the name Radio 92.9 for almost a decade, and with the demise of WBCN and (later) WFNX, it has the distinction as the sole in market potential competition to WAAF.

Now, WAAF is mainstream rock, where WBOS is marketed as an alternative station. But, both stations have the same issue. With a plethora of new rock and alternative being released, why are these stations locked in with still being heavy on 90s playlists? And, as WBOS rebranded weeks ago as Alt 92.9, there still isn't much of a change.

This has me wondering, why aren't these stations getting the picture that they need to add some new music. I get the stance that tge younger generation is getting their music from other platforms, but, to not add new music, and make themselves a choice, they aren't helping the cause. In my opinion, FM might be dying as a music platform, but they are only speeding up their death with making the choices that they made. Outside of Country or Pop, these owners a tightening up playlists with the same songs.

When WBCN was flipped to the HD2 wasteland, I posted on their message board that this was the issue with radio. I mentioned that FM needed to incorporate the same new music that SiriusXM incorporated into their playlists. I even referenced KROQ, as CBS owns both. Instead, I got my message deleted and the mod complaining that the station was alive and well on HD2. I wasn't so surprised.

Look at the west coast stations. They play new and modern music in all genres. Why isn't this happening in New England, if not the northeast. I really don't like putting on a station called Alt 92.9 and hear Spin Doctors music. This might be just my preferrence, but what gives?

 

[Mister B]

I have been lamenting the fact for some time that radio stations all sound about the same wherever I travel. It used to be so interesting to check out the various formats and playlists when visiting other cities. Now 92.3 in El Paso is almost identical to 104.7 in Albuquerque, 107.7 in Tucson, etc. If Los Angeles rock stations are playing a bit more new music than others it is probably based on focus group research or such. I just looked up the radio stations in the Boston area in reference to the stations mentioned above. Are you able to receive 94.1 from Rhode Island or 101.1 from New Hampshire? A good outdoor FM antenna on a rotor may add a lot of variety in your location.​

 

[The Fat Man]

Actually, I'm in New Hampshire right on the Mass boarder. I get both 101.1 WGIR and sister rock station 100.3 WHEB clearly where I live. They play a bit more new rock than WAAF, but it's more of the Nickelback, Seether, Shinedown kind of rock.

Yes, there is some Five Finger Death Punch thrown in, but that's the outlier to the fore mentioned and classic rock.

Those two are my usual go to stations when I rarely use FM. For me, it's using my phone to stream Radio BDC out of Boston (Alternative), Indie 103.1 out of Los Angeles (Alternative), the tunein app for either Radio MOJO on 100.7 HD-2 out of Boston (Blues) or Irbe 98.3 out of Bermuda (Reagee), or SiriusXM.

I wish there was more versatility on my local terrestrial FM band, like there was 20 to 30 years ago. It seems like since we saw Janet Jackson's boob, everything has gone safe and watered down.

 

[harshness]

I wish there was more versatility on my local terrestrial FM band, like there was 20 to 30 years ago.

Alas, now that royalties are apparently a factor and most of the stations have been taken over by one of a half-dozen conglomerates, it is just easier to repeat the same crappy stuff in each market.

 

[ejb1980]

I have been lamenting the fact for some time that radio stations all sound about the same wherever I travel. It used to be so interesting to check out the various formats and playlists when visiting other cities. Now 92.3 in El Paso is almost identical to 104.7 in Albuquerque, 107.7 in Tucson, etc. If Los Angeles rock stations are playing a bit more new music than others it is probably based on focus group research or such. I just looked up the radio stations in the Boston area in reference to the stations mentioned above. Are you able to receive 94.1 from Rhode Island or 101.1 from New Hampshire? A good outdoor FM antenna on a rotor may add a lot of variety in your location.​

Agree fully. One of the best parts of travel was radio discovery! Now, it's just identifying which station is that market's version of the same regurgitated station you'll hear everywhere else. College radio can be interesting, but the power levels generally discourage long listening. Is there a US market WITHOUT Nikky Sixx out there somewhere? Anywhere?

A treat driving to Boston used to be 101.1 in NH. It is now unlistenable. It's so boring and predictable now.

 

[The Fat Man]

At least Sixx Sense plays new music. I used to have it programmed in my XM Radio, until Clear Channel thought that only NY and LA based pop radio stations were necessary on SiriusXM and removed everything else. Someone needs to independently buy a big station, and attempt another Indie 103.1, even if it was for another format. The problem is the geniuses at the FCC had to screw with everything 20 years ago, and allow this garbage to happen. Little guys, such as Indie 103.1, such as WFNX, and everything else is getting stomped out of the ground by bigger companies. In the Northeast, they all suck; CBS Radio, Clear Channel (I will never refer to them by their new name, that's how bad I hate them), Greater Media (who just got bought out) and Entercom. It's either pop, pop with a rock lead, pop with a rap lean, pop country (after all, driving down Lansdowne Street in Boston definitely reminds me of living on the farm), or Sports Talk.

The most useless people on the planet are Sports Talk Radio hosts and Sports writers. "I make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to talk/write about a game that I can't play." They add nothing to society, and most couldn't even sniff the jock strap of their favorite athletes. Yet, here they are, telling me what they would do if they were the coach, quarterback, pitcher, or whoever else involved in the team. You're not! Why, because you can't play or coach. If you could, you would be on court, field, or ice; instead of talking about it at the radio station! They all think that they are Howard Cosell.

I can go on forever. FM radio is a nuclear wasteland, and will only get worse.

 

[Mister B]

By "Indie 103.1" do you mean the transmitters in Santa Monica and Newport Beach, CA? They have had many call letters and brands over the years. I lived in the area when they were known as Mars FM and later as Groove Radio. Thank God I still have all of the 12 inch singles I discovered from that radio station.

 

[The Fat Man]

I mean the online App that used to broadcast on FM.

 

[ejb1980]

Sixx Sense is voices only. My local classic rock station plays Sixx Sense plays zero new music.

 

[The Fat Man]

They used to then. As I admit, I haven't listened to FM in about two years. At one time, they did.