B
Burnett
Guest
It's been just about a year since B98.5 and G106.3 became G Rock Radio.
Anyone have a 1 year report card from then to now?
Anyone have a 1 year report card from then to now?
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> > It's been just about a year since B98.5 and G106.3 became
> G
> > Rock Radio.
> >
> > Anyone have a 1 year report card from then to now?
> >
>
> Yeah I'm sure that SoulCrusher would be happy to chime in on
> this...
>
Alright then, here's my take on G Rock Radio's past year: The station has been improving steadily. There are things I've always liked about the station - the airstaff, The Underground, 90's At Noon, Nightlife Music Lab, etc. Then there's a few things that leave a bad taste in my mouth - the inexplicable repetition of some really bland artists (Switchfoot? Nickelback?? Classic Rock karaoke act The Black Crowes???) along with an overall predictability (I don't listen constantly, but I am so familiar with G Rock's playlist that if you were to list random songs, I could tell you whether they receive normal rotation or not ... normal meaning that it's not relegated to nighttime airplay) and a sound softer than most Modern Rockers (heavy on the pop/punk and grunge-lite as well as playing tons of drippy balladry, like 3 Doors Down - "Here Without You" and Seether & Evanescence - "Broken", and almost completely ignoring some of the format's most relevant bands, like Tool, A Perfect Circle, Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, etc.). An example of how soft G Rock Radio is: I am not a fan of Linkin Park, but G Rock Radio thinks nothing of playing their ballads ("In The End", "Numb" , "Breaking The Habit") incessantly, yet won't touch any of their other songs with a ten foot pole - I for one would much prefer to hear "One Step Closer" and "Faint", because the intensity of these songs are enough to help you ignore the whiny frontman Chester Bennington, and in G Rock Radio's best interest of "playing the hits", these songs charted just as well or better.</P>
Currently, G Rock Radio is not without its flaws - their song selection is still rather predictable and the overall sound (at least until about 5 PM or so) is still on the soft side, which I hoped they would have broken away from by now - if it's Soft Rock we wanted, we would have tuned into WOBM or sister station The Breeze (the far more interesting take on the AC format, IMO) by now. But between the on-air disc jockey banter (G Rock Radio has live jocks 24/7 - not every station offers that), the addition of the Antisocial Club on Saturday nights, the improved playlist which definitely seems to have more currents, and at least giving somewhat edgier acts like Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Flyleaf and 10 Years (I have to mention that three of these bands currently have songs in the Top Ten on the Modern Rock charts) some night rotation, G Rock Radio is definitely headed in the right direction. There's also the occasional surprise for the most patient listeners - they throw on acts like the Pixies, the Replacements and the Smiths (including songs that aren't "How Soon Is Now?") every so often, which deserves a big thumbs up. Of course you often have to get through a lot of overplayed hits to hear them, including the really painful Fall Out Boy among others. I'm glad G Rock Radio doesn't sound like the standard issue Clear Channel or CBS/Infinity Modern Rocker, but that doesn't mean there aren't some ways they can improve.</P>
What I hope the future holds for G Rock Radio: I am glad the station has been successful up to this point. Now that they have established themselves, it would be nice to see them break away from their relatively safe approach to the Modern Rock format a bit more. For example: The majority of the time, if they are playing a Soundgarden song, it is almost completely certain that it will be their big hit ballad "Black Hole Sun". I know they play some other songs at night sometimes, but would listeners during the day run away from their radio screaming if they were to play "Burden In My Hand", "Spoonman" or "Outshined" for a change? The folks programming G Rock Radio seem to think so. Expanding their playlist to include more songs by artists that they currently play (wouldn't it be nice to hear more Morrissey, Cure, Depeche Mode, along with other songs from Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Radiohead, etc.) as well as adding some other artists that they don't (AFI, Sonic Youth, Sex Pistols, A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Joy Division - the list goes on and on), would help extend their reach to other listeners as well as bringing back the listeners that may be tuning in less often due to the station's predictability. I also hope that they will become more willing to play some edgier rock during the day as well - and mind you, I don't think they should become "G Metal Radio", but after hearing a twee pop act such as Coldplay or Death Cab For Cutie, playing some Tool or RATM would help to keep the station balanced ... and really, if G were to play them, let's be real here - very few people are going to tune out, and if they do, then they're not real Modern Rock fans as far as I'm concerned. The only other changes I would suggest are playing less of the real cheesy soft rock acts (would anyone really start bawling if they played Switchfoot's cornball "Meant To Live" less than once or twice a day? The format has so much more to offer, there's no need to waste so much time on dullards like Switchfoot. Ditto for Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Tonic, The Black Crowes...) to accomodate some of the real Modern Rock acts, and to package their music a different way (maybe 30 minutes of nonstop music, or 10 songs in a row...) to keep people tuning in. That said, G Rock Radio steadily continues to improve, and here's hoping the station becomes even more successful and less predictable as time goes on...</P>
> G
> > Rock Radio.
> >
> > Anyone have a 1 year report card from then to now?
> >
>
> Yeah I'm sure that SoulCrusher would be happy to chime in on
> this...
>
Alright then, here's my take on G Rock Radio's past year: The station has been improving steadily. There are things I've always liked about the station - the airstaff, The Underground, 90's At Noon, Nightlife Music Lab, etc. Then there's a few things that leave a bad taste in my mouth - the inexplicable repetition of some really bland artists (Switchfoot? Nickelback?? Classic Rock karaoke act The Black Crowes???) along with an overall predictability (I don't listen constantly, but I am so familiar with G Rock's playlist that if you were to list random songs, I could tell you whether they receive normal rotation or not ... normal meaning that it's not relegated to nighttime airplay) and a sound softer than most Modern Rockers (heavy on the pop/punk and grunge-lite as well as playing tons of drippy balladry, like 3 Doors Down - "Here Without You" and Seether & Evanescence - "Broken", and almost completely ignoring some of the format's most relevant bands, like Tool, A Perfect Circle, Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, etc.). An example of how soft G Rock Radio is: I am not a fan of Linkin Park, but G Rock Radio thinks nothing of playing their ballads ("In The End", "Numb" , "Breaking The Habit") incessantly, yet won't touch any of their other songs with a ten foot pole - I for one would much prefer to hear "One Step Closer" and "Faint", because the intensity of these songs are enough to help you ignore the whiny frontman Chester Bennington, and in G Rock Radio's best interest of "playing the hits", these songs charted just as well or better.</P>
Currently, G Rock Radio is not without its flaws - their song selection is still rather predictable and the overall sound (at least until about 5 PM or so) is still on the soft side, which I hoped they would have broken away from by now - if it's Soft Rock we wanted, we would have tuned into WOBM or sister station The Breeze (the far more interesting take on the AC format, IMO) by now. But between the on-air disc jockey banter (G Rock Radio has live jocks 24/7 - not every station offers that), the addition of the Antisocial Club on Saturday nights, the improved playlist which definitely seems to have more currents, and at least giving somewhat edgier acts like Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Flyleaf and 10 Years (I have to mention that three of these bands currently have songs in the Top Ten on the Modern Rock charts) some night rotation, G Rock Radio is definitely headed in the right direction. There's also the occasional surprise for the most patient listeners - they throw on acts like the Pixies, the Replacements and the Smiths (including songs that aren't "How Soon Is Now?") every so often, which deserves a big thumbs up. Of course you often have to get through a lot of overplayed hits to hear them, including the really painful Fall Out Boy among others. I'm glad G Rock Radio doesn't sound like the standard issue Clear Channel or CBS/Infinity Modern Rocker, but that doesn't mean there aren't some ways they can improve.</P>
What I hope the future holds for G Rock Radio: I am glad the station has been successful up to this point. Now that they have established themselves, it would be nice to see them break away from their relatively safe approach to the Modern Rock format a bit more. For example: The majority of the time, if they are playing a Soundgarden song, it is almost completely certain that it will be their big hit ballad "Black Hole Sun". I know they play some other songs at night sometimes, but would listeners during the day run away from their radio screaming if they were to play "Burden In My Hand", "Spoonman" or "Outshined" for a change? The folks programming G Rock Radio seem to think so. Expanding their playlist to include more songs by artists that they currently play (wouldn't it be nice to hear more Morrissey, Cure, Depeche Mode, along with other songs from Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Radiohead, etc.) as well as adding some other artists that they don't (AFI, Sonic Youth, Sex Pistols, A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Joy Division - the list goes on and on), would help extend their reach to other listeners as well as bringing back the listeners that may be tuning in less often due to the station's predictability. I also hope that they will become more willing to play some edgier rock during the day as well - and mind you, I don't think they should become "G Metal Radio", but after hearing a twee pop act such as Coldplay or Death Cab For Cutie, playing some Tool or RATM would help to keep the station balanced ... and really, if G were to play them, let's be real here - very few people are going to tune out, and if they do, then they're not real Modern Rock fans as far as I'm concerned. The only other changes I would suggest are playing less of the real cheesy soft rock acts (would anyone really start bawling if they played Switchfoot's cornball "Meant To Live" less than once or twice a day? The format has so much more to offer, there's no need to waste so much time on dullards like Switchfoot. Ditto for Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Tonic, The Black Crowes...) to accomodate some of the real Modern Rock acts, and to package their music a different way (maybe 30 minutes of nonstop music, or 10 songs in a row...) to keep people tuning in. That said, G Rock Radio steadily continues to improve, and here's hoping the station becomes even more successful and less predictable as time goes on...</P>
B
Burnett
Guest
> >
> > Yeah I'm sure that SoulCrusher would be happy to chime in
> on
> > this...
Ok, let me rephrase that. Does anyone OTHER than Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost verbatim, in the past year.
Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened to them...
> > Yeah I'm sure that SoulCrusher would be happy to chime in
> on
> > this...
Ok, let me rephrase that. Does anyone OTHER than Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost verbatim, in the past year.
Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened to them...
B
BlueMartyr
Guest
> > >
> > > Yeah I'm sure that SoulCrusher would be happy to chime
> in
> > on
> > > this...
>
> Ok, let me rephrase that. Does anyone OTHER than
> Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have
> sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost
> verbatim, in the past year.
>
> Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker
> that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened
> to them...
>
Well, I'm in freakin Kansas, but when I lived in the Philly burbs (Montco)... after Y100 passed on, I would strain to hear G Rock on 98.5 through the static... I love the mix... yeah a harder rock song here and there, but the Alt sound they have now I personally like... it's new alternative without the "I like bands you don't know and i'm better than you" attitude. Kind of like 96.5 the Buzz in Kansas City (except they DO have the attitude)<P ID="signature">______________
"Growing old, and living for the moment."
~Rufio</P>
> > > Yeah I'm sure that SoulCrusher would be happy to chime
> in
> > on
> > > this...
>
> Ok, let me rephrase that. Does anyone OTHER than
> Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have
> sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost
> verbatim, in the past year.
>
> Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker
> that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened
> to them...
>
Well, I'm in freakin Kansas, but when I lived in the Philly burbs (Montco)... after Y100 passed on, I would strain to hear G Rock on 98.5 through the static... I love the mix... yeah a harder rock song here and there, but the Alt sound they have now I personally like... it's new alternative without the "I like bands you don't know and i'm better than you" attitude. Kind of like 96.5 the Buzz in Kansas City (except they DO have the attitude)<P ID="signature">______________
"Growing old, and living for the moment."
~Rufio</P>
M
MarcR
Guest
> Ok, let me rephrase that. Does anyone OTHER than
> Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have
> sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost
> verbatim, in the past year.
>
> Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker
> that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened
> to them...
>
I'd grade them with an "A" for their Retro-Rock weekends (I even heard them play the New York Dolls on the most recent one!) and for their effort to obtain as many female as male listeners (something Rare for a Modern Rock station these days), but overall I'd grade them with a "B-", though they do continue to improve from what I've been hearing of late.
> Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have
> sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost
> verbatim, in the past year.
>
> Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker
> that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened
> to them...
>
I'd grade them with an "A" for their Retro-Rock weekends (I even heard them play the New York Dolls on the most recent one!) and for their effort to obtain as many female as male listeners (something Rare for a Modern Rock station these days), but overall I'd grade them with a "B-", though they do continue to improve from what I've been hearing of late.
> Ok, let me rephrase that. Does anyone OTHER than
> Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have
> sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost
> verbatim, in the past year.
>
> Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker
> that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened
> to them...
Same post? That's an exaggeration, wouldn't you say? Yes, the post was long, and I said the station was a little soft, a little predictable, and I ragged on Switchfoot and Nickelback a bit - aside from that, including my new glass-is-half-full approach to looking at the station, everything else is different.</P>
And by the way, referring to your little K-Rock remark - you're not going to find anyone that disliked K-Rock more than I did. They were the typical CBS/Infinity Rock station that I criticized in my post. I said a couple of ways G Rock Radio could improve was by expanding the playlist and by playing more classic Morrissey, Cure and Depeche Mode tracks - three artists that K-Rock played the hell out of! I mean, you could not turn on K-Rock for 5 minutes without hearing one of those artists! If I wanted G Rock Radio to sound like K-Rock, I'd say they should tighten the playlist even more and start playing Linkin Park, Pearl Jam and Nirvana every 20 minutes. And the inclusion of System Of A Down, Korn, Disturbed, etc. would not have them sound more like K-Rock - instead, they would sound more like most other Modern Rockers in the country (there's a reason why all of these bands have reached the Modern Rock Top Ten, you know). Aside from System, I'm not a huge fan of most bands in this genre, but I'll take that over sensitive pop wimps like Switchfoot, Nickelback and 3 Doors Down any day of the week - yeah, I had to get in one more shot at them.
> Soulcrusher have something to say? Because I could have
> sworn I've seen that post at least 10 times, almost
> verbatim, in the past year.
>
> Anyone ELSE have a take who doesn't want a modern rocker
> that sounded like K Rock...because we all know what happened
> to them...
Same post? That's an exaggeration, wouldn't you say? Yes, the post was long, and I said the station was a little soft, a little predictable, and I ragged on Switchfoot and Nickelback a bit - aside from that, including my new glass-is-half-full approach to looking at the station, everything else is different.</P>
And by the way, referring to your little K-Rock remark - you're not going to find anyone that disliked K-Rock more than I did. They were the typical CBS/Infinity Rock station that I criticized in my post. I said a couple of ways G Rock Radio could improve was by expanding the playlist and by playing more classic Morrissey, Cure and Depeche Mode tracks - three artists that K-Rock played the hell out of! I mean, you could not turn on K-Rock for 5 minutes without hearing one of those artists! If I wanted G Rock Radio to sound like K-Rock, I'd say they should tighten the playlist even more and start playing Linkin Park, Pearl Jam and Nirvana every 20 minutes. And the inclusion of System Of A Down, Korn, Disturbed, etc. would not have them sound more like K-Rock - instead, they would sound more like most other Modern Rockers in the country (there's a reason why all of these bands have reached the Modern Rock Top Ten, you know). Aside from System, I'm not a huge fan of most bands in this genre, but I'll take that over sensitive pop wimps like Switchfoot, Nickelback and 3 Doors Down any day of the week - yeah, I had to get in one more shot at them.
> It's been just about a year since B98.5 and G106.3 became G
> Rock Radio.
>
> Anyone have a 1 year report card from then to now?
I'd say that pumping in programming from 40 miles away isn't exactly setting the ratings world on fire...
> Rock Radio.
>
> Anyone have a 1 year report card from then to now?
I'd say that pumping in programming from 40 miles away isn't exactly setting the ratings world on fire...
WHERE ARE YOU IN KANSAS????
This is Jason Ulanet, formerly of WJSE, WKXW, and WHTG... Alive and well at the very same 96.5 The Buzz you mentioned...
I've met plenty of East Coasters here in KC, even some NJers, even talked to a few Mon/Oceaners... But NONE of them have been radio people, except for the couple of times Casy Bartholomew tried out for the news-talker in our cluster...
For whatever it's worth, the old WHTG still makes my head spin when I think about it... We've got a couple specialty shows on the weekends, one focusing on newer obscurities, one more on the 80s Alt... When I tell people that I used to work at a station that was like those shows ALL the time, their eyes get huge... LOL... Can anyone out there tell me what happened to Dick and Faye?? Without question, the two weirdest people I ever worked for/with...
...also... G-Rock has nothing in common with The Buzz... We mock 3 Doors Down and Nickelback on a daily basis... No thirdhand mullet-rock, and the station is consistently top 3 18-34... So, it CAN be done...
Best wishes to (most) of the people I worked with in NJ...
>
> Well, I'm in freakin Kansas, but when I lived in the Philly
> burbs (Montco)... after Y100 passed on, I would strain to
> hear G Rock on 98.5 through the static... I love the mix...
> yeah a harder rock song here and there, but the Alt sound
> they have now I personally like... it's new alternative
> without the "I like bands you don't know and i'm better than
> you" attitude. Kind of like 96.5 the Buzz in Kansas City
> (except they DO have the attitude)
>
This is Jason Ulanet, formerly of WJSE, WKXW, and WHTG... Alive and well at the very same 96.5 The Buzz you mentioned...
I've met plenty of East Coasters here in KC, even some NJers, even talked to a few Mon/Oceaners... But NONE of them have been radio people, except for the couple of times Casy Bartholomew tried out for the news-talker in our cluster...
For whatever it's worth, the old WHTG still makes my head spin when I think about it... We've got a couple specialty shows on the weekends, one focusing on newer obscurities, one more on the 80s Alt... When I tell people that I used to work at a station that was like those shows ALL the time, their eyes get huge... LOL... Can anyone out there tell me what happened to Dick and Faye?? Without question, the two weirdest people I ever worked for/with...
...also... G-Rock has nothing in common with The Buzz... We mock 3 Doors Down and Nickelback on a daily basis... No thirdhand mullet-rock, and the station is consistently top 3 18-34... So, it CAN be done...
Best wishes to (most) of the people I worked with in NJ...
>
> Well, I'm in freakin Kansas, but when I lived in the Philly
> burbs (Montco)... after Y100 passed on, I would strain to
> hear G Rock on 98.5 through the static... I love the mix...
> yeah a harder rock song here and there, but the Alt sound
> they have now I personally like... it's new alternative
> without the "I like bands you don't know and i'm better than
> you" attitude. Kind of like 96.5 the Buzz in Kansas City
> (except they DO have the attitude)
>
I know I'm bumping an older thread here, but I just want to say that I love G Rock Radio and I'm glad I'm in their listening area. I see G Rock as a true alternative station - they take chances with new, cutting-edge bands that other stations won't touch, and they play older alternative songs that you rarely hear on most alternative stations anymore. I also like that they don't have an elitist attitude. And while I also don't like the fact that they play Nickelback/Switchfoot type bands and avoid harder alternative bands like System of a Down, I think SoulCrusher is blowing those setbacks way out of proportion. (And I'm sorry, but Disturbed should be a strictly Active Rock band in my opinion.) I don't think their playlist is predictable at all - I'm always hearing lesser hits from artists like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, as well as from bands you don't hear much anymore elsewhere. And they do play a considerable amount of old Depeche Mode and Cure, AND I know I've heard all of the Soundgarden songs you mentioned. So the bottom line is, while this station could use some improvement, they are, in my opinion, perhaps the best representation of what an alternative station should sound like.
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