Project 9-6-1 becomes Power 96.1, a top 40 station
[UPDATE: August 31, 2012: Cumulus is shifting its 98.9 signal to a Project-like sound starting at noon on Saturday, Sept. 1. It has been 99X at 98.9, an alternative rock station. The signal is relatively weak but at least it can fulfill the desires of active rock fans inside the Perimeter.]
With pop music having a powerful year, Clear Channel Atlanta has dropped active rock station Project 9-6-1 for a top 40 format it’s dubbing Power 96.1.
The change happened just after 7 p.m. The final song that Mediabase 24/7 reported as a Project song was at 7:02 p.m.: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” That’s when the station began playing a bunch of top 40 hits before making an official announcement at 8:05 p.m. and launching with LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.” It promised 9,600 songs in a row, which equals about four weeks of commercial-free music.
Dunwoody High School graduate and media mogul Ryan Seacrest made a surprise appearance at the Jennifer Lopez concert Wednesday night at Philips Arena to make the announcement, noting that his mom will be able to hear him regularly again in Atlanta. (He started his career at Star 94 and has been on that station in syndication in recent years.)
Clear Channel nationwide has some seriously powerful top 40 stations, including Kiss in Los Angeles, where Seacrest airs his morning show and syndicated show, and Z100 in New York, where Wild 105.7 syndicated morning host Elvis Duran is based.
Starting Sept. 4, Power is bringing Duran from its existing rhythmic top 40 station at 105.7/96.7 called Wild, followed by Seacrest in syndication mid-days.
Now we know why Clear Channel got rid of its Wild program director a couple weeks ago. Wild is likely going to go away or shift its format so not to directly compete with Power. I hear Mami Chula, the key local personality on Wild, is staying put for now.
Could they bring a modified version of Project 9-6-1 on another signal? (Clear Channel owns 105.3 and 105.7, too.)
Program director Chris Williams, in a text this morning, said no. It’s over. On Facebook, someone posted this:
96.1 has been Atlanta’s rock destination since 1974. The Project Family is so proud to have carved out our own chapter in the rich legacy of WKLS. The radio dial will sound much different after today. We can never thank you enough for all your support and passion for Project 9-6-1 over the past 6 years and for 96rock the years before us. We consider ourselves among the luckiest each and every day we were allowed to enter this studio and create a radio station that made us proud. Thank you for inviting The Project into your cars, jobs and homes. Thank you for Living Loud and Playing Hard, please don’t stop. Most of all, thank you for being Part of the Project!
Project had a good run. It came to be courtesy of Williams, who first launched Buzz 105.3,a younger-leaning rock station. In late 2006, long-standing classic rock station 96rock became Project, an odd name that suggested an ephemeral existence. But Williams brought the spirit of the Buzz over to Project, which lasted more than five years, becoming a formidable player among younger listeners who liked the mix of older and current harder-edged rock by acts such as Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, Slipknot and Five Finger Death Punch. It regularly finished in the top 5 among 18 to 34 year olds.
Some local radio folks who know Williams think he is pulling a deliberate “New Coke” move here. There will be such an uprising by Project fans via social media that Clear Channel will be “forced” to bring Project back on a different signal. If that’s the case, Project fans, get the petitions out! Here’s one page already out there. As of Labor Day, there are 3,600 names. Another one has more than 5,000 names. And a petition also has more than 5,000 names.
In the evening, it had a cool Jelli “Remote Control Radio” concept, where viewers could vote for what song to play next. And Aly was a stalwart presence in mid days. Project had trouble finding a solid morning show in its early years, Kidd Chris was starting to make inroads among younger men listeners after debuting last year.
Lately, top 40 and similar formats have been on a roll locally and nationwide. Q100 and Star 94 are both experiencing strong ratings. So was Wild. And B98.5 has freshened its sound to be closer to the other stations. All four are doing well.
Rock on the other hand has been in a death spiral nationwide. Atlanta has managed to air five rock stations, which combined, were barely pulling in an audience bigger than R&B/hip hop V-103. But Dave FM last month announced it was going sports talk this fall.
The gallery image on Project's Facebook page
And now Project is gone, leaving Rock 100.5, 97.1/The River and 99X at 98.9.
Project’s departure could really benefit all three of those remaining stations, especially Rock 100.5, which has underperformed when the Regular Guys were not on. And even the Regular Guys’ numbers have dropped off the past two years. There is limited up side for 99X given its weak signal but Dave’s departure could help it. And the River will likely pick up listeners from both Project and Dave.
The last time the name Power was used in Atlanta was Power 99 in the late 1980s and early 1990s, also a top 40 station. It became alternative rock station 99X October 26, 1992.
So far, Power 96.1 sounds very much like Wild 105.7/96.7, which was edging more towards straight top 40 in recent months after focusing more on hip hop in its earlier days. (Earlier days being late 2010 and 2011.)
TV and billboard ads are scheduled to start next month promoting Power.
UPDATE Thursday, August 30, 8:26 a.m.: This morning, Wild is now playing more hip hop though it’s not quite Hot 107.9. No more Carly Rae Jepsen and Gotye. Will Clear Channel keep Wild? Hard to say.
A sampling of 10 songs new Power 96.1 from 9:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, August 29, 2012
David Guetta “Titanium”
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
Chris Brown “Don’t Wake Me Up”
Kesha “We R Who We R”
Katy Perry “Wide Awake”
LMFAO “Sexy and I Know It”
Pink “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”
Bruno Mars “Grenade”
Rihanna “Where Have You Been”
Maroon 5 “Payphone”
The last ten songs on Wild 105.7 from that same time period.
Gotye “Somebody That I Used to Know”:
David Guetta “Titanium”
Ellie Goulding “Lights”
Havana Brown “We Run the Night”
Justin Bieber “As Long As You Love Me”
Calvin Harris “Let’s Go”
Katy Perry “Wide Awake”
Rihanna “Where Have You Been”
Usher “Scream”
Flo Rida “Whistle”
Q100 had a more pop feel with the songs it played during that time:
Train “Drive By”
Carly Rae Jepsen “Call me Maybe”
B.o.B. “Nothing On You”
Neon Trees “Everybody Talks”
Britney Spears “Til the World Ends”
Fun. “We are Young”
All-American Rejects “Gives You Hell”
Rihanna “Where Have You Been”
Mike Posner “Cooler Than Me”
Flo Rida “Wild Ones”
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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437 comments Add your comment
B-Chat
August 30th, 2012
8:40 am
This is crazy! How can you just take our rock music away like that! The PROJECT was the best station ever in Atlanta. I listened to this station everytime i was in my car and at work!. Screw POP music and screw you Ryan Seacrest you a@#!!!!!
No longer a radio listener....
August 30th, 2012
8:41 am
I used to listen to the radio in the car occasionally. It was faster to hop in the car and pick a station than it was to unlock my phone, plug it in, choose a station, then listen. No longer. The extra few steps and the nominal fee I pay for Pandora and Spotify is totally worth it. Zero commercials and variety trumps 20 minutes of commercials an hour and the same 30 songs played across every station on the dial.
What’s more is now I plan to urge my kids to listen this way too…hopefully I can keep Clear Channel’s talons out of them.
Andyboy33
August 30th, 2012
8:43 am
Atlanta’s music scene and radio stations are wholly pathetic. With Kidd Chris and crew gone we have lost the only hosts willing to truthfully speak their minds on any topic and who would not bow down to the hegemonic religious right. I think Clearchannel’s decision can better be attributed to a fear of the “stick-up-its-ass” mafia that goes after free speech with a puritanical rage. Atlanta- you are a backward-ass backwater- living in fear of anything and everything, toting guns, praying and eating your Branch Davidian Chick fil a.
Aiste pasekovskyte
August 30th, 2012
8:47 am
This is BS! How many pop stations do we need? Project 961 was awsome and now this new radio station is CRAP! We are sick and tired of kesha and all the other junk! Bring the the project back and leave us the hell alone!
Jeff Tyner
August 30th, 2012
8:51 am
Its BS!!!! Like others have said how many F…kin pop and hip hop stations do we need in this area!!! Bring back the project!! or at least give us a stronger signal for 100.5!
MrBrutus
August 30th, 2012
9:00 am
No one needs another pop station, terrible move.
Spanky125
August 30th, 2012
9:04 am
I am so tired of listening to all that rap/top 40 crap you call music. When I can get it, I listen to an oldies station from Griffin. We need to bring back Randy & Spiff, & in a hurry. Country is getting old too.
mandi
August 30th, 2012
9:05 am
This is so stupid how many stations are really needed where they play bad music, wait im sorry pretend music. You just lost a lot of listeners. Seacrest is gay play real music challenge your self going to the satellite radio screw these bitches
you suck ass
Scrap311
August 30th, 2012
9:08 am
Years ago, I felt like part of me was gone when 99x went away, but I had the Buzz and then Project to turn to. Project brought us so many great concerts, and I can’t count the laughs I had with the Kidd Chris show. Aly has always been an awesome DJ, and was a true music lover. Atlanta radio is complete garbage. I’ve been using IHeart for a while to hear WJRR out of Orlando(an even more awesome Clear Channel station) , but I think now I will completely distance myself from anything involving Clear Channel.
Houseparty
August 30th, 2012
9:09 am
This sucks! How many frickin pop stations do you need to play the same 30 songs all day?
PT
August 30th, 2012
9:11 am
That’s hilarious, my wife and I were driving back from the airport last night making fun on 96 Rock. Who in the hell thinks this is ROCK, it was horrible. Death of an ERA, Death of Rock, I think it’s a mistake. I hope somebody fills the void being created by this mismanagement. Emails are flying along with losing many listeners and longtime followers of a great station.
Mr_T
August 30th, 2012
9:11 am
Use their website against them… I am currently listening to Rise Against – RE Education Through Labor. Steal their bandwidth and flood it with traffic of the music you want to hear.
Traffic Headache
August 30th, 2012
9:12 am
I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
josh
August 30th, 2012
9:14 am
umm, inacurate post there.
the project had 111,755 likes on facebook
star 94 has 29,758
the project had listeners across the US from Georgia to Alaska and everywhere inbetween…
Crow
August 30th, 2012
9:15 am
Thank you for ruining my morning. All I wanted was some rock to start my day, instead I hear Justin Timberlake saying the same thing over and over and over and over again…Go ahead be gone with it… YEAH! Go ahead be gone with it… YEAH – TAKE IT TO THE CLUB!!! I almost ran into my mail box. Thank you clear channel for making Hotlanta a little more unbearable.
Neva
August 30th, 2012
9:18 am
I am so angry. Now I have absolutely nothing to listen to on the radio. Power 96.1 is just the “same old same” and I don’t want to listen to it. I will NOT listen to it AT ALL!!!! BRING BACK PROJECT 96.1!!!!! Until you do, I will be listening to my ipod so I can hear some good rock. It’s a sad day when every radio station sounds the same and plays the same crappy stuff.
Austin
August 30th, 2012
9:19 am
Why would they shut down the only good station left? The “Project Family” is highly upset. #BringProject961Back!
beachmom
August 30th, 2012
9:21 am
Why doesn’t Atlanta have a separate public radio station that plays alternative like, say The Current out of Minneapolis? Numbers don’t lie: rock music is clearly becoming a more niche genre, so ratings driven for-profit entities cannot be counted on to deliver new good rock music. I really wish WABE could acquire another number “left of the dial” and play alternative music 24/7. I’m fine with them having a classical station but we also now need a station that won’t disappear which serves rock fans who want to hear rock music that has been made more recently than 1985. As it is, I think, Rodney, you should be reporting on how this affects artists. How are new artists like the Lumineers going to break through when all avenues for exposure are disappearing? This is not just an Atlanta problem — similar trends are happening in other big cities like Chicago.
RockRules
August 30th, 2012
9:21 am
This really pisses me off. We don’t need another damn hip-hop station!!!
mad as He**
August 30th, 2012
9:24 am
CC did the same thig whre I moved from, except turned it to Latin music
royalair
August 30th, 2012
9:28 am
Project was the only station in Atlanta worth listening to when 99x was axed. Now that 99x returned, the two stations had a different enough appeal that they didn’t really compete too hard, but I’m really going to miss the Project. We don’t need any more damn pop music. Four stations is BEYOND enough.
matt
August 30th, 2012
9:29 am
Can none of you afford an iPod? I haven’t listened to the radio in 10 years.
Tattooed
August 30th, 2012
9:29 am
All I got to say is F-U clear channel. 96.1 has been the best station in atl for 38 years.
We don’t need any more stations playing hip hop B/S
Dan D
August 30th, 2012
9:32 am
I just hope they don’t change Wild 105.7 too much, the dance/urban mix is just about right and they are the only station doing that…..with live DJ mixes etc.
If there ratings had been good on not great frequencies they would be stupid to change it up too much right?
Patrick
August 30th, 2012
9:33 am
I could care less if Atlanta radio went away all together. I have my mp3 player. It’s loaded with literally everything from Abba to ZZ Top. One moment it’ll play Pink Floyd’s “Money”; the next it’ll play “We’re In The Money” from the soundtrack for “42nd Street”. After that it might play Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony”, and then after that, perhaps “Lucky Man” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer or something by Led Zeppelin.
It’s worth waiting a few minutes for my media player (does video, has Android, can surf Internet, also has GPS) to fully scan all media (music is on micro-SD card), but once it’s done, I plug it into the FM modulator in my car, turn on the radio, tune to 88.3, and go.
jack
August 30th, 2012
9:37 am
What person would like to listen to this crap? I hope all you greedy idoits run this staion in the ground. 96.1 Rock should be still on here. All you that had a part of this changing this I hope you all go bankrupt. Everyone should boycott power 96.1
Calling It Like It Is
August 30th, 2012
9:37 am
All I can say is WTF? So Atlanta, a top 10 market, has how many Top 40 stations? How many Country, how many talk stations? How Many R&B? Now we are down to Rock 100.5 and The River for Rock? Seriously? And the majority of their playlist is Classic. PPM can’t be that wrong, or can they? Rock as a format is not dead, but the media companies are pushing it that way. Where are true Rock listeners going to get their new music?
c-bear is right about the midwest. I’m from the Cincinnati area and they have WEBN, a true “AOR” station which has been around since 1967, and more or less, has kept the same format for all of those 45 years. They have won “Rock Station of the Year” numerous times. Plus they pick up the stations out of Dayton.That sure beats the h**l out of the crap that I’ve heard in this “top 10″ market in the last 22 years I’ve been in this market. That should tell you something. Look at Atlanta’s demographics and no, we are not all 20-50 year old females that listen to the same 10 songs over and over. I’m hoping that someone is going to take their head out of their a*s and put up a true “AOR” station. As much as I cannot stand the “go to satellite” response everyone throws out here all the time, the stations’ management is forcing people to. I will never go that route because I refuse to pay for radio. Once Dave switches, there is not going anything but classic rock, which is a dying format. Sure there is a need for that, but not 2 stations. Someone is going to get a clue, bring back AOR and make a killing. Don’t focus on the alt-rock or even just the current single. There is so much more good music than what is played on the radio from a CD. Broaden the spectrum and open some ears to more than what they normally here. Royalties would still be the same, if not better.
Atlanta is going to end up being known for Top 40, Country and Talk. That’s it. Do you think any current bands will stop in Atlanta if no station is playing their music?
Wake up Cumulus, CBS, and Clear Channel. You are destroying a Top Ten market. It won’t be in the Top much longer.
If I had the money and resources, I would start a station myself and program it the way it should be.
Atlantarockmom
August 30th, 2012
9:38 am
Seacrest, you narcissistic idiot. Project 9-6-1 was a staple in Atlanta and a haven for those took pleasure in the more creative individualistic genre of music instead of that bull$*!$ pop.
Gotye
August 30th, 2012
9:38 am
You didn’t have to cut me off.
jack
August 30th, 2012
9:41 am
Everything about power 96.1 SUCKS
annoyed too
August 30th, 2012
9:42 am
man i was bummed when i got in my car this morning and didnt hear the kiddchris show. thought it was a joke until the lame top 40 songs continued to play. WHERE AM I GOING TO GET MY DAILY GRAFFITI NOW?!
Matt
August 30th, 2012
9:42 am
Top 40??? Another one???? This sucks. Where do I turn for Rock now? 99x and 100.5 signals are horrible.
Ruben
August 30th, 2012
9:42 am
I don’t even live in atlanta but I have the Project playing all the time. It was the only station I used to listen too. This sucks!
Wooli
August 30th, 2012
9:45 am
Glad we do not have to hear all of the hate any longer. Constantly making fun of “retarded” people was a huge fail. Along with many other things spoke of. One step closer to making this world absent of ignorance.
BehindEnemyLines
August 30th, 2012
9:51 am
@”Calling It…” — You seem to understand the business better than the average bear, so you know that this is just Atlanta trying to be like nearly all of the other top 10 markets. Very large markets that have a rock station playing currents at all, much less one “making a killing” are few & far between.
While I’m commenting anyway, might as well note CC-Atlanta getting a new market manager yesterday … former Kicks/Eagle sales guy Matt Scarano. He’ll get to preside over the steaming pile that is CC-Atlanta.http://www.radioworld.com/article/scarano-takes-over-cc-atlanta/215182
David
August 30th, 2012
9:51 am
I have no use at all for a Top 40 station, but the kind of “rock” heard on Project 96 was the absolute lowest of the low. Good riddance.
Brett
August 30th, 2012
9:52 am
This has to be a joke! Radio in Atlanta has sucked for years and now it only gets worse. Power 99 sucked and became 99X. 99X eventually sucked and went underground. The Buzz surfaces from the underground and was absolutely awesome. Clear Channel then takes The Buzz mainstream and you see where we are now. Clear Channel obviously has a thing against rock/metal. Thanks a lot, jerks!
As for morning shows, there is nothing anyone can say to convince me that there is a single show better than Neal Boortz (Herman Cain come January). Since he doesn’t air until 8:30, I will listen to real world news, traffic or nothing at all before I tune in to any other show. One exception…Lex & Terry. But again, thanks to all the Atlanta stations for not wanting to carry quality programming.
Nick45
August 30th, 2012
9:53 am
I guess we have to go back to PANDORA. We will miss the KIDDCHRIS SHOW.
Leigha
August 30th, 2012
9:54 am
BRING BACK ROCK! ATL has enough pop/hip hop. 96.1 has been my morning ride to work station and going home station for YEARS. This is HORRIBLE. Screw you, Seacrest.
Wutehvah
August 30th, 2012
9:56 am
Glad I made the move to satellite radio last year
Lauren
August 30th, 2012
9:56 am
Project 9-6-1 was the best and only decent rock station that we had. It was replaced by music that I can find on multiple stations, already. This is a very biased move, and I am extremely disappointed. This was one of the worst decisions I feel that radio has made in a long time. Why not add a Jersey Shore power-hour? You’ve already got the theme music. Horrible choice!!! I will never listen to my 96.1 preset again!
OLD TIMER
August 30th, 2012
9:57 am
This is ALL OBAMAS FAULT!!!!
dragonangel1369
August 30th, 2012
9:59 am
this is SUCH bullshizzy!! BRING BACK OUR PROJECT!!! if we wanted to listen to R&B hiphop top 40 CRAP we would have ALREADY been listening to a different crappy station!!! Rock is NOT dead! it will NEVER die!! f*** you Clear Channel AND the horse you rode in on!!! I have deleted my iheartradio app from my phone and my radio will NEVER play another ClearChannel station EVER again unless you bring back OUR PROJECT 9-6-1!!!!!!! time to break out my MP3 player and CD’s I guess. I am *SO* pissed off!!
Pablo
August 30th, 2012
10:00 am
Macon and Columbus have better radio stations than Atlanta. Columbus’ rock station ROCKS, and they have John Boy and Billy in the mornings. Pee-you-pants funny. But, since I only drive to Columbus or Macon every so often, I guess I will listen to CDs or look seriously into satellite radio… Once again it has been demostrated that ATLANTA RADIO SUCKS!!!
Lauren
August 30th, 2012
10:01 am
Thank GOD for classic rock on 97.1. If that goes away, there’s no hope for the human race!!!! THIS SUCKS!
Clancy Jones
August 30th, 2012
10:03 am
THIS IS A MUSICAL OUTRAGE!!!! MUSICAL DISCRIMINATION!!! WE DONT NEED ANOTHER TOP 40 STATION. WE WANT OUR FREAKING PROJECT BACK!!!! ps black people listen to rock too!!
tom
August 30th, 2012
10:06 am
haven’t listed on fm dial in about 7 years since getting satellite radio. Problem with fm radio is that it is a business like any other that is out to make money. with all the other ways of listening to music through other mediums, i.e. smartphone, computers etc, you will find your station out there. Top 40 isn’t what it used to be anyway, it all sounds the same now where as 30 + years ago was much different. Just a sign of the times, things are changing but count me out.
Butch
August 30th, 2012
10:07 am
Well, time to give up FM radio. More of the same boring crap that I could find on 3 other stations that I didn’t really care about now on 96.1. I like a VARIETY of music. Pop stuff all sounds the same and Wild plays the same stuff over and over and over. It’s so boring. With Project 96.1 and Dave FM going by the wayside, there’s no reason to listen anymore. I like 99X but the signal is horrible. The River is good for classic rock and 100.5 is okay but they don’t have a clear direction for songs and will probably be gone soon enough like the rest. Atlanta really is the worst for music on the radio. Pretty sad for a town this large that there is little diversity in music.
Part of the Project
August 30th, 2012
10:08 am
This is BS. I can’t believe they ditched the Project for this crap. If we wanted to hear this kind of music we’d turn it to Q100 or 105.7 or V103 or Star94. Driving my point home – we already have several stations that play the same genre of music. Atlanta doesn’t need yet another. The drive to work was so depressing. No more Under the Covers with Aly?! UGH! She definitely made my work day suck less. I really hope those f*&k$ at Clear bring the Project back with the same jocks and format. That DB Ryan can $uck it. Why does he have to put his big toe in EVERYTHING?
Lou
August 30th, 2012
10:13 am
98.9 isn’t the same as project but it is not a clear channel station and that makes it a little better since they changed their format on the project faithfuls