Does anybody remember when Alternative went off the air right across North America?

[RVT1K]

It's become hard to pin down a definition for Alt that doesn't bleed into or otherwise include other genres. I think that's a testimony to the state of new music's vitality more broadly...

The same goes for most if not all music genre.

I remember watching a (very good) documentary on the history of heavy metal and the number of sub-branches was HUGE.

 

[malden]

For me, "alternative" meant rock music that wasn't played on mainstream radio stations. We had three rock stations in the 90's, none of them played bands like Alice In Chains, Live, Butthole Surfers, Portishead.

Even though REM, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins are considered "alternative", they were played on mainstream stations so are they "alternative"?

 

[DeadRock]

I never really got "Alternative" as a defining genre.

In the mid 80's my group of friends called some of what we listened to "alternative".
It was not what got the label "alternative" a few years later.

I agree, things under that label got assimilated into the mainstream and became the new normal.

I think it grew out of college radio stations...

 

[Kodaline]

were you in the daytona area in the early mid 90s?

there was a bar on beach st. called " the spot" every tues night was "society grunge night"

quarter drafts and grunge/metal videos on all the tvs and a jammin system . they were not shy with the volume if you asked....

i had asked about the station and it was some satellite station out of seattle.

1/2 dozen pool tables in back. an "L" shaped pool table up front.

hadda be 1994/5 . they didn't last very long. too bad. i loved that place.

I was there part of the time. Orlando as well.

 

[Kodaline]

For me, "alternative" meant rock music that wasn't played on mainstream radio stations. We had three rock stations in the 90's, none of them played bands like Alice In Chains, Live, Butthole Surfers, Portishead.

Even though REM, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins are considered "alternative", they were played on mainstream stations so are they "alternative"?

I considered alternative to be alternative to what existed, as opposed to what was being played. I think rock sort of lost its erection about 93 or so. Even metal went soft then.

 

[YY1]

Unless you listened to Pantera.

I would argue that AIC, Soundgarden, and even Smashing Punkins have a metal component.

...and Ministry.

 

[YY1]

BTW- loving the "resurgence" of "classic" metal.

 

[spicer]

as a life-long fan of indie, underground and so-called "alternative" music, this, imo, was the best thing for the actual music. The commoditizing and monetization of the music made it inherently not alternative, it was the new mainstream. That in turn, watered it down and made it all crap.

KMET, center of the dial FM, Los Angeles, early seventies, FM was wide open territory like early days of Internet... radio like you've never heart it, low compression too, managed for quality sound. Then, after a short and brilliant life, it went away, basically, and a more acceptable underground was ushered onto the stage and it was downhill from there, elevator alternative, not just the music, everything. The spirit does seem to be squishing out of the wood work though if you know where to look on the Net but it too is in process of being paved over, the Net that is.

 

[Swokie63]

Alternative what..?
I was a resident of Atlanta(metro, suburban, whatever) in the late 80's to late 90's..

96 Rock played rock
99X played alternative, X gen music..?
U2, Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, etc.

Last time I was out there 97.1 The River was popular. 96 Rock is I Heart classic rock..

99X(just googled it)..

The miraculous return of the real 99X

Good things have a way of disappearing in Atlanta: New condos rise above historic neighborhoods like gravestones, an iconic doughnut shop burns to the ground, a legendary music venue gets gutted to make room for a shiny office space. But on Monday, December 5, a miracle happened. It came in the...

www.atlantamagazine.com

 

[DeadRock]

Unless you listened to Pantera.

I would argue that AIC, Soundgarden, and even Smashing Punkins have a metal component.

...and Ministry.

I remember the first time I heard Soundgarden...it was The Day I Tried To Live...I was at a house party catchin' a good one...that song came on and almost immediately my jaw dropped and I was like...wtf is that? ...in a very good way...

 

[Bill S]

If you are looking for reasons:

Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Clear Channel Radio which became iHeartMedia.

The real day the music died.

This.
I am lucky in that I have 2, over the air independent radio stations that I can tune in that play mostly new, alt and Indie titles.

 

[Kodaline]

Problem is, stations like JRR played Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Black Crows, and other bands so much that I even dislike typing the names, they were that overplayed. A song that wasn't that good to begin with had to opportunity to be liked because you heard it five times a day. This was back when CD players were just starting to show up in cars, so you either fought cassettes, or put up with Clear Channel Communications.

There were some highlights, the DJ would "forget" to play the censored version of songs, so you'd get NiN's Closer and pull up next to someone you wanted to annoy or cat call, and crank it for the refrain and sing along.

 

[RVT1K]

Problem is, stations like JRR played Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Black Crows, and other bands so much that I even dislike typing the names, they were that overplayed.

This is why I bailed out on "classic rock" stations a long time ago.
The playlists were so limited, I couldn't take it any more. And it didn't matter which station you picked, it seemed like they all had the same playlist.

I resorted to sports talk in the mornings and I "discovered" an alternative station when I lived in Phoenix.

 

[Lavane]

I remember this so well, and I'm surprised it didn't stir up any reaction. Over night, Alternative disappeared almost completely across the North American airwaves. I remember this so well, because I was flying out to San Francisco for a training course in San Jose. The morning I left, I driove to the airport parking lot. My favourite radio station wasn't there. There was country playing instead. When I arrived in San Francisco, I couldn't find any of the great alternative stations I was used to listening to when I was out there.

Personally, I think the industry decided they werte no longer going to support the altnative industry, and decided to see if they could change that. What really surprised me wa how few people were talking about it.

Do you remember that time? Interestingly, that alternative radio station I used to listen to that disappeared is back, but these are never the same, especially after so much time.

I remember. My favorite station was KZAP out of Sacramento Ca.
Same as you, one morning I tuned in for my morning drive to work and it was a Country Western Station. This was about the time many of the local stations were being snapped up by soulless corporations. Slewing the same music and formats across many stations. The only difference was the name they gave the station. Like the Bear, The Thunder, The Eagle, etc.
The wierd thing about KZAP after it went country is it totally disappeared one day. Just gone. A couple years later there it was a few hundred Mike's away on a different frequency. I found it when traveling to the northern coast. And it was back to what it used to be. But like you stated, it wasn't quite the same.
Then recently I found it again about 40 miles north of me on yet another frequency. I had to drive to a doctor's appointment and was scanning through stations when I found it. It was pretty much the same as it was on the coast, maybe a little better. So it's set now in my Jeep and Truck stereos and can now tune it in at home.
In the 70's KZAP had great DJ's. Late night was always awesome.

 

[E2]

If you are looking for reasons:

Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Clear Channel Radio which became iHeartMedia.

The real day the music died.

Massive piece of legislation that has greatly helped create many of the problems we have today in media.

If you can produce crap, and package it to the mostly uninterested masses, who will lap up nonsense, which is much easier to produce, why would I produce any worth while content, report on real news, etc......

Look at the top ten albums of any year from the late 60's into the early 70's and look at the last 35+ years.....telling.

The socio economic background of people that consume garbage doesn't matter either, which has often amazed me.

 

[JoeESP9]

I never knew it was on the air.

For me, the last big OTA radio happening was when WRTI (Temple Univ. 90.1) Merged with WFLN (classical public radio). Now instead of jazz 24/7 they play classical from 6AM to 6PM and jazz for the other 12 hours.

 

[electronjohn]

"Beaker Street" w/Clyde Clifford on "The Mighty 1090...KAAY Little Rock. An alternative music service of the LIN Broadcasting Company." Clyde did a great job of introducing those of us growing up in the hinterlands to mighty fine music on reefer-fueled late night cruises.

 

[pauldrewry]

There's alternative, then there is corporate alternative. It's no longer a love of a music genre, it's music as a money maker.

 

[Lavane]

For me, "alternative" meant rock music that wasn't played on mainstream radio stations. We had three rock stations in the 90's, none of them played bands like Alice In Chains, Live, Butthole Surfers, Portishead.

Even though REM, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins are considered "alternative", they were played on mainstream stations so are they "alternative"?

Exactly. That's what I liked about the alternative station I listened to in the 70's. They did play a lot of good rock that was coming out and popular during the day, but also played a lot of B side and deep track tracks.
Also stuff you wouldn't necessarily hear on the radio at all. Even some Fusion and Jazz on certain nights.
The DJ's were the type that didn't like bowing to the record companies and made it known from time to time. There is still an independent station across the river from where I live that has recently stopped playing God awful modern pop music and now play a lot of Rock from the 70's on. It's a real mixed bag too. It's kind of refreshing not hearing the same dozen or so songs being played over and over.

 

[painttoad]

.

This is why I bailed out on "classic rock" stations a long time ago.
The playlists were so limited, I couldn't take it any more. And it didn't matter which station you picked, it seemed like they all had the same playlist.

I resorted to sports talk in the mornings and I "discovered" an alternative station when I lived in Phoenix.

i bailed on classic rock stations long ago as well but now, with the crap music that is being made today, i have found myself going back now and then.

the upside is that there are a couple classic rock stations around here that will throw out an easter egg. you might hear metallica or alice in chains.

ota radio sucks. it has for a long time. i love my pandora.

it's kind of hard to test out a tuner after alignment using pandora tho