Lynyrd Skynyrd specially beloved on Atlanta classic rock stations

Fortunately, I have access to Mediabase 24/7, which tracks Rock 100.5 and the River playlists. Both stations play classic rock, though the River defines it as "classic hits" and skews somewhat lighter than Rock 100.5, which means more Police, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John, somewhat less Rolling Stones, ZZ Top and Guns n Roses.

Both the River and Rock 100.5 play pretty much the same acts as the typical classic rock stations nationwide. The top acts nationwide are, in order, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Queen, Def Leppard, Journey and Boston.

All those are in the top 25 of most played acts on both the River and Rock 100.5.

Guns n Roses, which ranked No. 13 nationwide, is disproportionately less popular in Atlanta. The hard rock band ranked 58 last week among most played acts on the River with just 11 spins. Rock 100.5 played G-N-R 27 times, tied for 20th.

Bob Seger, a Detroit staple, doesn't get as much love in Atlanta either. While he is ranked 20th nationwide this past week just behind the Beatles and ahead of Rush, he is tied for 22nd on the River (25 spins) and 42nd on Rock 100.5 (9 spins).

And while Athens band R.E.M. is a D.C. radio staple, the River didn't play a single cut from the band last week (and a mere 14 spins year to date). Rock 100.5 spun R.E.M. 16 times, good for 30th place.

Not surprisingly, southern hard rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, is more popular in Atlanta than other parts of the country. Nationally, Skynyrd was the 18th most popular classic rock act. Locally, on Rock 100.5, Skynyrd ranked No. 5 with 68 spins while the River played Skynyrd 2 times, good for 13th place.

Rock 100.5 plays a much narrower range of artists. It spun 117 different groups or singers last week, while the River included 184. Rock also played a lot more of its top artist (Led Zeppelin 120 times, or once every 84 minutes) than the River (Van Halen and Led Zeppelin both 65 times, or once every 155 minutes).

As for individual songs, the River's top 10 year to date reflects the fact it is slightly softer in feel than Rock 100.5. Only one song overlapped: Jimi Hendrix's "Fire." And Rock 100.5's top 10 features six songs by just two acts: The Who and the Rolling Stones.

1. "I Want You To Want Me" Cheap Trick

2. "Hold the Line" Toto

3. "Roxanne" The Police

4. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" Bob Dylan

5. "Don't Fear the Reaper" Blue Oyster Cult

6. "Black Betty" Ram Jam

7. "Take the Money and Run" Steve Miller

8. "Fire" Jimi Hendrix

9. "Blinded by the Light" Manfred Mann

10. "Lights" Journey

Rock 100.5

1. "Baba O' Riley" The Who

2. "Runnin' With the Devil" Van Halen

3. "Fire" Jimi Hendrix

4. "Sweet Emotion" Aerosmith

5. "Gimme Shelter' Rolling Stones

6. "Behind Blue Eyes" The Who

7. "More than a Feeling" Boston

8. "Miss You' Rolling Stones

9. "Start Me Up" Rolling Stones

10. "Who Are You" Who

The national classic rock chart are songs anybody who listens to classic rock should know very very well:

1. "Sweet Home Alabama" Lynyrd Skynyrd

2. "Sweet Emotion" Aerosmith

3. "Dream On" Aerosmith

4. "More Than a Feeling" Boston

5. "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas

6. "Walk This Way' Aerosmith

7. "Sweet Child o' Mine" Guns n Roses

8. "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1" Pink Floyd

9. "Peace of Mind" Boston

10. "You Shook Me All Night Long" AC/DC

Source: Mediabase 24/7

The River and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.