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"Big D" means "Big Decline"

Y

yb400pe

I've been listening to WDRC since 1967. Over the years, it's been many things; some better than others. But get ready for one of the biggest ratings' declines in the history of this storied station.

Johnny Rivers into Roxette? Hurricane Smith into Chaka Khan? "Lonely Nights (Angel Face)"?? The Beach Boys had timeless classics like "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations" yet "I Can Hear Music" (peaked at #24) gets the heavy airplay. I'm sorry, but some of these aren't "Big Hits" anymore. Maybe in a Joel Whitburn book, but not out there in the neighborhoods of Cromwell, Southington and Glastonbury. There are more stiffs on this station than at LR Lewis in Hartford. And it's too bad because Larry, Doug & Jack are great talents that have always kept that Big D personality going strong over the years.

On the other side of the coin, the morning show talks constantly about music, artists and chart positions; more than local events, more than the traffic on I-91. This isn't going to generate water cooler talk at the office. But I guess when you're playing stuff that hasn't seen the airwaves in 20 years, you have to justify it somehow.

On top of that is my personal pet peeve. The audio processing is one of the worst of any small market, let alone #50. Note: Distortion doesn't sound any better when it's out of phase. And the irony of it all is that upper management was once the long time chief engineer.

I can listen to most everything but, after almost 10 years, the preset has changed. I understand oldies' formats have fallen on hard times and maybe it is time to move on to something else. But don't try to take the Hollies into the eighties and beyond. If I want to hear eighties' music, TIC-FM does it much better. I know DRC-FM has rarely gone outside the building for programming guidance and to some degree that has always been a part of the charm. But whatever crackpot committee is choosing these duds needs to step aside. Heck, just drive to either the southwest or southeast corners of the state and hear how it should be done.
 
Gotta love this. People bitch about the same 300 records and when a station is finally expanding its library, you have people complaining about it.

I like DRC right now... the processing is BETTER than what it used to be... not great... but I do enjoy the content as a music fan. It's been a long time (CBS-FM in 1997... almost NINE years ago) since I've been able to keep one station on and enjoy it song after song.

I was never a big fan of the old DRC, so there is no loss for me. As a long time listener, I can understand the changes upset you.

Now, with all that being said, some of the transitions need help. There were WAY too many 80's cuts between 5-7pm today. They souded like WAY BACK WEEKEND on TIC (which is another GOOD thing but TOTALLY different animal). Personally, I would tweak it a bit and eliminate SOME of the 80's stuff they are playing. They are touching some 70's stuff that hasn't been heard in awhile and I think it's refreshing (over 70's shows or oldies stations that think by playing "Listen To The Music" or "Hotel California" the have a deep library).

I don't know if this is a transitional period, but I have been airchecking because you are probably never going to hear a playlist this diverse with this style of music ever again, should it disappear. I hope the 60's don't disappear, but you never know, they are getting sparce outside of certain dayparts.

In the meantime, as a music fan, they are now Preset #1.

> I've been listening to WDRC since 1967. Over the years,
> it's been many things; some better than others. But get
> ready for one of the biggest ratings' declines in the
> history of this storied station.
>
> Johnny Rivers into Roxette? Hurricane Smith into Chaka
> Khan? "Lonely Nights (Angel Face)"?? The Beach Boys had
> timeless classics like "California Girls" and "Good
> Vibrations" yet "I Can Hear Music" (peaked at #24) gets the
> heavy airplay. I'm sorry, but some of these aren't "Big
> Hits" anymore. Maybe in a Joel Whitburn book, but not out
> there in the neighborhoods of Cromwell, Southington and
> Glastonbury. There are more stiffs on this station than at
> LR Lewis in Hartford. And it's too bad because Larry, Doug
> & Jack are great talents that have always kept that Big D
> personality going strong over the years.
>
> On the other side of the coin, the morning show talks
> constantly about music, artists and chart positions; more
> than local events, more than the traffic on I-91. This
> isn't going to generate water cooler talk at the office.
> But I guess when you're playing stuff that hasn't seen the
> airwaves in 20 years, you have to justify it somehow.
>
> On top of that is my personal pet peeve. The audio
> processing is one of the worst of any small market, let
> alone #50. Note: Distortion doesn't sound any better when
> it's out of phase. And the irony of it all is that upper
> management was once the long time chief engineer.
>
> I can listen to most everything but, after almost 10 years,
> the preset has changed. I understand oldies' formats have
> fallen on hard times and maybe it is time to move on to
> something else. But don't try to take the Hollies into the
> eighties and beyond. If I want to hear eighties' music,
> TIC-FM does it much better. I know DRC-FM has rarely gone
> outside the building for programming guidance and to some
> degree that has always been a part of the charm. But
> whatever crackpot committee is choosing these duds needs to
> step aside. Heck, just drive to either the southwest or
> southeast corners of the state and hear how it should be
> done.
>
 
>>Gotta love this. People bitch about the same 300 records and when a station is finally expanding its library, you have people complaining about it.<<

I agree 100%! And by referring to a station in the "southwest part of the state", I assume the original poster is referring to KOOL 96.7. The music played on that station is so burnt out, smoke and ashes are flying out of my speakers. I would much rather hear Hurricane Smith into Chaka Khan than "Monday Monday" by the Mamas & The Papas for the 800th time this week into "Build Me Up Buttercup" for the 2,000th time this week. The only thing KOOL has over DRC are the jingles.
 
To clarify, I'm not complaining about the amount of songs, just the actual mix of songs. WDRC has always avoided the consultant-driven 350 titles, but this is a format in crisis, if it's a format at all. This is a station alienating a huge chunk of its audience. Who are they targeting? Someone obviously involved in the business and that spells trouble.

This isn't about what I like as opposed to what is going to succeed enough to sustain the bottom line. If it was programmed to myself, then you'd have to redefine the word stiff. How about Mashmakan "As Years Go By?" No, this about radio and what works. This station hasn't been programmed by anyone with vision and wisdom since Charlie Parker. But at least as an oldies' station it was palatable to a specific demographic. And they stuck with the hits..most times.

I like eighties music. I like nineties music. But anyone who's ever been within ear shot of an oldies perceptual study knows mixing the Troggs with the Fixx is not going to work. Anywhere. You may have both in your collection, but you're in the minority. I'd rather see the station survive another few years playing 60s and 70s than watch it go in a direction that is as rudderless as this current concoction. I remember when WWYZ tried mixing songs like Georgie Fame into Gottlieb and Creme. It was over in six months. Even CBS-FM saw a drop when they started dropping in too many eighties (and they were playing researched records). Of course where are they now.

When DRC first went to Big Hits (about a year ago), it sounded really good. Not just to myself, a music geek who owns the Tams' Greatest Hits, but I though it was a solid challenge to WHCN. Sure I was sad to see Dick and Dee Dee go, but I knew they were making a good move and the station was staying ahead of the curve. Again, history always repeats itself. In the seventies when DRC AM & FM totally split programming, the FM went into rock "Superstars" format. But then it went too far; Al Stewart "Road To Moscow" and Les Dudek "Old Judge Jones." GREAT records, but only I cared.

I'm sure they've been huddled in the conference room in Bloomfield discussing Jack and the ever-aging demos. But they've pushed it too far. They're on a road without any guardrails. Too many hands on the wheel. The ditch is next.


> Gotta love this. People bitch about the same 300 records
> and when a station is finally expanding its library, you
> have people complaining about it.
>
> I like DRC right now... the processing is BETTER than what
> it used to be... not great... but I do enjoy the content as
> a music fan. It's been a long time (CBS-FM in 1997...
> almost NINE years ago) since I've been able to keep one
> station on and enjoy it song after song.
>
> I was never a big fan of the old DRC, so there is no loss
> for me. As a long time listener, I can understand the
> changes upset you.
>
> Now, with all that being said, some of the transitions need
> help. There were WAY too many 80's cuts between 5-7pm
> today. They souded like WAY BACK WEEKEND on TIC (which is
> another GOOD thing but TOTALLY different animal).
> Personally, I would tweak it a bit and eliminate SOME of the
> 80's stuff they are playing. They are touching some 70's
> stuff that hasn't been heard in awhile and I think it's
> refreshing (over 70's shows or oldies stations that think by
> playing "Listen To The Music" or "Hotel California" the have
> a deep library).
>
> I don't know if this is a transitional period, but I have
> been airchecking because you are probably never going to
> hear a playlist this diverse with this style of music ever
> again, should it disappear. I hope the 60's don't
> disappear, but you never know, they are getting sparce
> outside of certain dayparts.
>
> In the meantime, as a music fan, they are now Preset #1.
>
 
That "Big Decline" may have already started. The Summer '05 book was made up of three parts and in the last part DRC-FM took a 33% dive from part 2.

Is that a statistical aberration or a real trend? We'll see Nov. 18.

The morning show remains unlistenable. Their website makes this statement, "The Big Hits Morning Show is your alternative to mindless chatter and sometimes offensive talk going on in radio today. ... and it's nice to get to work with cheerful, positive friends by your side!"

IMHO it's so sugary sweet you'll need an insulin shot after listening. The same was true when Mike Stevens was there. His replacement with John Saville is still hard to understand. It was like replacing Tweedle Dee with Tweedle Dum. The only alternative to "mindless chatter" that I hear is "pointless chatter."
 
I agree 100%! And by referring to a station in the "southwest part of the state", I assume the original poster is referring to KOOL 96.7. The music played on that station is so burnt out, smoke and ashes are flying out of my speakers. I would much rather hear Hurricane Smith into Chaka Khan than "Monday Monday" by the Mamas & The Papas for the 800th time this week into "Build Me Up Buttercup" for the 2,000th time this week. The only thing KOOL has over DRC are the jingles.

Amen! DRC FM is the most musically creative oldies station I've heard. I check it when I go to Mohegan or Foxwoods because I start to get a good signal around that area. Yes KOOL 96.7 in Stamford and KOOL 101 (100.9) in New London do play the most burned out oldies on the radio. At least in southeast CT in areas where DRC FM can't be heard there's another gem of an oldies station 92.1 WLNG that can be. <P ID="signature">______________
Moe: (Sees a microphone in a radio studio) Ooh, a microphonie!

Curly: Or a phoney at the mike!

Moe: Quiet numbskulls I'm broadcastin'!

From The Three Stooges episode "Micro-Phoneys"</P>
 
I live outside of DRC-FM's coverage area, so I don't get to hear them on a regular basis. So I don't know exactly what specific music they play or segues they do. However, there is a station here in New Jersey called "The Breeze", and from what I hear, they are doing very well in their target demos and in billing as well. And The Breeze plays both "Five O'Clock World" by The Vogues and "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats. They play "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass and "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. I even heard them play "Roundabout" by Yes (short version) as well as "Burning For You" by Blue Oyster Cult! (Just for the record, I disagree with the idea of them playing BOC) My point is that some 80's music (not all) does mix well with 60's and 70's music. And an important part of making it work is the presentation and the positioning. The Breeze is a gold based AC and is sort of like Lite FM in New York (without the currents and re-currents). It gives the illusion of being "soft", but gets away with upbeat music every so often that doesn't seem to "offend" anybody. BTW, if you want to check it out, The Breeze streams online at www.breezeradio.com .

P.S. They just went from "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" by Mathis and Williams into "I Want A New Drug" by Huey Lewis & The News.
 
I hate how DRC-FM sounds now. So does my mom. My dad doesn't care. He won't admit that it's changed. I call the format either Classic Hits or Jack with Jocks, not oldies. Even though most of the progrmaming is from Jones Network, I'd rather listen to Oldies 1320 from Waterbury. *Crap. Better watch what I say about DRC-FM as I'm supposed to be doing their Caravan of Carriages for the Shaw's Supermarket in Southington*
 
I thought it was just me being "nit picky" about the station, but I see that many of you share my peeves. I couldnt agree more that the order of songs played leaves you scratching your head. I heard Roxettes "you got the look" into Daniel boones "beautiful sunday" and was dumbfounded. Trust me there are many examples of this, but you seem to have picked up on that also. The biggest reason I tune out is thier morning show. Beth, who I'm sure is a sweetheart, is lost. She will bring any conversation to a grinding halt with her stunted ability to have an independent thought. Sorry but, thats right John, gets old. And John Saville, I have heard nothing but nice things about him, but the schtick is overkill. He drives home the fact every break that "this is the only station that plays this song", and after hearing afternoon delight, you cant blame other stations for not giving it a spin. Most annoying is the constant reference to his dj company. He will never miss a chance to mention how "this song had them dancing at a wedding I emceed this weekend", or will say hi to the couple who is getting married on saturday, and will say how he knows it will be a great time, and he's looking forward to being the host. Wasn't there a time when this was a conflict of interest and was a serious offense in radio? overall the show is deadly to diabetics, just too damn sweet....although I love Gina Mitchell. at times even she sounds like she wants to tell them to shut the hell up
 
> I agree 100%! And by referring to a station in the
> "southwest part of the state", I assume the original poster
> is referring to KOOL 96.7. The music played on that station
> is so burnt out, smoke and ashes are flying out of my
> speakers. I would much rather hear Hurricane Smith into
> Chaka Khan than "Monday Monday" by the Mamas & The Papas for
> the 800th time this week into "Build Me Up Buttercup" for
> the 2,000th time this week. The only thing KOOL has over DRC
> are the jingles.
>
> Amen! DRC FM is the most musically creative oldies station
> I've heard. I check it when I go to Mohegan or Foxwoods
> because I start to get a good signal around that area. Yes
> KOOL 96.7 in Stamford and KOOL 101 (100.9) in New London do
> play the most burned out oldies on the radio. At least in
> southeast CT in areas where DRC FM can't be heard there's
> another gem of an oldies station 92.1 WLNG that can be.
>

I do have to admit I listen to DRC on occasion, but since their shift I do listen less and less. It's true that Kool sounds burnt out due to overplaying all the "safe" oldies, but that will happen with a 300 song playlist.

I pick up many ex DRC-FM listeners on my webcast, CapitalRadio.us. With a playlist that encompasses more than 7000 tracks in rotation covering 1955 thru 1999, including many "deep oldies" and a smattering of "bubbling under" tracks as well it's an obvious departure even when DRC-FM was at it's best.

The big thing is I get many compliments on my processing. DRC's processing is terrible when compared to the rest of the world - it's a pretty sad statment for how the engineer turned management guy thinks his audience wants to hear their music.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by RadioCityBill on 11/09/05 04:20 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> I live outside of DRC-FM's coverage area, so I don't get to
> hear them on a regular basis. So I don't know exactly what
> specific music they play or segues they do. However, there
> is a station here in New Jersey called "The Breeze", and
> from what I hear, they are doing very well in their target
> demos and in billing as well. And The Breeze plays both
> "Five O'Clock World" by The Vogues and "Safety Dance" by Men
> Without Hats. They play "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass and
> "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. I even heard them play
> "Roundabout" by Yes (short version) as well as "Burning For
> You" by Blue Oyster Cult! (Just for the record, I disagree
> with the idea of them playing BOC) My point is that some
> 80's music (not all) does mix well with 60's and 70's music.
> And an important part of making it work is the presentation
> and the positioning. The Breeze is a gold based AC and is
> sort of like Lite FM in New York (without the currents and
> re-currents). It gives the illusion of being "soft", but
> gets away with upbeat music every so often that doesn't seem
> to "offend" anybody. BTW, if you want to check it out, The
> Breeze streams online at www.breezeradio.com .
>
> P.S. They just went from "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" by
> Mathis and Williams into "I Want A New Drug" by Huey Lewis &
> The News.
>

BTW, The Breeze just hired Joe McCoy, ex-PD of CBS-FM as a consultant.
 
> I thought it was just me being "nit picky" about the
> station, but I see that many of you share my peeves. I
> couldnt agree more that the order of songs played leaves you
> scratching your head. I heard Roxettes "you got the look"
> into Daniel boones "beautiful sunday" and was dumbfounded.
> Trust me there are many examples of this, but you seem to
> have picked up on that also. The biggest reason I tune out
> is thier morning show. Beth, who I'm sure is a sweetheart,
> is lost. She will bring any conversation to a grinding halt
> with her stunted ability to have an independent thought.
> Sorry but, thats right John, gets old. And John Saville, I
> have heard nothing but nice things about him, but the
> schtick is overkill. He drives home the fact every break
> that "this is the only station that plays this song", and
> after hearing afternoon delight, you cant blame other
> stations for not giving it a spin. Most annoying is the
> constant reference to his dj company. He will never miss a
> chance to mention how "this song had them dancing at a
> wedding I emceed this weekend", or will say hi to the couple
> who is getting married on saturday, and will say how he
> knows it will be a great time, and he's looking forward to
> being the host. Wasn't there a time when this was a conflict
> of interest and was a serious offense in radio? overall the
> show is deadly to diabetics, just too damn sweet....although
> I love Gina Mitchell. at times even she sounds like she
> wants to tell them to shut the hell up
>


Big D should mean "Big Deal" - there are so many choices to listen to real good oldies, whichi s what DRC use to be. I loved WODS when I use to travel to Boston but I heard theyve changed flavor in recent years too. I still listen to WJMK via the web and my new Sirius radio is a godsend. I think radio has to change or else everybody will jump to sattellites, ipods, etc.
 
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