A few observations from a new (part time) resident

[almaniac27]

I am a freshman at Kent State University and I have been up here for about a month. I'm originally from Cincinnati, but I was pretty familiar with Northeast Ohio media because I have family that live in the Cleveland area. However I'd never had the opportunity to really immerse myself in the local media landscape because I was usually only in the area for a weekend and was busy most of the time. I brought my Sangean PR-D5, really an impressive radio when it comes to AM reception, but it's too big to carry around outside with me when I'm walking to classes. I ended up buying a cheap Sony AM/FM/Weather radio at Wal-Mart about a week ago so I could listen to local radio more often. A few notes:

First off, I think Kent is in some sort of radio black hole when it comes to AM reception. Stations that I expected to come in strong have been less than stellar signal-wise. The biggest examples I had are WHLO and WARF. From looking at WHLO's signal map on Radio Locator I see that their tower is on the other side of Akron from here, but still, with 5kw daytime power at a low dial position like that, their daytime signal is pretty weak. WARF's tower is closer, but I have similar issues with them as well. WTAM comes in well, WJMP and WAKR come in excellent, but WKNR is a pain to try and listen to. I see that there is a very tight null in their pattern and Kent is right in the worst part.

From flipping back and forth between WTAM, WHLO and WKBN during Rush Limbaugh's show I've noticed that WTAM sounds like mud while the other two sound nice and clean. I blame this on IBOC. Same goes for WKNR and WARF during Jim Rome's show, WKNR has a crap signal but good sound quality while WARF has a better signal but crap sound quality.

I like the radio landscape up here more than my hometown, it seems like there are more local personalities and presence. I like and admire WNIR for having a strong commitment to local programming for so long. Same goes for WAKR/WONE/WQMX, WKBN (I like Ron Verb), and WHBC.

I'm sure I have a bunch more of these, but it's late, I only got 2 and a half hours of sleep last night, and I have to be up at 8am to get to my Geography lab tomorrow, so my brain is fried right now. To be continued...

 

[Rusty Blades]

Who says no one under 40 listens to AM radio?

 

[HHH]

"Who says no one under 40 listens to AM radio?"


OK, that's ONE......

Seriously, some do listen to talk radio (those who actually believe this over-the-top nonsense) and sports radio on AM.

But few under thirty get their music from ANY radio anymore, FM included.

I really believe that new music will be moving pretty much completely off of terrestrial over the next few years, unless some new owners come in an hire people who actually have ears and break new music again. However, if things continue the way that they are going, music on commercial terrestrial radio will be pretty much 100% aimed at over thirty. Then over 40. Then over 50.

 

[Rusty Blades]

As far as breaking new music goes, there is precious little out there right now that is worth breaking. I feel bad for young folks these days, because there really isn't much exciting going on in music right now.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

It's not about music for our new poster here...he only mentions two music stations, and that's because they're the FM sister stations of WAKR.

All the other stations he mentions are talk/sports, and all on the AM band except for, of course, WNIR...

 

[almaniac27]

It's not about music for our new poster here...he only mentions two music stations, and that's because they're the FM sister stations of WAKR.

All the other stations he mentions are talk/sports, and all on the AM band except for, of course, WNIR...

I don't really listen to radio for music much anymore, and I know most people my age don't either. In my Intro to Mass Communication class, the professor asked people to raise their hands if they had gone on Youtube, watched TV or listened to the radio in the last 24 hours. Very few people raised their hands for the last one. I listen to the radio just because I happened to be bitten by the radio bug and I can't help it, not out of necessity. It's weird that I love radio so much considering that I can't stand the likes of Rush, Sean, Beck, Savage, etc. and I also can't stand the likes of Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and pretty much 90% of what's played on commercial radio. The stations I find myself listening to the most so far have been WKRK, WCPN and WKSU. I do enjoy NPR, I'll say that much.

 

[Rusty Muck]

AM stations like WAKR, and the WOBL/WDLW combo will survive in part because of the super-serving they offer to their communities. The latter two also heavily focus on local advertisers (which is to be commended given Lorain County's ghastly economy) and actually took advantage of WEOL's cost-cutting measures a few years back to gain listeners and support. WAKR focuses on their heritage and news department, and is the primary news feed to WONE and WQMX.

Super-serving a COL or region is one of the reasons radio will never totally "die." There will and should be a contraction on the broadcast spectrum. Which is another reason multi-casting on HD Radio is a FAIL - the last thing we need are MOST robotic stations that no one will listen to.

 

[HHH]

"As far as breaking new music goes, there is precious little out there right now that is worth breaking. I feel bad for young folks these days, because there really isn't much exciting going on in music right now. "

Not true.

Go check out some of the European CHR stations online, or maybe KCRW in L.A.

There is some great new music, but you would never know it by listening to commercial radio in the USA.

 

[Rusty Blades]

"As far as breaking new music goes, there is precious little out there right now that is worth breaking. I feel bad for young folks these days, because there really isn't much exciting going on in music right now. "

Not true.

Go check out some of the European CHR stations online, or maybe KCRW in L.A.

There is some great new music, but you would never know it by listening to commercial radio in the USA.

And what do you call this exciting new movement in music?

 

[HHH]

"And what do you call this exciting new movement in music?"

It isn't "called" anything. I am simply saying that there are all kind of great new artists and some old timers who are releasing new music that is not heard on commercial radio.

Here is an example. This is public station WFUV in New York's add list. I'll bet (from what your posts suggest) that 90% of these acts are unknown to you:

http://www.wfuv.org/music/current.html

As far as a "movement" goes, you may want to check out some of the cool (IMO) drum and bass stuff on BassDrive.com or Jungletrain.net.

It's all out there. There are just no more music hosts on commercial radio to find it for you and play it. You have to look for it yourself now.

 

[Rusty Blades]

I'll bet (from what your posts suggest) that 90% of these acts are unknown to you

LOL - If you only knew. I not only probably know far more about that music than you, but I have helped several of those artists get where they are. My point - which you missed entirely - is that there is not an identifiable trend in new music right now. Nobody is sure what the next big thing is. All we know it's not here yet.

 

[johnbasalla]

Often "the next big thing" in music would start about the 4th year of the decade. The first African-American artists to cross over to Pop were in 1954 (The Chords and The Penguins), coming along with the burgeoning popularity of Rock. The sound of Rock began to change drastically in 1964, the first year of the so-called "British Invasion". Mass appeal Disco hits started in 1974 (("Rock The Boat" by The Hues Corporation was the first record to cross over from the Dance clubs to radio instead of the other way around)...("Love To Love You Baby"- Donna Summer), (Early KC and The Sunshine Band). It was different with Rap, as the first Rap radio hit was in 1979 ("Rapper's Delight" by The Sugar Hill Gang), but in Rock and Country, the "80's sound" I think began around 1984.

 

[HHH]

Rusty wrote:

"LOL - If you only knew. I not only probably know far more about that music than you, but I have helped several of those artists get where they are."

Well, if that is true, how can you possibly say that there is not much new music to get excited about? I don't get it. There must be a dozen fine new acts on the WFUV playlist (and KCRW, etc) which are not played on commercial radio. If you are familiar with these acts have actually "helped several of those artists get where they are", how can you say that there is precious little new music to get excited about? You must have been excited about these acts enough to help them "get where they are", weren't you?

"My point - which you missed entirely - is that there is not an identifiable trend in new music right now. Nobody is sure what the next big thing is. All we know it's not here yet."

Of course, nobody knows what the "next big thing is"!! But this is generally how things happen, isn't it? How many people in 1962 said "you know the next big thing--18 months from now--is going to be British acts?" Who in 1973 predicted that disco music would sweep the nation shortly thereafter? Changes pop right off of the street, the clubs, etc, and--BANG--you have a trend. If it gets big enough you have a movement.
So what if we don't know "what the next big thing is". We generally don't know, until it is practically upon us.

Still, one has to keep looking and staying aware as a programmer. Commercial radio music "programmers" generally don't search anymore, seem to feel the need to search, or--even if they do--are pretty powerless to add something to their station's playlist anyway, especially something new and different than the present status quo sound.

 

[Signpost]

powerless to add something to their station's playlist anyway, especially something new and different than the present status quo sound.

Bingo. When it comes to music, US commercial radio never leads, it follows. There's plenty of amazing new music out there, but its fans have left radio behind. Just one example is Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion" - was #1 on Soundscan when it debuted. The band sells out midsize arenas. They played on Letterman. But I couldn't find "Summertime Clothes" getting airplay on ANY commercial stations - only heavy spins on stations like "the Current" in Minneapolis, KCRW, KEXP - all non-comms. I wonder if a single AAA or alternative station anywhere in the USA will dare play a song from the new Flaming Lips album when it comes out? It's sure to be toxic to the ears - best to play it safe !

It's possible that hip hop is the last 'trend' in music that could ever emerge. Think about it - Hip Hop roared into the mainstream before the internet became ubiquitous. Since then CHR has split into CHR-M, CHR-R, and Dance; While rock radio now falls under Active, Classic, Alternative, AAA, or in-between.. now the market is so fragmented - and it's so easy for listeners to tailor what they hear ala Pandora - any major 'trend' in music can no longer saturate the market - it must remain limited in potential impact. Disco, Modal Rock, Nu-Metal, Rap then Hip Hop were played to a largely captive audience in a time when it was easy to just drink the Kool-Aid radio was feeding them. That's no longer the case. Today many genres of music are converging - morphing into new ones. Lately i'm hearing a lot of new bands who sound like 1986 all over again (Chromeo, FrankMusik, Cut Copy, Hot Chip, MGMT, Office, Metric) - that's just one of many trends i'm hearing simultaneously emerging.

It would be great if radio stations could be more adventurous with their music, but inevitably those station's audiences would then shrink. What we've learned is if a music station plays the same "tested" music enough times, the masses will embrace it. It's a vicious "catch 22". At least Letterman has the fortitude to expose cool new music.

 

[H Anthony Wayne]

Same argument from the late 70s-early 80s. Yawn.

Oh, there WAS a station that used to play this type of stuff you're talking about: WAPS. Yeah. When it was a public station for the Akron Public Schools (hence, "APS").

 

[johnbasalla]

In the western Cleveland area, WBWC 88.3 FM (www.wbwc.com for on-line listening) plays new music most of the time. They played the heck out of "Kids" by MGMT. It became a big request item. They also played "Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective most of the summer, although that one hits me as being mediocre. Speaking of lively new music, they air "Help, I'm Alive" by Metric. Of course the focus here has been on Rock based music. WGAR plays new country/country-rock/pop stuff all the time, and WENZ seems to only play new R&B and Hip Hop. They just played "Ego" by Beyonce which I hadn't heard before.

 

[Signpost]

WBWC 88.3 FM (www.wbwc.com for on-line listening) plays new music most of the time.

College / non-comm radio is the wild frontier - i love hearing what DJ's choose play when they can play anything they want.

WGAR plays new country/country-rock/pop stuff all the time, and WENZ seems to only play new R&B and Hip Hop. They just played "Ego" by Beyonce which I hadn't heard before.

Can't say playing a new Beyonce song is daring or groundbreaking on the part of a programmer - she's an established artist. WMMS is famous for breaking David Bowie - which at the time was probably really shaking things up given the music out at the time. That's the spirit I'd like to see return to radio. Stations that use research as a tool, not as a crutch. Visionary programmers who act on gut feeling. Unfortunately too much is at stake to go out on a limb, so it's up to stations like WBWC - who should do radio as if they had nothing to lose.

I read an article suggesting the future of business would hinge on specializing and pandering to a small loyal base, rather than watering down your product to appeal to as many different kinds of people as possible. Obviously someone besides me listens to the non commercial stations - listeners send them money.

 

[VODood]

WMMS also broke Rush in the States, plus Meatloaf (Cleveland Records International) and Springsteen , from Cleveland to the rest of the midwest. Bruce was popular on the east coast, but 'MMS helped largely to break Bruce beyond the east.

 

[analog420]

Actually, the first station to play Meatloaf was WZZP in Cleveland.....added his first single "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" prior to 'MMS playing anything off the LP.

 

[johnbasalla]

Actually, except for later-night and Sunday Specialty Shows, people at WBWC do not get to play whatever they want. The station's format is Alternative Rock with a dose of of AAA.