G-Rock Suggested Changes

[SoulCrusher]

Well, apologies for the stereotypes. I tend to ramble, but don't always go off like that - I don't know what came over me. Must have been the long hours, or the drinking perhaps.

But it's true that either the members of Puddle Of Mudd have low IQs, or they don't really apply themselves to their craft ... because, you know, making money and partying with gnarly babes and polishing their Camaros are more important (sorry again - couldn't help myself). And they're incredibly generic as well. They may sell a good amount of albums, but look at every critical review of their albums - they're all negative! What is the difference between this band and, say, Nickelback or Creed? The thing that makes me scratch my head is that I thought G Rock was moving away from this sound, and now it seems like they're embracing it again! Is it just a matter of time before we see regular spins for Hinder and Daughtry, perhaps even Nickelback?

G Rock is perhaps a little too broad, as you have to be really open-minded to listen to this station for more than a half-hour at a time. Guaranteed that whoever you are, you will find something that makes you tune out. G Rock is the middle ground between the CBS Alt stations that routinely play Hinder and Daughtry and the Classic Alternative-leaning stations that wouldn't be caught dead playing them or similar acts. Truthfully, there are enough stations that reach this area that target the demo whose tastes lean more toward straight-ahead mainstream rock, so I personally don't think that G Rock should spend much effort going after them. They're hoping to please all people some of the time, rather than pleasing some people all of the time. We'll see if this strategy pays off.

 

[Beejus]

G Rock is perhaps a little too broad,

Really? Let's look at your other complaints:

From 2/13/07:

The folks at Press Communications are just so strict when it comes to operating their stations, in particular G Rock.

From 2/15/07:

on G Rock, it's just the same old "Playing the biggest Modern Rock hits of the last 15 years with [insert name here]".

From 2/16/07:

Add to that the fact that the station's playlist seems to become more bland and hit-intensive every day, and is it any wonder that people are tuning out?

From 2/17/07:

Their Wikipedia entry claims that they play "acts such as The Cure and R.E.M.". They seldom ever play the latter and the former also gets relatively little airplay as well

From 2/18/07:

Maybe if G Rock would quit giving such heavy spins to recurrents

Also from 2/18/07:

Going on the merits of music alone, more people would tune into the "interesting" station than the "safe" station.

From 2/19/07:

It also should be noted that the Retro Weekends on G Rock all received very positive feedback, as evidenced by calls played on air and comments made by the jocks themselves. Wouldn't it make sense to have it more often than once every six months, or to at least incorporate more of those songs into the regular rotation? It would certainly keep the pre-MySpace generation tuned in - or are we too old to be of any relevance to G Rock?

From 2/21/07:

I honestly don't believe that G Rock pays any mind to burn - if they did, the station would be far less predictable and the playlist would consist of far fewer overplayed titles.

From 2/25/07:

I consider G Rock a station that targets women because of the heavy amount of soft ballads that they play (they play lots of Staind songs, but no "Mudshovel" - only the mushy stuff.

From 2/27/07:

G Rock really needs to look beyond Nirvana for its regular rotation.

From 2/28/07:

I think they could be a little bit more proactive with the adds.

Also from 2/28/07:

One change that they could make would be to start digging deeper into the vault and playing more retro tracks.

From 3/2/07:

The only thing that has been disappointing is the increasingly bland sound of the station

From 3/5/07:

maybe you could make room for the '80s, '90s and current material that you aren't playing by cutting back just a little bit.

Also from 3/5/07:

Now they sound the closest to a true Alternative than they ever have under the current ownership

From 3/6/07:

Play more edgier acts along with more '90s and '80s,

From 3/8/07:

That said, I hope G Rock continues expanding the library, starts throwing more '80s and '90s acts and songs into the rotation, and tinkers with the sound a little.

From 3/16/07:

The ratings drop that occurred had everything to do with the station playing it too safe and becoming stale,

From 3/27/07:

At least throw in some more traditional Alternative acts to keep everything nice and balanced

From 3/28/07:

More currents more '80s

From 3/30/07:

the current ownership made the mistake of leaning way too modern in recent years

From 4/1/07:

It would also be nice if they dug just a little deeper into their vaults

From 4/13/07: (the longest gap in which SoulCrusher shut up)

In closing, the music is continuing to improve.

From 4/16/07:

G Rock has improved their library dramatically.

From 4/18/07:

If I had to whittle down G Rock's biggest flaw in one word: repetition.

From 4/26/07:

they are sounding better in every way

From 4/28/07:

we're hearing a lot more '80s than we did a year ago and that's terrific

From 5/2/07:

Think of what G Rock could do if they tinkered with the rotation a bit

From 5/4/07:

G Rock is on the right track. It's sounding better than ever

From 5/5/07:

the other main flaw in one word: repetition.

Also from 5/5/07:

Basically it boils down to this: People are tired of the "same old thing". The listener will get bored if you beat the same songs into the ground

From 5/7/07:

I hope they either broaden their playlist [...] or go for a really diverse Classic Alternative sound

Also from 5/7/07:

They could definitely use more new music

From 5/8/07:

The library has improved dramatically

Also from 5/8/07:

G Rock always plays it too safe in one way or another,

From 5/9/07:

What would I do differently with G Rock, you may ask? I would dig a little deeper into '80s and '90s retro, play a few some harder songs, and add a few more currents, and play some album tracks from core artists.

Also from 5/9/07: (Matt... you guys should see a ratings spike this week with the TSL SoulCrusher put in)

It would be nice if they cut loose here and expanded their programming a little bit

From 5/12/07:

Add another baffling add to G Rock's relatively small playlist

You think they're too broad, but for months you complain about a narrow, small playlist. You complain about repition. You complain about a lack of variety. Now you think they're too broad?

SoulCrusher. You are arguing for the sake of arguing anymore. You will NEVER be satisfied with GRock. EVER. Stop complaining, sit back, and be grateful that you have an Alternative station to listen to AT ALL.

Goodnight, game over, drive home safely.

 

[mjb1124]

G Rock is perhaps a little too broad, as you have to be really open-minded to listen to this station for more than a half-hour at a time. Guaranteed that whoever you are, you will find something that makes you tune out.

That's just the nature of the format. IMHO, a good Alternative station SHOULD have a diverse enough mix of music that any listener will find something they don't like. That's not to say that they shouldn't be paying attention to what the listeners go for but they shouldn't avoid something just because some people don't like it. And on the flipside, a lot of people listen to Alternative because they want to hear a diverse mix of music.

G Rock is the middle ground between the CBS Alt stations that routinely play Hinder and Daughtry and the Classic Alternative-leaning stations that wouldn't be caught dead playing them or similar acts. Truthfully, there are enough stations that reach this area that target the demo whose tastes lean more toward straight-ahead mainstream rock, so I personally don't think that G Rock should spend much effort going after them. They're hoping to please all people some of the time, rather than pleasing some people all of the time. We'll see if this strategy pays off.

I think it's good that they're the "middle ground". I'm glad they don't shove Hinder and Daughtry down our throats (and no, I don't anticipate them going in that direction), and that they at least take more chances than a lot of the more mainstream stations. But at the same time, I'm glad they don't have too much pride to play a chart-topping smash by a more "mainstream" act like Linkin Park, Papa Roach or Plain White T's.

Admittedly, when I first heard them play the new Puddle of Mudd song, I wanted to rant about how they're quick to add a band like this while being hesitant to a number of other recent releases from established artists. But they redeemed themselves somewhat by also playing the new Modest Mouse and QOTSA tracks yesterday. And let's face it, the PoM song is probably going to be huge.

 

[blueclaws1210]

Depsite what soulcrusher says grock is a good radio station. i think there playlist is good most of the time. they play a large variety which is good. for example they played linkin park followed by rem yesterday. to totaly different bands after each other ok right? i was thinking that sometimes this station reminds me of krock. the alternative sound before " great rock peroid". the talent is good weekdays and weekends and the music decent so stop compaling soulcrusher and listen longer.

 

[MarcR]

For those who have a problem with My Chemical Romance garnering so much airplay on Alternative radio, may I remind you that Welcome to the Black Parade is a favorite of one of the most respected music writers/critics in the country (Jon Pareles of the New York Times), *And* that that same album had a cumulative score of 79 out of 100 on the much viewed Metacritic website. Hinder this band is certainly *Not*!

 

[Batfink]

I just checked WHTG's actual Top 100 played songs on the yes.com website. It may be a very good rock station, but the mix looks like a mainstream rock person's idea of what an alternative station should sound like. For example, Love Reign On Me is number 1, but this is not a strong song on other alternative stations. For example, on KROQ in L.A., a pretty mainstream but highly rated alternative station the song doesn't even make the top 100. Nor does #2, Finger Eleven. And why isn't Tim Armstrong's "Into Action" on the WHTG Top 100 (according to the yes.com website which tracks actual airplay) after all these weeks? One answer: it is popular nation-wide among alternativre rock fans and stations but if the person doing the programming is more of a mainstream rock person, not so much.

There are other examples but you get the point. Again, this is not a put-down, just an observation that G-Rock appears to be an alternative leaning rock station as opposed to a rock-leaning alterenative station.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Clarification: By variety I don't mean amount of songs, but different subgenres. They'll play an intelligent British band from the '80s and then play some brain-dead pop-punk act immediately after. You would think that a station that plays a good selection of '80s and '90s tracks would select Currents that have better continuity with these songs, but no. Instead we get tons of bands that never would have received play on Alternative 20, 15, even 10 years ago - the schmaltzy Air Supply-esque balladry of Plain White T's, the trailer park rock of Puddle Of Mudd (other people have referred to POM and similar bands this way), the Pro Tools enhanced arena schlock of Evanescence, etc.

I don't necessarily find fault with the amount of Currents they are playing, but what they choose to play leaves something to be desired. I really don't understand the aversion to playing acts that actually sound like they belong on Alternative rather than Mainstream Rock or Hot AC, like Bjork, Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, Strata, Interpol, etc.

The fact that these acts continue to be ignored (along with acts with songs in the Top 20, like The Used and The Almost) while a band as generic and critically reviled as Puddle Of Mudd gets added on its first day out is what set me off.

Question for Matt Knight: What is the difference between Puddle Of Mudd and acts like Creed and Nickelback? I honestly have not heard one.

 

[mjb1124]

For example, on KROQ in L.A., a pretty mainstream but highly rated alternative station the song doesn't even make the top 100. Nor does #2, Finger Eleven. And why isn't Tim Armstrong's "Into Action" on the WHTG Top 100 (according to the yes.com website which tracks actual airplay) after all these weeks? One answer: it is popular nation-wide among alternativre rock fans and stations but if the person doing the programming is more of a mainstream rock person, not so much.

Hmm...Initially I was just going to say that KROQ is probably playing Tim Armstrong because they tend to favor California-based artists. But looking on Mediabase now, it's up to #43 and there are quite a few stations playing it. So yeah, I'd say G-Rock should be on it.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Hmm...Initially I was just going to say that KROQ is probably playing Tim Armstrong because they tend to favor California-based artists. But looking on Mediabase now, it's up to #43 and there are quite a few stations playing it. So yeah, I'd say G-Rock should be on it.

No, I disagree. I think they should just play "Anna Molly" and "Black Parade" until our heads explode. While they're at it, why don't they throw in more dusty worn-out tracks like "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? Better yet, why not play them all in a row?

Actually, that's exactly what they did, at noon today. Throws out my little theory about being a little more diverse and interesting during the weekends.

What kind of station is G Rock anyway? They play a good amount of Classic Alternative acts, but looking at some of the currents you would think you stumbled upon a bland Mainstream Rocker. Good on them for playing The Fratellis, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Peter Bjorn & John and others, but some of this stuff has me scratching my head - a lot of it gets plenty of spins on WRAT anyway. There's a little too much overlap between these two stations. WRAT doesn't play enough edgier music, and G Rock is leaning more toward Rock than Alternative with a lot of these adds. What are they trying to do? Are they looking to compete with WRAT, or do they want to do their own thing? FM 106.3 did the latter for years on one frequency and did just fine. If G Rock is going to limit themselves this much with the newer songs, I would like to see them lean more Alternative - between the softer lean and such mainstream fare as Evanescence, Pearl Jam (normally they're alright, but this is a poor-charting Who cover) and Puddle Of Mudd, I often check my dial thinking I landed on a different station. I also don't understand why it's alright to play these acts, yet they still object to playing Tool. Did a member of the band take the lunch money of someone at G Rock every Tuesday when they were kids?

What's wrong with Puddle Of Mudd? Their frontman Wes Scantlin actually has the nerve to compare his manufactured band to Nirvana. Yeah, they're like Nirvana - if Kurt idolized Motley Crue instead of The Melvins, that is.

 

[Beejus]

No, I disagree. I think they should just play "Anna Molly" and "Black Parade" until our heads explode. While they're at it, why don't they throw in more dusty worn-out tracks like "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? Better yet, why not play them all in a row?

Actually, that's exactly what they did, at noon today.

Oh no! GRock played THREE HITS IN A ROW? Say it ain't so!

 

[mjb1124]

For what it's worth, it seems that they haven't played the new Puddle of Mudd song at all in the last two days, while they did play the other two new adds I mentioned (QOTSA and Modest Mouse). Maybe they were just testing the song to see what kind of reactions it would get?

 

[hubcity]

[Thirty-odd quotes from SoulCrusher snipped. More than thirty!]

You think they're too broad, but for months you complain about a narrow, small playlist. You complain about repition. You complain about a lack of variety. Now you think they're too broad?

SoulCrusher. You are arguing for the sake of arguing anymore. You will NEVER be satisfied with GRock. EVER. Stop complaining, sit back, and be grateful that you have an Alternative station to listen to AT ALL.

Goodnight, game over, drive home safely.

Let it thus be stated, for the record, that G-Rock is The World's Most Perfect Radio Station. They play the World's Most Effective Format. At least that's what it appears to be, in Beejus' opinion, at any given moment, regardless of how it changes over time.

Between you, me and the "Post" button, I think Beejus should suggest that SoulCrusher has too much free time on his hands. 'Cause that'd be funny, y'see...

 

[Beejus]

Let it thus be stated, for the record, that G-Rock is The World's Most Perfect Radio Station. They play the World's Most Effective Format. At least that's what it appears to be, in Beejus' opinion, at any given moment, regardless of how it changes over time.

Between you, me and the "Post" button, I think Beejus should suggest that SoulCrusher has too much free time on his hands. 'Cause that'd be funny, y'see...

I'll admit I had too much time on my hands when I posted that. (Emergency 6 hour fill-in shifts on my sister station will do that.) I haven't pointed out that GRock is perfect. I point out flaws in SoulCrusher's arguments with fact.
I don't like the Kaiser Chiefs, I can't stand Matisyahu... but I don't go on a tirade every time they come up on the playlist, and don't think GRock should omit them just because I don't like them. I accept the fact that there are people out there that like the song, and I'll wait to hear what's coming up next.

 

[SoulCrusher]

For what it's worth, it seems that they haven't played the new Puddle of Mudd song at all in the last two days, while they did play the other two new adds I mentioned (QOTSA and Modest Mouse). Maybe they were just testing the song to see what kind of reactions it would get?

Perhaps they have come to their senses about this song, but the band still gets played a lot (the insufferably sappy "Blurry" and downright moronic "She Hates Me" - both played today). I have heard the song '"Famous" - 4 years since the last album and no progression whatsoever. Chorus lyrics swiped from Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" and lyrics that read like a passage from the Neanderthal Bible. I never thought I would say it, but this is one of those bands that actually makes me miss Limp Bizkit - little surprise that Fred Durst gave them their big break.

Puddle Of Mudd are more of a Rock or Active Rock band, both in sound and sensibility. Why the supposedly Alternative G Rock even tested it is beyond me. Funny - it seems like we've come full circle. We have bands that are displaying a hair metal influence both musically (My Chemical Romance) and lyrically (Puddle Of Mudd, Plain White T's, etc.). In some ways it's almost as if Alternative merged with AOR and the last 15 years never happened. That's not completely true, but it's food for thought.

G Rock should have NEVER cancelled The Underground and G Rock Music Lab, at least if they weren't going to expand their playlist (if anything, it's gotten smaller). It's as if the night audience means nothing to them. If you're going to discontinue these features, at least come up with suitable replacements. Maybe then you would find out what the audience wants to hear instead of blindly playing moronic jock rock like Puddle Of Mudd. Seriously, there are countless nu-metal acts that I would much rather hear, and that's saying something.

That reminds me ... Matt Knight still hasn't answered my questions yet. I'm sure he's a busy guy, but it would be nice if he finds the time. Good call on the 5 O'Clock Shuffles - always something different and interesting. Hopefully we will get to hear a few more surprises in the regular rotation. That's another thing I miss about the Music Lab - the Retro Lab were terrific, and G Rock never plays anything that was featured there.

I'll admit I had too much time on my hands when I posted that. (Emergency 6 hour fill-in shifts on my sister station will do that.) I haven't pointed out that GRock is perfect. I point out flaws in SoulCrusher's arguments with fact.
I don't like the Kaiser Chiefs, I can't stand Matisyahu... but I don't go on a tirade every time they come up on the playlist, and don't think GRock should omit them just because I don't like them. I accept the fact that there are people out there that like the song, and I'll wait to hear what's coming up next.

Kaiser Chiefs will not be played 15-20 times a week 5 months from now - Matisyahu wasn't played that much 9 or 10 months after "King Without A Crown" came out. Certain acts are played at obscene levels at G Rock (*cough* Incubus and My Chemical Romance *cough*), and it's disappointing when they could have added a good up-and-coming act instead. They really are banking too much on listener loyalty just because they are the only game in town with this format. Even the most casual listener has to be tired of these songs by now and will go elsewhere when they're played. And I'm putting my personal feelings aside on this, because even if my current favorite on the playlist (BRMC's "Weapon Of Choice") were to receive this many spins in 8 months, I would call them out on it.

Let's be honest - the best Alternative stations out there do not slam songs this often after being out for 9 or 10 months. That type of airplay is usually reserved for only the safest Adult Contemporary stations out there. I'm not saying these tracks should be pulled completely - just play them less often. There's too much good material out there right now for them to take such a safe, bland approach.

 

[Kobayashi]

Let's be honest - the best Alternative stations out there do not slam songs this often after being out for 9 or 10 months. That type of airplay is usually reserved for only the safest Adult Contemporary stations out there. I'm not saying these tracks should be pulled completely - just play them less often. There's too much good material out there right now for them to take such a safe, bland approach.

Soulcrusher,

I have been following this thread for a while now, and truly, you are starting to crush my soul.

Dude, you should be on the ground, with GRock cranked to the highest level, praising and offering thanks to the Heavens that you have a radio station like this one to enjoy - for as long as it lasts. Has it occurred to you that you live in the orbit one of the world's largest, most prominent, most progressive cities and that it has no big antenna Alt Rock station broadcasting from Manhattan? Forget WLIR - you DON'T want that to be the only station in the Tristate area to hoist the Alt banner. Forget about Philly too - I believe they're also dropping Alt mainstays.

Let's count it up, shall we? GRock is a fairly mainstream terrestrial radio broadcaster offering streaming in .pls format. Do you know how rare that is? It has grown its footprint and is not owned by a large radio conglomerate, such as Clear Channel or CBS Radio. It posts, and regularly updates, a playlist of its new adds. I routinely use it to look for new tracks to add to my music library. Why? Because in my (major, American) city, songs are added months after they are added to GRock and that's because...CBS owns the 'Alt' rocker here. It's in quotes because they don't have anything close to the depth and breadth that you get to hear. I'll give you a hint - 'Closing Time' and 'Flagpole Sitta' on regular rotation. It's 2007, dammit! It's making me insane!

GRock actually has cool jocks that aren't annoying, are funny, and will actually play songs that you request. I can remember coming back into town when Matt Knight was still on late, he just opened the station to listeners - for the hell of it - so I called in, HE actually picked up the phone, took my request, and played the damn song!!! (The mildly obscure Local H's 'Bound For the Floor', for the record).

No matter whether it took an AC detour, for the most part, it has provided consistent quality, worth-listening-to music for 20 years...(more?)

All I can say is that, you, my friend, will be crying loudest the day it switches to an unrecognizable format because a new owner decides it has better growth potential with another segment of the greater region's potential listening audience. Instead of worrying whether (the critically acclaimed and homegrown) My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome to the Black Parade' gets too many spins, you should be down in Neptune volunteering to help out. Hell, I wish I worked there! It should be your penance for all these posts, equal time to develop the station's listener base and ensure it will be around for another 25 years.

The only concession I will make is that they should bring the Music Lab back...because it was...good, not because they let listeners down or anything like that.

2 hours of listening tonight has made me want to come back and buy a house on the Shore. Oh, by the way, Tool just came on. You stink! Now, they're playing Rancid - yeah, we don't get to hear that here...ever. And just before I post this, some chick just requested a Pepper song about dirty hot sex - yeah, I hate you. (I'm just kidding, relax ).

 

[SoulCrusher]

Let's be honest - the best Alternative stations out there do not slam songs this often after being out for 9 or 10 months. That type of airplay is usually reserved for only the safest Adult Contemporary stations out there. I'm not saying these tracks should be pulled completely - just play them less often. There's too much good material out there right now for them to take such a safe, bland approach.

Soulcrusher,

I have been following this thread for a while now, and truly, you are starting to crush my soul.

Dude, you should be on the ground, with GRock cranked to the highest level, praising and offering thanks to the Heavens that you have a radio station like this one to enjoy - for as long as it lasts. Has it occurred to you that you live in the orbit one of the world's largest, most prominent, most progressive cities and that it has no big antenna Alt Rock station broadcasting from Manhattan? Forget WLIR - you DON'T want that to be the only station in the Tristate area to hoist the Alt banner. Forget about Philly too - I believe they're also dropping Alt mainstays.

Let's count it up, shall we? GRock is a fairly mainstream terrestrial radio broadcaster offering streaming in .pls format. Do you know how rare that is? It has grown its footprint and is not owned by a large radio conglomerate, such as Clear Channel or CBS Radio. It posts, and regularly updates, a playlist of its new adds. I routinely use it to look for new tracks to add to my music library. Why? Because in my (major, American) city, songs are added months after they are added to GRock and that's because...CBS owns the 'Alt' rocker here. It's in quotes because they don't have anything close to the depth and breadth that you get to hear. I'll give you a hint - 'Closing Time' and 'Flagpole Sitta' on regular rotation. It's 2007, dammit! It's making me insane!

GRock actually has cool jocks that aren't annoying, are funny, and will actually play songs that you request. I can remember coming back into town when Matt Knight was still on late, he just opened the station to listeners - for the hell of it - so I called in, HE actually picked up the phone, took my request, and played the damn song!!! (The mildly obscure Local H's 'Bound For the Floor', for the record).

No matter whether it took an AC detour, for the most part, it has provided consistent quality, worth-listening-to music for 20 years...(more?)

All I can say is that, you, my friend, will be crying loudest the day it switches to an unrecognizable format because a new owner decides it has better growth potential with another segment of the greater region's potential listening audience. Instead of worrying whether (the critically acclaimed and homegrown) My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome to the Black Parade' gets too many spins, you should be down in Neptune volunteering to help out. Hell, I wish I worked there! It should be your penance for all these posts, equal time to develop the station's listener base and ensure it will be around for another 25 years.

The only concession I will make is that they should bring the Music Lab back...because it was...good, not because they let listeners down or anything like that.

2 hours of listening tonight has made me want to come back and buy a house on the Shore. Oh, by the way, Tool just came on. You stink! Now, they're playing Rancid - yeah, we don't get to hear that here...ever. And just before I post this, some chick just requested a Pepper song about dirty hot sex - yeah, I hate you. (I'm just kidding, relax ).

Admittedly I have been (perhaps unfairly) critical of G Rock, and I don't know what it is. Maybe it's comparisons to its predecessor, FM 106.3. Maybe it's because I recently heard a (part-time) Alternative format that has G Rock beat in terms of library ... Clear Channel Talk/Alternative hybrid WTKS in Orlando, where I heard acts such as Material Issue, Urban Dance Squad and James (besides the overplayed "Laid"), which never receive spins on G Rock ... as an added bonus, they never play grunt rock or pseudo-punk boy bands. Maybe it's because G Rock has this aversion to edgier music that would make all of the cloying ballads that they play easier to swallow (even Tool only gets played about 2 or 3 times a week). Maybe it's because they've had some questionable adds as of late (Pearl Jam covering the Who and Neanderthal rockers Puddle Of Mudd [on their first day!] come to mind). Finally, maybe it's because compared to some stations, they really aren't that adventurous with the adds - Alternative WJSE in Atlantic City is playing a block of new music at this hour, and with the exception of Satellite Party and BRMC, G Rock isn't playing any of it.

Then I got to thinking that there are a couple of stations that have warped my view of Alternative somewhat. The stations mentioned in the previous paragraph tend to be the exception and not the rule. After looking at a variety of Alternative playlists, I realized two things ... First, there are a lot of Active Rock stations billing themselves as Alternative. G Rock may play some redneck bands, but there are stations out there that play far more. Second, there are some stations that are far worse in terms of repetition. I actually found a station that played "Mr. Brightside" 50 times (no, that's not a typo) for the week!

Maybe the problem is not necessarily with the station, but with the fact that I have listened to Alternative Radio too much in the last 15 years. Driving, studying, time in the office - more often than not I have had an Alternative station on at the time. The people that will most appreciate G Rock are the neophytes to the format, which seems to be the audience they are targeting - people that won't mind hearing overplayed Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Linkin Park, etc. I guess that sort of makes sense, since Ocean County never received an Alternative station loud and clear until two years ago. Fortunately, they didn't forget about the longtime fans of the format completely - there's a couple of songs for us every hour, so long as we're patient enough to sit through the primitive chest-beating of Shinedown or the teenybopper cheese of Sum 41.

There's good and there's bad with G Rock, but that's more than what can be said about the cookie cutter approach to radio every other station in the market represents. I just hope they will be a bit more bold with their currents (a short list of what G Rock is not playing: The Used, The Almost, Arcade Fire, Bjork, Kings Of Leon, Tim Armstrong, Test Your Reflex, Anberlin, Interpol, Deftones - even the new Snow Patrol and Tool singles aren't being played yet!) and become more willing to play edgier rock bands - I find it perplexing that they will play limitless amounts of soft rock songs (we're talking songs that see regular Hot AC rotation here) but are so hesitant to play anything harder to balance it out. This is made all the more baffling by the fact that the only other Rock station in the market (WRAT) is highly classic-leaning and favors Nickelback and Hinder to System Of A Down and Mudvayne, so they're pretty soft sounding too. Judging by some of the acts requested on the Shuffle segment, there's listeners out there that would appreciate some edgier bands in the mix, so I don't understand what's holding them back.

I can't find fault with the jocks and the presentation, and the much-improved library. There was a time when they played absolutely nothing from the '80s - now they've embraced it to the point that they're sponsoring a series of concerts this summer featuring acts that were popular in this period. They also realized that there's more to NJ Alternative than My Chemical Romance, hence the increased airplay for the Smithereens and Dramarama. They have also become more proactive in seeking listener input - I remember when they never gave out their number for requests. This will only help the station build an audience and guide them toward a direction that will help them attain success (one that could use a little less of the Radio Disney-approved pop/punk, IMO).

I'm glad we have G Rock around - there, I said it. I couldn't imagine listening to music-based radio at all here in Monmouth/Ocean if we didn't have it. That said, I hope Mr. Knight can find the time to answer my questions, esp. the one about the sudden cancellation of The Underground and Music Lab.

 

[Matt Knight]

I'm glad we have G Rock around - there, I said it. I couldn't imagine listening to music-based radio at all here in Monmouth/Ocean if we didn't have it. That said, I hope Mr. Knight can find the time to answer my questions, esp. the one about the sudden cancellation of The Underground and Music Lab.

As I am not the program director, it is not my decision as to the shows that are put on the station so I can not answer your question directly.

 

[Kobayashi]

There's good and there's bad with G Rock, but that's more than what can be said about the cookie cutter approach to radio every other station in the market represents. I just hope they will be a bit more bold with their currents (a short list of what G Rock is not playing: The Used, The Almost, Arcade Fire, Bjork, Kings Of Leon, Tim Armstrong, Test Your Reflex, Anberlin, Interpol, Deftones - even the new Snow Patrol and Tool singles aren't being played yet!) and become more willing to play edgier rock bands - I find it perplexing that they will play limitless amounts of soft rock songs (we're talking songs that see regular Hot AC rotation here) but are so hesitant to play anything harder to balance it out. This is made all the more baffling by the fact that the only other Rock station in the market (WRAT) is highly classic-leaning and favors Nickelback and Hinder to System Of A Down and Mudvayne, so they're pretty soft sounding too. Judging by some of the acts requested on the Shuffle segment, there's listeners out there that would appreciate some edgier bands in the mix, so I don't understand what's holding them back.

SC,

All I'm sayin' is that your grass is green and other nearby lawns are brown and dead.

They say there's nothing perfect and that includes radio stations. Take it as a given that G Rock is a commercial enterprise trying to attract and retain as many listeners as they can and make as much profit as possible. To the best of my knowledge, it's a fairly commonly known radio reality that many (not all) women gravitate to Alt radio, while many (not all) men opt for the WRAT format, given the choice between the WRAT format and the G Rock format. Even if Arbitron or Nielsen or whoever sucks at calculating ratings, it makes sense for G Rock to mix it up, a healthy dose of soft stuff for the girls (a core audience), a deeper catalog for Alt aficionados like yourself, and some harder stuff for the guys...

If you take my view that the songs are marketing for the ads and the goal is to get as many customers to try the product (ads) as possible, it all makes sense. If RAT and WDHA weren't around, they could probably go with a heavier sound, but the niche is what the niche is - they didn't have those bridal ads that were on when I was there for nothing.

Here's an example of how it plays out. I can remember driving down the GSP a couple years ago and hearing Dave Wetmore (I think it was, don't quote me if he's their manager now or something ) - just ripping on Nickelback with another jock after their 'Animals' song had played. It was hilarious, they really took it apart. So even if the staff doesn't like a song or is sick of it, I'm guessing there's a business reason to have those 'anchor' songs in the playlist and available to segments of the audience. I, for one, hate the Plain White Ts track, but I know lots of people out there don't.

The other example to mention is Brookdale's 'The Night'. The playlist there is more eclectic, it's less commercial, and it's probably 'truer' alternative (I remember hearing Eels, 22-20s, and Catherine Wheel when I visited a while back, for example). But even they still put tracks into heavy rotation!

So next time you hear 'Anna-Molly', just remember I'm spinning the dial trying to get away from Dishwalla....from 1996, curse those bastardos!!!

P.S. They have to be playing Anberlin and Test Your Reflex...I heard about both bands from G Rock.

 

[Ike]

I agree with a lot of Soulcrusher's points, even if he is a little long-winded. (Although I don't want to encourage him to thump a deceased equus.) Also, this thread has gotten me to check out 106.3 for the first time in years, although I can only receive it clearly in my car, and not in my apartment, since I live in Newark. I had forgotten about the station until I started reading this thread. I usually just listen to WFMU, WKCR, and other such non-comms. And I dislike Neanderthal rock like Puddle of Mudd or Linkin Park.

And they should really be playing Arcade Fire. I mean, jeez, they sell a ton of records and their sound is very accessible and catchy.

However, I don't think that 106.3 necessarily needs to play harder-edged stuff like Tool or Rage Against the Machine. In the old days B.N. (Before Nirvana), heritage commercial alt stations like WHFS in Maryland didn't play a lot of hard alt rock like that, at least not as far as I can remember. Circa 1989-1990, I heard stuff like New Order, Suzanne Vega, Depeche Mode, Basehead, Robyn Hitchcock, Blondie, the Smiths, P.J. Harvey, Lloyd Cole, Buffalo Tom, Lemonheads, and so on. A modernized version of that with artists like the Eels, Magnetic Fields, Fountains of Wayne, Elf Power, Spoon, and so on, could work to attract both male and female listeners.

And hey Soulcrusher, if you ever listen to Internet radio, check out WOXY.com. That's a pretty ideal alt station if you ask me. They have a really nice-sounding AAC+ stream (playable with Winamp, VLC, and various other free players). The station is like the Michael Myers of Internet radio stations (well, except that it doesn't kill people). It just keeps rising from the dead.

 

[SoulCrusher]

They say there's nothing perfect and that includes radio stations. Take it as a given that G Rock is a commercial enterprise trying to attract and retain as many listeners as they can and make as much profit as possible. To the best of my knowledge, it's a fairly commonly known radio reality that many (not all) women gravitate to Alt radio, while many (not all) men opt for the WRAT format, given the choice between the WRAT format and the G Rock format. Even if Arbitron or Nielsen or whoever sucks at calculating ratings, it makes sense for G Rock to mix it up, a healthy dose of soft stuff for the girls (a core audience), a deeper catalog for Alt aficionados like yourself, and some harder stuff for the guys...

If you take my view that the songs are marketing for the ads and the goal is to get as many customers to try the product (ads) as possible, it all makes sense. If RAT and WDHA weren't around, they could probably go with a heavier sound, but the niche is what the niche is - they didn't have those bridal ads that were on when I was there for nothing.

Here's an example of how it plays out. I can remember driving down the GSP a couple years ago and hearing Dave Wetmore (I think it was, don't quote me if he's their manager now or something ) - just ripping on Nickelback with another jock after their 'Animals' song had played. It was hilarious, they really took it apart. So even if the staff doesn't like a song or is sick of it, I'm guessing there's a business reason to have those 'anchor' songs in the playlist and available to segments of the audience. I, for one, hate the Plain White Ts track, but I know lots of people out there don't.

The other example to mention is Brookdale's 'The Night'. The playlist there is more eclectic, it's less commercial, and it's probably 'truer' alternative (I remember hearing Eels, 22-20s, and Catherine Wheel when I visited a while back, for example). But even they still put tracks into heavy rotation!

So next time you hear 'Anna-Molly', just remember I'm spinning the dial trying to get away from Dishwalla....from 1996, curse those bastardos!!!

P.S. They have to be playing Anberlin and Test Your Reflex...I heard about both bands from G Rock.

WRAT may fare well with men under 35, I'm not really sure. But honestly (and this goes for all Greater Media rockers, WDHA and WMMR included) their output can be summed up as "Dad Rock". Lots of old-time meat and potatoes rock, arena rock, hair metal, not to mention a good amount of overlap with G Rock. There are very few rock acts that got their start in the '90s that can be heard exclusively on WRAT. As for modern years, there's Disturbed, Godsmack ... and that's about it. Furthermore, anyone who is a fan of heavier rock will be sorely disappointed with WRAT - Rage Against The Machine and Tool (aside from their currents) are seldom played, and then there's Gold and Platinum selling acts (System Of A Down, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Sevendust, Static-X, Deftones) that are practically never played. Even Korn receives light rotation, and it's usually in the form of some crummy remix that accomplishes nothing other than to make the song more "Dad friendly". Only a handful of Currents (about 20) are played, and they tend to favor MOR rock acts like Nickelback, Hinder, and Buckcherry. No Hellyeah (#6 on Active Rock Charts), Sevendust (#11), Bullet For My Valentine (#17) or Static-X (#19), among others. That being said, it becomes evident that they are not targeting men 35 and under, but their fathers. I really think that a station that would play these acts would pull very solid ratings on a niche-type signal (like 98.5 in Ocean County), but I'm not sure how they would do in terms of ad dollars.

G Rock could, in theory, add these acts and definitely win over some Male listeners. Truthfully, a lot of it would sound odd with the mix that they have currently - they would need to make some changes in order to successfully integrate these acts. I like where they are now - I would just like to see them broaden the playlist a bit more to include more Currents and more deep tracks.

I remember the jocks having fun at Nickelback's expense. At that point they started to phase out Nickelback, but it was a short-lived disappearance for that genre as they put the a couple of songs by like-minded group Shinedown into heavy rotation. Then they started playing Stone Sour's sentimental "Through Glass", picked up a few Puddle Of Mudd songs again, and we've come full circle despite the absence of Nickelback. These are all songs that feature prominently in WRAT's rotation - I think they would be smarter to lean away from that and do their own thing, or perhaps start playing some of the acts that The Rat seldom touches if they're going to succeed in luring listeners away from the competition (Tool, Rage, and System can work just fine with G Rock's current sound - Slipknot would be taking it too far, IMO).

I enjoy The Night and listen to it when I'm in range. Good mix, a little reminiscent of what FM 106.3 offered at times. Often on the Adult Alternative tip at times, and they seem to play a good amount of Americana-sounding music.

Anberlin's song "Paperthin Hymn" received airtime on G Rock last year. Their current single "Godspeed" and Test Your Reflex were only played on the now-defunct Music Lab. There's no testing ground for new music anymore, now it's just Terrie calling the shots with new adds (with management standing over her to give the final OK, I'm sure).