PLAYLIST RESEARCH

THE RISE OF ALTERNATIVE RADIO
by Alex Cosper

What was once cultural is now just a commercial for itself. The popularity of alternative radio on the FM dial began to fizzle away in the early 2000s. Just a decade earlier alternative radio and its music marked a revolution. On the surface this revolution was a backlash on corporate music and a salute to independents. Alternative radio traces back to the late sixties when freeform radio began attracting disenfranchised listeners to the FM dial with underground music. It continued to develop through the seventies and eighties with stations that focused on new wave music mixed with other eclectic sounds. Alternative culture was heavily based on out of the box thinking and independent businesses that included radio stations, record labels, record stores and night clubs. This indie scene evolved gradually for years until its big splash in the early nineties. This story is about KWOD 106.5 in Sacramento and other radio stations around the country that helped shape the explosive sound of alternative radio in the nineties. more


CHAPTERS

1. A NEW ERA BEGINS
Sacramento top 40 station KWOD begins to experiment with modern rock in the Spring of 1991

2. A CHANGE IN EVOLUTION
KWOD begins to mix in Nirvana to its mostly pop-sounding playlist in late 1991

3. ALL OVER THE ROAD
1992 turns out to be a dark age in the ratings between two distinct eras

4. TRANSITION TO PURE MODERN ROCK
The station begins its climb after dumping its top 40/dance connections in 1993

5. NIRVANA VS. PEARL JAM
The Seattle scene begins to overshadow the established British bands of modern rock 1993-1994

6. CLIMB OF THE DECADE
1994 marks sharp ratings increases at KWOD and modern rock radio across the country

7. PEAK OF THE DECADE
The peak of the alternative format's national success and KWOD's success is in 1995

8. EVERYTHING CHANGES
The music industry pitches a heavy dose of pop in 1996 to alternative stations

9. RADIO ROAD TRIP U.S.A.
The 1997-1998 era confirms that alternative radio and its music have dropped off in popularity

10. A NEW CENTURY OF CHOICES
New media presents new challenges for traditional radio in the new millennium