Imagine this: A radio station gets everyone talking, not because of a planned promotion, but because of a technical glitch! That's precisely what happened to Cities 97.1, a Modern AC station in Minneapolis, and the result was pure social media gold.
On a Tuesday night, the station's automation system went haywire. Instead of playing its usual mix of music, Cities 97.1 began looping a snippet of Max McNown's 2024 song, "A Lot More Free." This went on for several hours, from just before 7:40 PM until around 10:09 PM, when the station switched over to iHeart's national Hot AC feed, "Today’s Mix." It seems the station's computer either froze or crashed, causing the repetitive loop.
This unexpected event quickly became a viral sensation, especially on the social media platform Bluesky, thanks to the attention of Bill 'Crooooooooow' Corbett, formerly of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time a radio station has stumbled into viral fame. There are similarities to the 2014 "#Nelly1057" stunt on Unvision’s KVVF/KVVZ San Francisco, which went viral for looping "Hot In Herre" for an entire weekend before a format change.
The lesson? You never know what will capture the public's attention.
Here are some of the reactions from social media users:
- One user noted the song had been looping for over 7 minutes.
- Another user posted a picture of the radio station stuck on repeat.
- Someone else wondered if it was a new stunt or if the automation had gone crazy.
- One user joked that the repeated song was a "Cities 97 Sampler reboot."
- Some users speculated about subliminal messages and format changes.
- Others compared the experience to a Phish concert.
But here's where it gets controversial...
Did this accidental loop create a unique buzz, or was it just a technical mishap? Some might argue that any publicity is good publicity, but others could see it as unprofessional.
What do you think? Did this incident make you more or less likely to tune into Cities 97.1? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
