Posted Tuesday, December 5, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
On Monday night, Radio 105.7 changed its name to Alt 105.7.
The name doesn't reflect a shift in format. It was an alternative rock station before and it remains an alternative rock station.
The line-up appears to be the same with Wendy Rollins in mornings, Knox mid-days and Aly Young in afternoons. "We're changing things up but we're still here," Rollins said this morning.
The music sounds the same, a mix of alt rock going back to the 1990s when 99X reigned. This morning, there were songs by Smashing Pumpkins, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Dreams, Weezer, Hozier, the Foo Fighters, the Struts, Cage the Elephant, Silversun Pickups. Bishop Briggs, Modest Mouse, Imagine Dragons and Harvey Danger.
Aly is the only on-air personality who has been around since the station's launch in 2013. IHeartRadio made the official flip on March 28, 2013, when it changed from a rhythmic top 40 format Wild.
Its original name of Radio was a bit quixotic given its decidedly generic name. It's like naming a restaurant Restaurant.
The station has focused been heavily music focused since day one, keeping on-air banter to a minimum. And it tends to be fairly conservative adding new songs.
Over the years, its ratings have been stronger among younger listeners. In the most recent October ratings book, it ranked 11th with a 4 rating with 18 to 34 year olds and 19th overall with a 1.6 rating. The station isn't doing quite as well as it did in 2016. A year ago, it ranked 6th among 18 to 34 year olds with a 4.3 rating and a 17th overall spot with a 2.4 rating.
In comparison, the two other major signal rock stations - Rock 100.5 and 97.1/The River - are doing better than they did a year ago, especially Rock. Both play classic rock though Rock overlaps with Alt 105.7 on some 1990s cuts.
Rock 100.5 tied Alt 105.7 in October with a 4 rating with 18 to 34 year olds while the River was ahead of both with a 4.3. Among 25 to 54 year olds, the River is tops with a 6 rating (third place), followed by Rock with 3.9 (11th) and Alt with 2. Overall, the River came in fourth with a 5.5 rating, with Rock at 2.9 and Alt at 1.6.
99X at 98.9, which is a very modest signal and plays mostly songs from the past 15 years with a heavy emphasis on currents, drew a 1.7 rating among 18 to 34 year olds last month and a 0.5 overall.
About the Author
