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”
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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437 comments Add your comment
Whitney
August 30th, 2012
7:45 pm
I listened to the project while going to sleep .-. now i just barly sleep
T Brand
August 30th, 2012
7:48 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING??? A GIANT METROPOLIS AND THERE IS NOOOOO ROCK STATION!!!! HOW EMBARASSING!!! BRING IT BACK!!!
New Pop Music Video » Blog Archive » Project 9-6-1 becomes Power 96.1, a top 40 station – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
August 30th, 2012
8:03 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Cole
August 30th, 2012
8:05 pm
Another station that will be identical to all the other pop stations and will not seperate itself from those pop stations in any way. Just what I want, even more unoriginal auto tuned garbage.
C
August 30th, 2012
8:06 pm
I hopped in my van today, got out of the driveway and turned on the radio to find this crap on 96.1 !!!!!!!!!!!! Screw U Clear Channel. Guess I have to buy an ipod to hear my rock now. Thanks for making my day a little bit worse.
Matt
August 30th, 2012
8:12 pm
Why change the format of the only station in Atlanta that plays different music than the teeny bop crap. Where are we suppose to go to listen to good music not this hip hop poopoo that every other station plays. I’m done with the radio. Think I’ll just turn on my iPod and never turn on the radio again. Clear sucks and I hope they go under.
Aaron
August 30th, 2012
8:13 pm
There is really no other hard-rock station in Atlanta (others are soft rock, mix, etc.). Whenever I’m feeling down I can turn this channel on and turn my day around, or turn it on when I’m happy to celebrate. This channel even offers the ability for the audience to be the DJ!! I have never heard of another station to offer this level of freedom. I can’t believe they shut down such a successful station, and if you disagree that it was successful then here we are to prove otherwise. Look at the thousands of people showing up at concerts advertized through this station. Know that the fans who stand up and sign this and other letters is only a fraction of the real horde. I suspect this channel was removed because of people in power who had negative and stereotypical opinions of the station. If so, who are they to take away the sanctuary of hundreds of thousands of people!! (I do mean that number too). You are messing with the wrong people. The hard-rock station is the best place to get angry people, unfortunatly for the record…and you. If anyone thinks that this is a place where people get angry or …I hate to say it…demon worshipers, then they are wrong [mostly]. Actually country music has more of those people. There are more depressed and suicides that regularly listen to country music than rock music. Demon worshippers, and I mean the real ones, are no more likely to listen to this station than your average youth. I know specific people than can attest to this. Oh, and many, if not most listeners are Christian.
Please do NOT bring ANOTHER station. I have listened to other rock stations regularly, and it’s just a place to get music. Poject9-6-1 is much more than that. We all feel connected and apart of P961. There’s a reason it is called “the Project Family”. We comfort each other through tough times, share experiences, likes and dislikes, and we will stand as a family to protect one of our own. And the Project is absolutely one of our own. If Project 9-6-1 goes away, the family is lost in the wilderness, and it is the first priority to get back together before we move on.
Please get the Project back on 96.1 too!! Do you have any idea how hard it would be to change the channel on it? That sounds like a lot of money. It will be far easier to move the new channel. Besides, don’t we already have enoughmany pop stations?
Who’s dumb*** idea was this anyway? (actually I know, just the way I phrased the sentence shows by tone.)
I will talk to my friends about this. Tomorrow I will bring in at least 50 people, and they will bring more. For a station that has over 100,000 likes on facebook, I wouldn’t be suprised if we had that many sign that petition.
Thank you for reading my responce.
The includeded-mail is my spam account. Since you show real interest you can have my main account address
” jas1110@bellsouth.net ”
With hope,
Aaron Shader
P.S. …WTF REALLY?!?!?!?!?!
Travis
August 30th, 2012
8:23 pm
I was so confused when I turned on the radio this morning. I immediately deleted this horrible station from my tuner and will go out of my way to avoid anything Clear Channel owns and anyone who advertises on this awful station.
Zach
August 30th, 2012
8:24 pm
This is going to not be good many ppl is shocked and will not listen to your station sorry hopefully sum new rock station will come about
jessie
August 30th, 2012
8:26 pm
Do we really need yet another pop station….. i want my alternative back!!!
Cole
August 30th, 2012
8:26 pm
I’d, honestly, rather them just go off the air instead if going pop.
Steve
August 30th, 2012
8:41 pm
Super Lame! Project 961 was fantastic! I streamed it while working in Afghanistan and all my coworkers were amazed at the playlist. I listened to the project at home in Georgia. What a huge loss! Like anyone needs another lame top 40 station. Way to let down your loyal listeners Clear Channel!
Dan
August 30th, 2012
8:51 pm
People in Athens who like rock music are getting screwed worst of all. From my house, I can hear five different Top 40 stations: Star 94, Q100, Power 100.1 (Athens station), Wild 105.7, and now this Power 96.1. On the other hand, I cannot hear a single station that plays current rock music anymore, and none of the solutions will help me either. Rock 100.5 can’t be heard past Winder, and 99X can’t even make it past Lawrenceville. And the 105.3 transmitter is located near Newnan, which leaves Athens out in the cold even with a 100,000-watt transmitter. I’ve begun streaming 98.9 The Rock in Kansas City for my hard rock fix.
So if you’re a female between the ages of 15 and 34, congratulations: you own terrestrial radio. No other demographic even matters, which is why I now have five radio stations playing contemporary pop music, and zero stations playing contemporary rock music.
gtv8m
August 30th, 2012
8:57 pm
Enter your comments here
gtv8m
August 30th, 2012
9:01 pm
Why they turn 96 rock into gay radio station power 96 sucks
hi
August 30th, 2012
9:03 pm
hey guys, i found a radio station that shows hard rock in ga, it’s 106.3 FM
tracey
August 30th, 2012
9:04 pm
This is total bs!!!!!! Bring back 96 rock! Screw pop music.
RogueBarroness
August 30th, 2012
9:05 pm
THIS IS BULL$#!#!!!!! Bring back the Kid Kris Show and the Real Rock! Take your pop an shove it where it don’t shine, LONG LIVE THE PROJECT!!!
treyb 81 sad
August 30th, 2012
9:08 pm
why did they leave us.rock.fans are disappointent and shocked we now.have no real new hard rock.venting. i guess radio is dead.hello slacker and xm..i will pay them before i stoop low enough to.liaten to a top 40 station hell i will liaten to countru before that stuff. bring back.the.project!!
hi
August 30th, 2012
9:13 pm
bring back 961 you pop addicts
Sluggathor
August 30th, 2012
9:16 pm
Power 96.1 doesn’t even have the courage to put contact info on their main page……..
Tracy
August 30th, 2012
9:19 pm
The way Clear Channel works is that they change a station under the radar…remember Peach changed mid Christmas music to The Bull without notice? Same with Project 9-6-1, we had no idea they were going to change
sam
August 30th, 2012
9:23 pm
they wouldn’t post my first post…. because I call it like I see it! And the purity of the language upset their little minds….sissy music is all over the air waves already and so is that rap crap …get real quit being stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You had a good listener base why skrew it up!!!
Ross Moores
August 30th, 2012
9:39 pm
ok no other station in metro Atlanta plays hard rock, metal, or even industrial for that matter – at least not consistently (college stations have those genres but only in hour or 2 slots). Those genres have masses multi millions of fans and followers INTERNATIONALLY!!! Shouldnt that call for at least 1 station catering to them in each major city? TO HELL WITH MORE POP STATIONS!!! NAIL THE CORPORATE PUPPET SHOW TO A TREE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!
Carri LUVS Seether!!
August 30th, 2012
9:39 pm
The best rock station here in Atlanta is GONE!!! I am SOOOOO upset!!!
(
Yeah, well…..that’s what happens when the owner is BAIN CAPITAL….they like firing people!!!
Stand for the fallen
August 30th, 2012
9:44 pm
i only listened to project 96.1 now its all pop,rap,and cristian stations
aubrnhrdgrl
August 30th, 2012
9:53 pm
I’M A HARD ROCKIN NATIVE ATLANTAN, AND I DON’T NEED ANYBODY FROM ANYWHERE ELSE DECIDING THAT MY RADIO CHOICES NEED CHANGING!!! CLEAR CHANNEL, IN ANY FORMAT, IS NOT ON MY DEVICES, IN ANY WAY, AT ANY TIME, IN ANY PLACE, FROM NOW ON!!! YOU JUST F’D UP BIG TIME IN YOUR ATLANTA MARKET, CLEAR CHANNEL!!!!
Ethan Henry
August 30th, 2012
9:54 pm
This is horrible.
Project 9-6-1 was literally the only radio station worth listening to here in North Georgia.
I turned on the radio the other day and nearly found myself with my skull fragments and brain matter deposited upon a tree. Oh sad day…
Lurch313
August 30th, 2012
9:58 pm
Bring back under the covers with Aly. Bring back Project 96.1.
Leigh
August 30th, 2012
10:00 pm
I am mad. I have listened to 96.1 since 1974. You guys lost me once a few years ago when you change your disc jockeys to so lame ass guys who only lasted a few months. After i found they were gone u got me back. Well i am gone forever. I grew up on rock. You had the most decent variety of rock music that I so enjoyed. Your crazy antics in the morning I looked forward to. It made my day to start off my morning with project 961. Honestly I thought my radio was going bad when i couldnt find my guys to listen to. I really wanted to cry. My days are full of stress from the job I do, but project 96.1 made it better. I will miss you guys. Not sure what i will do now for music.
Ethan Henry
August 30th, 2012
10:03 pm
http://www.facebook.com/KeepProject961
Heather
August 30th, 2012
10:04 pm
I WANT PROJECT 961 BACK!!!!!!! There r still plenty that want to hear rock!!!!
Jason
August 30th, 2012
10:10 pm
This really sucks. There is no need for top 40 craps to take over the project. Good luck loosing all the listeners
Roger
August 30th, 2012
10:26 pm
WTF?!! I was pissed when they got rid of 97.1 Jams for the River in 2006 cause that was closest to rap music I listened to in New York but I also enjoy my rock especially when Project 96.1 was the only one I can get up where I live and that’s gone too. Hell keep this up and it will be another reason to leave this pathetic state. Screw Top 40 and Atlanta!!
Andy
August 30th, 2012
10:28 pm
After Project 9-6-1 becoming yet another top 40 station and Dave FM eventually going away, getting subscription to Sirius XM is starting to look like a great idea. Apparently, the people controlling Atlanta radio stations think the rock audience doesn’t have any money so they don’t cather to them.
GeorgiaBoz67
August 30th, 2012
10:37 pm
OMG…..Please tell me that there’s a diff.place that we all can & will listen to the BESTTTTTTTTT radio morning show? KiddChriss will raise again,Hopefully,PLEASE.. .. .. .. d{-_-}b
BUDRYS
August 30th, 2012
10:40 pm
My family lives out of our Ford Sport Trac.School,soccer,docters,work,travel& yard work,the station has ALWAYS been on 96.1! We are a PROJECT FAMILY & DAMNED PROUD OF IT!!!!! The best station has died. I still have an old 96rock tag from the `80’s that now hangs on my son wall.
Nina Reihnhart
August 30th, 2012
11:30 pm
What a bunch of crap.
Thtnigafrnk
August 30th, 2012
11:34 pm
Its all about white girls ages 13 to 28 they control the world if they want more pop they get it because they spend the most money and control all social media and most advertisement is aimed to them, radio is a business…… It sucks but pretty damn factual
db
August 31st, 2012
12:21 am
It’s sad because Atlanta dropped a hip hop station last year in place of talk radio yes 95.5 the beat, guess what it’s back on 96.1. ouldn’t Ryan Seacrest buuy his own radio station in Atlanta so his mom could hear him again oh wait here’s an idea get her xm , call her, write , email let her liten online…….. dang dude you suck. The only good rock station in this hole is gone now thank you clear channel. One of the only monopolies left aloud to opperate. From the 1920’s -1950’s america tried getting rid companies that would buy up all of that product say like the railroads. One person owned them so he could charge whatever he wanted, same is in this case Clear channel owns every freaking radio station in alanta so we have to listen to whatever they want us to or just listen to nothing. I drive for 1 hour both directions to and from work, My drive is alot quieter now, I work listening to the PRoject not anymore. http://WWW.KIDDCHRIS.COM. Clear channel; sucks we cannot boycot them because they don’t listen nor do they care.
The project had 111000 likes on Facebook….. really that says something. over 2000 people commented last nighton the new Power 961 FB cite, what’s funny is the owners of the cite deleted every hate message and when I checked it this morning all comments were gone, so I reposted Now the FB page is gone. NOONE WANTS YOU HERE YOU SUCK!!! USA USA USA USA USA KIDD CHRIS SHOW. This is still America so much for freedom of speech Hip hop crap sucks and there is enough of that junk here like others said star 94, Q100, 99.7.
CLEAR CHANNEL SUCKS I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE WANT THE PROJECT LISTEN TO US.Every other rock station may be gettign bad ratings but I can say that the ratings for The Project were good and people talked about them. Was it the joke about Obama last week??? It was a joke Obama laugh at it, stiff willed Democrats laugh at it don’t get rid of the station because of it it was a joke get over it. lastly.
YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE YOU NOW I LISTEN TO TALK RADIO BECAUSE IT ISN’T OWNED BY YOU. GTH CLEARCHANNEL.
Echo_Underground
August 31st, 2012
12:37 am
I f***ing hate this! This was the only good rock station on the air! and now they play s****y POP MUSIC! And I’m not the only member of the PROJECT FAMILY that is outraged by this stupid f***ing decision to turn and amazing rock station with kidd chris and Jordan silver (as my two personal fav hosts) into a stupid lame dumb a** HIT POP station! WHO THE F*** DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE TAKING SOMETHING THE PEOPLE OF THE PROJECT FAMILY KNOW AND LOVE AWAY FROM US! Answer me this: ” When the F*** are you going to re-air Project 96.1 to it’s rightful place. No “power 961″ is going to keep the attention of hundreds to thousands of rock loving listeners, they’ll just turn off their radios! Like me, as soon as I found out… OOOOooooo, You best bet your a**es I don’t come down there and force you to change it back, because I, and thousands of others, are very VERY PISSED AT EVERYONE IN POWER!
Kyle
August 31st, 2012
1:10 am
Nothing like waking up and getting in your car then going what is this crap. While 9-6-1 was starting to get old with constant five finger death punch and korn at least they played current and decent rock. Half the time I go anywhere 99x doesn’t have signal and 97.1 has gotten old. Keep your pop no one wants another pop station.
metalstaind
August 31st, 2012
1:59 am
theres a good App for android called Radio X with only 3 Channels but its only Metal, Rock and something more comercial i been using it since windows vista as gadget too and i love it, if you have a good signal on your cell try it if you a real Metalhead you”ll love it, any questions ask me on facebook metalstaind@hotmail.com
Liberty
August 31st, 2012
4:48 am
53yrs old, and so thankful for XM !! Got tired of Atlanta music radio and endless commercials decades ago! BRING BACK THE KIMMER!!!!!!!!
AwayBBL
August 31st, 2012
6:45 am
Liberty, I’m with you. SiriusXM has some great channels for rock… old and new, as well as Howard Stern.
The few times I listen to ATL radio, it’s usually Bert show in the morning (mindless chatter), and Mara Davis on Dave-FM mid-days.
Aaron
August 31st, 2012
7:06 am
this was more than a radio station. We all feel and felt a strong connection to to p961. There’s a reason it is called “the project familiy”. Actually it is part of Atlanta CULTURE. Atlanta has been stripped of part of its culture like if the appalacians lost it’s cultural banjo or fiddle.
Did “95.5 the Beat” go down because of Clear Channel too? I didn’t care much about it but if Clear is going to ruin one channel after another than they need to be stopped.
Kid Kris
August 31st, 2012
7:32 am
Cant believe we have another pop station. Why cant we have all diversity of music rather than 50 pop stations. I can promise you that I am going to change my radio settings in my vehicle to get that CRAP off of my system
Joseph sobota
August 31st, 2012
8:15 am
Enter your comments here
Joseph sobota
August 31st, 2012
8:16 am
Give back project96.1. Now!!
pjlmarietta
August 31st, 2012
8:18 am
I myself travel through the southeast and this is a very sad but continues to happen city to city, town to town and we have no one to blame but our government for allowing Media Consolidation and making it nearly impossible for individuals to create their own radio broadcast stations and almost as hard to create online radio stations guaranteeing a monopoly shared by only a few corporations. Over the last few years music stations playing Gen X, Soft Rock, Jack Variety, Alternative, and Dance have fallen nationwide to cookie cutter Top 40, Hip Hop, Sports Talk or News Talk stations. The radio now sounds the same all across the south. These stations are cheaper to program and operate. Royalties to artists are not as expensive or nonexistent at all. 96.5-the Mountain in Chattanooga was my favorite playing a great mix of old and new rock, but about a year ago this station fell to “Hits 96” this same Top-40 that everyone is referring to. Dothan, Alabama is served by six Top-40 stations from local areas. It is Top-40, Country, Religious or Talk, no variety. Consolidation is going to kill the radio star. Just like in TV it is time to subscribe to Satellite Radio. Who really loses are the bands who want to get started and the listeners.