Now that's been a little over two weeks since the rebirth of 89X...

[MWmetalhead]

...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.

[Editorcj]

What I've noticed is that they are agressively branding themselves as Windsor's New Rock Alternative, going out of their way to not recognize the large US market their signal penetrates and the listeners in the Detroit market. At this moment all of their advertisers are Canadian companies or institutions. The Subway Canada spots are amusingly snarky with the $5.99Ca 29.5 centimeter sandwich promotion as opposed to the famous 5 dollar foot long Subway promotion.

[MegaHertz]

I did hear "Pepper" by Butthole Surfers last week. That'll probably be the only track they play.

I agree with most of your list. I don't really have any complaints, though. I'm happy it's back and I'm happy I have 90s/00s rock and 90s/00s hip hop on the dial. It's a nice option to have.

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

Today, I heard: Lorde “Royals”, Raconteurs “Steady as She Goes”, Turnstile, “Gold on the Ceiling” by the Black Keys, and 90s Beck. There was more I am sure, but I honestly thought I was living in 2013. Not happy. They seem to be falling from what they played before September 6th.

[MWmetalhead]

I actually dig those 90s Beck songs. Anything other than "Loser" anyway.

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

I actually dig those 90s Beck songs. Anything other than "Loser" anyway.

Yep. The other one they played was Muse. Like I said, I swear I was in a 2013 time warp yesterday.

[mikemach]

I know it's a pipe dream but I would love to hear some 80's alternative on 89X liked the good old days I remember. Maybe some Psychedelic Furs, Smiths, New Order etc.
I will say I have liked much of what I've heard but would love more older stuff.

[ConstipatedListener]

Even if it were limited to a show on the weekend, that would be nice. I doubt if they would/could get Cristina from the "Time Warp" to host.

[TC Talks]

Even if it were limited to a show on the weekend, that would be nice. I doubt if they would/could get Cristina from the "Time Warp" to host.

That kind of canned showcase thing has been replaced by streaming services.

[ConstipatedListener]

Like Soma FM Underground 80s.

[ChrisWL1980]

I know it's a pipe dream but I would love to hear some 80's alternative on 89X liked the good old days I remember. Maybe some Psychedelic Furs, Smiths, New Order etc.
I will say I have liked much of what I've heard but would love more older stuff.

If you can get Ann Arbor's 107-1, they have a lot of that stuff Saturday nights with the syndicated New Wave Nation. Great show.

[Editorcj]

If you want NuWave listen to First Wave, 90's Alternative listen to Lithium. Both are good SXM channels. 89x has earned a first bank preset.

[windsorjoe]

I think the station is amazing! I didn’t think I would be listening to it as much as I do. I kept trying to listen to 98.7 or even Alt Nation on Sirius, but never stuck.

I’m also taken aback by some of the 89x originals I didn’t know of. Modern Love by David Bowie was a surprise, but I liked the mix of it.

[tivoking]

I don't remember it exactly, because I only heard it once, but their original commercial said something like "For Windsor, by Windsor", so they can stick it.

[stopnswop2]

I actually dig those 90s Beck songs. Anything other than "Loser" anyway.

Yep. The other one they played was Muse. Like I said, I swear I was in a 2013 time warp yesterday.

The sissy indie music sucked in 2013 too lol