Alt 106.7 launched in Detroit

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11.22.17 

  
THE END OF 89X?
iHeartMedia kills The D for Alt 106.7

Yet another Howard Stern stomping ground has flipped format this week.

Detroit's WDTW-FM 106.7 - the former WWWW/W4 - has flipped from variety hits as The D to alternative as Alt 106.7, Detroit's New Alternative. iHeart also owns Alt-branded stations in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Birmingham, St. Louis, Dayton, Des Moines, Wichita and a few other markets.

106.7 had been somewhat of a cursed frequency since flipping from its longtime country format in 1999, first to rock AC as Alice 106.7. Over the years, the formats included classic rock, adult hits, rhythmic AC and even a return to country as 106.7 The Fox, which didn't last all that long. The station notoriously aired a Saturday night show called "Hick-Hop", which featured country tunes segued into hip-hop songs and vice versa.

Currently, Alt 106.7 is doing the usual new station launch gimmick with 10,000 songs in a row commercial free. Artists on the new station include Portugal, The Man, No Doubt, Beck, Twenty One Pilots, Vance Joy and The Killers.

Alt 106.7 is Detroit's first AMERICAN alternative station since the ill-fated 94.3 The Bone a few years ago, which was really a translator of the HD signal of hip-hop WGPR 107.5. When WGPR discontinued their HD stream, the station was shuttered. Detroit had many alt-rockers in the 1990s, including Planet 96.3 and The Edge at 105.1.

And yes, 89X, which is technically a Canadian station by law.

With 89X firing all of its American staff and closing their Detroit facilities earlier this year, one would wonder if 1) some of their canned jocks would end up on Alt 106.7 (especially Christina and her awesome Timewarp show) and 2) iHeart will make this station a cheap voicetrack hellhole like they do with most other stations of theirs. I have heard a jock on 106.7 earlier today, and chances are that they can't pronounce the word "Hamtramck".

So, why the flip to alternative? Simple: Entercom took over CBS Radio last week and they've been on a roll with alternative. They turned CHR Amp 92.3 in New York into Alt 92.3 and it was speculated that iHeart wanted the Alt name for that city. With Detroit's Amp 98.7 not flipping last week, iHeart played "you snooze, you lose" and turned 106.7 to alternative, only a few months after flipping to variety hits. 

All I can say is only time will tell. As much as I hate iHeartMedia, I might hate Bell Media even more.