classic alternative
{{Short description|Radio format}}
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.[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][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][https://radioinsight.com/headlines/204350/wkkl-returns-with-classic-alternative/ WKKL Returns With Classic Alternative - RadioInsight]
Typical genres
- New wave: A major part of this category, especially early bands like The Cars, The Police, Blondie, Devo and Talking Heads.[https://ww1.musicchoice.com/audio-channels/classics/rock Rock - Music Choice]
- Power pop: Bands such as The Knack, The Smithereens[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] 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[https://newrepublic.com/article/123187/how-npr-killed-college-rock How NPR Killed College Rock|The New Republic] and They Might Be Giants usually show up on classic alternative stations.
- 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.[https://observer.com/2016/10/post-punk-101-what-is-post-punk/ Post-Punk 101: What Is Post-Punk?||Observer]
- Gothic rock and dark wave: Bands such as The Cure, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus and Killing Joke.[https://www.allmusic.com/style/goth-rock-ma0000002623 Goth Rock Music Genre Overview|AllMusic]
- 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.[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–]
- Synthpop: Bands such as Duran Duran, Depeche Mode 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.[https://www.allmusic.com/style/shoegaze-ma0000004454 Shoegaze Music Genre Overview|AllMusic] 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.[https://www.allmusic.com/style/indie-rock-ma0000004453 Indie Rock Music Genre Overview|AllMusic]
- 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.Bill Virgin, "[http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/article/Radio-Beat-It-sounds-like-90s-music-could-be-1128948.php Radio Beat: It sounds like '90s music could be the next big format on Seattle dials]"Damien Cave, "[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nirvana-bump-bizkit-off-dial-20040130 Nirvana Bump Bizkit Off Dial - "Classic alternative" radio brings back the golden Nineties]"
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.{{cite web |last1=Snider |first1=Mike |title=As Sirius, XM signals merge, customers are confused |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=6276205&page=1 |website=ABC News |accessdate=10 August 2020 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=1st Wave artists defined 'alternative' by experimenting with new wave & punk music before it was cool |url=https://blog.siriusxm.com/discover-1st-wave-where-totally-rad-80s-alternative-music-is-forever-young/ |website=Hear & Now |accessdate=10 August 2020 |date=28 November 2017}}
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,{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |date=5 December 2022 |title=WNNX Brings Back 99X |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/245799/bittersweet-stunt-symphony-for-rock-100-5-atlanta/ |access-date=5 December 2022 |work=RadioInsight}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Thiessen |first=Connie |date=2024-07-31 |title=Corus launches 107.3 the Edge in Calgary |url=https://broadcastdialogue.com/corus-launches-107-3-the-edge-in-calgary/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Broadcast Dialogue |language=en-US}} In October, Corus also extended the format to CJKR-FM in Winnipeg, replacing its existing modern rock format.{{Cite web |last=Thiessen |first=Connie |date=2024-10-08 |title=Corus rebrands Power 97 as 'Winnipeg's Iconic Alternative' |url=https://broadcastdialogue.com/corus-rebrands-power-97-as-winnipegs-iconic-alternative/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Broadcast Dialogue |language=en-US}}