Oooh boy. Got the automated call from the Viking today. Starts Monday AM at 6. Should take all them all the way through the middle of Mike "My name is Mike Roberts" Roberts shift Monday night. But the question is, and this isn't a suck-up to BLM, why bother?
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FRANK A-Z
- Thread starter Underminer
- Start date
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ThreeFer
Guest
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.... an automated call from Professor Viking?
Good thing I'm on the "do not call"list... Looks like the Captain wasn't! WBLM is under way with the REAL A to Z as we speak.
Could Nassau be any stupider?
If there was any doubt Frank were a bunch of hacks, that doubt is now gone.
By the way, anyone notice our Viking friend never repsonds to people bashing his station/company? Way to stand up for your product.
The Professors next A-Z adventure will most likely be in the "a thru l" line at the unemployment office. All the better for the radio industry.
Good thing I'm on the "do not call"list... Looks like the Captain wasn't! WBLM is under way with the REAL A to Z as we speak.
Could Nassau be any stupider?
If there was any doubt Frank were a bunch of hacks, that doubt is now gone.
By the way, anyone notice our Viking friend never repsonds to people bashing his station/company? Way to stand up for your product.
The Professors next A-Z adventure will most likely be in the "a thru l" line at the unemployment office. All the better for the radio industry.
3fer wrote:
By the way, anyone notice our Viking friend never repsonds to people bashing his station/company?
3fer...
not all of us wish to be dragged into an online p-ss-ng match, which is exactly what happens any (and every)time someone takes a shot across the bow and decides to return fire in defense of the employer. let's give the kid some props for plugging away in an industry that is nickle and diming itself into a lowest-common denominator business.
and who cares if both stations are doing an "A to Z" weekend, anyway. it'll give you a chance to see who has the better, broader library. if one of them is onto the D's before the other comes close to finishing the A's, then stick with the one less likely to repeat before 2pm Saturday.
let me know who, if either, plays "Tokyo To Kokomo" by Peter Gallway, or "Hello, Hello, Hello" by New England. that'll show one or the other what true, local flavor, classic rock can be...
By the way, anyone notice our Viking friend never repsonds to people bashing his station/company?
3fer...
not all of us wish to be dragged into an online p-ss-ng match, which is exactly what happens any (and every)time someone takes a shot across the bow and decides to return fire in defense of the employer. let's give the kid some props for plugging away in an industry that is nickle and diming itself into a lowest-common denominator business.
and who cares if both stations are doing an "A to Z" weekend, anyway. it'll give you a chance to see who has the better, broader library. if one of them is onto the D's before the other comes close to finishing the A's, then stick with the one less likely to repeat before 2pm Saturday.
let me know who, if either, plays "Tokyo To Kokomo" by Peter Gallway, or "Hello, Hello, Hello" by New England. that'll show one or the other what true, local flavor, classic rock can be...
How about The Blend "I'm Gona Make You Love Me" or Katfish's version of "Dear Prudence?" Old people rock!
Underminer said:
hey.... who u callin' old? i'm not old. i may remember 60 cents a gallon for gas at the cook's corner Sunoco and then driving for an evening of being dazed and amused at The Loft... and maybe i remember when Mike Bushey used to crank out the aforementioned tunes with wanton abandon... and perhaps i recall when Wiggy the Wonderdog used to make appearances at Deorsey's... or how about that wild and wacky man-about-town on his chopped 'cycle, David G. Bailey, spinning "Stairway To Heaven" after 9pm on the old 970 WCSH! and whatever happend to that nice Joe Brennan, anyway? okay... i'm screwed. i'm old. :
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ThreeFer
Guest
Erie_Lackawanna said:
Maybe we should give the kid some props for spamming people's phones at dinner time!
From the sounds of it, it's 'kids' like him who are aiding radio's downfall into a lowest-common denominator business by being yes-men and reading liner cards and cyber-jocking other markets all day. Anything for a quick buck. It's thinking like that which made Wal-Mart what it is today.
That said... running bets on how long Frank's A to Z goes? I'm going to be generous and say Thursday Noon. WBLM should just be getting started with "F" by then.
ThreeFer said:
so you think Leif is actually doing it all himself? you know, calling people, programing to the bottom line, etc?
don't blame the person who is trying to make a living, and in doing so has to do what they are told, or "directed" to do. it's not the fault of the employee for doing what must be done in order to make sure that the paycheck hits the bank before the mortgage payment on the first of the month.
that whole discussion goes right to back to our one-note friend, argytunes, who will tell you that management is to blame for the downfall, the blandness, the lack of free records, etc. and he's right.
like you, i hate phone spam or any telemarketing. as i either politely or not remotely so, tell people who call me, unbidden, that at least my mom taught me not to speak to strangers - and additionally, I pay New England Teleph, er NYNEX, er Verizon, for my home's phone, it's mine, not their's, to use.
but yeah, where the biz is headed is in a Wal-Mart direction. and money-wise, Wal-Mart does all right. there are many a gm or owner who would sleep easier with that kind of a bottom-line result.
ThreeFer said:
I was up at The Point Sebago for the weekend (up from RI) & WBLM was on the C's Sunday morning. I was surprised to hear Crimson & Clover and Crocodile Rock on a classic rocker as I'd associate both more with either oldies or classic hits, but I didn't mind hearing either. Frank sounded fine too. I heard I Feel Free by Cream which I doubt gets any airplay in Boston or Providence. Both stations are playing music you're not going to hear the farther south you drive & it's all familiar stuff. Musically I'd listen to either one over the bigger markets.
And lay off The Vike. One person isn't going to change anything.
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BenKarlow
Guest
If I know anything about the way they operate, it's definitely not Mr Erickson calling the shots. This was more than likely all put together in the corporate office down in New Jersey. They probably just used him to promote it/put a "local" face to it.
For the record, I can't recall an instance anywhere, big or small market, where two stations had dueling A to Zs. When stations compete head to head like this, for once, the listener turns out the big winner.
As critical as I may be of Nassau, from what I can see on the playlists online, their take on it is far more "focused".
For the record, I can't recall an instance anywhere, big or small market, where two stations had dueling A to Zs. When stations compete head to head like this, for once, the listener turns out the big winner.
As critical as I may be of Nassau, from what I can see on the playlists online, their take on it is far more "focused".
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argytunes
Guest
First...it's always nice to read a comment or two from Erie Lackawanna. He somehow manages to get his point across without "throwing verbal mud pies" at his competition.
Erie and I are among the dwindling group of "broadcast dinosaurs" who have seen how radio stations can easily be 'bought in the morning and sold in the afternoon!' These transactions are handled by expensive lawyers who represent businessmen who don't have THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OR CLUE about what a listener REALLY wants!
But the station has new ownership that wants its investment back. So with the help of a "crackerjack sales department"---the return on their investment might eventually materialize? Unfortunately...and I say this with apologies to any salespeople who are reading this thread... the number of commercials a listener will TOLERATE in a spot cluster can really vary! Devoting 5-7 minutes of time to listen to as many as 12 or 14 ads or promos can get tedious twice an hour. So grabbing the remote and changing to a different station that plays continuous music is often a better option?
Here's a thought to kick around:
Listening to ANY playlist for ANY radio station (irregardless of the format) CAN BECOME BORING after awhile. Many listeners just don't want to hear the 'same stuff' day-in and day-out...no matter how well it's spaced out from day-part to night-part, if it's presented in an A to Z format...or just at random. And this is why we grab a favorite cd, an audio cassette, or (forgive me) an LP as an alternate source.
It's not that the station(s) we choose to listen to are bad? Even though it's pretty easy to tell which ones ARE! It's just that a lot of us are looking for a station that's "musically satisfying"---not one that's strictly based on a desired age or demographic!
argytunes
I've lingered here for a few months now reading posts and wondering where some of you have come up with your conclusions about radio in the 21st century. Many of you make very valid points, while many others appear to be completely clueless. I venture to guess that those who appear clueless must be disgruntled, out of work veterans that couldn't adapt to the ever changing medium. Or perhaps they're people that never have cracked a mic and because the don't have enough talent or skill to get on air, they sit here and bemoan and degrade that which they don't truly understand.
Argy you say that "many listeners just don't want to hear the same stuff day in and day out." However every time I've ever conducted a perceptual study or a music test an overwhelming majority of those taking part will tell you they DO want to hear familiar songs that they know. That's why the same 150 songs get played becuase they're the biggest testing songs. In other words the ones the listeners said they want to hear.
As a veteran you know the rule of thumb is that nobody will turn off the radio for a song they know and or love. Research shows they will turn it off if they don't know the song. Our job as programmers is not to educate, it's to play the hits.
Should playlists be only 150 songs? Not in my opinion. I think that sucks. However, in order to build TSL that's what happens...you cut the playlist and spin only the biggest songs over and over. Then you may be able to gradually increase the number slightly after growing some TSL.
People always moan, groan and complain about the same old politicians and their BS. But do we vote them out of office? NO...we keep them around again and again. It's the same way with music. People may say they want change or more variety, but truth be told the majority don't. They want familiar.
Just my thought.
Argy you say that "many listeners just don't want to hear the same stuff day in and day out." However every time I've ever conducted a perceptual study or a music test an overwhelming majority of those taking part will tell you they DO want to hear familiar songs that they know. That's why the same 150 songs get played becuase they're the biggest testing songs. In other words the ones the listeners said they want to hear.
As a veteran you know the rule of thumb is that nobody will turn off the radio for a song they know and or love. Research shows they will turn it off if they don't know the song. Our job as programmers is not to educate, it's to play the hits.
Should playlists be only 150 songs? Not in my opinion. I think that sucks. However, in order to build TSL that's what happens...you cut the playlist and spin only the biggest songs over and over. Then you may be able to gradually increase the number slightly after growing some TSL.
People always moan, groan and complain about the same old politicians and their BS. But do we vote them out of office? NO...we keep them around again and again. It's the same way with music. People may say they want change or more variety, but truth be told the majority don't. They want familiar.
Just my thought.
Certainly music is a critical element in programming efforts to increase TSL and ratings. Sometimes too much time is wasted trying to program a station musically. Killer stations with strong listenership have a great overall chemistry; i.e. great music, a great morning show that's well supported, kickass contesting, promotions (using print and TV important), good air talent throughout the day that compliments the station image, and localism, localism, localism. Getting butts out of the studio and into the community is key. Meet and greet...press the flesh...etc. It's similar to a political campaign; as politicians go after voters one at a time, radio geeks like us go after listeners one at a time. It works! I've seen it time and time again.
Clint, I love your point about how people complain about politicians, yet keep them in office... and how they also complain about radio repetition, yet seem to respond best to a tight library. How true.
Hits are hits for a reason. People like them.
However -- and I'm not arguing with you here, just broadening the discussion a bit -- when you take a roomful of laypeople and sit them down for an auditorium test, what you have are witnesses under duress. How many companies have ever researched the people who have taken an auditorium test? I have. And here's the thing: They are in a strange place with strange people. We think the music is being tested. But they feel that THEY are being tested. "How smart are you? Do you know these songs? Well?"
So to them, familiar songs are like seeing a familiar face in a faraway place. You respond more positively to it than if you were in an everyday situation. Beyond that, as with any research, there is "platform bias". In other words, the research participants (again, because they feel that THEY are the ones being tested) attempt to please the researchers with their answers.
My point: music research is better than just guessing, but it's only an EPA estimate of songs' popularity. Your mileage may vary.
Hits are hits for a reason. People like them.
However -- and I'm not arguing with you here, just broadening the discussion a bit -- when you take a roomful of laypeople and sit them down for an auditorium test, what you have are witnesses under duress. How many companies have ever researched the people who have taken an auditorium test? I have. And here's the thing: They are in a strange place with strange people. We think the music is being tested. But they feel that THEY are being tested. "How smart are you? Do you know these songs? Well?"
So to them, familiar songs are like seeing a familiar face in a faraway place. You respond more positively to it than if you were in an everyday situation. Beyond that, as with any research, there is "platform bias". In other words, the research participants (again, because they feel that THEY are the ones being tested) attempt to please the researchers with their answers.
My point: music research is better than just guessing, but it's only an EPA estimate of songs' popularity. Your mileage may vary.
ray ting said:
Here's something I've wondered about for awhile:
Has any music test ever had a space available for the "testees" to fill in maybe three to five of their favorite songs instead of the tester asking if they like what they are hearing? Or is it always like this:
"...Alright, here in my right hand I have a piece of rotting beef and over in my left hand a piece of rotting fish. I know they both stink really bad but in your opinion which one stinks the least? Pick one and enjoy."
I know you have to start somewhere but maybe some listeners who take time to do these tests aren't as stoopid as they are perceived by the industry. Researchers may get a nice surprise by asking other people's opinions instead of jamming the same song hooks down people's throats.
Just my 2¢
Thanks for listening....
All of this talk about Frank and BLM got me thinking back to the good ole days of 92-CDQ. Anyone rememeber Mt. Rialto Radio - WCDQ??? It was a great, little, locally owned station with lots of originality, personality, and a great libarary. Then the FNX network bought it and flushed it down the toilet.
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