Update 7/1: WLGX has completed its shift from 90s Hits “Gen X Radio 100.5” to Hot AC “100.5 MyFM” as it drops all remaining references to the prior “Gen X” format.
Now positioned as “Louisville’s More Variety From The 90s To Now”, the station is mostly current/recurrent based but retaining at least one 90s song per hour.
Original Report 6/17: A format transition is taking place in Louisville.
Clear Channel’s 90s Hits “GenX Radio 100.5” WLGX Louisville has shifted to a mostly current/recurrent based Hot AC currently branded as “My 100.5 GenX Radio“. The next phase will see the GenX name dropped in favor of simply “100.5 My FM“.
1005MyFM.com was transferred to the Clear Channel servers yesterday and a Twitter account for the new brand, with positioning of “Louisville’s More Variety From The 90s Til Now” is now active.
WLGX registered a 2.5 share in the Winter Phase II trends released yesterday by Nielsen Audio. A move to Hot AC will place the station in direct format competition with Main Line’s (Soon to be Alpha Media) “102.3 The Max” WXMA.
WLGX is the last remaining “Gen X Radio” branded station in Clear Channel’s portfolio after rolling it out to multiple markets just a few years ago.
RBRadioWaves 
Cory 
Mark W. 
chrisbubb 
maytableinc 
BRH 
stevens 
I believe, and correct me if I’m wrong, that this is the last “Gen-X” station on terrestrial radio in the nation. If so, it’s ironic that the last one to fall was the first in the nation.
For the ‘Gen-X’ specific brand, it was the first. KBZC/Sacramento was the first 90s channel I remember hearing and it beat WLGX by about 4 months. WLGX is certainly the last to fall, though, and lasted much longer than the rest of them.
This could prove to be a good move. 100.5’s ratings have been in the toilet for quite some time. A Hot AC with a deeper bench of 90’s Gold could work in Louisville. Clear Channel is probably hoping to replicate the success it has recently seen with its “MyFM” branded station in Chicago.
100.5 has been moving in a Hot AC direction for some time. I was in the area in late March and heard very little ’90s played; it was mostly 2000s-2010s.
I’ve emailed the PD, Jonathan about these changes awhile back and he had a lot to say back on my email. As I was a big fan of the music that Gen-X played, I did not want to see the last one go.
1. The station played alternative and hip hop music from the 90’s that could not have been all found in one single terrestrial station (at least in the US). According to Jonathan, there was music research done on WLGX extensively for the past 5 years and he stated that those songs never did well with the core audience.
2. Back when they first changed up the music, there was barely any variety in it. There still isn’t much, but the PD is insisting that they are still working on it.
3. I told him that they shouldn’t be fixing something that was broken. But I was mistaken. It was broken and the ratings were broken for a while. In my opinion, the station isn’t doing horrible though, it actually had some solid 3.0’s during its run.
Sad to see the last Gen-X station go.
Well, the questions you have to ask are:
-Could they sell ads on the station in it’s current format?
-Could they sell MORE ads on the station with a different format?
The latter certainly won out. You can have a 3.0, yet if the station doesn’t make a whole lot of money, or could make more money with a different format… buh bye, GenX.
(And yes, I am a tad bit sad to see the last Gen-X station go, myself. It was an innovative format, actually. Too bad it was just a fad format.)
It’s kind of sad to see the format go. I really don’t understand why retro formats targeted at my generation (gen x/40 something’s) never get any traction. Whether it be the. 80’s format, GenX, Rhythmic AC, etc., it just seems that my generation must have no interest in hearing music they grew up with. It kinda strikes me as odd, seeing as how the previous boomer generation & greatest generation loved the oldies format & continue to bemoan it’s death. Basically, the only choice for 80s/90s hits is either adult hits/Jack FM or classic hits. (neither of which do a good job on focusing strictly on pop hits from those years. Adult Hits leans too rock & classic hits mixes in 70s, which IMHO just doesn’t mesh with 80s/90s very well). Anyway, I would love to see some sort of 80s/90s, pop based format actually get some traction & stick around. The Journey stations that Cumulus tried were a perfect example of what I’d love to see. But overall, it strikes me as odd, that this generation doesn’t seem to have an interest in an oldies format from their era.
Does that bring the listener or the music into question?
If today’s radio listener isn’t interested in hearing the music of the 80s, isn’t it possible that the failure is not with the listener but more with the product that the music industry created in the 1980s. Or is it simply that today’s radio industry has failed to offer that listener a compelling presentation for that era of music?
Personally, I suspect the problem is less with the listener, and more a combination of failures both on the part of radio and with the music created in the 80s.
Could be the case. Personally, though, I find 80’s music much more compelling and listenable than 70’s music. Sure, the 80’s was kind of manufactured synth pop, but at least it’s fun, unlike the sappy introspective 70’s hits & overindulgent never ending solos in 70’s rock songs.
As far as presentation, I prefer an 80’s sound, with retro JAM jingles, etc. (like CBS’s classic hits stations are using.). I certainly prefer that over the bland jukebox style of the Jack FM stations. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I loved the hype of the jingles & attitude sweepers of 80’s CHR.
Also, one thing that may be a factor as well, is that this is kind of the first tech based generation. So maybe they are simply streaming exactly what they want online instead of waiting for an oldies terrestrial format that isn’t as tailored to their likes.
No doubt that the 80s contributed some great music and some legendary radio stations to play it. But keep in mind the splintering that happened to contemporary music and radio post disco. Where you had AM top 40 in the 60s and 70s, you then had FM formats for CHR, AC, Rock, etc starting with the 80s. As a result, I suspect you’ll find less room for consensus from radio listeners through the 80s and into the 90s. Thanks for your thoughts, BRH.