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DVE Still Dull and Boring

C

clangham

You would think every remaining station would start thinking about changes since "B" came back. Listened in to DVE for a few hours the other day, still the same boring dull songs you hear over and over.

What is really sad is WKGO in little Cumberland, MD sounds 10 times better and has a wide variety of REAL classic rock. Listened five hours per day for two days and did not hear a repeat. Granted, it is not a lot of time listened, but still. Time for the big boys to give a listen and learn.

Live stream from http://www.go106.com
 
You are correct, but only successful because everyone has grown up with it, the kids, parents, grandparents and DVE did a lot of promoting back in the heyday as once was a "legendary" station for rock, but over the past 8 years or so, they have had no real competition so it continues to "ride on coat tails" of the past.
Boss Radio said:
Dull and boring....and very successful.
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Holding the keys to the sports franchises certainly helps WDVE in the same way it used to help WTAE back in the day. And, to be fair, the air talents (Sean especially) do a good job of staying interactive with the audience. But, musically, I think the last time I actually sought out DVE was for Terry Kaywood's Electric Lunch in the late 70s. They haven't had much in the way of musical adventure since the mid 80s when they were stretching into the "new wave" music of that time (pressured by competition from then-alternative WYDD; today, of course, in Big Brother bizarro-world, CC owns the competition).

They indeed ride on the coattails of Frank Wood and Chuck Finney of Secret Communications. It helps that Mr. Cheese is in town and at corporate defending their budget...a budget they never would have had if Frank hadn't spent so much to market DVE. Before Secret, DVE spent very little to promote itself. The template for DVE's success today was all Frank Wood.

DVE's music, and its formatic packaging, is boiler-plate cookie cutter album rock playbook circa 1995. It hasn't changed in a long, long time. It's tired and old. Frank would have never allowed that to happen.
 
The reason for WDVE's success is clearly because they have not had any competition.

In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there a Summer Trend First Book when Howard Stern was at K-Rock where DVE's ratings dipped to that of KDKA's and WDSY's?

Someone mentioned WRRK. To me, they were the same playlist as WDVE- only softer (what is PIANO MAN by Billy Joel doing on a ROCK STATION?) and with less talented DJs.

It gets so frustrating. I've written volumes about it on this board. Could we please recognize that rock music existed AFTER 1977 (and the occassional nod to Nickelback isn't what I'm talking about, either)?

Listening to WDVE is like watching a performance of Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard" (Boss- your last name wouldn't be Ranevskaya, would it?). It's only a matter of time before the trees around 200 Fleet Street get chopped down, yet they do nothing to stop it.

People are rejoycing on other threads because of the return of B-94- the return to the station they love.

What about the station we love- WDVE?
 
Pratte4Life said:
Someone mentioned WRRK. To me, they were the same playlist as WDVE- only softer (what is PIANO MAN by Billy Joel doing on a ROCK STATION?) and with less talented DJs.
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I've heard Piano Man on WDVE plenty of times back when, along w/ lots of other BJ tunes up through The Stranger. You could argue that Poison is less deserving of being on a rock station than Billy Joel.

I don't think WRRK was "softer" at all - they played the 60s psychedelic stuff DVE never plays anymore, and some deep cuts from the 70s that DVE never plays anymore, now that the Electric Lunch has turned into Hair Metal Central. If they played less AC/DC & Metallica, they might have SOUNDED softer, but as far as their playlist being not as rock, I disagree.
 
You can't argue that Poison is less deserving of being on a rock station than Billy Joel.

When The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Billy Joel was their presentor.

I like Billy Joel- but he's hardly Guns N Roses. If Billy Joel is/was being played on WDVE it shows you how far off they are.

Great songs they may be- but nobody- NOBODY- listens to a rock station to hear "Piano Man" or "My Life."

I do not know the era of WRRK that you are speaking of. I can only go by what I heard prior to its shift to BOB or JACK or whatever it was in the early part of this decade- and that was Quinn carrying the station in the morning with a show that didn't fit the format, "Piano Man" played after an AC/DC song, DJs like "Judge" and Eddy Crowe who sounded like they didn't want to be there, Pitt Athletic Director Steve Pederson having a Saturday morning show that was so underwhelming people called it up to ask for concert news, the Elwood Blues' Blues Show on Sunday night that really was probably pretty good but it just didn't seem to fit, and a playlist that when it did differentiate from WDVE's- which wasn't that often- didn't do it well.

As for the Electric Lunch, if people are calling up asking to hear the old hair bands, and yet for the other 23 hours the old hair bands aren't being played, then that's all you need to know about how out of touch WDVE is with their audience.

"I know! Let's MAKE FUN of our audience with MULLET TALK!"

I know with what I speak of, folks. I know with what I speak.
 
Pratte4Life said:
You can't argue that Poison is less deserving of being on a rock station than Billy Joel.

When The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Billy Joel was their presentor.

I like Billy Joel- but he's hardly Guns N Roses. If Billy Joel is/was being played on WDVE it shows you how far off they are.

Great songs they may be- but nobody- NOBODY- listens to a rock station to hear "Piano Man" or "My Life."

I do not know the era of WRRK that you are speaking of. I can only go by what I heard prior to its shift to BOB or JACK or whatever it was in the early part of this decade- and that was Quinn carrying the station in the morning with a show that didn't fit the format, "Piano Man" played after an AC/DC song, DJs like "Judge" and Eddy Crowe who sounded like they didn't want to be there, Pitt Athletic Director Steve Pederson having a Saturday morning show that was so underwhelming people called it up to ask for concert news, the Elwood Blues' Blues Show on Sunday night that really was probably pretty good but it just didn't seem to fit, and a playlist that when it did differentiate from WDVE's- which wasn't that often- didn't do it well.

As for the Electric Lunch, if people are calling up asking to hear the old hair bands, and yet for the other 23 hours the old hair bands aren't being played, then that's all you need to know about how out of touch WDVE is with their audience.

"I know! Let's MAKE FUN of our audience with MULLET TALK!"

I know with what I speak of, folks. I know with what I speak.
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Yeah I can. Poison is pure pop, just like Madonna or Cyndi Lauper. It just happens to have louder guitars.

An additional argument besides BJ would be old Chicago like "I'm A Man." Maybe Chicago is soft lite soccer mom music now, but back in their early days, they were a weird experimental group you only heard on "underground" stations....like DVE.

It's kind of how I used to say 3WS Beatles was pre their facial hair and DVE Beatles was post their facial hair. Of course, 3WS has now completely ruined this dynamic.

You just apparently didn't listen to WRRK as much as I did, because all that stuff was on there. Plus I liked Ed Crowe a great deal. Just a difference of opinion.
 
Inventor- Once again, you're right on the money!

Pratt4Life--DVE is missing out on the hair bands! They NEED to do stuff with that. Poison should be on DVE. Instead, they mock a whole audience that includes most "rockers" in town. Hell, there's money among us headbangers! With DVE mocking hair bands, it's their old, tired, bit.

Let's face it, DVE is the biggest joke around. Success if because of the hype of what it used to be...a rock station. Now, it's a rock station that is dull, boring, and has lifeless jocks.

If I were Keith Clark, I'd flip Star to go head to head with DVE. Maybe hire some old DVE jocks? Hersh, Chris Winters, Scott Paulsen, Frankenberry, etc.
 
The "no competition" argument doesn't hold up. There are 30 other signals in the market and DVE is getting more listeners than any of the other stations. If they're dull and boring, why doesn't an upstart jump on this vulnerability and beat them at their own game?

"Out of touch with their audience" is a ridiculous claim for a station that's No. 1 in the market.

Is DVE a joke? I don't know, but I'll bet they have some big laughs when they sit around and count the money it bills.
 
Corporate- You know Poison is 180 degrees away from Cyndi Lauper. Unless you are Rowdy Roddy Piper about ready to take on Hulk Hogan on MTV (NOW THAT IS A HISTORICAL REFERENCE!), nobody believes Cyndi Lauper is rock.

I'll give your arguement more merit and attention than it deserves and simply say that based on your point, the louder guitars make it rock. In my own and almost everyone else's definition- electric guitars played loudly equals rock.

We're getting off the point, but I sense by your references of Chicago and The Beatles as well as your assessment of Poison you are from an older generation that saw 80s rock as being more style than substance.

Hey, some of those bands WERE more style over substance. Shotgun Messiah was definitely more style over substance!

But not all. And I happened to like the style.

Only wet blankets wouldn't like the style.

Sort of like Eddy Crowe.
 
Boss- You know very well the no competition arguement is valid. Don't insult our intelligence by saying it isn't.

When was the last time you listened to WDSY? Or The Frogs?

And the other WDVE listeners aren't either- unless they are driven to it.

WDVE is No. 1 simply because this is a rock and roll town and they are the only classic rocker left.

They are No. 1 for the same reason the only country music station in the Tri-Cities, TN area is No. 1. Consider the culture you are broadcasting to.

The thing is- country is not really the culture of Pittsburgh (certainly not the City of- perhaps out when you get south of the Monongahela River on 51, but I digress)- yet WDVE is so out of touch that WDSY was competing with them when K-Rock was around.

And K-Rock was hardly any competition because they never knew what they wanted to be.

Is WDVE No. 1? Yes- but only by default. Only because KDKA is a shadow of its former self.

The sad thing is- any examination of WDVE shows "KDKAesque" signs of wear.
 
Insert Quote
The "no competition" argument doesn't hold up. There are 30 other signals in the market and DVE is getting more listeners than any of the other stations. If they're dull and boring, why doesn't an upstart jump on this vulnerability and beat them at their own game?

"Out of touch with their audience" is a ridiculous claim for a station that's No. 1 in the market.

Is DVE a joke? I don't know, but I'll bet they have some big laughs when they sit around and count the money it bills.

Bossradio-

As was probably discussed on this board before, DVE is the moneymaker at the CC building because they kill their other stations (with firings and lack of pay increases/budget slashes) to save DVE. Thanks to the management over there, DVE is always protected.

No, out of touch with their audience is not a ridiculous claim. Radio people even at CC say that they do not serve their audience as they should as a rock station should. As pointed out in this forum (I think it was this one), DVE is only running on its laurels and past accomplishments. They play the same songs OVER and OVER. People who have successfully programmed music for rock stations have been saying that in industry circles for years.

DVE being dull and boring has nothing to do with any outside upstarts. I say GO FOR IT!! That's why I want Star to flip and do rock right. Hey, that's a great positioner. 100.7, We Do Rock Right.

DVE is #1 because of them being the Steeler station and CC spends the money on DVE. They buy it pure and simple. And, they don't spend that amount of money on any of their other stations. Do you think when you drive down the Parkway you're going to see WPGB, KISS, or 3WS on that sign on top of their building. NO. When you watch Pirate or Pens games, do you think you'll see WPGB, KISS, or 3WS on the TV board and every clip on Ox, or Fedko's, or Pompeani's sports report? No. You're going to see DVE because they position it at every event.

So, that's a huge part of the DVE success formula.
 
This is a town, a market, that above all else prizes familiarity and comfort. People around here largely do what they do because they have always done it that way. It hungers for sameness. Makes the place frustrating for outsiders, but it is what it is. 'DVE wins hands down because it plays right into that mindset. Its a station with zero competition and a feel for its audience. Yes it is stale and yes the music is horribly dated but if the audience hated it 'DVE wouldn't be #1 in the market, would it?
 
I don't hate DVE. I can honestly say I don't hate their songs.

But I don't have strong emotional attachments to the songs, either. So I generally don't listen to WDVE.

And if I do, it's I'm driving around, I'm in the mood for hard rock, I don't have a CD or cassette in my car, and I give it a chance.

And time and time again I am disapointed.

Boss- You tend to overuse the word silly.

Much like WDVE overuses certain songs.

Coincidence? I think not.

These arguements have validity. Nobody- NOT EVEN YOU- is saying WDVE is the top radio station in town because of the specific songs they play.
 
Snafu said:
This is a town, a market, that above all else prizes familiarity and comfort. People around here largely do what they do because they have always done it that way. It hungers for sameness. Makes the place frustrating for outsiders, but it is what it is. 'DVE wins hands down because it plays right into that mindset. Its a station with zero competition and a feel for its audience. Yes it is stale and yes the music is horribly dated but if the audience hated it 'DVE wouldn't be #1 in the market, would it?
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You nailed it. Pittsburghers listen to DVE because it's what Pittsburghers do. DVE's format hasn't changed much over time.

K-Rock lost the battle because they tried to cover DVE and X territory instead of being their own rock station. That's not to say that K-Rock shouldn't have played songs that play on the CC stations. As said by many before, K-Rock just couldn't figure out exactly what it wanted to be. It was still a good station.
 
Sure it would, by default, because of no other competition for classic rock in the marketplace and the tons of people who have grown up with DVE just consider it "a part of regular everyday life". Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a HD, Satellite radio, or MP3 in the car, and some don't even have a CD or cassette player, but most everyone HAS some type of basic radio, whether in the car, office, walkman, etc, so when DVE is the only option for listening to "classic rock", how can it not be #1?


Snafu said:
but if the audience hated it 'DVE wouldn't be #1 in the market, would it?
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DVE is to this generation of 40-somethings what KD was to our parents.

They are safe and predictable and don't offend or push the envelope. They are a mass appeal radio station, not catering to the traditional low-end rock demo. Could they be fresher? Of course. By the same token they paly a lot of stuff that is heard less on rock stations and more on AAA.

Rock radio everywhere is struggling. Old powerhouses like 98 Rock in Tampa now have a hard time cracking the top 10 12+. Even on satellite, where the rock audience was one of the primary targets, the rock listeners have not subscribed in the numbers expected.

So even though a lot of the negative comments have a ring of truth, there's likely not much to be gained by changing.
 
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