Alternative vs AAA

What is the difference? They sound very similar now days. Use to, I thought AAA stations were basically adult rock and included some classic rock artists. Now, it appears they are mostly alternative sounding OR is alternative sounding AAA. Curious of your thoughts.

Thinking of Lightning 100 in Nashville which is AAA.

AAA stations focus more on album cuts of existing or new artists, and have a more "freeform" sound, while alternative plays songs that have charted on the alternative chart generally.

Looking at the year end top 50 charts for both formats, there are only about 15 songs that appear on both charts and many at very different positions. Also the top artists of 2018 for both seem quite different as well.

Alternative:
1. Imagine Dragons
2. lovelytheband
3. Portugal. The Man
4. Foster The People
5. Walk The Moon
6. AJR
7. Panic! At The Disco
8. Thirty Seconds to Mars
9. Weezer
10. Beck
Songs https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2018/alternative-songs

AAA:
1. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
2. Leon Bridges
3. Alice Merton
4. Beck
5. U2
6. Jade Bird
7. The Decemberists
8. Mt. Joy
9. The Record Company
10. Portugal. The Man
Songs https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2018/adult-alternative-songs

So only Beck and Portugal. The Man did about equally well on both formats in 2018. However AAA has always been more folk driven and this year has been no exception, while alt seems to going more in an indie-pop direction.

A damn good alternative station, I’m thinking WEQX here, will bridge the two formats into one. Your typica iheart stations will not and are very much hits driven. Google “Top 1027 songs of 2018 WEQX”. They blur the two formats. AAA taps into a lot of indie as well.

Finally, Lightning 100 is AAA but it has an alternative lean. Always have. It’s not like XRT.