Next weekend — Memorial Day weekend — one of the strangest in RockTernative radio. It’s the only weekend where a station can go from “Smoke Two Joints” to “Taps” in the same hour and somehow… it works. Depending on who you ask, it can be emotional, patriotic, loud, or chaotic. It can be a party, a gut-punch, or the unofficial start of summer. It can mean the beach, the backyard, the lake, mountains, a road trip, work… or a cemetery.
That’s why it’s a tightrope. Different tones, different vibes, different expectations. And while it’s often referred to as the first weekend of summer, it deserves a closer look.
A weekend with real meaning is easy to overthink or underthink. In radio, the default is to treat it as a three-day bender in patriotic outfits — not a remembrance. No one wants to be insensitive. And no one wants three days of Kleenex either. So stations pick a lane and roll the dice.
- The Beers and Blocks Weekend
- The Memorial Day Top 500
- Remember the Heroes Weekend
Those work. One’s a party, one’s very music-intensive, and the other is sentimental. But Memorial Day weekend isn’t just one lane — it’s a spectrum. And RockTernative — more than any other genre — can live on that spectrum.
Let’s break it down.
MEMORY
At rock, “old” doesn’t mean “outdated.” It means remembered. Music that has stood the test of time. It carries a lifetime of emotional archives, from individual listeners to general culture.
A PD or jock may roll their eyes at “Man in the Box” because they’ve heard it played 9,000 times in the studio. But someone out there remembers the exact day they bought Facelift on cassette, tore off the plastic, and cranked it to 11 while screeching out of the parking lot. Younger listeners won’t ever forget hearing Grohl sing “Everlong” for the first time in the pouring rain at an amphitheater.
Memorial Day is literally about remembering. Gold music unlocks vivid memories. If the right context is wrapped around the music, gold hits even harder on a weekend like this.
IN MEMORIAM
This is where we tip 40s and salute.
To the heroic servicemen and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice. A quick stop at a local cemetery or a call to your armed services HQ will give you names of local heroes worth honoring. Also include rock legends and front-liners who bowed out early. They left their Marlboro butts and fingerprints all over the format.
- Hendrix — the OG guitar hero
- Cobain — he led a full-blown revolution
- Chester — the emotional lightning bolt
- Malcolm — the rhythm-guitar superhuman
- Cornell — the voice that can’t be duplicated
- Taylor Hawkins — the incredible beats and undeniable joy
This part of the weekend isn’t about crying in our beer. This is where brands can salute the artists who shaped the soundtrack of our lives — and the real heroes who made it possible for that soundtrack to even exist.
THE PARTY
Of course, Memorial Day weekend is also a release valve. The weather is getting warmer, school is in the rearview, and three months of summer are staring everyone in the face. People want to grill something, spill something, and pretend Tuesday won’t ever come. There’s nothing wrong with letting the party start. Just don’t forget it’s not the only story happening this weekend.
Rock can soundtrack both chaos and calm. That’s the RockTernative advantage — so use it.
IT’S A TIGHTROPE
Programming can be a minefield, with listeners bringing different moods and doing different things. Some will end up with lampshades on their heads. But many others will be grieving, remembering, working, or just trying to get by.
But listeners tuning in will judge whether your station “gets it.” If you only program for the party, you can miss people and the moment. If you’re playing “Taps” all weekend, you may as well turn off the transmitter. The art is in the blend:
- A little chaos and fun
- A little reverence and meaning
- Some nostalgia
- Lots of volume
- And maybe some beers
Get that blend right… and you’ll have a weekend listeners remember. And on Memorial Day, that’s the whole point.
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Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.
