Sean Ross

In 1988, when Billboard launched the “Modern Rock chart, CFNY Toronto was something special among Alternative stations in North America,

Would radio be better off with fewer stations? Do fewer stations, particularly mainstream FM music outlets, decrease listeners’ chances of choosing radio over other media? Or does a contracting dial make the radio business more viable for the stations that stay? Some broadcasters have been very vocal in their support of the latter scenario.

When iHeart Radio relaunched TikTok Radio in March, it felt more like an outpost on the app for people who already listened to Mainstream CHR, than an attempt to claim the audience who had never discovered broadcast radio. There are still plenty of hits on TikTok Radio, but there is more viral music now, from Karol G’s “Bby WOW” at No. 1 to Steve Lacy’s “The Feeling” (not just “Oh Yeah?”) and Mac Miller’s “Cinderella” in the top 10.

In early September, KGLK-HD2 (X106.1) Houston’s AM/FM translator combo launched, looking to fill the hole left on FM by the sign-off of KKHH (The Spot) Houston. At the outset, X106.1’s variety went beyond the usual parameters of the typical Adult Hits outlet, particularly in playing the ’60s and including some songs that weren’t American pop hits. Adult Hits stations often said “we play everything.” At the outset, X106.1 seemed more sincere in that promise.

The first thing to know about “playing everything” is that you probably are not. For the past 25 years, the contract between Adult Hits stations and their

Audacy’s KROQ Los Angeles was up 3.4-4.3 for its best topline number since 2004. In addition, Sr. VP/Programming Kevin Weatherly notes that the station’s K

More than any other, Alternative radio supports programmers’ contention that personality is the secret weapon against streaming. Personality isn’t the only thing happening for Alternative now — current music is on an upswing; library titles are dominant on Spotify — but four out of five September PPM success stories were for stations driven by prominent morning shows. On Tuesday, we took a Fresh Listen to 7-7:30 a.m. on Alternative radio across the country: WWDC (DC101) Washington’s Elliot in the Morning; KTBZ (The Buzz) Houston’s Rod Ryan Show; KXRK (X96) Salt Lake City’s Radio From Hell; KYSR (Alt 98.7) Los Angeles’s The […]

Lore drops, investigative (Survivor) journalism, and talking through a new chat channels strategy with the host of TV-watch-along podcast Drop Your Buffs

When I formulated it in 2020, what the Lost Factor sought to measure was relatively simple. We divided year-end Billboard

When WXTU Philadelphia launched in 1984. Philadelphia had gone two years without an FM Country station. The previous Country FM,