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Rick Dees lands afternoons at KQLH

It still surprises me how stations "twist" the truth with these kind of announcements. Rick Dees may not be at the level he once was, but he is not going to do a live show in a small market.

In my local NW market, he is on throughout most of the midday (atleast 9am to about 3pm). He actually sounds pretty good, and still is very entertaining. Problem is he offers a very contemporary sounding program that mentions newer pop stars, but this is all set against an 70's/80's "Bob" format. The two don't mix very well, but perhaps the thinking is Rick is from that era? I don't know.

I hope Rick has saved his millions and is just doing his syndicated thing for fun. More power to Mr. Dees!
 
Since it is a LPFM, I wonder what the financial (or possible barter agreement) is. and how the underwritng rules impact the show?
 
It still surprises me how stations "twist" the truth with these kind of announcements. Rick Dees may not be at the level he once was, but he is not going to do a live show in a small market.

They never said he was. Which was why I surmised it was the syndicated show.
 
They never said he was. Which was why I surmised it was the syndicated show.

No, but they implied it...telling the local newspaper Dees had "signed on as the newest member of the air team to do afternoons". That's a big difference from "We're proud to add Rick Dees' syndicated show to our lineup." And GM Mark Westwood clearly was swinging for the bleachers when he told Don Barrett this about his LPFM,:


“We are getting a lot of love from our listeners who lost their music on K-EARTH and KOLA,” Mark told me yesterday. “Radio for a generation who loves radio. Whodda Thunk??? Lol. Comments from people who say things like KHJ has come to Yucaipa.”


Not only that, but Rick himself made it pretty clear in his note to Don Barrett that he'd thought KQLH was misrepresenting: "It is only PARTIALLY true...here is the TRUE report..."(all caps Rick's).

It's one thing for a station to be proud of a big name (even syndicated). It's another to make people think that Rick Dees' career is down to an afternoon gig on a Yucaipa LPFM. Rick's probably not really happy about that. In fact, he may not be happy about a clearance on an LPFM.



 
No, but they implied it...

I still don't see that there's anything wrong. When Rick's show airs, I doubt very much he'll say that he's not live or local. He is playing the game as much as the station. Perhaps Don Barrett didn't do his homework, but I wouldn't blame the station.
 
Why doesn’t Dees set up an account here and speak for himself? Third party emails seems weak to me.
 
Rick is probably above all this. (hopefully...). He is a radio legend, nobody can dispute that. I'm sure he is doing well.

As for his content matching the programming of his syndicated stations, good luck. As I mentioned earlier, he is talking about contemporary music folks on a station in my market that focuses on 70's/80's. Not to say this is the worst thing to happen to radio, (it's not), but doesn't seem to mesh.
 
No, but they implied it...telling the local newspaper Dees had "signed on as the newest member of the air team to do afternoons". That's a big difference from "We're proud to add Rick Dees' syndicated show to our lineup." And GM Mark Westwood clearly was swinging for the bleachers when he told Don Barrett this about his LPFM,:


“We are getting a lot of love from our listeners who lost their music on K-EARTH and KOLA,” Mark told me yesterday. “Radio for a generation who loves radio. Whodda Thunk??? Lol. Comments from people who say things like KHJ has come to Yucaipa.”


Not only that, but Rick himself made it pretty clear in his note to Don Barrett that he'd thought KQLH was misrepresenting: "It is only PARTIALLY true...here is the TRUE report..."(all caps Rick's).

It's one thing for a station to be proud of a big name (even syndicated). It's another to make people think that Rick Dees' career is down to an afternoon gig on a Yucaipa LPFM. Rick's probably not really happy about that. In fact, he may not be happy about a clearance on an LPFM.




Sadly, this is typical in modern radio. Even for non-famous DJs. Radio station web sites are fun to read. You'll see some VTed DJ posting on his page - "I'm excited to be joining the on-air team at Mix 106.3,* in the most beautiful city in America.**

* I've never actually been to the station and probably never will.

**I think I visited there as a tourist once.

All implying "live and local," then you Google the DJ's name and find him on 6 other stations saying pretty much the same thing.
 
All implying "live and local," then you Google the DJ's name and find him on 6 other stations saying pretty much the same thing.

Nothing wrong with this. Bing Crosby hosted a radio show in the 1930s, and it wasn't live or local. They call that era the golden age of radio.
 
Don’t hold back what was his username?

I said it was rumored, not that I am in the know. And since he was using a pseudonym, I don't think he wants any of us to know.

I can say further that according to the mill, some of his posts were put up in direct opposition to a somewhat trollish poster named "Glenn" who was active on this board at the same time. Glenn seemed to also be an insider at CC for a time as he seemed to know an awful lot about what was going on in the building. That said, his facts were often disputed and he was not well liked, except for those of us who understand that this is an entertainment site and not the Wikipedia of LA radio. And like him or not, Glenn was entertaining.
 
Nothing wrong with this. Bing Crosby hosted a radio show in the 1930s, and it wasn't live or local. They call that era the golden age of radio.

Well, of course, there has been network radio practically since radio was invented. If anything, radio was more "live and local" in the 60's and 70's than prior decades, then less so again more recently as cost-cutting and voice-tracking have gained more favor.

The problem for me with all the VTed shows is that they have very little content, and sorta kinda pretend to be local, when really, they are just some overworked DJ in another city getting a few thousand dollars per year to throw in a 30 second vocal track in the middle of a 5 song set. As radio, it is just not compelling, but I guess people just want music these days, and that's what radio is offering. For me, streaming services do it better, I don't have to listen to music I don't want to hear, and they are few or no commercials.
 
If anything, radio was more "live and local" in the 60's and 70's than prior decades, then less so again more recently as cost-cutting and voice-tracking have gained more favor.

You'd be surprised how much automation existed in the 60s and 70s. It was all done with reel to reel tape, bicycled around to stations. This is idea that radio was all live & local is mostly mythology. It had nothing to do with cost cutting. It had to do with quality.
 
You'd be surprised how much automation existed in the 60s and 70s. It was all done with reel to reel tape, bicycled around to stations. This is idea that radio was all live & local is mostly mythology. It had nothing to do with cost cutting. It had to do with quality.

Oh, I'm old enough to remember. Up until the late 60s, FM stations mostly simulcast the AM's signal, or ran automated programming. My first year of college, "underground" FM radio was just beginning. I remember that period when KMET was half automated elevator music, and half rock with B. Mitchell Reed, et al. Bill Drake is known for live and local "Boss Radio," but I also remember his automated "Hit Parade" and "Solid Gold" formats which ran on the FM...including KHJ-FM...KRTH for 40+ years now.

My quibble with music radio these days is not with "live and local," but with lack of content. I'll use Ryan Seacrest's show, for example. I think everybody outside of KIIS-FM knows his show is chopped and reformed for many other markets. But like him or not (I'm not particularly a fan), his show provides content beyond the music - something for people to tune in for.

Oddly enough, the CHR stations in the Bay Area tend to provide more content than stations aimed at older audiences. I was listening to "St. John's Playhouse" - the afternoon drive show on "99.7 Now" in the Bay Area. Again, being a fogey, it's not exactly aimed at my demographic, but the guy works at his show, and provides some interesting content. But outside morning drive, this seems to be mostly lacking in modern radio.
 
Oddly enough, the CHR stations in the Bay Area tend to provide more content than stations aimed at older audiences.

Because that's the audience that wants it. Younger people have no shortage of content sources, and they don't want to waste time listening to content they're not interested in. If they are interested, they know how to seek it out. The DJ, local or otherwise, has no exclusive on content any more. Fans communicate directly with their favorite stars.
 
Because that's the audience that wants it. Younger people have no shortage of content sources, and they don't want to waste time listening to content they're not interested in. If they are interested, they know how to seek it out. The DJ, local or otherwise, has no exclusive on content any more. Fans communicate directly with their favorite stars.

There was a time when you could think of the DJ as somewhat of a "curator" of the music that was presented. The good ones today can still be thought of that way, but they are indeed very hard to find.

Some days I wonder "If the radio industry doesn't take its people and its product seriously, why should the public?" Also "if radio can't be more compelling than Spotify, is it really bringing anything to the table?"
 
There was a time when you could think of the DJ as somewhat of a "curator" of the music that was presented. The good ones today can still be thought of that way, but they are indeed very hard to find.

Really? When was that? As long as I've been doing this, DJs never picked the music. They took music selection out of the hands of the DJs after the payola scandals. Other than college radio and some non-commercial radio, music selection is done my the programmers, not the DJs.

Also "if radio can't be more compelling than Spotify, is it really bringing anything to the table?"

Radio is cheaper and easier than Spotify. And the stations ARE curated, just not by the DJs. If audiences wanted something else, it would be easy to deliver. And you'd also hear it on Pandora and Spotify. There's a reason why they do unhosted music, and it's not because of budget cuts. They could easily afford DJs. Spotify & Pandora are personal music channels, replacing personal music collections like CDs. That's why nobody buys CDs any more.
 
Really? When was that? As long as I've been doing this, DJs never picked the music. They took music selection out of the hands of the DJs after the payola scandals. Other than college radio and some non-commercial radio, music selection is done my the programmers, not the DJs.

Jim Ladd -- an old-timer who phones it in from his home studio -- does so every weeknight on SiriusXM's Deep Tracks channel. I don't know how much freedom the other jocks have.
 
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