Drive 105 Repo’d. Replaced with Love

The last hold-out in the Twin Cities commercial ‘alternative’ radio dial succumbed to Love today.

“Every mini-van driving soccer mom with a 15 year old will be pleased as punch when she turns on her radio and hears this festival of shit pouring forth from her speakers.” – Sornie

Two choices remain; The Current, or some mythical online service.

My first experience with a format change:
Back around 1986 104.1 FM changed from something boring to heavy metal. I thought the world had split apart.

But, I stuck with the format change and had the hair to prove it. Then had the same reaction when they mellowed out four years later and switched to “college” or “alternative” or “modern” or “progressive” rock.

Again, I stuck with them. And still have a cassette recording of their live broadcast of Too Much Joy in concert.

I stopped there. Not following them into Country or beyond.

10 minutes from now, I expect the FM dial to resemble the current AM dial, with AM completely abandon. Like suburbanites migrating to newer construction further out. All while iPod capacities grow exponentially.

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41 thoughts on “Drive 105 Repo’d. Replaced with Love

  1. joshlee

    Well, you won’t have to worry about online radio for long; the royalty barons will care of that. I’m totally in love with Last.fm, fwiw.

    Saturday nights on KFAI remain some of the best few hours of radio around; the rest of the schedule is, by definition, a crap shoot. Radio K is ok, if you don’t mind the awkward young DJs.

  2. Mim

    I was born and raised in Minnesota but had to move to Texas for a few years because of the military. Eventhough I am miles away, I still felt at home becasue I could get online everyday and listen to Drive 105 the alternative rock. I think it now completely sucks!!!! The one thing that made me feel at home from so far away has been taken away.

  3. Julie

    YUCK!!! I hate the new LOVE 105! They will tank with the new format! Bring back DRIVE Playing new music first!

  4. monte

    What a joke. Hahahah – I guess Minnesota isn’t allowed to have cool radio stations. Or good weather. Or a film industry. Or a lack of mosquitos

    Thank god I’m moving to Valencia

  5. Tricia

    Hey- I AM one of those mom’s driving a 15 year old around (but not in a mini-van.) I am horrified that they replaced pretty much the only station I allow in my car with that hateful new station. BRING BACK DRIVE!

  6. tesss

    YOU SUCK! i hope it tanks so you can bring back the station who made new bands starting off be able to make a living. drive105 was classy, this is just cheesey there are 10 other stqations that are teh same out there, you guys blow. my mom was even angry that you guys changed the station. and thanks for the warnign, doofus.

  7. Ryan

    What happened did they sell out to clear channel. Now I have to go purchase XM radio

  8. Adam Rudd

    I HOPE YOU ROT! What the hell? Does clear channel have to take everything that has some originality?
    LOVE 105!?!? Who the hell thought that lame ass idea? Hey I have great idea. DON’T LET CORPORATE IDIOTS DECIDE ON WHAT’S GOOD MUSIC TASTE.

  9. Katie

    bring back drive 105 you assholes! i’m more than disappointed with this new radio station. this is my last summer in the twin cities and i live for music! pleaaaase, oh i wish i could have my favorite radio station back. i don’t even know who to email!

  10. Katrina

    So I come back from vacation, go to work hoping to hear a little of the Clash before I have to listen to crappy 1970’s singer/songwriters and bad lite rock at work, and what started playing? Chicago. No thank you. All day long I listen to that poison, and all I want is a little cure or jack johnson, and now that’s taken away from me too. Bring it Back!

  11. Noel

    It all started last Friday on the 18th of May. I helplessly dialed into drive 105. What? oldy shit classics? WTF? I don’t remember that being on the programming. I thought MAYBE it was a comericial. Until I heard the snitty bitch proudly present “LOVE” 105. Thanks an effin lot! Well, looks liek I better get into some good ghetto rap, because those are teh ONLY stations left int he cities. I should have my first murder accomplished in a year. *JOKE* Suck it up you guys, bring back Drive 105!!!! I want to cry.

  12. Brent

    As a MPLS native, I never thought I would say this, but Milwaukee, where I live now, has better radio, when you factor in the end of the drive and the beginning of HD radio. I’m listening to 97.3 the brew HD2- classic alternative right now -just finished a smiths tune and now some alphaville.

    I think they stream so its a decent option if you’re at a computer.

  13. B

    I have to agree with all the posts!! Especially the fact that Minnesota has terrible radio-and you can’t even begin to compare the Current to Drive 105-listened to it-boring!!! I too will have to go get myself XM satelite!!

  14. The Okey

    I’ve been webstreaming Drive 105 since I moved to Tulsa. I even e-mailed the “alternative” station here (104.5 the edge) and recommended that they webstream Drive 105 to see how alternative radio is done well. Joke’s on me, and everyone who loved Drive 105. It’s now Love 105??? That’s disgusting.

  15. mik

    wow you have got to be kidding me. another shitty love mush station. who the hell decided to take away the last decent radio station. i am outraged.

  16. Brad

    I am very unhappy with the format change… The big deal is that Radio Disney, who “owns” the three transmitters (which is really what this is all about) is about to sell out to citidel (sp?) look it up… I am sure they are just trying to pump up the arbitron numbers (google it) to fit the pig spender market right before the sale. I agree, changes like this is what we used to call Radio Ass Cancer when I was ont he air at a small non-com station. I baid about $140 to retrofit an iPod plug directly into my factory radio (sounds great btw) and now, the radio stations will be set to the Milwaukee stations I listen to when I go home and that’s it! Ah the death of FM… not even HD can save it…

  17. Jenna

    I cry too. Cities 97 doesn’t even compare. And I can’t listen to the Current 24/7. Thanks, Disney – you just can’t preserve a good thing if it cost you a little profit, can you?

  18. Kyle

    Drive 105 was a station that you could leave playing all day. I’m now done with twin cities radio.

  19. Steve

    What a shock!! I, too, am in the military and while working at night would dial into my computer and listen. Nothing compared-oldie alternative(80’s) to the fresh new groups-it was a great mix. I was shocked that they were so low on the marketshare, I wouldn’t have guessed that. There is nothing left like in in Minneapolis-the others suck. Back to CD’s!

  20. Jimbob

    What really upsets me is I never noticed a push in advertising to try and boost the market share. I myself only happened upon the station and was pleasantly suprised with the great mix of old new and local alt music…sigh!…it was great. I just don’t see the logic behind the format change. When this fails I hope they bring back drive.

  21. h

    I never thought I would actually miss a radio station, but given the alternatives…what other station will play Femmes? The Current and Cities 97 will be the end of me. Back to the ipod.

  22. Tricia

    I hate this!
    every 3 years they change….. GURRR!
    Bring back drive…. it was the ONLY station I loved to listen to….

  23. Jaime

    Love 105. This is seriously a radio station?!

    I say we organize a boycott of ABC.

    BRING BACK DRIVE 105!

  24. Ron Daily

    What a suck ass radio station this has turned out to be – fire them all – they all should lose their jobs for this sell-out move. Love Stnks – that should be their jingle. Love (105) Stinks.

  25. Sarah

    Ugh! I loved listening to Drive 105 on the web while I was at work. I found lots of new artists that I really enjoyed by listening to the station. This new format is terrible! Instead of being something new and creative it’s been turned into plain, old vanilla. Yuck!

  26. ellie

    YOU GUYS SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BRING BACK DRIVE>>>LOVE WHAT IS THAT THERE ARE NO GOOD STATIONS ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  27. Vooduon

    Radio has dispersed into the deep hellish pits of everything boring and repeptetive. Drive was the only station that played all the good music without overplaying anything and still keeping in touch with the GOOD old music. The problem with the other stations is that you can listen to them for one hour and hear the same some three times, you might as well be listening to a boring mix CD over and over and over…

  28. Dave

    Finally, Love 105. My wish has been granted. This is the best radio I’ve ever heard! Nothing could give me more pleasure than Love 105….. NOT! I about crapped my pants when I turned it on and heard “Endless Love”. I thought JP the radio slave was playing some kind of twisted joke! You’ve got to be kidding me with this! Drive must come back!!

  29. Goble

    Well everyone. For me an Oklahoma resident I came across Drive 105 by doing a search for MSP radio stations and I listened online EVERDAY. One week before my first trip ever to Minneapolis I was like Fucking sweet I can tune my radio to Drive 105 and then one day I click my bookmark in explorer only to be greeted with an asshole PINK love 105 banner. I literally wanted to break my computer. I was and am still upset because I plan to move to Minneapolis and now the one station I thought I would listen to up there is gone. Don’t fret though LOVE sucks so much donkey shit it will tank within a year.

  30. David Carter

    What is sad is that this station was the great rev 105. The current is ok but they play too much eclectic music. Stick to a cool play list & I’m happy. I hope so-called love 105 tanks.

  31. Aksi

    I pretty much died when they killed drive. I was like “You’ve finally done it, radio. You’re now made of suck and fail”.

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