Atlanta’s active rock station Project 9-6-1 was discontinued Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. for another Top 40 station branded as “Power 96.1.”
Project 9-6-1 signed off after Chris “The OC” Williams gave a farewell message and ended the station by playing Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Free Bird.” Following the sign off was an hour of older Top 40 hits and the opening chorus of “Ready or Not” by The Fugees.
Atlanta Journal Constitution blogger Rodney Ho said that because of Williams, Atlanta’s long-standing classic rock station 96Rock became Project, a youth-oriented rock station. Project combined a mix of older classic rock and current edgy rock.
Power 96.1 launched a new format of 9,600 songs free of commercials at 8 p.m. beginning with “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO.
“I was listening to Chris Williams and he said that he was playing ‘Free Bird’ as a farewell,” said Chris Glosson, junior English major. “I didn’t know what the farewell thing was about so when I got home, I looked it up and saw that Project 9-6-1 was being discontinued. They didn’t put anything out there, they just did it.”
Glosson explained the reasoning that he and his friends are upset about the change-over. This switch added yet another Top 40 show to Atlanta’s stations to contend with Star94 and Q100.
The discontinuation of Project 9-6-1 also took away the only station that played more modern rock music. Most of Project’s listeners have switched over to classic rock station WNNX Rock 100.5.
“It isn’t equivalent to the Project; just the closest thing to it,” Glosson said.
Project fans have begun an uprising of sorts through social media outlets. Fans have created Facebook pages to protest including “Save Project 9-6-1” and “Project 961 Undead.”
“Project 9-6-1 Undead” started a boycott by going to all of Clear Channel/Power 96.1 sponsors and calling attention to Clear Channel’s shady business practices and drawing these advertisers to the side of Project. Thursday, the Facebook group began by posting contact information for McDonald’s.
Other forms of uprising by Project fans include multiple petitions that have been started. According to Ho’s blog, three of these petitions have reached 3,000 and 5,000 respectively as of Labor Day.
“I am a part of the Facebook protest ‘Save Project 9-6-1’ and currently ‘liked’ the Project Undead page, said Glosson. “I emailed Clear Channel about why I listened to Project and wanting to know why they got rid of it, but I haven’t heard anything back.”
Glosson also said that he would be willing to sign any petitions that come out for the reinstatement of Project.
Project listeners staged a protest in downtown Atlanta last weekend. Glosson was unable to attend.
In recent years, rock music stations have been on the decline and Atlanta has kept five stations on air, but they were barely pulling in a bigger audience than rhythm and blues or hip-hop. In July, Dave FM announced it would be transferring to sports talk in the fall and now Project has been taken off the air. The rock stations left in Atlanta include Rock 100.5, 97.1/The River and 99X at 98.9.
“They didn’t put anything out there, they just did it.”
Clear Channel announced that if their listeners would like to continue listening, Project 9-6-1 will continue to be aired on iheartradio.com.
“I listen to radio in the car,” said Glosson. “If I want to listen to Project I would have to bring my laptop in the car and depend on a wireless signal to listen.”
Clear Channel’s other solution was to listen to XM radio. XM radio is pricier and a luxury not everyone can enjoy.
The recent update for Project fans is that Cumulus shifted
its 98.9 signal to a Project-like sound Sept. 1. The alternative rock station can fulfill the desires of active rock fans inside Atlanta’s perimeter, although the signal is relatively weak.
KSU students interested in fighting for Project 9-6-1 can sign one of the many petitions online as well as joining the Facebook groups for Project.
