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Classic alternative
Radio format From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
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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 in July 2024, Corus Entertainment extended its Edge brand—long associated with its heritage modern rock station CFNY-FM in Toronto—to Calgary's CFGQ-FM using a classic alternative format.[17] In October, Corus also extended the format to CJKR-FM in Winnipeg, replacing its existing modern rock format.[18]
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References
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