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Could a dance format work in RI/MA/Eastern CT?

T

TonySantiago

To introduce myself, my name is Tony Santiago and I mainly post in the New York City (where I live) and Dance boards. I also happen to run the Metro New York Dance Radio Coalition whose purpose is to make noise (in a grass roots style) to get a dance music station back in New York City since the one we did have (WKTU) changed to a more adult contemporary form of rhythmic.

I have been itching to try to prove my point regarding a dance format on terrestrial radio but with the New York dance music mentality stuck in the older sounds, etc. I know that it may be hard there. But I do need a basis on proving something. Lately I have been going to Newport and Providence. With that, my mind is REALLY pushing hard that perhaps in order to create a dance music revolution in this country, I have to get out of NYC in order to do it. And Providence may just be the market to do it.

I do realize that New England is mainly a rock oriented area. But I also know that there is a huge European population between Eastern CT (New London) and So. Mass (New Bedford)...mainly French and Portugese/Cape Verde that would open up to a dance music format.

For an example of what I am talking about, click to Party 105.3 in Long Island and look at their playlist. I was thinking something similar to it....http:/www.myspace.com/party1053

What I am asking here since all of you are out in that region...could a dance music intensive format (today's sound...no oldies, a few pop-remixes, etc) work there?

Thank you,
 
kenwood101 said:
Why does your name sound so familiar?
Click to expand...

His name should be familiar to you. Tony has been a frequent contributor to the NYRMB (New York Radio Message Board) and is a well known afficionado of Dance music in and around the New York area. If anyone knows about Dance music, Tony's the man. Eventhough we have differing opinions on some subjects of the subjects on the NYRMB, I respect his due dilligence in trying to get a full-time Dance formatted station in the New York market. As for the Providence market, I don't think a fulltime Dance formatted station "in the cards" for the time being. However, I could see one on the HD-2 side of the FM band, namely maybe WPRO-FM/HD-2, which currently does not have an HD-2 stream yet. I hope he gets his wish. Welcome aboard, Tony.

-Pete
 
I would love to see an all dance station in this area

I am not a rock fan and would definintely welcome an all dance station if they played a mix of classic and current dance music, like KTU in NYC, but corporate radio only cares about money and ratings so would it happen? Probably not, so it looks like I will continue to listen to radio stations online in other areas, unless it was a totally independent station. In addition to dance music, I also like classic country, and classic soul and R&B, and stations like that do not exist in this area. Star 93.7 in Boston was only station that played all the music I like. I even dealt with the lousy signal in this area to hear the music. Even on Cape Cod, a place I love to go in the summer, all the stations play mainly rock or classic rock. Even Frank FM (who says they play everything), the AC station 99.9 WQRC, and Hot AC station 106.1 WCOD play mainly rock hits. Very sickening to someone who's not a big rock fan.
 
To me dance music works well if you're dancing but not listening to the radio. At least not in this area. Providence for all intents and purposes is a 2-cluster market. Even if there was a huge market for a format like dance, classic rock, etc if neither cluster needed that audience then no one would consider it. I don't think listeners around here are all that particular anyway. Stations change. Formats change. Listeners just grin and bear it and the programming geniuses claim they're doing what's working.
 
Only Rock and Sports , Work here in "The Dead Airwave's of New England".
 
A dance format? An ALL-FILM SCORE and SOUNDTRACK format? Even a cooking show would be better than some of the crap that's currently hitting the airwaves!

But few of these will ever see the light of day because NOBODY wants to try anything different...or give listeners and advertisers an alternative?

It's the same old---same old! :-[ And people wonder why satellite radio and MP3's have become so popular??

argytunes
 
Re: I would love to see an all dance station in this area

radiojay1 said:
I am not a rock fan and would definintely welcome an all dance station if they played a mix of classic and current dance music, like KTU in NYC, but corporate radio only cares about money and ratings so would it happen? Probably not, so it looks like I will continue to listen to radio stations online in other areas, unless it was a totally independent station.
Click to expand...

Of course corporate radio only cares about money and ratings...radio is a business! If dance formats were viable in a BUSINESS sense, you would see more of them. Let's give the Clear Channels and CBS Radios of the world a little more credit. They're not shunning the dance community on purpose.
 
I agree with you Davey but as I posted above because of group owners monopolizing a market a format might be viable but doesn't fit into the scheme for the cluster. A company that owns only one station would be more apt to take a chance with something different if they have a good enough bunch of AEs to sell it. There's nothing saying dance or even real oldies wouldn't work. It just doesn't make sense alongside other formats for either cluster. Let's face it. AC doesn't work that well for CCU in Providence even though Coast isn't exactly bombing. They've always been an also-ran but the format makes sense for them and they can run it with a skeletal staff.
 
Sorry I didn't reply sooner on this....and thanks for the kind words Peter!

The main reason behind the thread is "soul searching". Even though I've always wanted to prove somehow about getting a dance music formatted station to work, I've never been to the point that I'm itching hard enough to want to give something like this a try, at the very least to prove to people what I've been saying. I know that there is NO WAY, hell or high water to get this to New York City proper since the dance music mentality is so embedded with its past (we are starting a campaign to get certain current mainstream radio friendly dance songs onto the Top 40 stations somehow). Being that I have been traveling to Newport lately, something just has me burning to want to do something.

I have to hear WSNE on HD-2, didn't know about that.
 
Tony Santiago said:
Sorry I didn't reply sooner on this....and thanks for the kind words Peter!

The main reason behind the thread is "soul searching". Even though I've always wanted to prove somehow about getting a dance music formatted station to work, I've never been to the point that I'm itching hard enough to want to give something like this a try, at the very least to prove to people what I've been saying. I know that there is NO WAY, hell or high water to get this to New York City proper since the dance music mentality is so embedded with its past (we are starting a campaign to get certain current mainstream radio friendly dance songs onto the Top 40 stations somehow). Being that I have been traveling to Newport lately, something just has me burning to want to do something.

I have to hear WSNE on HD-2, didn't know about that.
Click to expand...
Tony, I do believe if marketed properly, programmed properly and staffed correctly; I KNOW it would be very successful. People want energy....good local radio. It can be done.
 
soundboard said:
Tony Santiago said:
Sorry I didn't reply sooner on this....and thanks for the kind words Peter!

The main reason behind the thread is "soul searching". Even though I've always wanted to prove somehow about getting a dance music formatted station to work, I've never been to the point that I'm itching hard enough to want to give something like this a try, at the very least to prove to people what I've been saying. I know that there is NO WAY, hell or high water to get this to New York City proper since the dance music mentality is so embedded with its past (we are starting a campaign to get certain current mainstream radio friendly dance songs onto the Top 40 stations somehow). Being that I have been traveling to Newport lately, something just has me burning to want to do something.

I have to hear WSNE on HD-2, didn't know about that.
Click to expand...
Tony, I do believe if marketed properly, programmed properly and staffed correctly; I KNOW it would be very successful. People want energy....good local radio. It can be done.
Click to expand...

Problem is, we had a dance radio station back when KIX 106 signed on the air....When TJ Napp was there originally, it was a dance station...not the urban station it is now....Cover Girls, Gino Latino, Stevie B, Expose, Shannon, EU, Johnny Gill, BBD, Digital Underground, etc...from the late 80's and thru early 90's when they decided to go straight at 92 Pro-FM under Bill O'Brien. The main reason they always came up a little short (because they had signal problems/shortages). Would a better signal provide a better chance? I don't think so...look at what happened to Pro-FM's core & ratings when David Simpson was let go as PD and Chris Shebel was programming (David was very heavily rock/grunge leaning, Chris went the opposite side of the spectrum) when Pro's best days were always (and will always be) right down the middle...enough of pop, rock and dance/rhythm/urban.....just my $.02 from being on the inside at that time
 
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