G-Rock

[SoulCrusher]

I'll give Hit 106 this much - at least they've got a local jock lineup in place for weekdays. Perhaps that will cut down a bit on the insane repeats like the one mentioned earlier.

I'm happy that Scott Lowe and Erin Vogt are still employed by Press, and it's good to see that Matt Knight was given a promotion ... but these are the only good things to come out of this move as far as I'm concerned.

I actually heard a station ID that said something to the effect of "New Jersey, you finally have a hit music station" ... come on now. They act as if people don't search the FM dial to find their preferred music, and that there's no other station like this one. They did play a few '90s titles that I didn't expect, so they deserve credit for that. But Top 40 stations typically take some 40 songs and play most of them 80-120 times a week, so if you don't enjoy what's big on the charts, you aren't going to listen, simple as that. I don't believe that those who like the occasional Warren G or Tupac Shakur will want to sit through the insufferable Britney Spears and the unspeakably awful Miley Cyrus to hear them.

Press is scrambling for a small piece of a large pie with Hit 106, and they're doing so at the expense of a displaced Alternative audience that will likely find nothing else on the dial that appeals to them. Not only are they competing with virtually identical stations in NYC and Philly, but I think many people forget that Hot AC has changed over the last couple of years. What once represented "The '80s, '90s And Today" has become essentially "Hit Music For Adults". Turn on WPST, WPLJ, WJLK, WAYV or WSJO and you will hear everything that Hit 106 plays with the exception of hip-hop. All of these stations cover a better part of Monmouth/Ocean than either WRXP or WRFF (two somewhat acceptable alternatives for G Rock fans), too. With Hit 106, Press will have to make a case for why those listening to all of these other stations should listen to their hit music station. Will they be able to pull this off? Only time will tell.

 

[SoulCrusher]

You know, I just thought of something. With all the comparisons I was making before to WAYV, perhaps Press Communications could co-opt this station's identity completely.

WAYV's morning show is hosted by Mike & Diane.

The Breeze's morning show is hosted by Mike & Dianne.

Instead of having Pork Roll & Eggs as its morning show, perhaps Press could move Mike & Dianne over to Hit 106 instead to compete with Mike & Diane on WAYV. Some food for thought there.

 

[GSP163]

Question, do people in Monmouth County actually call it "Pork Roll"?...... I know the term is used in South Jersey and Pennsylvania....Up here in North Jersey we call it "Taylor Ham" and NEVER "Pork Roll"!!! ;D

 

[myke25]

Question, do people in Monmouth County actually call it "Pork Roll"?...... I know the term is used in South Jersey and Pennsylvania....Up here in North Jersey we call it "Taylor Ham" and NEVER "Pork Roll"!!! ;D

born and raised monmouth county all my life... it's pork roll to me.

 

[IknowwhatIknow]

It is definatly pork roll. If you claim to be from NJ and do not eat pork roll, or you call it Taylor Ham, you are an imposter.

 

[Zackster]

According to Wikipedia ... the "Pure Food and Drug Act" of 1906
forced Taylor to drop the word "ham" from the name, and it has
been Taylor's Pork Roll ever since. The article does acknowledge
that people in North Jersey still call it "Taylor Ham."

Then again, they call "drawers" "draws" so who trusts them.

Maybe the "G" in GSP163 stands for "Geezer."

 

[d21ofnj]

It is definatly pork roll. If you claim to be from NJ and do not eat pork roll, or you call it Taylor Ham, you are an imposter.

Man, I could go for a pork roll right about now.

 

[myke25]

It is definatly pork roll. If you claim to be from NJ and do not eat pork roll, or you call it Taylor Ham, you are an imposter.

Man, I could go for a pork roll right about now.

mmmmm.... gimme a pork roll, egg and cheese on an everything bagel w/ salt, pepper and ketchup.

 

[sack]

Please stop! I"m stuck here in DC and no one has a clue about a great healthy breakfast like Taylor Ham and egg on a bagel. And where are the Italian Hot Dogs? Cheesesteaks,,, fuggetaboutit.

On topic,,, business is business, its all about making money. Changing the format of G-Rock is bad business. Press invested a lot into G-Rock, including hiring one of the best programmers around, Terrie Carr. (yes, she is a friend). TC took that station and ran with it, gave it life. Then management however played it like the stock market,,, if they don't make a ton of money right away they dump the stock,,, in this case they dumped the format. Typical short sighted money grubbing dimwit lemmings that have run this business into the ground.

Now wheres my Taylor Ham?

 

[SoulCrusher]

Please stop! I"m stuck here in DC and no one has a clue about a great healthy breakfast like Taylor Ham and egg on a bagel. And where are the Italian Hot Dogs? Cheesesteaks,,, fuggetaboutit.

On topic,,, business is business, its all about making money. Changing the format of G-Rock is bad business. Press invested a lot into G-Rock, including hiring one of the best programmers around, Terrie Carr. (yes, she is a friend). TC took that station and ran with it, gave it life. Then management however played it like the stock market,,, if they don't make a ton of money right away they dump the stock,,, in this case they dumped the format. Typical short sighted money grubbing dimwit lemmings that have run this business into the ground.

Now wheres my Taylor Ham?

The notoriously impulsive Press Communications reared its ugly head once again. After years of a serious identity crisis, sounding unsure as to whether they wanted to be Alternative, Hot AC or Mainstream Neanderthal Rock (and as a result, sounding twice as unfocused and one-fifth as interesting as New York's WRXP), WHTG/WBBO finally became what it should have been all along under Terrie Carr's direction. The problem was, it took 6 1/2 years of Press ownership to get to that point, and they didn't even give the new and much improved G Rock two years before pulling the plug.

The arrogant executives absolutely refuse to admit they made any mistakes with how they handled the station. Besides the aforementioned mess of confused programming, format changes (while keeping the same branding) and staff shuffling that was the period between late 2000 & early 2007, plenty of other significant mistakes occurred.

For starters, absolutely zero advertising for G Rock in its last two years touting the changes made at the station. The ratings drop at the station could be partially attributed to people getting tired of the station's predictability and incessant airplay for shallow drivel like Creed and Nickelback (the latter receiving pretty heavy rotation until about the end of 2006). Of course, the ratings survey format of tracking listeners is archaic and should be replaced as well. But they didn't repeat this mistake with Hit 106, taking out a full-page ad in the papers promoting Pork Roll & Eggs in the morning and popping up on billboards all over Route 9.

Next, there were a lot of unexplained layoffs at the station. There's no denying that morning personalities Brian Phillips and Jen Ursillo and drive-time host Brian Zanyor were very popular - however, all were let go with no rhyme or reason given. Don't think for a second that the abrupt dismissal of these jocks didn't have any influence on the ratings. Brian & Jen were replaced by Kramer, a jock from North Carolina who was supposedly a close friend of Press' GM at the time. His Southern approach just didn't go over well at a New Jersey station, and he was dropped after close to a year doing the morning show ... by that time, the GM was out as well.

Finally, there was the sales staff, which supposedly really wanted a Top 40 station. So instead of bringing in people that can sell an Alternative format, they catered to the whims of the sales team. Let's see ... they were going to have an easier time selling a format that exists all over the place (and this was before WXRK went Top 40 as well) over the only audible commercial Alternative in the entire market? Doesn't that sound a little ... you know, illogical?

So Press decided we needed another Top 40 station, and they pulled off the change in much the same way that Brian, Jen & Zanyor were let go - without any advance warning that it was coming. This was a change that definitely sent most G Rock listeners to their iPods, because as stated before, there's nothing that even qualifies as an acceptable substitute on the radio. Now those who enjoy Britney Spears, Beyonce and Pink have about half a dozen stations to listen to, while those of us who like intelligent rock music ... well, we're outta luck, I guess.

G Rock was more than a radio station - it was a social network, an outlet for local bands, and a sponsor for great local concerts among other things. They also had in studio performances and interviews with national recording artists. I guess Hit 106 will probably do something similar - only they will feature the latest bubblegum flavors of the month, and the interviews will be from L.A. and conducted by Ryan Seacrest. They're also doing drive-time mix shows now, which I'm sure the BENNIES will be thrilled about. I'd personally rather hear "Seaside Tony".

But hey, if it's live concerts you're looking for, I hear that rodent rock station is sponsoring a show featuring the latest batch of Nickelback-soundalike Cro-Magnon men. Just be sure to bring an umbrella and rain slicker along if you decide to go.

Now, back to the subject of food. All of a sudden I'm feeling hungry. This talk about Taylor Ham is making me hungry, too. I like to kick it up with a little hot sauce - the more intense, the better. Oh, and for the record, I did call it Pork Roll in the past, but now I'm calling it Taylor Ham. Wouldn't want to ruin it by having it share a name with an irritating morning personality on an awful Top 40 station.

 

[Zackster]

Short and sweet for those of you that are still awake after Nickelback Bash Number 437.

1) jocks come and go, they move on for various reasons - get over it.
2) listeners don't tune away when jocks leave a station, they are there for the music,
not to hear some dork talk about his dog or what he ate for lunch.
3) people like variety for Gods sake! WDOX played YMCA by the Village People every Friday night in the summer.
4) many/most of the changes to G-Rock over the years were done by program directors, not management.
5) Press Communications HAS A CLUE
6) Unfortunately, Alternative is DEAD. It's a narrowcast format at best.

 

[Up_N_Down_The_Dial]

I can't believe this thread is still alive.. further, I can't believe that I'm adding to it... Anyway... It's all your fault G-Rock is gone... yes you... the person reading this post... yea.... I don't think I've heard of a station go off the air that has the following things:

1. High ratings

AND

2. Great sales

And here's how it's all your fault... you didn't write it down, and if you did your local businesses didn't want "those kind of people" in their business, so they didn't buy air time on the station... It's the same problem urban stations have... local businesses think that only thugs listen and don't want them around their business... fact of the matter is that 20 year old white prep girls listen to urban stations more than thugs... but it's still all your fault... G-Rock would be here today if they had the 2 items above... you know what station will have those 2 items... you got it... Hit106... sorry... I hate it too... but unless you've been under a rock.. radio is there to make money... by servicing their community of course....

 

[hubcity]

Press invested a lot into G-Rock, including hiring one of the best programmers around, Terrie Carr. (yes, she is a friend). TC took that station and ran with it, gave it life. Then management however played it like the stock market,,, if they don't make a ton of money right away they dump the stock,,, in this case they dumped the format. Typical short sighted money grubbing dimwit lemmings that have run this business into the ground.

Slightly different theory: Press never knew what they had, which is sad considering they spent $20 million on it.

/not the sharpest knives in the drawer, those guys.

 

[nd2023]

If alternative is dead, how come Radio 104.5 in Philly has ratings than Sunny 104.5 had during Christmas, and better than Y100 ever had? Their sound is very similar to the late GRock.

 

[BigBoy41]

KROCK in Los Angeles does well too I think. it's funny...Grock turned me back on to alternative music...I loved the retro weekendsand the request lunch. since reading these posts I have discovered 104.5 via my computer...it is a really good station. sounds alot like Grock did. the new Grock doesn't seem to be exciting many. if you click on the ratings posted on this site, it looks like there are less and less people listening. 92.3 is actually not bad. when I want to hear the same 10 hits over and over...I go there.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Short and sweet for those of you that are still awake after Nickelback Bash Number 437.

1) jocks come and go, they move on for various reasons - get over it.
2) listeners don't tune away when jocks leave a station, they are there for the music,
not to hear some dork talk about his dog or what he ate for lunch.
3) people like variety for Gods sake! WDOX played YMCA by the Village People every Friday night in the summer.
4) many/most of the changes to G-Rock over the years were done by program directors, not management.
5) Press Communications HAS A CLUE
6) Unfortunately, Alternative is DEAD. It's a narrowcast format at best.

I lost my post (again), so here's a more bare-bones version of it.

Nickelback deserves the criticism: ridiculous, boorish lyrics and extremely generic music ... worst of all, pretty much every single station plays them, and often! Can't we have just one Nickelback-Free Zone?

1) Brian Phillips & Jen Ursillo were let go in May 2007 ( http://musicsportsadventure.blogspot.com/2007/05/g-rock-morning-show-brian-phillips-and.html ), and Brian Zanyor was a few months earlier. Brian & Jen were replaced with Kramer, who was very unpopular and turned a lot of listeners away.

2) A talk-intensive morning show is an integral part of most radio stations. The decision to drop Brian & Jen for Kramer definitely made an impact, and it wasn't a positive one.

3) The problem was that, for the longest time, G Rock called itself Alternative ... while playing Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Pink, Maroon 5, John Mayer and Avril Lavigne. I don't object to variety, but the playlist was much narrower then (they didn't have no repeat workdays at the time), and they weren't playing a lot of music that should have been in the rotation (The Smiths/Morrissey, The Replacements, The Pixies, and a broader selection of songs from the Seattle bands, R.E.M., Depeche Mode, etc.).

4) The terminations were made by management, and Press executives micromanaged the station, insisting on an "Alternative-lite" direction until they brought in Terrie Carr and allowed her to have more of an influence on the musical direction of G Rock.

5) It's pretty clueless to drop the only Alternative station for a format that can be found up and down the dial in several places.

6) Radio 104.5 in Philly and KROQ in L.A. prove you wrong, as does any market that has PPM, a more accurate ratings system that does a far superior job of tracking listeners than ratings surveys. I'm thinking surveys are usually conducted in boardrooms during the middle of the week, with most people in attendance being retirees or soccer moms, neither group favoring the Alternative format.

In closing, I think it's pretty unfair that G Rock listeners are getting punished because of bad decisions made by Press executives and management over the years. It wasn't the fault of listeners that ... listeners got tired of the repetition and the generic forklift-driver rock ... popular on-air personalities were abruptly fired ... perhaps the decision to move the Ocean County simulcast to 106.5 hurt G Rock ... Press did absolutely zero advertising for G Rock promoting all the positive changes that occurred at the station - I drive around constantly and did not see even one billboard promoting the frequency change from 98.5 to 106.5 anywhere. Press made a lot of bad decisions that had an impact on G Rock's ratings ... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[IknowwhatIknow]

Do you actually think the ratings are based on a "survey" type setting in board rooms or did I miss something?

 

[hubcity]

Do you actually think the ratings are based on a "survey" type setting in board rooms or did I miss something?

That was cynicism, I'm pretty sure (e.g. diaries only managed to find their way into the hands of people who were not likely to listen to G-Rock ever.)

But one does wonder - what with all the initial wailing and gnashing of teeth over G-Rock's demise - whether Press was right, in a way. It's my theory that Alternative listeners hate being marketed to. Why would any self-respecting capitalist want to run a service that tries to market to the unmarketable?

(We'll see how 90.5's one-day fundraiser goes - fingers crossed...)