Classic alternative explained

Classic alternative is a radio format focusing on alternative music from the late 1970s to early 1990s, with particular focus on the early days of MTV.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Typical genres

• New wave: A major part of this category, especially early bands like The Cars, The Police, Blondie, Devo and Talking Heads.^[4]
• Power pop: Bands such as The Knack, The Smithereens^[5] and The Romantics are often included in this category.
• College rock: The major building block of American alternative rock, and thus artists in that genre are played often. The early works of R.E.M. (in particular), The Replacements^[6] and They Might Be Giants usually show up on classic alternative stations.^[5]
• Post-punk and British alternative/indie rock: Common on many classic alternative stations, and often added for variety. Artists include New Order, Public Image Limited and The Smiths.^[7]
• Gothic rock and dark wave: Bands such as The Cure, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus and Killing Joke.^[8]
• Grunge: Sometimes played on classic alternative stations, but more often found on modern rock stations. Includes artists such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam.^[9]
• Synthpop: Bands such as Duran Duran, Depeche Mode^[7] and Pet Shop Boys and songs like "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls and "Take On Me" by a-ha are essential on classic alternative stations.
• Dream pop and shoegaze: Bands such as Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride, and The Jesus and Mary Chain.^[10] Uncommon, and depends on the amount of post-punk played on the station.
• New Romantic: Bands such as Spandau Ballet and Adam and the Ants.
• Ska revival: Bands such as Madness and The English Beat.
• Indie pop and modern indie rock: Artists including Aztec Camera, Sonic Youth and Orange Juice.^[11]
• Punk

Bands including Ramones and The Clash.

Background

Some stations with an "all-'80s" format have added elements of the 1980s and '90s classic alternative format to their regular playlist. Cox's KHPT in Houston and WPOI in Tampa are prime examples of all-'80s stations that heavily relied on artists such as Peter Schilling, The Cranberries and New Order. KHPT flipped to a classic alternative format after its run as an all-'80s station. The same goes for KJAQ in Seattle, one of the first stations in the country to try this format.

Digital cable music service Music Choice (originally DMX) provided a station labelled New Wave for several years. The station was later renamed "Retro-Active", and later Classic Alternative, all of which played seventies to eighties new wave, post-punk, synthpop, etc. After several years, the station filtered in 1990s (and even sometimes post-millennium) artists. However, an artist like David Bowie can often fit in classic alternative because he meets the criteria.^{[12] [13]}

SiriusXM offers a classic alternative station, 1st Wave, which was launched in 2008 following the merger between Sirius and XM and replaced similar stations on both services.^{[14] [15]}

The format began to see wider adoption in late-2022 and 2023, particularly among stations and brands that have had a legacy in modern and active rock formats in their respective market. In December 2022, WNNX in Atlanta relaunched the heritage "99X" brand of sister station WWWQ as a classic alternative station,^[16] while KITS in San Francisco—which dropped modern rock for adult hits after having its local programming discontinued in 2020 due to networking^{[17] [18]} —relaunched its heritage Live 105 branding in June 2023 with a classic alternative-leaning format.^{[19] [20] [21]} In July 2024, Corus Entertainment extended its Edge brand—long associated with its heritage station CFNY-FM in Toronto—to Calgary's CFGQ-FM using a classic alternative format.^[22]

Notes and References

1. https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/classic-alternative-becoming-new-classic-rock/ Is Classic Alternative Becoming the New Classic Rock? - Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things
2. https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/music/2018/08/26/utah-people-still-love/ In Utah, people still love 'alternative' music. But what is that, exactly? - The Salt Lake Tribune
3. https://radioinsight.com/headlines/204350/wkkl-returns-with-classic-alternative/ WKKL Returns With Classic Alternative - RadioInsight
4. https://ww1.musicchoice.com/audio-channels/classics/rock Rock - Music Choice
5. https://www.collegeradio.org/10-legendary-bands-that-wouldnt-be-legendary-without-college-radio/ 10 Legendary Bands that Wouldn't Be Legendary without College Radio - CollegeRadio.org
6. https://newrepublic.com/article/123187/how-npr-killed-college-rock How NPR Killed College Rock|The New Republic
7. https://observer.com/2016/10/post-punk-101-what-is-post-punk/ Post-Punk 101: What Is Post-Punk?||Observer
8. https://www.allmusic.com/style/goth-rock-ma0000002623 Goth Rock Music Genre Overview|AllMusic
9. https://colemaninsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Coleman-Early-Peek-at-Classic-Alternative-January-2004.pdf Microsoft Word - Coleman's Early Peek at Classic Alternative - January 2004–
10. https://www.allmusic.com/style/shoegaze-ma0000004454 Shoegaze Music Genre Overview|AllMusic
11. https://www.allmusic.com/style/indie-rock-ma0000004453 Indie Rock Music Genre Overview|AllMusic
12. Bill Virgin, "Radio Beat: It sounds like '90s music could be the next big format on Seattle dials"
13. Damien Cave, "Nirvana Bump Bizkit Off Dial - "Classic alternative" radio brings back the golden Nineties"
14. Web site: Snider . Mike . As Sirius, XM signals merge, customers are confused . ABC News . 10 August 2020 . en.
15. Web site: 1st Wave artists defined 'alternative' by experimenting with new wave & punk music before it was cool . Hear & Now . 10 August 2020 . 28 November 2017.
16. News: Venta . Lance . 5 December 2022 . WNNX Brings Back 99X . 5 December 2022 . RadioInsight.
17. Web site: September 11, 2020 . Entercom Sets Programming Plans For Alternative & Country . September 11, 2020 . Radio Insight.
18. Web site: September 14, 2020 . Extensive Programming Changes At Entercom Alternative And Country Stations Begin Today . September 14, 2020 . Inside Radio.
19. Web site: 2023-06-05 . First Listen: Live 105 Returns . 2023-06-10 . RadioInsight . en-US.
20. Web site: 2023-06-05 . Live 105 San Francisco Returns . 2023-06-10 . RadioInsight . en-US.
21. Web site: Vaziri . Aidin . Exclusive: Live 105 to bring back show that first played Billie Eilish, Coldplay and the Killers . 2023-07-20 . Datebook . en-US.
22. Web site: Thiessen . Connie . 2024-07-31 . Corus launches 107.3 the Edge in Calgary . 2024-08-02 . Broadcast Dialogue . en-US.