What's happening to radio?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I see your point, kunilou, but I don’t think I stated mine correctly. (I was kind of rambling.)

Radio is definitely a business–no question there. The spectrum, however, is not; it’s a public resource. There is not, IMO, a prima facie reason why the spectrum should automatically be given to large ownership groups rather than local or community-oriented programmers; or why they should have a larger voice and the lion’s share of the airwaves. Unfortunately, the economics of politics are such that they are the ones who have the ears of the people who appoint FCC commissioners. (Perfect example: HDTV channels being given automatically to current analog channel licensees rather than being put up for bid.)

Actually, I think we’re hitting the same point from opposite directions. This would actually make a good GD topic.

22

I have read Larry Elder’s column on the editorial page of our local newspaper, the South Bay Daily Breeze in Los Angeles County, CA. I have never heard of Dennis Praeger.
For quite a long time, the radio station I heard regularly was KMPC (710 AM) in Los Angeles, and the primary personalities were the disk jockeys Dick Whittinghill, Ira Cook, Roger Carroll, Gary Owens, Wink Martindale, and Geoff Edwards. Whittinghill was on KMPC from about 1955 (when I was in the second grade) to August 1979, shortly after my 30th birthday–when he unofficially retired. Whittinghill and the others played primarily adult-oriented music–that is, stuff by Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, the Tijuana Brass, and such. The stations that played to the teen audience during my teen years were KRLA, KHJ, and KFWB, during the Beatle area, but I didn’t listen to them at all.
I had been listening to KPOL, KOST, KBIG, and KJOI, FM stations playing “beautiful” music, until that format was discarded. :frowning: After that I listened to the Dr. Demento show on Sunday nights, mostly on KLSX (which also carried Howard Stern, whom I can’t stand).
In more recent years, commuting to a job in Orange County, 35 miles from home, I have listened to KNX–CBS news radio–so I could get traffic reports, which I needed, since I wanted to get to (and from) work on time.

23

In the Twin Cities, we’re blessed with an abundance of public radio stations, and one community station, KFAI, which programs some truly eclectic stuff.

I heard a piece on my local Minnesota Public Radio station not long ago about the allocation of non-commercial stations below 92 MHz. It seems that there are a number of groups that would like to see non-commercial radio in their communities, but who are forced to compete with Christian radio stations for licenses. Seems that the Christians were relying on the “freedom of religion” argument, and veiled hints of lawsuits if they didn’t get licenses, and the community groups were relying on the fact that their specific communities were most likely going to have to go without truly local-interest radio because of the Christians. It was truly interesting.

Robin

24

Wow! I bet the fur really flew over this!!

25

Yeah. At the crux of the local people’s complaint was that the Christian stations would not feature news and information of local interest – school closings, weather reports, local news, that kind of thing. It appeared that the Christians were going to broadcast taped and remote content, with little, if any, local content.

The Christians also said that were it not for them, some of these communities wouldn’t have non-commercial radio at all, local programming or not. :rolleyes:

Robin

26

I live in Baltimore, which is within the listening area of the aforementioned WHFS. I listen to that station because I like a lot of the music they play, but I always laugh when they refer to themselves as “alternative.” They do all the same things that pop stations do: they have a strict playlist and edit songs for length. Case in point: they completely cut the bridge from 3 Doors Down’s “Loser,” (the fast bit). The AOR stations (mainly WIYY and WWDC) play the complete album version, and they’re supposed to be mainstream and old hat. Alternative my ass, man!

27

WHFS (Washington High Fidelity Stereo) began in the sixties. I saw an advertising flyer from their beginnings: “For people who don’t dig any kind of long hair!” with a picture of Beethoven and Paul McCartney (both with ‘long hair’). They played ‘popular music’, not rocknroll or classical.

I began to listen in the late seventies. They were an acquired taste. They had ditched the ‘popular’ format and were closer to college or underground radio. (Does anyone remember WGTB?) You could always count on them to push local music. They would interview musicians playing in town. What a great way to get geared up for a show: Weasel would have Jason Ringenburg in the studio at 4P, go see Jason and the Scorchers that night. The Nighthawks were a big DC blues rock band: they were at the HFS studio almost every month for a while.

The DJs would play songs that went together. They played loads of songs by acts that were playing in town. You could hear a song, wait patiently for the accurate ID, go to the record store and buy the album, and go see the band within a month. Awesome scene for a while.

My interpretation of the downfall of HFS is fuzzy. It took a long long time. They got bought out in the late eighties, moved to the Darth Vader building, switched from 102.3 to 99.1, kicked out Jake Einstein, got sued by lisping Josh. All the remaining DJs got raises and the playlisting began creeping in by '92. Jake set up shop at a Baltimore station for a while in the nineties (near 103) sounding like old HFS. Wonder what he’s up to.

I moved from DC ten years ago but when I visit a still tune the radio to 99.1. Something about “flagship stations”. You should be able to drive up and down the East Coast, keep your radio to 99 or 105 and hear rock all the way. Homogenizing, dumbing down, not forgiving of local tastes.

I still get nostalgic about HFS, but as I recall, they were always “starting to suck”. Is Weasel still there? Is it still “throbbing Thursday” on 99.1?

There is no radio in central Virginia. NPR. My hundredth post goes out to salute the old 'HFS. Music radio sucks.

28

Weasel, gone.
Damien (remember the motorcycle accident that almost killed him?), gone.

BUT THE MUSIC LIVES ON!! AT 103.1 WRNR

(It’s out of Annapolis, broadcast on Mainstreet, 1 block from city dock.) They play what HFS used to play back in the late 70’s. Cool thing? It’s owned by Jake Einstein!! (and Damien works there too!!) They do just what HFS did years ago with the “They’ll be playing at _____ later and they are in the studio now” type stuff. It’s awesome.

They IM not-so HO, are the only station in the area that have any right to call themselves “alternative”. They are the only station to EVER play John Fahey, who STARTED alternative music, at Takoma Studios in Takoma Park, MD.

Nest time you’re in town, check it out. You’ll be glad you did. The only problem is that there’s a station out of Frederick (?) that plays country on 103.1 and stations are not allowed to eclipse another’s signal. Therefore, the transmitter is past Kent Island and the broadcast area is not much West of the DC beltway and definately not west of Silver Spring.

29

re: WHFS. Thanks for the update. Sounds like there is great radio in Annapolis. Now if I could just convince Jake Einstein, the coolest old man in radio and original founder of WHFS 102.3, to move to Richmond.

What is wrong with the business model of an exciting radio station playing exciting stuff? I used to buy music all the time: inspired by a happening music scene. “Hey that sounds great-who did that?” Two songs later, the ID, then purchase. The formats of today have lost me.

Was I drunk or did music used to be better?

30

It used to be better. IMO, there’s a simple reason why the late '60s were the Golden Age of rock: the big broadcast corporations hadn’t yet figured out that there was money to be made on FM radio (which still had signal problems back then), so there was this huge chunk of spectrum available for playing whatever a bunch of deejays on low-power stations felt like playing. Even if one didn’t listen to FM radio (I didn’t at that age), the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, and similar bands still found their way to commercial AM stations with an assist from their FM exposure.

As that well of (genuinely) alternative music has dried up, the commercial stations (solidly entrenched on FM by the early '70s) have had less reason to try anything new. So what we get now are a whole bunch of stations that primarily recycle the songs from various parts of the '60s, plus a station or two that play the '70s and '80s, and then a couple of stations that actually play stuff released recently.

Part of the reason for that is the stuff pldennison has referred to. But to some extent, it was simply going to happen over time, I think.

IMO, what radio needs is new spectrum. While TV has gone from 4 channels to 100, radio has gone from AM and FM to AM and FM. Radio really needs about 10 times the spectrum it’s now got (divided up a bunch of ways - e.g. set-asides for noncommercial and/or low-power stations, as well as more spectrum for the commercial stations to fight over), but unfortunately there’s nobody who’s got an interest in fighting for such a use of spectrum, so it isn’t gonna happen. The low-power thing was the best hope at present, and I guess we always knew Congress would give in to the big interests and squash that like a bug.

Thanks, spritle, for mentioning WRNR - I live in northern Calvert County, and I listen to them a lot. I tend to lose their signal right around Suitland, so I doubt Sofa King can pick up RNR over in Arlington. (You guys should really try to make the next DC Doper get-together.) My only problem with RNR is the same one I had with the old HFS - I generally need to hear a song a few times before I know whether I really like it or not, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song a second time on RNR. I’m not keen on the ‘heavy rotation’ of the commercial stations, but something in between the two extremes would be awfully nice.

Few things are more reliably depressing than talking about the sad state of broadcast radio. Time to find a more cheerful thread. :wink:

31

Ah yes, we’re moving into intelligent discussion territory.

You are correct, there is no reason why large ownership groups should get preference. On the other hand, there is no prima facie requirement that local ownership receive preference either. As a result, when an Infinity or some other group comes in with big bucks to corner the market, there’s nothing to stop them – and nothing to stop the small, community oriented station owner from taking the money and running. There’s nothing new here – it’s been happening ever since there were two buyers and one available frequency.

And to those not as familiar with the industry as pldennison, broadcast stations (radio and TV) are licensed to operate “in the public interest, convenience and necessity.” However, the “entertainment” portion of their schedules – the music, talk, sports, etc. – does not figure into any of those equations. So if the old format was country, and the new format is urban, and both formats did almost no news and buried some talky discussion show at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, the FCC sees no reason to declare one better than the other. And, at least back in the days when I was in the business, as long as the station was paying lip service to the issues it “ascertained” as being in the community interest, the FCC didn’t really care of the treatment of those issues came from locally produced sources or a canned program produced by a special interest group.

To make the long story short, don’t look for the government to save you from the crapification of radio. It’s all about what the market will bear.

32

Dougie: So you don’t listen to KABC? 790 AM? Give it a try!

33

Here in Saskatchewan, we’re doing fine. We have 2 or three good stations, especially our University one composed of shows that the average joe made then bought some time. C-95 is doing well, with its three loved people (one is undergoing treatment for cancer:()

34

I’m going thru this right now at this Canadian radio station.

The previous owner sold when he did because his choice of buyers were being gobbled up by huge multi station companies.

We were bought by Nor-Net…who was buying OKS…another multi station group. While these deals were being approved, Telemedia bought Nor-Net.

There are currently 81 stations owned by Telemedia from coast to coast. They want 100 stations by 2002 I think.

This station is called EZ Rock. The McDonalds equivalent to radio. There are 5 or 6 EZ Rock stations across the country. Cookie cutter radio.

35

Where I live, there are a few commercial radio stations. I dont normally tune into the “alternative” station (even though I like some of the music they play), but I listen to one that plays a wide spectrum of music, from 60’s R&B to your usual teeny bopper music. Although they seem to not play the 60’s R&B so much lately (i may need to request some stuff). It seems that this station at least goes off of what’s most requested by callers. I like it, even with some of the cheesy 80’s pop they’ll play(R&B oriented).

The other tries to be similar but has an overly played play list, and it’s sucky IMO. The other station was quite welcomed by most people here because it really is different than the other.

We also get some SF Bay Area stations here such as KMEL (which is more rap oriented), and KYLD, which while playing R&B, Rap, and teeny bopper music, will play club music, and 50’s and 60’s R&B sunday nights. They usually have different sets through out the day and night. Most of the club music (last time I tuned in) was being played in the very early morning hours. They did anger a lot of people down here in Monterey when they changed owners a few years ago. Mostly because the booster station that gave us a clear signal was not changed over with the main station, and was bought by some crappy love song station called KSOL, which eventually turned Gospel I think. They got a LOT of angry emails and calls the day they changed over (there was no warning either).

BUT, i tend to listen to a public radio station a little more. That station is a part of what’s called the Radio Bilingue network, which is a small network of stations (extends as far as Chicago IIRC). These play their own locally produced showes as well as broadcasting shows from other stations. I like them because they’ll play dance music that I like (one man’s music is another’s trash, and that applies to it ALL). It’s also mostly free of commercials, except public service announcements.

One show i sometimes tune into is kind of a sex talk show where they play Spanish rock and dance music, and they have DJ’s and hosts who do an hour long show where they discuss a topic related to sex, and ask callers to call in and give their opinions (run by people from the Fresno Planned Parenthood). It’s interesting to hear the caller’s responses. The station also has shows in different languages. They have a Hawaiian show on sundays and a Tagalog show on thursdays. There was even one in Hmong. When there are no shows scheduled, they play Ranchera (which is what it seems 60% of all FM stations here play).

So, i like public radio a bit more than commercial, but i am fairly happy with the commercial stations i get down here.

36

When does DIGITAL RADIO come on the scene? I thought it would be here by now!

37

You know, I just might do that. For a while–until my shift was changed–I was listening to KABC’s old radio programs, especially “Dragnet” in the evening. The new building had so much metal in the frame I couldn’t get AM radio at all–besides, now I was working a graveyard shift.
I have sensed–and sympathize with–a very strong vein of bitterness expressed by the Teeming Millions so far in this thread. The only reason I ever heard popular music of any kind was that the aforementioned KMPC left the on-air content to the DJs, news people, and their supervisors. I sense that with the modern corporate philosophy listeners will tune radio out altogether–but maybe that’s the goal of the corporate groupthink. :frowning:
Another station I listen to is KRTH-101 (FM), an oldies station I have known since about 1972. That it has held to its oldies format for about 30 years is remarkable; but in recent times KRTH, also now owned by some megacorporation, idiotically lets DJs talk over the instrumental opening to a song, and adds “blast” sound effects at the end, another unwanted distraction. Maybe if the fed-up listeners made en-masse contact with the sponsors–thus hitting the owners where they live–the owners would quit treating the listeners like docile buyers of their corporate snake oil.
Much of the time I tune in to KUSC, which plays classical music. :slight_smile:

38

The radio columnist who writes for Rave!, the entertainment section of the Friday *Daily Breeze, is Richard Wagoner, not Robert. :o His e-mail address is rwagoner@home.com …

39

Apparently you’ve not listened to the station. It’s target audience is men, 18-24, and they play alternative. They do not play any boy bands, or love songs. Sheesh! And it’s a hell of alot better than “Mix! 93.3” or “95.7 the Laser!”. “The Rock 98.9” is passable, but they play some crap sometimes.

I think KC radio (for me) died when 102.1 went easy listening, 107.3 went… something, and then (horror of horrors) the best, 105.9 SOLD OUT.

Ender, you’re from KC? We should go drinkin.

–Tim

40

Sorry Homer, I could have phrased it better.

When I said they play songs between “boy bands” and “cheesy love songs” I meant that they play what’s between them, not actually them. Boy bands are The Mix, cheesy love songs are KUDL. Between them is the Buzz, which plays songs for after you’ve outgrown the first but before you start liking the second.

Now, about their demo. Just for you, I gave a call over to their national sales director this morning. We were both wrong. The demo is Women 18-34. Yes, they play music geared towards men and my guess is that it’s really split 50-50. But for catigorization purposes, that’s what they’ve labeled themselves as.
My guess as to why: two of Buzz’s sister stations within the Entercom conglomerate are The Rock (M 18-34) and KUDL (W 35-54.) They needed a station that didn’t overlap and, hopefully, didn’t canibalize the audience of the others. I don’t know if that’s happening or not.