Was that San Jose radio station Channel 104.9 the "new music alternative" because they played alternative new music, or were they the "new music alternative" because they played something other than new music? Well, that question has now been definitively answered, as Channel 104.9 was unceremoniously switched by its Clear Channel overlords on Jan. 1 from light-alternative rock to an all-Spanish adult contemporary music format, called .

Check out these weird radio shenanigans -- Channel 104.9 was planning to switch on New Year's to that alternative classic rock format recently adopted by Live 105 in an attempt to attract an older audience, but when Clear Channel learned that rival Spanish language station 100.3 was switching from a La Romantica to a more old-school format, Clear Channel decided it needed to move into the Spanish adult contempo gap. 104.9 staffers only learned of the switch last week. Two staffers will be laid off, and the other 8 will move to other Clear Channel stations in the area. 14 months ago, Clear Channel switched another English-language rock station (KSJO 92.3) to an old-school Spanish-language music format (La Preciosa), and KSJO is now the number 1 station in San Jose for listeners between 25-54.

Live 105, now the only alternative rock station in the area, has been running ads this week, promising what the Merc News said was "alternative rock without having to learn Spanish." Hey, the Pixies sang in Spanish every now and then!

La Romantica