DJ_Perry said:
One is enough. Just WTF is "old school?" Sounds like kid speak like "my bad." And please don't use, or use sparingly, the phrase "Top 40" since the true "Top 40" died about 25 years ago.
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KEXX Goes Adult Hits
- Thread starter radioresearcher
- Start date
One is enough. Just WTF is "old school?" Sounds like kid speak like "my bad." And please don't use, or use sparingly, the phrase "Top 40" since the true "Top 40" died about 25 years ago.
Bill Drake said:
Good question, as I don't really hear it done on the FM. You'll need to listen to a station online to hear it done right:
http://addictedtoradio.com/music/in...school-radio-stations/old-school-skatin-jams/
Speaking of listening to radio online, I found the reader's comments on KEXX at AZ Central.com very interesting. Normally I stay away from anything related to the AZ Republic - it's like irritable bowel syndrome in print. But a constant thread I saw was that terrestrial radio is dead (or almost so) and most people seem to listen on line or go with other music sources. I have been saying basically the same thing for a long time.
Cruising across the dial since KEXX flipped really showed me how bleak the radio offerings are here. I gave up on radio when I heard KSLX playing "Mony Mony" (this was some years ago) followed by the DJ (it pains me to use that phrase), whom I think was named "Evan O," saying he had no idea where the name of that song came from.... Please..... I was like 15 yrs old and had that figured out.... no, actually I gave up on radio when KOPA flipped to KSLX - I didn't get the "classic rock" thing back then and it sure hasn't clarified itself over the intervening years.
Of course how many remember when KSLX tried the "radio for men" or some such b.s.format...................
Cruising across the dial since KEXX flipped really showed me how bleak the radio offerings are here. I gave up on radio when I heard KSLX playing "Mony Mony" (this was some years ago) followed by the DJ (it pains me to use that phrase), whom I think was named "Evan O," saying he had no idea where the name of that song came from.... Please..... I was like 15 yrs old and had that figured out.... no, actually I gave up on radio when KOPA flipped to KSLX - I didn't get the "classic rock" thing back then and it sure hasn't clarified itself over the intervening years.
Of course how many remember when KSLX tried the "radio for men" or some such b.s.format...................
Bill Drake said:
Wow I thought I was the only one! Well no, I didn't give up on radio, but I was crushed when KOPA Flipped. No more Saturday Night Hot Mix....but then KZZP picked it up later that year (1986) with Dave Rajput.
Yeah the sweepers for KSLX were funny. They'd start Micheal Jackson, then with a needle slammed across the record, into "OUTTA THE WAAAY WIMP! IT'S THE MANS STATION!"
Ford said:
They must be looking for less channel flipping. I was listening this afternoon, and changed it to KDKB when they played "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Thankfully, Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" was starting up on 93.3.
If it was The Peak, I would be flipping channels every time they play current pop, which is more often these days. Plus, 103.9's processing isn't as harsh as 98.7's.
Bill Drake said:
The whole "what is real top 40" debate has been going on for a while in the CHR/Mainstream Pop section (Here's one that actually starts out with people agreeing then turns into a "what or who should / shouldn't be top 40" --> http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=188688.0). Some folks want more pop/rock and alternative in top 40 while others want more rhythmic and others want more dance or less rap and country...etc., and everyone in those debates are pretty much judging what top 40 should (or is supposed to) be based on their own preferences.
I wouldn't necessarily stop using the term "top 40" just because there is much less variety in artists and sound today. I just use it since it's a simple and convenient term everyone can understand and most labels (car radio scanners, Dj's on air, websites...etc.) just use the term "top 40" for anything that even closely resembles that format. I've heard Dj's on KZON call themselves a "top 40 station" and have also seen KZON labeled as top 40 in many places, despite the fact that KMVA and KZZP are even more top 40 than they are. *Then there are those who would argue that anybody can be top 40 if they go by a top 40 chart of any kind (similar to like when we had the old debates here regarding who should get the proper use of the "Arizona's #1 Hit Music Station" slogan, when someone mentioned that (paraphrasing..) "Everyone plays "hits". Therefore, anybody could use the slogan; What is the definition of "hits"? KYOT plays "hits", so who's to say they couldn't used the slogan?)
I wouldn't say top 40 "died", but rather changed. Saying top 40 died reminds me of when I used to say "103.9 died" after they flipped from KPTY. Maybe it died to me, but not to others who enjoyed the new format. To them, 103.9 was baptized.
Top 40 is suppose to resemble the songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart....but omitting the last 60. That's It, nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't matter what format falls on the chart. It Kasey Casem was still doing his show, it would include all. But now these stations are breaking those rules. Leaving songs out, including songs from other charts. Adding Recurrents and Golds is one thing, but making your own version of what's current is another.
OneHorseTown said:
I don't recall ever seeing any Rolling Stones on MTV except for when they were on Live Aid. I do know for a fact I never - ever - saw any video on MTV for "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas (which is from the 1970's), nor do I know any Generation X'ers who have a "story" about it - other than, "Isn't that what KSLX plays?" I just don't "get" this new format. At all.
I don't know exactly when MTV started up (even though I should), but I believe it was after that album (Tatoo You) came out. You really don't remember that Album Cover? It was all over the place. I also remember MTV playing other Stones videos too, like "Hangfire" and "Waiting on a Friend" which are all from that comeback album.
OK, Found it....I was wrong. MTV launched August 1, 1981. The same month Start Me Up was released.
Regarding classic rock, this is from a page I came across:
MTV also played some classic rock acts from the 1980s and earlier decades, including David Bowie, Dire Straits (whose 1985 song and video "Money for Nothing" both referenced MTV and also included the slogan "I want my MTV" in its lyrics), Journey, Rush, John Mellencamp, Billy Joel, Genesis, Billy Squier, Robert Palmer, Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, The Who and ZZ Top; newly solo acts such as Robert Plant, Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, David Lee Roth, and Pete Townshend; supergroup acts such as Asia, Power Station, The Firm, and Traveling Wilburys as well as forgotten acts such as Michael Stanley Band, Shoes, Blotto and Taxxi. The hard rock band Kiss publicly appeared without their trademark makeup for the first time on MTV in 1983.
Regarding classic rock, this is from a page I came across:
MTV also played some classic rock acts from the 1980s and earlier decades, including David Bowie, Dire Straits (whose 1985 song and video "Money for Nothing" both referenced MTV and also included the slogan "I want my MTV" in its lyrics), Journey, Rush, John Mellencamp, Billy Joel, Genesis, Billy Squier, Robert Palmer, Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, The Who and ZZ Top; newly solo acts such as Robert Plant, Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, David Lee Roth, and Pete Townshend; supergroup acts such as Asia, Power Station, The Firm, and Traveling Wilburys as well as forgotten acts such as Michael Stanley Band, Shoes, Blotto and Taxxi. The hard rock band Kiss publicly appeared without their trademark makeup for the first time on MTV in 1983.
The sermon from a cranky old man:
Top 40 to me was the basics as laid down by Todd Storz, who created the genre. The top 40 100 hits off the Billboard chart (I know, that was a long time ago); minimal DJ patter, tight pacing, limited commercial breaks (HA! Imagine that today), jingles and hopefully clean hour and half hour music sweeps. Of course, live real people behind the microphone....
Then my name sake came along and cleaned up the mess that Top 40 had morphed into in the intervening years.
So do we need a new Bill Drake or Todd Storz today? Someone with a vision and creativity? I think people are dying for something decent to listen to on the radio, but in the absence of that they will settle for swill (see more below). Good luck with the creativity thing in a world dominated by corporations.
Oh yeah, when Top 40 was born it was a perfect storm of Storz/Drake creativity AND the onslaught of some really great music. I am thinking specifically of the British invasion - Imagine what it would have sounded like if there had been no British invasion and we would have had to endure another 10 years of "doo wop."
Also, Motown. There's nothing like that today. Please don't tell me the Black Eyed Peas or Usher is/are great music. Everything current today will be forgotten (mercifully so) in 20 years. I just wonder, after people my age are dead and gone will they still be playing music from the 60's and 70's????
That's why I seem to have bonded with alternative rock. It may be corporate, but it doesn't sound corporate. When I listened to KEXX, all the music was unique. Or at least it sounded so to me. When I listen to "top 40" today, it all sounds the same.
Okay let me try this analogy, which in my mind is clear but I'll probably butcher it in print. If you go into a decent restaurant, you have a choice of filet mignon, veal, T Bone or Porterhouse, whatever. Good stuff (Let's put aside the vegan argument for the sake of making my point).
So in the 60's and 70s we had KRIZ and KRUX. Comparable to the restaurant fare above. In the 80's and 90's we had KKFR, KOPA, KOY, KZZP. All really great stations. Top of the line presentation.
What do we have today? It's all McDonalds: swill. No, probably even worse: Top Ramen radio. Junk food for the ears.
Finally, if you select to program in a "classic" venue, either "classic rock" or "classic hits" (which KKLD is calling itself even though it's a BAD BAD parody of KOOL FM), you immediately limit your available playlist. It's a closed field. So why, then, do these stations cull that playlist down even further and further until it seems like they are playing a version of Top 40 classic rock or Top 40 classic hits? If the genre spans twenty years and you take the top 100 of each year, there should be a playlist of at least 2000 songs.
In that case, why do I keep hearing Hotel California, or (fill in the blank) over and over? Granted, I listen to talk radio most of the day (online and not local), so maybe it's just a coincidence that every time I get in my vehicle I seem to hear the same songs over and over...........................................................
In conclusion, I make some reference somewhere here to KMGN in Flagstaff. Well, their approach is the same. A very limited playlist over and over. However, their delivery is a lot better (imho) than KSLX, especially when you consider the size of both markets.
Top 40 to me was the basics as laid down by Todd Storz, who created the genre. The top 40 100 hits off the Billboard chart (I know, that was a long time ago); minimal DJ patter, tight pacing, limited commercial breaks (HA! Imagine that today), jingles and hopefully clean hour and half hour music sweeps. Of course, live real people behind the microphone....
Then my name sake came along and cleaned up the mess that Top 40 had morphed into in the intervening years.
So do we need a new Bill Drake or Todd Storz today? Someone with a vision and creativity? I think people are dying for something decent to listen to on the radio, but in the absence of that they will settle for swill (see more below). Good luck with the creativity thing in a world dominated by corporations.
Oh yeah, when Top 40 was born it was a perfect storm of Storz/Drake creativity AND the onslaught of some really great music. I am thinking specifically of the British invasion - Imagine what it would have sounded like if there had been no British invasion and we would have had to endure another 10 years of "doo wop."
Also, Motown. There's nothing like that today. Please don't tell me the Black Eyed Peas or Usher is/are great music. Everything current today will be forgotten (mercifully so) in 20 years. I just wonder, after people my age are dead and gone will they still be playing music from the 60's and 70's????
That's why I seem to have bonded with alternative rock. It may be corporate, but it doesn't sound corporate. When I listened to KEXX, all the music was unique. Or at least it sounded so to me. When I listen to "top 40" today, it all sounds the same.
Okay let me try this analogy, which in my mind is clear but I'll probably butcher it in print. If you go into a decent restaurant, you have a choice of filet mignon, veal, T Bone or Porterhouse, whatever. Good stuff (Let's put aside the vegan argument for the sake of making my point).
So in the 60's and 70s we had KRIZ and KRUX. Comparable to the restaurant fare above. In the 80's and 90's we had KKFR, KOPA, KOY, KZZP. All really great stations. Top of the line presentation.
What do we have today? It's all McDonalds: swill. No, probably even worse: Top Ramen radio. Junk food for the ears.
Finally, if you select to program in a "classic" venue, either "classic rock" or "classic hits" (which KKLD is calling itself even though it's a BAD BAD parody of KOOL FM), you immediately limit your available playlist. It's a closed field. So why, then, do these stations cull that playlist down even further and further until it seems like they are playing a version of Top 40 classic rock or Top 40 classic hits? If the genre spans twenty years and you take the top 100 of each year, there should be a playlist of at least 2000 songs.
In that case, why do I keep hearing Hotel California, or (fill in the blank) over and over? Granted, I listen to talk radio most of the day (online and not local), so maybe it's just a coincidence that every time I get in my vehicle I seem to hear the same songs over and over...........................................................
In conclusion, I make some reference somewhere here to KMGN in Flagstaff. Well, their approach is the same. A very limited playlist over and over. However, their delivery is a lot better (imho) than KSLX, especially when you consider the size of both markets.
Bill, even though I agree with you on many examples, one could say the same thing about Top 40 in the 80s / 90s....like my Dad!
He raised me on Top 40 from the 70s and early 80s. He enjoyed Simple Minds or INXS on KZZP, but was not fond of Salt n Pepa or LL Cool J taking over the Era. To him, that was Usher and BEP for you.
He raised me on Top 40 from the 70s and early 80s. He enjoyed Simple Minds or INXS on KZZP, but was not fond of Salt n Pepa or LL Cool J taking over the Era. To him, that was Usher and BEP for you.
The music industry won't recover until there's a new wave of independent "labels" delivering music. The consolidation of the music industry to the point where there's only two megalabels in Sony and Universal distributing watered-down, lifeless pop music, using more electronic alterations (Auto-tune) and not as many real instruments. Today's pop music is made to be disposable and to be played on low-quality MP3s. I'm sure people won't be looking at Beyonce's music in 40-50 years the same way people look back at Aretha Franklin (or even Tina Turner).
As for the comment regarding KMGN having a better presentation than KSLX despite being a small-market station, the same could be said about Flagstaff's KZGL when compared to KDKB. Sure, AC/DC was an influential hard rock band, but I get tired of hearing them each and every time I turn on the heritage rock station.
As for the comment regarding KMGN having a better presentation than KSLX despite being a small-market station, the same could be said about Flagstaff's KZGL when compared to KDKB. Sure, AC/DC was an influential hard rock band, but I get tired of hearing them each and every time I turn on the heritage rock station.
Bill Drake said:
A few comments from a (younger?) old man:
Bill Drake said:
Doo Wop had been long gone by 1964 - the dawn of the British Invasion. You probably meant Be-Bop which took over for Doo Wop in 1956.
Bill Drake said:
The only place they'll be playing today's crap is at high school reunions 20-40 years from now.
Bill Drake said:
I've been saying that for the past ten years. Glad someone agrees.
landtuna said:
It just depends. Yes in 2002, a group of producers ruled the airwaves, but in 2012, it is a different group. A different sound. And more specifically, the trend was Urban back then, and now it is Pop / Dance. I don't know about you, but I'll gladly take todays hits over 2002 (Nelly, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Diddy).
Eric Stein said:
Please enlighten me (because I am too lazy to look it up on Radio locator). Wasn't KZGL the station that used to be on 98.3??
Regarding other comments made on my sermon, I guess maybe I am too picky. Not related directly to this thread, I am getting tired of paying over $100 a month for premium TV service so I can "watch" Karate Kid, Jaws or one of the "Terminator" movies.
As for my comments on contemporary music versus the older stuff, if it were just a case of me moving into the Geritol set, I could possibly agree. My disagreement that it's a generational thing is because if that were true, I should be totally alienated by alternative rock. Unfortunately, with the demise of KEXX I find myself going back to ------ KUPD. Yes, the electromagnetic version of testosterone.....
DJ_Perry said:
I personally dropped out of popular music, except what I was subjected to by my kids, about 1985 give or take. Since then I've found pop music either hopelessly repetitive or downright offensive. Certain genres don't even qualify as 'music'. Live listening since then has been smooth jazz, big band, new age and even some jazz. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,500 songs on my personal music box(es) and usually listen to those or to Classic Rock/Hits on radio. OTA radio listening is probably less than one hour per week although I do listen to Internet radio from 5-10 hours per week.
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