After celebrating their 40th anniversary with an “A to XYZ” alphabetical rundown of the biggest songs from their history from February 14 through 23, Local Media San Diego relaunched Alternative “91X” XETRA-FM Tijuana/San Diego this morning with a move to an 80s/90s focused Classic Alternative playlist.
While the playlist shift took effect last night following the end of the “A to XYZ”, the move was announced on-air at 10am today by Program Director Garrett Michaels, morning hosts Marty Whitney and Danielle Stuht, and APD/MD/midday host Hilary. Now positioning as “The Original”, the station is still featuring a handful of currents, but little in the way of music from the early 2000s to 2020.
XETRA-FM registered a 1.9 share in the January 2022 Nielsen Audio ratings, while Audacy’s competing “Alt 94.9” KBZT was ahead of it with a 2.2 share. The move to a more gold based presentation could also help XETRA-FM chip at Audacy’s market leading Classic Hits “Sunny 98.1” and its 8.2 share.
The 10am hour of the refocused “91X” featured:
- Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
- Jane’s Addiction – Jane Says
- Nirvana – Lithium
- Ramones – (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
- Smashing Pumpkins – Today
- Devo – Freedom of Choice
- Strokes – Someday
- Local H – Bound For The Floor
- Gary Numan – Cars
- Mazzy Star – Fade Into You
- Big Country – In A Big Country
- Sublime – Badfish
- Hives – Hate To Say I Told You So
San Diego’s original independent alternative radio station 91X re-launched today with an approach to the format that taps into the variety of the station’s massive music library, embraces the discovery of music new and old, and strives to be anti-corporate and different.
Following the 9-day run of “91X From A to X.. YZ” where, in celebration of its 40th year serving the local community, 91X played the best of its music library in alphabetical order by title, the station has now changed with a focus on the musical depth and breadth of the last four decades, while still continuing to break emerging artists, and highlight great music from many genres.
“Coming off the incredible success of ‘91X From A to X.. YZ’ and the amazingly positive reaction from our listeners, we want to present 91X in a way that stays true to our roots and independent ideals,” said Garett Michaels, 91X Program Director. “When 91X launched in 1983, it was a Category of One, which ignored convention and blazed a new trail. With that spirit in mind, we are re-launching 91X in a new presentation that has no current industry definition, so we are calling the format what we are: 91X. 91X is 91X again, unlike any other station anywhere. And isn’t that what local radio should be?”
The new era began at 10:00am today, all on-air talent will remain and popular weekly features including “Resurrection Sunday,” “Church of Bob,” “Project X,” and “91X Loudspeaker,” will also stay in their respective time slots.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com