Once 92.3 FM flipped from the modern alt-rock format to sports talk, Clevelanders who still listen to the radio were deprived of yet another in a dwindling list of rock choices.
They got one back today at noon when 99.1 FM debuted. You can listen to the modern rock grooves, fed by WMMS/100.7’s HD 2 sidechannel according to Ohio Media Watch, online here.
The first song: Black Keys’ “Gold on the Ceiling,” which is a fresh new jam that you probably haven’t heard before.
As Scene staff writer Anastasia Pantsios points out in the comments, this is hardly “new.” More like same old shit you’ve been hearing for the last twenty years:
The rest of the station’s first hour playlist featured U2’s “Mysterious ways” (1991), Stone Temple Pilots’ “Wicked Garden” (1992), Smashing Pumpkins’ “Cherub Rock” (1993), and Live’s “I Alone” (1994). It also included tracks only a little more than a decade old like Alien Ant Farm’s “Smooth Criminal,” Rage Against the Machine’s “Sleep Now in the Fire,” Fuel’s “Hemorrhage,” and POD’s Alive.” Newer tracks included Fun’s “We Are Young” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” currently being played to death at Top 40 radio and so a little hard to dub “alternative.”
The station’s press release also touted the “best new rock alternative music” it’ll be playing: “The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Nirvana, and Green Day. It added that the playlist will also include “artists such as Muse, Jimmy Eat World, Young The Giant, Harvey Danger, Gotye, Imagine Dragons and Airborne Toxic Event,” the majority of them newer (although Harvey Danger and Jimmy Eat World will both soon be celebrating their 20th anniversaries) but also mostly affiliated with what remains of major labels – hence hardly “alternative.”
This article appears in May 23-29, 2012.
‘MMS’s sideband? Sounds like more of the same….But I plan on listening…Then yelping…
The Clear Channel press release used the word “new” five times (including the headline), calling itself a “new rock alternative.” That Black Keys track was just about the newest thing it played in its first hour, coming from the band’s most recent album, El Camino, released this past December.
The rest of the station’s first hour playlist featured U2’s “Mysterious ways” (1991), Stone Temple Pilots’ “Wicked Garden” (1992), Smashing Pumpkins’ “Cherub Rock” (1993), and Live’s “I Alone” (1994). It also included tracks only a little more than a decade old like Alien Ant Farm’s “Smooth Criminal,” Rage Against the Machine’s “Sleep Now in the Fire,” Fuel’s “Hemorrhage,” and POD’s Alive.” Newer tracks included Fun’s “We Are Young” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” currently being played to death at Top 40 radio and so a little hard to dub “alternative.”
The station’s press release also touted the “best new rock alternative music” it’ll be playing: “The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Nirvana, and Green Day. It added that the playlist will also include “artists such as Muse, Jimmy Eat World, Young The Giant, Harvey Danger, Gotye, Imagine Dragons and Airborne Toxic Event,” the majority of them newer (although Harvey Danger and Jimmy Eat World will both soon be celebrating their 20th anniversaries) but also mostly affiliated with what remains of major labels – hence hardly “alternative.”
@Anastasia…Nice job over there getting this out to the masses!!!!I saw the press release when I dug around online a bit….
And it sounds pretty good! Hope they keep the momentum going forward….
New, old, whatever…
Cleveland radio in regards to alternative music is atrocious. 100.7 is talk radio 95% of the time I’m in the car. I’d rather have the option than nothing at all, even if it is mislabeled as “new alternative”.
@Bma…I know CleOh radio is SUCH crap…My terrestrial radio listening is almost zero, I stream literally HOURS a day via Pandora, Yahoo and Slacker ect. Local stations would KILL for that kind of loyalty, question is can they deliver on a product that we expect/demand/deserve?
Doubt it…But I for one will give them an honest try…
So this station is only available to those with HD radios? Way to go Clear Channel. Not all of us can afford one of those receivers. Anyone know if there’s a website for this station?
So this is only available on HD radio? They couldn’t make it available for those of us who can’t afford one (I’m saving up to move to Florida)? Way to go Clear Channel. Any word on a website by chance?
Thanks for the props, Vince!
Raptor-chan, this is being simulcast on regular analog 99.1 FM, known as a “translator” in the biz. Only 250 watts but fairly high above ground on the WMJI tower. Your signal mileage may vary depending on your distance from Parma.
Confirmed just now that tonight, they are running the CC national “Premium Choice” alternative rock “Alt Project” playlist. Compare yourself via iHeartRadio, where CC has conveniently put it up on the Cleveland page next to the 99X feed.
We don’t know if they plan to change that use of Premium Choice…our guess is “mostly no, if not entirely”.
Ohio MediaWatch,
I’m in Highland Heights and tried getting the station on several radios with no success. I wonder if they’ll create a website.
A station like this really doesn’t need much effort to go into it. (I might be wrong, but doesn’t CC’s top alt-rock stations like KYSR in Los Angeles and DC101 in Washington, DC originate the PC music logs?) They wouldn’t need DJs or many commercial breaks, assuming there would be combo spots with WMMS and KISS-FM. Sort of a pseudo “radio 92.3” redux, except that 92.3 was on at least a full-power signal, albeit a lousy one.
Only thing that was a total unknown was the signal quality – and 99.1 ended up launching on a high-tropo day where WFRO-FM in Fremont (which doesn’t have to protect 99X by any means whatsoever) blew away 99X even in parts of Downtown Cleveland. Oof.
Gotta wonder if this is nothing more than the byproduct of a giant chess game, especially as rumors persist that CBS might ultimately move The Fan to 98.5 – displacing WNCX and, presumably, reviving “radio 92.3.” Of course CBS blew it when they forced “radio 92.3” on the HD sideband only, not even allowing for streaming audio.
cbrbart: It’s a sad state of affairs when the majority of my music radio enjoyment nowadays comes from “93.9 The River” in Windsor, Ontario… a Detroit area-station that thankfully comes into the Cleveland metro most days. Heck, I’ll even put up with the static and/or fluttering on it. Tightly executed AAA format.
There’s always college radio, people. Always.
I’m still waiting for the next “107.9 The End”. Now that was an awesome station.