BEST ROCK RADIO PROGRAM

With the execution of ZETA (WZTA-FM 94.9) at the hands of Clear Channel executives, things seemed bleak for the rock-radio listener. It appeared that the only recourse would be classic rock station WBGG-FM (105.9), where Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Creedence Clearwater Revival frequent (really frequent) the airwaves, and the most recent songs played are from the hair-band era. Spying a desperate market ripe for the picking, Cox Communications quickly came charging to the rescue, switching the foundering dance station Party 93.1 into a balls-out rawk station that features an "active rock" playlist. As of this writing there were no actual programs, but rock fans are delighted to hear the likes of Chevelle, Nirvana, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Velvet Revolver, Green Day, Breaking Benjamin, and Audioslave in regular rotation. And instead of Pink Floyd, you get Korn covering Pink Floyd. Even though dance fans always claimed to loathe Party 93.1, its demise brought ire to the message boards on www.clubfreestyle.com and www.cooljunkie.com. An online petition asking Cox Communications to revert the station back to a dance/electronic format yielded a whopping 60 signatures. Chill out, dance fans. Party 93 will continue as an online station, soon available at www.party931.com. According to Buster, a radio personality who has made the transition from Party 93 to 93 Rock, the feedback is mostly positive. "The rock listeners are freaking out, because they're digging it. They're really excited about this playlist; they think it's a lot broader and more active than the previous station in the market."