Now that's been a little over two weeks since the rebirth of 89X...
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2025 8:30 am
...I thought it would be time to give an honest review of the station.
Positives:
- 89X plays (good) artists no other Detroit area radio station plays. Examples: Arkells, Metric, Wet Leg, Tegan and Sara, Bad Religion, Social Distortion.
- CanCon! There is a lot of great Canadian music that fits the format like a glove. Brad Steiner of Audacy is too fucking lazy to mine quality Canadian music to play on Alt 98.7.
- Imaging sounds good! I'm glad they didn't bring back the guy they used previously; he's a better fit for dog documentaries on Animal Planet (it's true! He does the narration on Dogs 101). The new voiceover guy brings a sense of energy.
- Audio processing is on point! It's one of the better sounding stations on the dial aurally.
- Marketing: the fact three different TV stations (possibly four?) in Metro Detroit all ran news stories about the return of 89X is pretty remarkable.
- Social media: very strong in week #1. Somewhat lazy, though, in week #2.
- Advertising: it is a pleasure to listen and NOT have to hear Summit Place Kia spots!
- No Metallica: listeners to 89X since the 90s were taken aback when 89X began playing mainstream rock hits from the group's Black album around 2001 or 2002. This time, the station has steered clear of Metallica.
- No EMO overload this time! The prior generation of 89X played way too many EMO songs. This time, the balance is proper.
On the fence:
- Playlist is tilted in favor of singer/songwriter and indie flavored alt and not enough rock-based alt. The station seems to be striking a balance between pre-Dave & Chuck era 89X and the 2010s version of 93.9 The River. I have my doubts as to whether this is a good strategy. Time will tell.
Negatives:
- I am disappointed by the lack of variety with respect to 90s gems from U.S. based artists. No Primus. Minimal Nine Inch Nails. No White Zombie. No Marilyn Manson. No Letters to Cleo. No CIV, KMFDM or Butthole Surfers. Haven't heard The Refreshments, Dishwalla, only a few big hits from NIrvana, only a couple big hits from RATM, only a couple big hits from The Offspring and Bush, no 90s era Foo Fighters, no Toad the Wet Sprocket, no Sponge, no Cracker, no Porno for Pyros. WTF???
- "Handlebars" by Flobots and "Hey Mister" by Custom are missing from the playlist, even though these were big songs for the station in the early / mid 2000s. Why?
- Concert calendar voiced by AI: does this literally need to air once or twice every single hour? The calendar just drones on, and on, and on. This would be a more appropriate item to air 3 or 4 times daily, not every hour.
- Contests are evidently off limits for non-Ontario listeners: There are about 600,000 potential listeners in SW Ontario and about 4,000,000 potential listeners in SE Michigan. Detroit listeners and advertisers primarily kept the station afloat during its first run, which lasted 29 years. Only allowing Ontario listeners to participate in contests, even those involving tickets for DETROIT AREA concerts, seems like a MASSIVE knife in the back.
OVERALL GRADE SO FAR: B.
Week #1 sounded better than week #2. The station is better overall than Alt 98.7, but the gap isn't quite as wide as I initially thought.
Positives:
- 89X plays (good) artists no other Detroit area radio station plays. Examples: Arkells, Metric, Wet Leg, Tegan and Sara, Bad Religion, Social Distortion.
- CanCon! There is a lot of great Canadian music that fits the format like a glove. Brad Steiner of Audacy is too fucking lazy to mine quality Canadian music to play on Alt 98.7.
- Imaging sounds good! I'm glad they didn't bring back the guy they used previously; he's a better fit for dog documentaries on Animal Planet (it's true! He does the narration on Dogs 101). The new voiceover guy brings a sense of energy.
- Audio processing is on point! It's one of the better sounding stations on the dial aurally.
- Marketing: the fact three different TV stations (possibly four?) in Metro Detroit all ran news stories about the return of 89X is pretty remarkable.
- Social media: very strong in week #1. Somewhat lazy, though, in week #2.
- Advertising: it is a pleasure to listen and NOT have to hear Summit Place Kia spots!
- No Metallica: listeners to 89X since the 90s were taken aback when 89X began playing mainstream rock hits from the group's Black album around 2001 or 2002. This time, the station has steered clear of Metallica.
- No EMO overload this time! The prior generation of 89X played way too many EMO songs. This time, the balance is proper.
On the fence:
- Playlist is tilted in favor of singer/songwriter and indie flavored alt and not enough rock-based alt. The station seems to be striking a balance between pre-Dave & Chuck era 89X and the 2010s version of 93.9 The River. I have my doubts as to whether this is a good strategy. Time will tell.
Negatives:
- I am disappointed by the lack of variety with respect to 90s gems from U.S. based artists. No Primus. Minimal Nine Inch Nails. No White Zombie. No Marilyn Manson. No Letters to Cleo. No CIV, KMFDM or Butthole Surfers. Haven't heard The Refreshments, Dishwalla, only a few big hits from NIrvana, only a couple big hits from RATM, only a couple big hits from The Offspring and Bush, no 90s era Foo Fighters, no Toad the Wet Sprocket, no Sponge, no Cracker, no Porno for Pyros. WTF???
- "Handlebars" by Flobots and "Hey Mister" by Custom are missing from the playlist, even though these were big songs for the station in the early / mid 2000s. Why?
- Concert calendar voiced by AI: does this literally need to air once or twice every single hour? The calendar just drones on, and on, and on. This would be a more appropriate item to air 3 or 4 times daily, not every hour.
- Contests are evidently off limits for non-Ontario listeners: There are about 600,000 potential listeners in SW Ontario and about 4,000,000 potential listeners in SE Michigan. Detroit listeners and advertisers primarily kept the station afloat during its first run, which lasted 29 years. Only allowing Ontario listeners to participate in contests, even those involving tickets for DETROIT AREA concerts, seems like a MASSIVE knife in the back.
OVERALL GRADE SO FAR: B.
Week #1 sounded better than week #2. The station is better overall than Alt 98.7, but the gap isn't quite as wide as I initially thought.