Winnipeg’s airwaves have a new addition with the launch of ALT 94.3, a station dedicated to bringing the best of alternative music to the city.
The station, owned by Pattison Media, launched early Thursday and replaces 94.3 Now! Radio.
Targeting fans of alternative music from the 2000s to today, ALT 94.3 promises a mix of both popular and emerging artists, featuring bands like Muse, Coldplay, Arkells, Death Cab for Cutie, Twenty-One Pilots, Cage the Elephant, Foster the People, and the Foo Fighters.
Carrying over from the former station will be morning hosts Marika Friesen and Dave Turnbull, better known as simply Marika & Turnbull.
“Winnipeg is long overdue for a station dedicated to new alternative music and I couldn’t be prouder to bring the best in alternative to my hometown,” said program director Dale Davies, in a release.
The 94.3 FM frequency has undergone many rebrands in the Winnipeg market since its early days. Perhaps best known as Q94FM for nearly 30 years from the late ’70s to early 2000s, the frequency then changed ownership multiple times to become CURVE 94.3, FAB 94.3, 94.3 The Drive and most recently, 94.3 Now! Radio.
ALT 94.3 is the sister station to QX104 Country and is the second alternative-format radio station to hit Winnipeg’s FM dial this month. On October 8, Power 97 (Corus Entertainment) rebranded itself to become an “iconic alternative” station.
