With WKQX (Q101) Chicago wrapping up a nearly 20-year history in Alternative, it seemed like a good time to recall the station’s beginnings as a unique Rock/AC hybrid. While some of the format’s early breakthrough stations, from WNNX (99X) Atlanta to KITS (Live 105) San Francisco, segued in to the format from Top 40, Q101 made an even more unusual transition from AC, marking one of the industry’s earliest realizations that “Alternative” wasn’t just pop music, but adult pop music.

As the harder music emerging in the format at the time further took hold, Alternative would eventually spin off Modern AC, but it would be WTMX Chicago that took that position in the late ’90s, while Q101 hewed to the harder side of the format.

Veteran programmer/consultant/researcher Liz Janik was part of the Joint Communications team that helped oversee Q101’s transition. She would go on to oversee an equally distinct and successful CHR/Alternative hybrid at KKDM Des Moines, Iowa, now Top 40. Here are her recollections of Q101’s changeover from the home of veteran Top 40/AC morning man Robert Murphy(who, ironically, is returning to the station, at least during its transition to a permanent format) to the forerunner of Modern AC:

“In the mid-’90s Q101 was a mainstream AC station with an expensive, successful morning show, but with flat ratings for the rest of the day. In exploring what adults 25–40 really wanted that was missing from the market to boost the all-day numbers, it was discovered that one of the biggest opportunities was to offer a ‘new music’ alternative to all the mainstream formats—a younger WXRT if you will. The result was a new music station that embraced a variety of cutting edge musical styles, from grunge to electronica. Fresh and ‘Now!’ music, but without the CHR tone or formatics.

“The appeal of the ‘variety alternative’ or modern rock format eventually overshadowed the expensive morning show, and it was replaced with a more affordable lineup. Q101’s team had discovered that a large number of both men and women greatly preferred listening to a variety of musical styles, without the CHR presentation, which allowed the station to successfully transition from its heritage AC position to Modern Rock.

“Over time, the station drifted into the smaller ‘rock alternative’ position, with its very narrow and noisy sound signature. It was representative of how ‘alternative’ was defined in the trades. As the listening numbers softened, Q101 acquired another high-priced morning show as a fix.

“Chicago rocks! If [new owner] Randy [Michaels’] money was my money, a straight ahead, full service, fun, rock station would be my top choice for a music format for Chicago today. For years now, there has been a large demand for a full service ‘contemporary rock’ station; not classic rock and not rock alternative. Today’s variety alternative/modern rock format still has wide appeal with Chicago listeners, but has little traction within the industry. It defies the ingrained stereotypes about the needs of men and women listeners, and tightly focused sales strategies.”

Here’s a brief monitor of Q101 afternoons in its early days, July 1992. At this point, the station is as easily explained as Rock AC as Modern AC, with plenty of John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen and other decidedly non-Alternative artists. (I don’t know which songs, but the final music teaser on this aircheck promises Springsteen and Matthew Sweet, probably “Girlfriend,” are on the way.)

James, “Born Of Frustration”
Genesis, “A Trick of The Tail”
Heart, “Nothing At All”
Jesus Jones, “Real Real Real”
Romantics, “What I Like About You”
Love & Rockets, “So Alive”
Human League, “Don’t You Want Me”
INXS, “Not Enough Time”
Rolling Stones, “Start Me Up”
Annie Lennox, “Why”