An Alternative music battle has broken out in Norfolk VA as iHeartMedia flips CHR “Now 105” WNOH Windsor to Alternative “Alt 105.3” at 2pm today.

The change comes after stunting with a loop of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” since midnight and gives a direct in-format competitor to Sinclair Communications’ “96X” 96.1 WROX-FM Exmore. “Alt 105.3” is debuting with 10,000 songs commercial-free.

WNOH had a 1.4 share in the September 2017 Nielsen Audio ratings as part of a three-way CHR battle with Max Media’s “Hot 100” 100.5 WVHT and Entercom’s “Z104” 104.5 WNVZ. The change takes the syndicated Elvis Duran show out of the market.

iHeartMedia Norfolk flips CHR WNOH-FM (Now 105.3) to Alternative as the new “ALT 105.3,” with the slogan “Hampton Roads Alternative Rock,” effective immediately. The new outlet will feature songs from artists such as Foo Fighters, Green Day, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons and Kings of Leon. The station will launch commercial free with 10,000 songs in a row.

“The opportunity to launch a radio station like ALT 105.3 in the No. 1 radio company in the country and within the Hampton Roads area is beyond exciting,” said Market President Angel Brown. “By analyzing song requests, digital streaming, downloads and talking to our listeners, we know the area is passionate about Alternative Rock. We anticipate great success with the new station in the Hampton Roads Area, ALT 105.3.”

“This is exciting news for Alternative Rock fans in Hampton Roads,” added Senior VP/Programming Tias Schuster. “The New ALT 105.3 is one of the strongest signals in the market and will connect local ALT fans to the artists they enjoy the most on-air, online and through local events. A format tapped into their lifestyle and no more static. We start with 10,000 songs in a row and a chance to win $1,000 sixteen times a day.”