Bad radio format ideas

[davideduardo]

Have you ever driven in Seattle traffic? It's insane out here. Seriously. ANY help is good help....even on AM.

It's definitely not the worst traffic in the US... San Juan has that honor followed by Miami and Austin.

 

[bobdavcav]

David, if all traffic won't work In a market like Seattle, then why is it on its 6th year or however long it's been in Vancouver? I think CHMJ flipped from sports to traffic in 2007 and is still going strong. As for worst formats, I really haven't witnessed any that haven't been mentioned here already, although you could probably count 96.9 The Sound as a short-lived bad format although I found myself listening quite a bit. The slogan was "cool classics and hot hits", and the format was imagine an adult-leaning CHR crossed with Classic Hits. One that I'm pretty sure would get lots of backlash that I don't think has ever been done before is all Kidz Bop Kids all the time. A station doing that format could easily transition to a CHR format though, just replace the cover versions with the actual versions of those songs and there you go.

 

[davideduardo]

David, if all traffic won't work In a market like Seattle, then why is it on its 6th year or however long it's been in Vancouver?

The Vancouver station is one of Corus' 40-something stations, so it may be that they can't find something better to do with the facility and want to keep the license... or it may be that with three other Vancouver stations they are able to sell it in a package.

Canadian format regulations being rather unique means it is hard to evaluate some of the differences between US and Canadian markets without taking the rules into account.

 

[ddsparxx]

Did anybody remember the "Movin'" format? I imagined it didn't last long.

 

[firepoint525]

Any ethnic format for which there is not a large enough representation of that ethnic group in the population at large probably would not be a good idea. For instance, here in Nashville, we have Korean and Kurdish populations, but I do not know if they have large enough numbers here to support their own radio stations. On the other hand, we now have a large enough Hispanic population to support several stations here. We even have a few of them out in neighboring counties now!

 

[LKellerIII]

A format for stoners would be interesting in WA and CO.

Yes, interesting. You could hire those late 60s style FM DJs that talk really s-l-ow-l-y. Problem is - who would buy advertsing on a station that can't get its listeners off the couch to go buy anything...except another bag.

Ooh - I know. Snack food companies.

 

[Hot Hits]

"Personal Achievement Radio" - An AM format tried in LA and Seattle in the '90s that was all motivational speakers, 24/7. You heard stuff from Zig Ziglar, Robert Schuller, Norman Vincent Peale, Deepak Chopra and that kind of stuff. I remember tuning in once and hearing something called How To Overcome Discouragement. In three minutes I had the answer: Stop listening to this crap.

What happened to them? I don't know. I guess they found a higher plane of consciousness and simply floated away.........

I worked there for a week in 1998. What a strange format, part of the abc Radio Networks. PAR was carried on about 25 stations, and moved up to San Francisco where they shut down operations

 

[JeffM]

Polka would not do well.

Actually we have that here; KDAL in Duluth broadcasts an odd mix of right wing talk, sports talk, and conspiracy theory oogum-boogum...plus POLKAS! On Saturday morning, you'll hear a local neo-con windbag rail against Spanish speakers, "ebonics," and anyone who speaks anything but by-the-book English...followed by three hours of music in Polish and German! Talk radio is definitely an irony-free zone...

 

[LKellerIII]

Polka would not do well.

Actually we have that here; KDAL in Duluth broadcasts an odd mix of right wing talk, sports talk, and conspiracy theory oogum-boogum...plus POLKAS! On Saturday morning, you'll hear a local neo-con windbag rail against Spanish speakers, "ebonics," and anyone who speaks anything but by-the-book English...followed by three hours of music in Polish and German! Talk radio is definitely an irony-free zone...

Funny! Is there a large older Polish community in Duluth? There's also a bit of irony when you consider that Polka is the genesis of much traditional Mexican music (I can never remember if its Tejano or Ranchera), so your "Neocon windbag" is railing against immigrants right before the station plays music orginated by immigrants.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Polka would not do well.

Actually we have that here; KDAL in Duluth broadcasts an odd mix of right wing talk, sports talk, and conspiracy theory oogum-boogum...plus POLKAS! On Saturday morning, you'll hear a local neo-con windbag rail against Spanish speakers, "ebonics," and anyone who speaks anything but by-the-book English...followed by three hours of music in Polish and German! Talk radio is definitely an irony-free zone...

That sounds like the secular equivalent of dollar a holler in Christian radio.

There were some Christian stations in Memphis that played contemporary Christian music but then would be dollar a holler when it came to preachers. So at times you might hear some great CCM one minute but then have some anti-CCM preacher come on afterward.

 

[davideduardo]

There's also a bit of irony when you consider that Polka is the genesis of much traditional Mexican music (I can never remember if its Tejano or Ranchera),

Neither. Ranchera has no accordeon. Tejano is not Mexican and not traditional.

What you are thinking of is norteña, the music influenced by the accordeon-playing Germans who were involved in mining and commerce in northern Mexico a century or more ago.

http://www.hispanicformats.com/hispanicformatsregional.htm has examples of norteña about half way down the page.

Interestingly, the typical music of Argentina uses the accordion (both the urban tango and the rural chamamé) and the cumbia and vallenato music of Colombia also is accordion based.

 

[Pebble]

For bad radio formats, we had Weather Radio, WWTC Minneapolis. Actually very useful in a city with that kind of climate. Far too short lived a format it was.

 

[crainbebo]

WSEV 930 in TN is all "Tourist Radio". COMPLETE waste of frequency. Tourist radio is, and always should be, the 10 watters on 530 and 1610 (or other X-Band frequencies) - not a full power 930!

-crainbebo

 

[bobdavcav]

Actually the inspirational format post reminded me of an interesting idea. How about a format that ran exclusively TED talks? Actually that would be quite interesting. I think I would set that station, some of those are pretty interesting.

 

[charlestondxman]

We have all tourism information radio all the time here in Charleston on 1390 AM, a full 5kw signal which is probably the 2nd best AM signal in town behind 1250 WTMA. Basically a 30 minute loop of attraction information on a CD 24/7. Almost no promotion. Maybe 3 or so billboards around town. What a waste of a signal that was WCSC, the first radio station in SC and a heritage station for over half a century.

We also had on 98.9 here, "Chick FM", a female-oriented AC with a morning show called Moms in the Morning about 3-4 years ago. Did terribly. Was replaced by automated oldies, now ESPN sports.

 

[fordranger797]

David, if all traffic won't work In a market like Seattle, then why is it on its 6th year or however long it's been in Vancouver? I think CHMJ flipped from sports to traffic in 2007 and is still going strong. As for worst formats, I really haven't witnessed any that haven't been mentioned here already, although you could probably count 96.9 The Sound as a short-lived bad format although I found myself listening quite a bit. The slogan was "cool classics and hot hits", and the format was imagine an adult-leaning CHR crossed with Classic Hits. One that I'm pretty sure would get lots of backlash that I don't think has ever been done before is all Kidz Bop Kids all the time. A station doing that format could easily transition to a CHR format though, just replace the cover versions with the actual versions of those songs and there you go.

Don't quote me on this.. but i think CHMJ is a better signal than CKNW (also owned by Chorus)

 

[firepoint525]

Don't know if it is still this way or not (maybe anotherguy can weigh in), but supposedly WCTA in Alamo, TN, is all NOAA weather radio, all the time. But they are probably broadcasting that (if they still are) just to do barely enough to stay legal. A thread about it on the Tennessee statewide board if anyone is really interested.

 

[davideduardo]

Don't know if it is still this way or not (maybe anotherguy can weigh in), but supposedly WCTA in Alamo, TN, is all NOAA weather radio, all the time. But they are probably broadcasting that (if they still are) just to do barely enough to stay legal. A thread about it on the Tennessee statewide board if anyone is really interested.

The information I have shows it dark since Fall of '08. IIRC, this is one that comes back on once a year to maintain the license by repeating weather reports.

 

[firepoint525]

The information I have shows it dark since Fall of '08. IIRC, this is one that comes back on once a year to maintain the license by repeating weather reports.

I don't care what anyone says. Stations like that are NOT operating in the public's best interest (or in their interest at all) and should be forced off the air. Even if they (only) came on during severe weather, people would still have to know that they are there. Which doesn't seem likely.

And that thread that I previously mentioned has been around since '08, as well.

 

[TheBigA]

Stations like that are NOT operating in the public's best interest (or in their interest at all) and should be forced off the air.

It's a 250 watt day-timer! Who cares? They're broadcasting to deer.