How to Define an Active Rocker... Simply Could Not Be a Classic -Based Station

84 R &R February 12, 1999 ROCK

CYNDEE MAXWELL An Active Rock station that panders to trendy music should be shot. Active means actively pursuing new rock heights. By that definition, it How To Define An Active Rocker... simply could not be a classic -based station.

... or maybe not, the way things are going these days

It was only about three and a half years ago that R &R Kravitz -- are not rock acts. Ac- Rock station should be centered no impact on current music. I believe decided to divide its Rock chart as a reflection of a signifi- tive, for me, means actively pur- more than eight to nine years from that the depth of the station's suing new rock heights. By that the current year (i.e., an ti- commitment to current music is cant separation that had occurred in the format. Now like average - definition, it simply could not be tle era of 1991 or so). For us, it's not something that can be mea- biological cell division - stations have continued to frag- a classic -based station." (Rock all about compatibility with the sured against a national yardstick. ment, splinter and create their own unique methods for at- programmer) core artist of the format - Metal - It's either there or it's not; it's ei- tracting a targeted demographic. Is it now time to redefine "My opinion of an Active lica. Overtly alternative sounds ther relevant or it's not." (Active Active Rock? Rock station leans toward the sec- don't do well with those who em- Rock programmer) ond of your descriptions. New brace Metallica. On the horizon, I "It's genre -based -a sound, Before we attempt to answer music, period - not confined to see a lot more of the rap /rock a texture, a mood, a feeling. New that, let's enter a brief overview of 33 a harder -edge stance. However, merger coming into the format, music doesn't matter, at least not its initial evolution. with each market being very dif- and we've tried a little bit of it to until things swing around to ferent in terms of how a station mixed success" (Rock program- where Active Rock isn't forced to The Active Story has to niche itself in order to play It's genre- based, a mer) alternative all the time. Un- When R &R first coined the maximize its position, I can see "It's contemporary rock mu- til then, we can't define it as be- term, Active Rock described sta- sound, a texture, a where one may name itself active, sic mixed with a compatible li- ing current- intensive." (Active tions that targeted an 18 -34 -male mood, a feeling. yet focus on the music in your brary designed to attract the larg- Rock programmer) demo, were current- intensive and first description. It's hard to place est available audience in an 18 -34 Balancing Act added new records early and ro- a standard formatic description on male demographic, whether it's tated them significantly. The ac- each and every station, given AC/DC or the Violent Femmes, Finally, these are the remarks five music scene at the time was those market -to- market differenc- because it's market specific. Ev- from those who see both sides of the coin. led by Bush, White Zombie, station as Active Rock. A random es." (Rock programmer) eryone has their own unique twist "It's a little bit of both. Active Monster Magnet, Sponge, Green survey of programmers yielded "I would lean towards B, be- on what active rock is. The com- Rock is obviously more current - Day, Toadies, Mad Season and some interesting results. cause we're calling them Active mon thread is that we play con- leaning than a heritage Rock sta- Filter. The week we split the We posed the following ques- Rock stations rather than Active temporary music with library tion, but it's not exclusively lim- chart, the Foo Fighters' "This Is tion: In your opinion, what de- Hard Rock stations. Active Rock tracks, not that we play hard rock, a was No. 1 ited to hard -rock product. We play Call" Most Added at fines an Active Rock station? We is really today's rock whatever the the intensity, the tempo or the all types of currents that we think Active Rock with 37 adds, while then presented these two choices: new trend appears to be. More era." (Active Rock programmer) 1 will appeal to the target age group Rock's No. Most Added was A. An exclusively hard -rock and more Actives are filtering "We think it's B without a of primarily men 18 -34 or -44. Neil Young's "Downtown" with sound Tool, Metallica, `rap -rock' into their overall land- doubt!" (Active Rock program- - Man- We have an opportunity for the 17 adds. son, AC/DC without respect to scape. The successful Active mer) The Rock side was distin- - Rockers are fine -tuned to the 18- upper demos here, but we haven't a certain amount of new music; reduced the number of currents, guished by its 25 -44 male target can be classic -based or not, but is 29 demo tastes" (Rock program- demo and conservatism in terms mer) and we try to keep the rotations certainly genre- based. up there, so it's a balancing act. of adding and rotating new music. B. A new -music -intensive sta- "I believe that Active Rock is Additionally, Rock stations had a a It's not just a hard -rock station; tion that tends to lean on hard- the perfect description for sta- higher overall gold percentage. tion that rocks and is active in the It is a little bit of it's a blend of a fairly edgy sta- rock acts, yet still embraces Len- tion that will rock really hard, es- Rock's preferred artists were Neil ny Kravitz, Eve 6, Sugar Ray and lifestyles of its audience; in the both, however the Young, Blues Traveler, Tom Pet- attitudes with which it communi- pecially at night, with a pretty Offspring. More current - most important high number of spins on the cur- ty, Bad Company, Pink Floyd, intensive. Tries to help break new cates its position, personality and Dave Matthews Band, Charlie promotions where active ingredient is attitude. rents that do fit from any genre" bands. - (Active Rock programmer) Sexton and Ian Moore. Both sides equals aggressive and in the For this extremely unscientific - Active Rock is a "I think it is a little bit embraced Collective Soul, Soul presentation of the product: the of survey, I polled 40 programmers both, however the most important Asylum, U2, Black Crowes, Bet- music. Yes, the station should be lifestyle. in all market sizes. Twelve re- ingredient is attitude. We're more ter Than Ezra and Live equally. involved in introducing new acts sponded that the answer was the classic- leaning in our musical ap- Over the past year, a handful of to its audience, but they really first choice. Nineteen said it was proach from 6am to 5pm and have taken need to fit the sound stations elements from the latter. Five said it was a corn- station's and much more current- intensive from both sides of Rock and invented the listener's expectations of what bination of both definitions. Four Hard To Handle 5pm to 6am. What gives us the yet another faction. They are con- gave answers that amounted to that station is all about. Main- consistency necessary for success servative hard -rock stations. It's a neither. stream Rock stations can do all Here are highlights from those in this format is our attitude and parallel to the Hard. Classic Rock In the words of one Active but the third idea - presenting its who answered "A" as their personality between the songs. stations that play all the crunchy Rock PD, "It should be about pro- product in an active fashion: choice. "Active Rock is a lifestyle. classics from the Scorpions, Van gramming to the demographic, "I believe an Active Rock sta- "It's the genre. If there was a There are six rock signals in our Halen, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, not programming to an industry tion can lean into either alterna- Hard Rock chart, then that is market, and we share titles with Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, definition of whether it's hard or five or hard territory, or broaden where we would belong." (Rock all of them. Our unique ability to in its Guns N Roses, Rush, etc. "Clas- new. It's more about getting 18- into both as the conditions programmer) speak to the listeners in a lan- sic Rock That Really Rocks" is 34- year -old men to listen to your market warrant (listener prefer- "Active Rock, to me, seems guage they understand about top- often their slogan. radio station." ences and competitive matrix). more tempo -based than current - ics they are interested in with her- The key difference with the Ac- But not all Active Rock stations based" (Rock programmer) itage personalities creates an tive Rock stations emulating this Days Of The New can get away with mixing alterna- "You can still break new mu- emotional bond that cannot be approach is an element of com- The most impassioned reac- tive- sounding artists with the sic, but it's primarily about duplicated. It's a combination of patible currents from such acts as tions came on behalf of the `B" heavier-based music. Hard classic sound" (Rock programmer) the right music and the right atti- Metallica, Rob Zombie, Monster camp, which desires to be rock songs are a part of the for- "Active Rock is based in a tude that has made us No. 1 18- Magnet, Marilyn Manson, Tool, current- driven and the place to mat, but I find that the compati- hard -rock, mostly up -tempo 34 two out of the last three books -etc. The focus is still on the li- break new artists. Here are some bility of much of the pre -1980 sound and is adorned by current in a very crowded Rock arena!" brary cuts, though, with lower "verbatims" from that group. material with the later '80s and music as the market dictates. True (Active Rock programmer) current rotations and/or playlists. `An Active Rocker that pan- '90s titles is dwindling. Active Rock stations are cutting If any hard and fast rules apply This departure from current - ders to trendy music should be Therefore, the format can be edge with an eye to the future. If to your market, consider yourself intensive lists (whether in spins or shot. In my perfect world, an Ac- defined in terms of the station's the station's definition stops at the lucky. But market conditions are playlist length) has led to a philo- tive Rock station would play titles overall era composition as well as hard -rock, up -tempo sound, it's clearly the basis on which to de- sophical debate over whether that are rock titles. Sugar Ray - musical genre or current/recur- most likely called "classic rock termine the best route to achieve such a strategy still qualifies a and maybe Eve 6 and Lenny rent/gold ratios. I think an Active that rocks" and most likely has no success in any genre of the format.