No Alternative

Boston recently lost its only over-the-air alternative radio station.

In a move that surprised listeners, WBOS (then billed as “Alt 92.9”) abruptly abandoned the alternative format to become “Rock 92.9.” The station now bills itself as “the next generation of classic rock.” While a surprise when it happened, fans should probably have expected some kind of change.

The first sign of trouble came two years ago, when the station ditched music in the morning in favor of a five hour comedy/talk program, the dreadful “Dave and Chuck the Freak Show.” When an alleged music station abandons playing songs for a significant chunk of its broadcast day, that’s not a sign of commitment. Shortly after that, WBOS seemed to move away from what most would consider a contemporary alternative playlist. Instead, the channel pushed songs that felt more at home on an active rock station, while putting emphasis on cuts from the not-fondly-remembered music era of the early ‘00s.

In July of 2018, WBOS was once again living up to its “Alt 92.9” billing and was doing a fairly good job of playing new and recent alternative singles (except for the five-hour morning dead zone). Things went on in that fashion for the next nine months, until the sudden change in direction.

When asked to explain the format switch, the station noted that, despite detractors, Dave and Chuck…