The Infinite Dial

The WXPN/Y100 marriage is also an interesting way of acknowledging that Y100, for most of its life as terrestrial modern rocker WPLY, was really the next generation of Triple-A. Having evolved from an Alternative/CHR-hybrid, WPLY never fully embraced the hard rock that became an issue for so many modern rock stations. For most of its life, it had a healthy gold library and some sort of Dave Matthews Band presence, even after the softest of the softer music finally came off the station.

Five years ago, when Modern Rock was at its crunchiest and rappiest, and Triple-A's traditional base was starting to age, many Triple-A PDs hoped that they could become the new "true Alternative" format. That's why today's Triple-A chart is Gnarls Barkley at No. 1 and the new Tom Petty at No. 2. And why the Fray, Raconteurs, Keane, and Death Cab for Cutie co-exist with the new Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris song, and with Jackson Browne oldies. To some extent, Modern Rock made it harder for Triple-A when it added more gold, backed off the rap/rock, and started playing Keane and the Raconteurs itself. But in Philly, nobody has come along to replace WPLY directly. So perhaps showcasing Y100 music in this manner makes it easier to segue from the new Thom Yorke into "Fountain of Sorrow."

The WXPN announcement, by the way, does not address WXPN's HD-2 channel. (Nor could I find mention of one on the WXPN homepage.) It seems like bringing back Y100 would be a pretty good way to get a certain group of listeners to ante up for HD Radio. Of course, if you're depending on listener donations, perhaps you don't want to divert their $300, but if that's money that would otherwise go to satellite radio, it might still make sense.