# As if radio wasn't bad enough ... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 1, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038 "2003-02-01T03:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/1 "2003-02-01T03:35:40Z")
I was scanning around the dial tonight, and stumbled on a new radio station. “Zep 97.3 … all Led Zeppelin, all the time.” Uh huh. Nothing but Led Zeppelin. Thatought to make programming much easier; instead of playing the same 1000 songs by a few groups over and over again, you can play 100 songs by one aetist over and over again. Damn geniuses, these folks from Clear Channel and Infinity. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/2 "2003-02-01T03:49:42Z")
**elmwood** , can you get me the call letters or website for this new station ? This I gotta see. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/3 "2003-02-01T03:55:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NothingMan \* > \*\*can you get me the call letters or website for this new station ? > > This I gotta see. \*\* It’s KCSX, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/4 "2003-02-01T03:58:27Z")
I remember there was station several years ago that attempted an all-Beatles format. Lasted about a year, maybe less. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/5 "2003-02-01T04:10:55Z")
Well the website still has up that its a country station . . . but that doesn’t mean really mean anything. When stations flop formats the webpage is not high on the priority list. Looks like its owned by a “Best Broadcast Group”. Its an interesting idea - not a stunt that one of the bigger corps (Clear Channel, Infinity, Cox, etc.) would try. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/6 "2003-02-01T04:11:27Z")
[QOTE]I was scanning around the dial tonight, and stumbled on a new radio station. “Zep 97.3 … all Led Zeppelin, all the time.” Uh huh. Nothing but Led Zeppelin. Thatought to make programming much easier; instead of playing the same 1000 songs by a few groups over and over again, you can play 100 songs by one aetist over and over again. [/QUOTE] I don’t live in Kansas City, so I’m not familiar with the radio station. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a publicity stunt done to promote a format change. Frequently, when a radio station changes formats, they’ll precede it by either continuously playing the same song (e.g., where I live, a radio station played Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing” over and over to call attention to its change to a hip-hop format) or the same artist. I’m thinking that in the case of KCSX, the reason they’re playing nothing but Led Zeppelin is to promote the station’s change to a classic rock format. Right now, I wouldn’t be too upset. The station will likely stop doing this in a few days and start playing classic rock or whatever format Led Zeppelin fits into. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/7 "2003-02-01T04:40:05Z")
Good point **NDP** , One way to tell if it is indeed just an act is to listen to the “sweepers”. Sweepers are the short audio that runs between songs identifying the station. Are there only one or two different sweepers ? Or is there full-fledge 15 or 16 with perhaps a :30 promo in there as well ? Stations won’t spend money (and sweepers can cost) on a stunt. They will spend cash for a complete package of sweepers to launch a new format. I’m betting **NDP** is right. Playing one artist only would be a huge risk, and honestly doesn’t make much sense - though I have heard it attempted before by smaller companies in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/8 "2003-02-01T04:44:24Z")
Well, believe it or not, [it’s been done before.](http://tribute2zeppelin.tripod.com/rollingstone.html) > [@](#): > > In 1990 a St. Petersburg, Florida, station kicked off its all-Zeppelin format by playing “Stairway to Heaven” for 24 hours straight. (Less than two weeks later, the station had expanded its playlist to include Pink Floyd.) Guess these Zep 97.3 guys really are unoriginal after all! ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/9 "2003-02-01T04:48:38Z")
Reminds me of something I saw in _Mad_ a few years back…There was a deejay in a booth playing “Stairway to Heaven” over and over, pattering something like this: “…That was ‘Stairway to Heaven’, the old Led Zeppelin classic from 1976. Now, a gem from the annals of rock history…Led Zeppelin’s signature hit, ‘Stairway to Heaven’…This is WSTH, the station that plays nothing but ‘Stairway to Heaven’ !” It’s funny how things spoofed in _Mad_ turn out to be true in the fututre. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/10 "2003-02-01T04:49:52Z")
Future, even…Preview is my long-lost relative. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/11 "2003-02-01T06:15:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NDP \* > \*\* Frequently, when a radio station changes formats, they’ll precede it by either continuously playing the same song \*\* Humm - here in Calgary we had a recent format change. The local Clasic Rock Station Changed to Hip Hop. The lead up consisted of some shuffling and grunting, the sound of a struggle, about 30 sec of dead air right in the middle of Van Halen, and then Snoop Dogg came on. It was really, really wacked. ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/12 "2003-02-01T15:10:44Z")
When 96X in Oklahoma City changed formats from AOR to country about 20 years ago, they played 24 hours solid of “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma.” ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/13 "2003-02-01T15:39:16Z")
When WLNK changed owners and call letters several years ago, they played construction noises nonstop for about three days. This is the same station that brought us Bobbinhead Sheri. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/14 "2003-02-01T15:54:44Z")
Hey **Spaz** - my first ever real gig in the business was running the board for Bob & Sheri . . . not a bad show once you get used to bitc- ah, I mean Sheri. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/15 "2003-02-01T15:59:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NothingMan \* > \*\*Hey **Spaz** - my first ever real gig in the business was running the board for Bob & Sheri . . . not a bad show once you get used to bitc- ah, I mean Sheri. \*\* They were funnier when they were local and Sheri still had her pet potbellied pig. Of course, all morning shows are better when they’re local. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/16 "2003-02-01T16:02:53Z")
**elmwood** , as others have stated, this is merely a publicity stunt. First, notice how 97.3 has no DJs and no ads. Stations cannot survive without advertising, it’s a simple fact of economics. 97.3 used to be a country station but about 2 weeks ago they changed over management. They spent a week playing just Beatles switching right on over to Rolling Stones midnight last Monday, and now they’re on Led Zeppelin. I’m surprised they couldn’t squeeze out an entire week of Rolling Stones but since I’m not that big of a fan, I’m not terribly disappointed. Anyway, Best Radio is right now in the process of finding a new GM. They’ll also need new talent and while the sales staff will likely make the switch from country to whatever format they choose, they’ll have to find all new advertisers. You can’t sell time based on one format, Xth place ranking in the market, and a promised demographic and then place then on an unknown station. So, I guess that’s a really long answer to this: don’t worry, it’s just a gimick. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/17 "2003-02-01T16:44:41Z")
I’d never heard of this (repeating a song over and over) until a local station changed formats and played “Raspberry Beret” for about 72 hours straight. Oddly, the format was being changed from modern rock to oldies. I’ve never heard Raspberry Beret played on that station since. Odd, that. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/18 "2003-02-01T18:42:33Z")
I have a friend who told me a story about a time she went down to Indiana (I think) a few years back when that damn Celine Dion Titantic song was all the rage. The station did nothing but play different versions of “My Heart Will Go On” the whole time she was there. The original version, the instrumental version, the version with the movie quotes in it, ect ect ect ad nauseum. Also, I just remembered a news story from about 10-12 years ago about a guy who sued his neighbor for noise pollution when he played “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston non-stop. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/19 "2003-02-02T03:43:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lord Ashtar \* > I have a friend who told me a story about a time she went down to Indiana (I think) a few years back when that damn Celine Dion Titantic song was all the rage. The station did nothing but play different versions of “My Heart Will Go On” the whole time she was there. The original version, the instrumental version, the version with the movie quotes in it, ect ect ect ad nauseum. I think that would have morally justified sabotaging their transmitter. Dave Barry was right when he chose “MacArthur Park” as the worst song ever, but that was before “My Heart Will Go On.” > [@](#): > > Also, I just remembered a news story from about 10-12 years ago about a guy who sued his neighbor for noise pollution when he played “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston non-stop. I personally would have organized the offender’s other neighbors into a mob with torches and pitchforks, and then paid him a visit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038/20 "2003-02-02T04:02:42Z")
> [@](#): > > where I live, a radio station played Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing” over and over to call attention to its change to a hip-hop format :dubious: 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-if-radio-wasnt-bad-enough/152038.md?page=2)