I worked at a “Modern A/C” radio station in 1996…for those not familiar with the industry jargon, that meant playlist of “currents” included Alanis, Oasis, the Wallflowers, Fiona Apple, and pretty much anything playing on the Lilithfair tour that year.

However, our “currents” were interwoven with “retro” 80s hits….we even had a Saturday night, all-80s show called the “Tainted 80s”. Now granted, our 80s were commensurate with the “currents” we were playing at the time (i.e. alternative)…so our 80s playlist consisted of New Order, Eurythmics, R.E.M., Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, etc.

So yes, while the 80s schlock like Starship, Huey Lewis, Mr. Mister, et al remained “uncool”…there definitely was a craving for SOME 80s nostalgia.

Conversely, I now work at a “classic rock” station that is mostly 80s-based (i.e. Def Lep, GnR, Aerosmith, AC/DC, etc.)…and whenever we try to dip our toe into the 90s (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, STP, Collective Soul, etc.), a lot of our listeners tend to balk.

I realize a lot of this is generationally-based (i.e. what you grew up with), but I definitely don't hear any “90s nostalgia” going on around the radio dial. Whereas, I heard plenty of 80s “retro” programming happening from the mid-to-late-90s all the way up to present day.

I also realize that I'm responding to people who posted a year ago, and they probably won't even see this. But I'm sitting home sick on a Tuesday with little else to do but post on random blogs, and I thought it was worth stating.

I worked at a “Modern A/C” radio station in 1996…for those not familiar with the industry jargon, that meant playlist of “currents” included Alanis, Oasis, the Wallflowers, Fiona Apple, and pretty much anything playing on the Lilithfair tour that year.

However, our “currents” were interwoven with “retro” 80s hits….we even had a Saturday night, all-80s show called the “Tainted 80s”. Now granted, our 80s were commensurate with the “currents” we were playing at the time (i.e. alternative)…so our 80s playlist consisted of New Order, Eurythmics, R.E.M., Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, etc.

So yes, while the 80s schlock like Starship, Huey Lewis, Mr. Mister, et al remained “uncool”…there definitely was a craving for SOME 80s nostalgia.

Conversely, I now work at a “classic rock” station that is mostly 80s-based (i.e. Def Lep, GnR, Aerosmith, AC/DC, etc.)…and whenever we try to dip our toe into the 90s (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, STP, Collective Soul, etc.), a lot of our listeners tend to balk.

I realize a lot of this is generationally-based (i.e. what you grew up with), but I definitely don't hear any “90s nostalgia” going on around the radio dial. Whereas, I heard plenty of 80s “retro” programming happening from the mid-to-late-90s all the way up to present day.

I also realize that I'm responding to people who posted a year ago, and they probably won't even see this. But I'm sitting home sick on a Tuesday with little else to do but post on random blogs, and I thought it was worth stating.

I worked at a “Modern A/C” radio station in 1996…for those not familiar with the industry jargon, that meant playlist of “currents” included Alanis, Oasis, the Wallflowers, Fiona Apple, and pretty much anything playing on the Lilithfair tour that year.

However, our “currents” were interwoven with “retro” 80s hits….we even had a Saturday night, all-80s show called the “Tainted 80s”. Now granted, our 80s were commensurate with the “currents” we were playing at the time (i.e. alternative)…so our 80s playlist consisted of New Order, Eurythmics, R.E.M., Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, etc.

So yes, while the 80s schlock like Starship, Huey Lewis, Mr. Mister, et al remained “uncool”…there definitely was a craving for SOME 80s nostalgia.

Conversely, I now work at a “classic rock” station that is mostly 80s-based (i.e. Def Lep, GnR, Aerosmith, AC/DC, etc.)…and whenever we try to dip our toe into the 90s (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, STP, Collective Soul, etc.), a lot of our listeners tend to balk.

I realize a lot of this is generationally-based (i.e. what you grew up with), but I definitely don't hear any “90s nostalgia” going on around the radio dial. Whereas, I heard plenty of 80s “retro” programming happening from the mid-to-late-90s all the way up to present day.

I also realize that I'm responding to people who posted a year ago, and they probably won't even see this. But I'm sitting home sick on a Tuesday with little else to do but post on random blogs, and I thought it was worth stating.

Boy did you get that wrong. By the mid 90s, anything remotely resembling the 80s was incredibly uncool. TV changed, music changed, politics changed and almost all for the better. I dont remember anyone wishing we could go back to the days of Bette Midler, Cheers or the Cold War.

And you claim theres no nostalgic love for the 90s? News flash: They just brought back 90210 and Melrose Place with a cast that includes the original characters. Hillary Clinton have 20+ million votes from a lot of people hoping to return to the glorious economic, happy-times of the 90s. Green Day, Pearl Jam and Radio Head are probably still the biggest bands out there. It seems the majority of the public would rather live on forever in the 90s if they could.

Im sure YOU had a lot of nostalgia for the 80s since thats the era in whih you went to college etc. But for everyone else, the 90s represents a golden era of happiness.