Guess the format

Here are two stations within 200 miles of each other. Both are owned by Clear Channel. One reports as active rock and one reports as alternative/modern rock. Guess which is which

Station 1 most played songs

1. I Want You To -- Weezer
2. Again -- Flyleaf
3. Uprising -- Muse
4. 1901 -- Phoenix
5. Savior -- Rise Against
6. Letter from A Thief -- Chevelle
7. KIngs and Queens -- 20 Seconds from Mars
8. Between the Lines -- Stone Termple Pilots
9. Lay Me Down -- Dirty Heads & Rome
10. Mountain Man -- Crash Kings

Station 2 Most Played Songs

1. Snuff -- Slipknot
2. Jars -- Chevelle
3. Again -- Flyleaf
4. Savior -- Rise Against
5. The Good Life -- 3 Days Grace
6. Walk Away -- 5 Finger Death Punch
7. Monster -- Skillet
8. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
9. Odd One -- Sick Puppies
10. Invincible -- Adelita's Way

If you guessed that no. 1 was the active rock station and no. 2 was the alternative station, go to the head of the class. No. 1 is WTFX the Fox out of Louisville, KY.
The second is WXEG out of Dayton OH, an alleged alternative station.

I visit Louisville a lot because my sister and mom are living across the river. The Fox is a fairly good modern rock station, even if it doesn't want to call itself that, and I do have it in my presents whenever I visit Louisville (the first choice is WFPK, of course) OTOH when I'm in Dayton, I put in a CD.

The essential 11 -- April 2010

The tunes your stations should be playing instead of Train, 30 Seconds from Mars and Shinedown. I left the Chevelle song off of March's list because I figured it was active rock rather than alternative, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I liked it a lot more than the new Gorillaz song, which I did include and good music is good music so I threw on some Deftones and Sick Puppies for good measure and so what if WFUV and WXPN wouldn't touch it even if the program manager was wearing a radiation suit. If your station is playing most of these tunes then it's a station worth listening to.

Jesus Stole My Girlfriend -- Violent Soho
Harold T. Wilkins -- Fanfarlo
Beat the Devil's Tattoo -- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Heaven Can Wait -- Charlotte Gainsbourg
White Flag Warrior -- Flobots
Swim Until You Can't See Land -- Frightened Rabbit
Letter From A Thief -- Chevelle
Diamond Eyes -- Deftones
Odd One -- Sick Puppies
Little Lion Man -- Mumford & Sons
One Way Road -- John Butler Trio

KRVO -- 103.1 The River's Top 103 of 2009

KRVO is a small station on Montana's ski country. Columbia Falls, Mt to be exact. As a small market station it does not have the luxury of narrowcasting, which makes this station's playlist less confined to its chosen format (almost always a good thing) and more prone to playing Top 40 (which is not always a bad thing). Interstingly, the further down you go on the list the more typically AAA the songs get. Anyway you can do a lot worse than this station -- especially in rural Montana

1. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
2. Uprising -- Muse
3. Fugitive -- David Gray
4. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To) -- Weezer
5. 21 Guns -- Green Day
6. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
7. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2
8. New Divide -- Linkin Park
9. Who Says -- John Mayer
10. Hey Soul Sister -- Train
11. Maybe -- Ingrid Michaelson
12. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band
13. Second Chance -- Shinedown
14. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
15. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
16. Life IN Technicolor II -- Coldplay
17. Closer to Love -- Matt Kearney
18. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
19. Be There -- Howie Day
20. No Surprise -- Daughtry
21. Falling for You -- Colbie Callait
22. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
23. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
24. Get On Your Boots -- U2
25. Notion -- Kings of Leon
26. Just Say Yes -- Snow Patrol
27. Dreams -- Brandi Carlisle
28. Little Bribes -- Death Cab for Cutie
29. Never Say Never -- Thr Fray
30. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
31. Magnificent -- U2
32. Help, I'm Alive -- Metric
33. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
34. Lovers in Japan -- Coldplay
35. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
36. Her Diamonds -- Rob Thomas
37. Smile -- Uncle Cracker
38. 1901 -- Phoenix
39. Little Bit of Red -- Serena Rider
40. Airstream Driver -- Gomez
41. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
42. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
43. Spaceman -- The Killers
44. Backwards Down the Number Line -- Phish
45. This Town -- O.A.R.
46. Fly One Time -- Ben Harper & the Relentless 7
47. You Never Know -- Wilco
48. Nothing Ever Hurt Like You -- James Morrison
49. All for Love -- Serena Rider
50. Magik -- Ryan Adams
51. Don't Wanna Cry -- Peter Yorn
52. Decode -- Paramore
53. Hey You -- 311
54. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
55. Brother -- Pearl Jam
56. Cath -- Death Cab for Cutie
57. Staring Down -- Collective Soul
58. Fireflies -- Owl City
59. Hot and Cold -- Katy Perry
60. Hey World -- Michasel Franti & Spearhead
61. U Want Me 2 -- Sarah McLachlan
62. Heaven -- Brent Dennen feat Natalie Merchant
63. Welcome to England -- Tori Amos
64. Let It Be Me -- Ray LaMontagne
65. Shimmer and Shine -- Ben Harper & the Relentless Seven
66. Free Me -- Joss Stone
67. Home Thing -- Freddy Jones Band
68. Mykonos -- Fleet Foxes
69. Love Solution -- Nelo
70. I Ain't Hiding -- Black Crowes
71. Come Back When You Can -- Barcelona
72. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk
73. First Train Home -- Imogen Heap
74. The Love of One -- Lee Harvey Osmond
75. Chances -- Five for Fighting
76. Kandi -- One Eskimo
77. Top Yourself -- The Raconteurs
78. Open Pages -- Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
79. Fitz and the Dizzy Spells -- Andrew Bird
80. The Fear -- Lily Allen
81. Me No -- Clem Snide
82. Candy -- Paolo Nuiti
83. Soldier of Love -- Sade
84. Day In Day Out -- Aaron Barnhart
85. People Gor a Lot of Nerve -- Neko Case
86. Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song -- Matt Hires
87. Nothing But a Miracle -- Diane Burch
88. The Devil Ain't Gonna Get My Soul -- Finlay Morton
89. If You Only Knew -- Shinedown
90. Stella the Artist -- David Gray
91. Your Heart -- Donovan Frankenreiter
92. Meet Me By the Back Door -- Charlie Mars
93. Make Me Believe -- Angel Taylor
94. Nikorette -- Conor Oberst and the MBT
95. Ain't Gonna Love You -- Brett Dennen
96. Shut Your Mouth -- Astrid Williamson
97. Good Morning -- Ian McFerrin Band
98. She Ain't Me -- Carrie Rodriguez
99. The A-ha Song -- Cary Judd
100. 40 Dogs (Like Romeo & Juliet)-- Bob Schneider
101. John Q. Lonely -- Maia Sharp
102. Pick Me Up -- Matt Hires
103. Take a Break -- Catherine MacLellan

WBRU Top 95.5 of 2009

WBRU is a commercial modern rocker owned by a college -- in this case Brown University. It's always been an above average station and it remains an interesting mix of mainstream and indie alterntive rock

1. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
2. 1901 -- Phoenix
3. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
4. Sometime Around Midnight -- The Airborne Toxic Event
5. Uprising -- Muse
6. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
7. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
8. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
9. Help I'm Alive -- Metric
10. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbits
11. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
12. Brick by Boring Brick -- Paramore
13. Sleepyhead -- Passion Pit
14. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
15. I've Got Friends -- Machester Orchestra
16. Grapevine Fires -- Death Cab for Cutie
17. One In A Million -- Monty Are I
18. At the Bottom -- Brand New
19. Greatest Man That Ever Lived -- Weezer
20. Spaceman -- The Killers
21. Non-Dairy Creamer -- Third Eye Blind
22. The Reeling -- Passion Pit
23. Hate Everyone -- Say Anything
24. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
25. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
26. Ignorance -- Paramore
27. Savior -- Rise Against
28. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
29. Audience of One -- Rise Against
30. I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked -- Ida Maria
31. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
32. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
33. The Feel Good Drag -- Amberlin
34. Dine With the Devil -- Viennagram
35. Don't Believe A Word -- Third Eye Blind
36. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
37. Take Me Home -- After Midnight Project
38. Notion -- Kings of Leon
39. I Know What I Am -- Band of Skulls
40. 21 Guns -- Green Day
41. Wishing Well -- The Airborne Toxic Event
42. Too Fake -- Hockey
43. Breaking -- Anberlin
44. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
45. New Divide -- Linkin Park
46. One Day -- Matishyahu
47. Heavy Cross -- Gossip
48. Mountain Man -- Crash Kings
49. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
50. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
51. Mess of Me -- Switchfoot
52. Singularity -- Fairhaven
53. Shake It Out -- Manchester Orchestra
54. Changing -- Saosin
55. Gold Guns Girls -- Metric
56. Slow Poison -- The Bravery
57. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
58. Oh My God -- Ida Maria
59. She's A Genius -- Jet
60. A Dustland Fairytale -- The Killers
61. Jars -- Chevelle
62. Show Me What I'm Looking For -- Caraolina Liar
63. Bonfire -- Third Eye Blind
64. Hey You -- 311
65. Go Getter Greg -- Ludo
66. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
67. Around the Bend -- Asteroids Galaxy Tour
68. Ghost Town -- Shiny Toy Guns
69. Brother -- Pearl Jam
70. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band
71. Closer -- Kings of Leon
72. Get On Your Boots -- U2
73. So What If.. -- For the Love of Sloan
74. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
75. Medicate -- AFI
76. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
77. Dominos -- The Big pink
78. Half Truism -- The Offsprong
79. I Love College -- Asher Roth
80. I Caught Myself -- Paramore
81. Check My Brain -- Alice In Chains
82. Magnificent -- U2
83. Treat Me Like Your Mother -- The Dead Weather
84. Never Take Us Alive -- Madina Lake
85. Dirt Room -- Blue October
86. Turn Me Off -- Audrdyre Sessions
87. Again -- Flyleaf
88. Life In Technicolor II -- Coldplay
89. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
90. Evening Wear -- Mindless Self Indulgence
91. Nothing to Worry About -- Peter Bjorn & John
92. Grafitti Eyes -- StellaStarr
93. 100 Little Curses -- Street Sweeper Social Scenc
94. Worth It All -- Fairhaven
95. Letter From A Thief -- Chevelle
96. For What It's Worth -- Placebo