100.5 radio has switched formats yet again (Lexington, Louisville: home, high school, live) - Kentucky (KY) -Jefferson County - City-Data Forum

censusdata · 09-04-2009, 02:39 PM

One of the Louisville stations I can get really good in Lexington is 100.5 I was flipping through my radio dial today and noticed it has changed its format from "mix" to only 1990s and 2000s pop and rock - it calls itself "Gen X" radio.

I actually really like this new format, but I wonder why they can't use one of the existing 50 FREE DIAL SPOTS to start a new radio station rather than removing or moving an existing station.

Two question for y'all:

1. Does it annoy you when radio stations constantly switch formats?

2. What did/ do you think of 100.5's current and recent formats? It went from modern rock to Baby Boomers mix to Gen X mix.

KYGoodGuy · 09-05-2009, 04:03 PM

As someone who has lived in Louisville my entire life, I have had to deal with abrupt and unannounced format changes by the local stations for the past two decades. When WLRS started playing I Am The Walrus on a loop for a week straight, that did give you a hint that something was up. Quite frankly, it ticks me off. It seems that eveytime I find a station that plays the music I like ('80s rock), it only takes a few years before they up and change formats to something not to my liking. This happened this morning when I turned on the radio to what I thought was WLUE, only to hear a cRAP song playing. It did not take long before I figured out what had happened, and a trip to the station's website confirmed my fears. Darn! Another favorite station bites the dust. Like you said, there are LOTS of empty channels, so it boggles the mind as to why they have to mess up one station, instead of simply adding another. I've read what the program manager has said about their "ignoring genres and categories," and, to be honest, that is a load of bull. The whole point of radio stations is to play a particular genre so that people who like that genre can listen! If I want county, I can listen to WAMZ. If I want classical, I listen to WUOL. If I want Christian, I listen to WRVI. If I want contemporary music, I have WDJX. If I want talk radio, I can listen to WHAS, WGTK or WKJK on the AM side. Heck, we even have an all-Spanish station here. It would just be nice if there was one station that played nothing but '80s and not a "mix" of '80s, '90s and today, as their tag lines usually go. Oh, well, at least I have an iPod loaded with my kind of music to listen to until another station comes along that can take my first pre-set button ... at least for a couple of years.

tigerlillydownunder · 09-05-2009, 08:57 PM

KYGoodGuy, I am sooooooo with you on every point you made.
So I guess 100.5 is no longer the Fox (as in the Fox rox!)

There is more than enough room on the dial for a dedicated 80's station. I myself prefer music from the 80's (my personal hey day), but have an eclectic taste, so appreciate that I can flip through the stations when I want a particular 'flavour'.

But there is nothing worse than being in a nostalgic mood, wanting to hear 80s 80s 80 and getting one song from the 80s, a couple from today, one from the 90s and so on.

I liked it back in the day when the main stations were WLRS, WQMF, 100MagicFM, and WAMZ. LRS was rock n roll, QMF was more the hard rock/heavy metal, Magic was soft rock/easy listening and WAMZ was of course country. It was a simpler time, an easier time.......

Gimme3steps · 09-06-2009, 05:29 AM

If you get a chance, check out 88.1 WNAS FM. It's ran by students at New Albany High School. Can't guarantee they'll play your favorites, but they do offer a very wide variety of music and it's commercial free (which to me is worth a lot).

You can also listen on line at WNAS Radio

Something else to check out is theRADIO.com
Any and all kinds of music and other programming. Go to the bottom and click genres and go from there.

censusdata · 09-06-2009, 02:21 PM

Tigerlilly, the Fox moved to 93.1 in 2005 and still has the exact same format. From 2005 to last week 100.5 was basically a 70s/ 80s/ 90s mix station called "Louie FM".

tigerlillydownunder · 09-06-2009, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by censusdata

Tigerlilly, the Fox moved to 93.1 in 2005 and still has the exact same format. From 2005 to last week 100.5 was basically a 70s/ 80s/ 90s mix station called "Louie FM".

Thanks for the update on that Census--I will keep that in mind when I'm home next month!

Cheers!

johnsonkk · 09-07-2009, 06:49 AM

Most big cities have a Jack-FM station. Literally, it's just a computer randomly picking songs from certain decades. The programming can be set to have 80's rock in the afternoons. No/minimal local advertisers and no chatty DJ's. Costs are low to broadcast with minimal commercials. Don't know why Louisville doesn't have a station carrying this one?

Off Topic · 09-08-2009, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYGoodGuy

When WLRS started playing I Am The Walrus on a loop for a week straight, that did give you a hint that something was up.

When WAKY first went on the air way back when, they played "One Eyed, One Eared, Purple People Eater" for a week, so it could have been worse!

When they changed back to oldies a few years ago, they did the same thing.

censusdata · 09-08-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYGoodGuy

When WLRS started playing I Am The Walrus on a loop for a week straight, that did give you a hint that something was up.

WLRS switched from all modern rock last year and then went completely off the air this year. According to Wikipedia it started playing only new rock in 1996.

Personally I'm not a big fan of mixing "modern" rock with stuff from the 70s & 80s because the music is so different. I'd think a radio would get more ratings playing only older or newer music in the rock genre. That's why I HATE radio in Lexington because the only station that plays any new rock is playing hair or classic rock 80% of the time.