Anybody here still listen to Houston Radio

[DJboutit3]

Anybody here still listen to houston radio more that 3hrs a week? The only station I listen to is the Arrow, I use to listen to 979 & 1049 but they play the same song like 4 to 6 times a day or more I can not listen to any station that does that. If you look @ 1049 paylist to see how many times a song is played a week they play a song 95 to 102 times a week sad. 1049 plays the same song the most in a week out of any station in the US they have been doing this since they signed on.

 

[davideduardo]

CHR staitons were once called "top 40" because they played 40 songs, and only 40, over and over. The biggest hits got played about every 90 minutes, or over 100 times a week. Back in the 50's, such staitons often got 40% to 50% of all listening in major radio markets. A certain segment of the audience wants to hear today's hits over and over. It is more fragmented now, but there is a definite place for CHR in nearly every market.

 

[jerrbud]

It seems that since about 1977 radio in general, in almost all markets has gone down hill. The personality factor is gone. I remember a time when working in Houston was a big plus on a resume. Not that it's bad now. But in the great hey day of radio, Houston was great. Of course that was in the mid to late 60's. A lot of radio's problem can be placed smack on the big companies who have gobbled up great radio stations and turned them into mediocre stations, only because they didn't let radio people run them. No I am not bad mouthing Clear Channel. At least they try to get great radio people to run their stations. And for the most part they do all right, but then again profits need to be there. In 1970 I was at KHJ in Los Angeles, and that was a great station. When it failed, it failed because RKO wanted to be more corporate. Profits are good, Profits and personality are better.

 

[ChuckTiller]

I have to add that the so called "rimshots" or "move-ins" did as much damage. These stations cut the pie into thinner slices and fragmented the audiences, even more.Examine the following 11 frequencies. What if they weren't here?93.3 (Beaumont)97.5 (Beaumont)98.5 (Pt. Arthur)100.7 (Jasper)103.3 (Lake Jackson)103.7 (Conroe)104.9 (Richmond-Rosenberg)106.5 (Galveston)106.9 (Conroe)107.5 (Lake Jackson){from 107.3}107.9 (Beaumont){from 107.7}I guess we can make it 12, when you consider that 92.9 was moved from 92.5, which opened 92.5 in Beaumont and allowed 92.1 in Seabrook/Kemah/Clear Lake to exist. If you want to make it 13, then add KIOX 96.9 which is a simulcast of 107.9.The point is, these stations assisted in fragmenting the audiences. Also remember, there were many many bad local ownerships besides the huge corporations. I remember several and worked for them, as well.

 

[stan]

I have to add that the so called "rimshots" or "move-ins" did as much damage. These stations cut the pie into thinner slices and fragmented the audiences, even more.Examine the following 11 frequencies. What if they weren't here?93.3 (Beaumont)97.5 (Beaumont)98.5 (Pt. Arthur)100.7 (Jasper)103.3 (Lake Jackson)103.7 (Conroe)104.9 (Richmond-Rosenberg)106.5 (Galveston)106.9 (Conroe)107.5 (Lake Jackson){from 107.3}107.9 (Beaumont){from 107.7}I guess we can make it 12, when you consider that 92.9 was moved from 92.5, which opened 92.5 in Beaumont and allowed 92.1 in Seabrook/Kemah/Clear Lake to exist. If you want to make it 13, then add KIOX 96.9 which is a simulcast of 107.9.The point is, these stations assisted in fragmenting the audiences. Also remember, there were many many bad local ownerships besides the huge corporations. I remember several and worked for them, as well.

Chuck, you're right. These stations should be forced back to their COL and downgraded so that they can't broadcast in Houston. You would still have major corporations voice tracking and programming the stations remaining. I'm not sure the quality would be much better, but at least those of us in the outlying areas would get the stations back that were stolen from us.

 

[davideduardo]

About half the stations mentioned are home to the Houston Metro. What does it matter that a station is licensed to Galveston or Conroe? It is in the metro, and part of the metro.

 

[Mike O]

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 did the most damage to radio across the country. You have mega companies that own over a thousand stations and the only thing of importance is to make the most profit. Service to or for the community is a joke. Clear Channel has publicly stated their main goal is to sell advertising time, period. Cumulus in Houston so far has not completed putting together either KFNC or KIOL as completely staffed stations. Both stations would be better if they were staffed by AIR PERSONALITIES

 

[Emarti]

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 did the most damage to radio across the country. You have mega companies that own over a thousand stations and the only thing of importance is to make the most profit. Service to or for the community is a joke. Clear Channel has publicly stated their main goal is to sell advertising time, period. Cumulus in Houston so far has not completed putting together either KFNC or KIOL as completely staffed stations. Both stations would be better if they were staffed by AIR PERSONALITIES

Well said. Radio would be a lot better if we had people with your mentality running radio stations instead of sales people. To CC, air personalities are trouble. They would rather hire people with no radio experience that work for minimum wage, even in the largest markets. It's usually sales people that push for stations to reduce power to save money.

 

[CW]

I have to add that the so called "rimshots" or "move-ins" did as much damage. These stations cut the pie into thinner slices and fragmented the audiences, even more.Examine the following 11 frequencies. What if they weren't here?93.3 (Beaumont) 97.5 (Beaumont)98.5 (Pt. Arthur)100.7 (Jasper)103.3 (Lake Jackson)103.7 (Conroe)104.9 (Richmond-Rosenberg)106.5 (Galveston)106.9 (Conroe)107.5 (Lake Jackson){from 107.3}107.9 (Beaumont){from 107.7}I guess we can make it 12, when you consider that 92.9 was moved from 92.5, which opened 92.5 in Beaumont and allowed 92.1 in Seabrook/Kemah/Clear Lake to exist. If you want to make it 13, then add KIOX 96.9 which is a simulcast of 107.9.The point is, these stations assisted in fragmenting the audiences. Also remember, there were many many bad local ownerships besides the huge corporations. I remember several and worked for them, as well.

Corrections:93.3 is licensed to Port Arthur, NOT Beaumont...107.9 Beaumont has ALWAYS been on 107.9....back when it was KJET FM and then KWIC....before it moved to Devers92.5 signed on IIRC on 92.7 or 92.3A licensed to Groves...(which it still is) and moved to 92.5C2 when 92.5 Houston moved to 92.9I dont consider 106.9 a rimshot..it has always been a full C licensed to Conroe and finally got its CP for the 2000ft tower when US Radio owned it....later sold to Salem then traded to COX....but its xmtr site has always been on the north side and still is..it really is not a rimshot but an upgrade...103.7 (which started on 103.5 Huntsville) IS a rimshot (It is farther from downtown Houston than 106.9 and cannot cover as much of Metro Houston as the Point can..) 104.9 is an upgrade and NOT a rimshot...its is in Downtown Houston!

 

[CW]

CHR staitons were once called "top 40" because they played 40 songs, and only 40, over and over. The biggest hits got played about every 90 minutes, or over 100 times a week. Back in the 50's, such staitons often got 40% to 50% of all listening in major radio markets. A certain segment of the audience wants to hear today's hits over and over. It is more fragmented now, but there is a definite place for CHR in nearly every market.

CHR and top40 are totally different...Top40 would play ANYTHING in the Billboards Top40 list..country, crossover, disco, etc....CHR is highly specialized....and doesnt play a wide range (I liken Top40 to the current JACK format...but Top40 had DJs!)

 

[TexasTuner]

And when's the last time anyone remembers seeing bumper stickers all over town? Granted, KHCB and the Latino stations get there out, but that's all I seem to see nowadays. As to where we are now, IMHO, the "beginning of the end" started with 1985 and the doing away with the 3 year rule. After that, you could sell stations like pork belly futures-no longer having to hold and operate them for 3 years. Just buy and flip to the next fool that would pay more money than you did. The 1996 Telecom Act didn't help out, either.Texas Tuner

 

[bhayes1016]

And when's the last time anyone remembers seeing bumper stickers all over town? Granted, KHCB and the Latino stations get there out, but that's all I seem to see nowadays.

Two reasons for this:1. Fewer people want to deface their vehicles with them.2. Back when there was actually competition in radio, it was a way of showing your loyalty to a station (or at least getting a chance to win free stuff if the right person saw your sticker). Country fans either drove their KIKKUp trucks or were loyal to FM100. Rockers were split between 97Rock and KLOL. Even the Top 40 listeners decorated their Trapper Keepers with 93Q or KRBE stickers. The reason you still see stickers from the Spanish stations, is that there are so many of them, as opposed to one dominant country station, one rock station, one classic rock station, one dominant urban station, etc.

 

[DaveCrockett]

I listen to what we used to think was great radio and it seems horribly dated. I listen to what is concidered great radio today and it seems horribly stale. Say what you will about the old-school stuff... at least it was entertaining and gave you a sense that radio was plugged into the local scene.