Good news for Merlin Media from the August Arbitrons: its WRXP (101.9 FM) was resurrected this summer from the ashes of FM News 101.1 WEMP, the failed attempt to launch an all-newser on FM.
WRXP had been an alternative rock station before it switched to WEMP last year and now it has switched back. Its share of the audience, which had hovered around 0.6% as WEMP, almost tripled in August to 1.7%, reported The NY Daily News.
Among 18- to 34-year-olds, WRXP is close to the top 10 with 3% of the audience, even though at this point it’s using an automated format programmed in Chicago.
Merlin Music stations OM Jim Richards tells RBR-TVBR: “Feedback (from listeners, advertisers and the industry) has been amazing. Lots of positive comments on FB and Twitter about New Rock 101.9 returning Alternative to the airwaves. It’s been great and we’re very thankful for the support.”
WRXP’s current ratings are a bit below the ratings it drew in its first go-round as an alternative rock station, when it had a full deejay staff.
The return of WRXP was presumably responsible for a drop in the ratings at classic rock WAXQ, which fell from 4.5% of the audience to 3.8%.
See the NY Daily News story here
RBR-TVBR observation: WRXP still hasn’t cracked the top 15. To do so, in our humble opinion, it will need to add Indie Rock bands, such as:
Beck, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of state, LCD Sound System, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Flaming Lips, Pinback, Ladytron, Clinic, Muse, Tom Waits, The Moldy Peaches, The Raveonettes, The Kills, The Postal Service, Devendra Banhart, Vivian Girls, Black Lips, Cold War Kids, Cat Power, Architecture in Helsinki, Matt & Kim, Lykke Li, The Blow, Sleigh Bells, The Hidden Cameras, Animal Collective, Deerhoof, The Vaselines, Vampire Weekend, Tune-Yards, Surfer Blood, Cloud Nothings, etc..
Also, perhaps some Classic Alternative, such as:
The Velvet Underground, T. Rex, The Ramones, David Bowie, Blur, Bjork, The Pixies, Devo, The Cure, The Cowboy Junkies, etc..
