• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

KMCQ vs. KJR

M

Mookie

I've been a lurker on these boards since KMCQ hired Mark Christopher and it's time I say a quick hello and then let off my thoughts on KJR-FM vs. KMCQ. Don't kill me! ;D

I moved to Washington in 2005 and the first oldies station I listened to was 97.3 KBSG and it was a solid station reminiscent of Clear Channel's 93.1 KQOL in Las Vegas. Well both are gone now as 97.3 is talk radio and 93.1 when I last checked was for modern "party" music.

Currently I listen to both KJR and KMCQ for my "oldies music" fix and the styles are almost completely contrasting. Over the years KJR has gone through several changes (and obviously a few more with May and Lundquist out) and KMCQ popped up out of nowhere.

If I compared the current KMCQ to the current KJR I'd pick KMCQ in a heartbeat for two reasons


* Wider playlist. KJR's playlist is so limited even with the addition of "Motown" and maybe 4-5 disco songs it's not even funny. If you want to avoid hearing the same songs over and over again on KJR you have to get up and listen to Casey Kasem's AT40 on Sundays. Otherwise KMCQ wins by a country mile. They really do play "all songs of the 60s and 70s" and more. Example, on KJR I've only ever heard "Pretty Woman" and "You Got It" of their Roy Orbison collection. KMCQ has played the former, along with "Only the Lonely", "Dream Baby", and "Crying". Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" is the only song that ever gets airtime on KJR as opposed to KMCQ where I've heard 5-6 different hits from him.

KMCQ tends to play songs that weren't major top 10 hits way more often than KJR. They'll even throw in a silly novelty song like "Junkfood Junkie" or my personal favorite "Playing With My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry. I've heard rock, disco, jazz, TV theme songs, crooners like Sinatra, doo-wop, even Lou Reed!!!! Simply put, KJR is basically now a classic rock station with a few Motown and disco-era songs thrown in. For god's sake I swear they played a Don Henley song that was closer to 1990 than 1979.


* Commercial free. Well, you have those weird Public Service Announcements now and again but it's just straight music throughout the day. It's the best thing possible for someone without Sirius or XM. ;)



I would like KMCQ to stay alive and hire a DJ because way too often there are instrumentals that play -- one of them I think featured a xylophone -- and I don't know the musician(s). It would be nice to know the artist of the most recent song(s) played. I'd also say sound quality is better on KJR than KMCQ but as an overall station and music lover KMCQ is great who want to listen to a mixture of great classic tunes and hidden gems.


PHEW! Now that's off my chest. :p ;)
 
I also really like KMCQ but there is a very basic reality. No commercials, no money. No money, no DJs. It is a place holder. Wish it wasn't, but it is.
 
If we get them a large enough audience maybe we can make it a permanent station. I am hearing it more and more in retail stores. As their station promos say..."tell everyone you know" Well I do and I even made my own KMCQ window decal for my car. Keep spreading the word.
 
I agree with your assessment Murkie. I e-mailed KMCQ to congratulate them on their 2.1 share. I was surprised to get a response thanking me for listening. Maybe more of us should continue e-mailing them. My only complaint with KMCQ is their audio quality -- it sometimes sounds muffled - like the old days when the heads on the tape machine needed cleaning.

Maybe one of the experts who participate on this board can clarify the reason. My guess is that they feed the station's programming through an internet or web feed from either Dallas or Cincinnati. When Mark Christopher and Damien Lee were on the air, the music originated from a studio in Enumclaw.

Cheers

Tom S
 
Does anyone know anything about the 10,000 Oldies Show with Ted Alexander that KMCQ airs on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings? I have Googled the show and Ted Alexander but found nothing.
 
toonces2u said:
Does anyone know anything about the 10,000 Oldies Show with Ted Alexander that KMCQ airs on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings? I have Googled the show and Ted Alexander but found nothing.
Click to expand...

I checked that out too and found it a little bizarre. They have a lot of fun production elements on that show, but it's like they are trying too hard to use those. Reminds me a bunch of a hobbyist who has a closet full of old classic jingles and can't wait to put them on a mixed CD. Oh wait...that describes me.

I wish I knew who was doing music for KMCQ because it's a very nice artform. Yeah..people CLAIM it's i-pod on shuffle...but the sets are calculated and well put together. Would like that person to get some credit for that...even if the station doesn't end up sticking around, that person would make a strong MD (do we still HAVE those???!!)
 
LITTLEBOYBLUE said:
Reminds me a bunch of a hobbyist who has a closet full of old classic jingles and can't wait to put them on a mixed CD. Oh wait...that describes me.

I wish I knew who was doing music for KMCQ because it's a very nice artform. Yeah..people CLAIM it's i-pod on shuffle...but the sets are calculated and well put together. Would like that person to get some credit for that...even if the station doesn't end up sticking around, that person would make a strong MD (do we still HAVE those???!!)
Click to expand...
hobbyist? isnt them radio hobbyist people in guru tv and radios hall of shame club, along with the non-industry, and the ex-radio people?

no advertisement, or promotions, and large oldies playlist, and a 2.1 share? how did this happen?

on another serious note: if CC has a big bunch of cookie cutter oldies outlets, do they still employ a dedicated MD, for every station? if so, i'd imagine the MD stripes, as mostly being a zero power, symbolic jesture to an on air/voice track talent, who is well aware about the consequences of CC insubordination.
 
Ted Alexander is an old radio guy who is now an engineer for Telos/Omnia/Axia in Cleveland. He does the show as a hobby and is a really nice guy.
 
I love the music at KMCQ too but their moth-invested audio processing prevents them from truely succeeding in this market. An investment in a new Omnia .11 would blow the pants off of KJR-FM in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties and take KJR off of their high horse.

http://www.omniaaudio.com/11

Of course I say this because I was unhappy with the Heidi May layoff.
 
KJR is crap now. Why don't we just change the station to "95.7 The Buzz" and bring back the KQBZ callsign for crying out loud since the only thing that brings in ratings on KJR is Bob Rivers' 4 hours of talk and zero music.

-crainbebo
 
Usually KJR FM goes up in ratings when the usual wingnuts on here are hating the format.

Should be interesting to see what happens in the next monthly.
 
crainbebo said:
KJR is crap now. Why don't we just change the station to "95.7 The Buzz" and bring back the KQBZ callsign for crying out loud since the only thing that brings in ratings on KJR is Bob Rivers' 4 hours of talk and zero music.

-crainbebo
Click to expand...

I could buy into that if -- and only if -- they kept playing the classic American Top 40 shows from the 70s every Sunday morning. But since that would be highly unlikely, I'd have to come out against this idea. (I did like much of The Buzz though.)
 
Yes, time will tell......

But KJR-FM sounds like a mess right now. They should have stuck to the old "95.7 KJR-FM" imaging and music format (and kept Heidi and Randy). Would have gelled better with Bob Rivers than the more generic "Oldies 95.7" (Another thing, a LOT of people still don't know Bob Rivers is back on the radio.)

I was down in Seattle not long ago and a lot of people talked to me about KMCQ. It seems like KJR-FM has the placeholder music and KMCQ got the good stuff. Now if ONLY.......
 
notalent said:
Usually KJR FM goes up in ratings when the usual wingnuts on here are hating the format.

Should be interesting to see what happens in the next monthly.
Click to expand...

I must concur. As much as the faithful few here love the KMCQ database, guess what? You don't have a PPM! Oh, and guess what else, it'll never get above a 2.1

Their music selection goes against all radio programming trends and rules and yes, the R word...Research. That's the joy of being but yet a placeholder. Play whatever the hell you want.
 
notalent said:
Usually KJR FM goes up in ratings when the usual wingnuts on here are hating the format.

Should be interesting to see what happens in the next monthly.
Click to expand...


"The usual wingnuts" made their comments when KJR-FM was an entirely different station than what it is now.
 
JustaLissner said:
Wait... KJR plays music? I wasn't aware. I thought they were just the Bob Rivers station.
Click to expand...

This. Every 2 songs it's "Bob Rivers in the morning" and constant plugs of his show.

Serious question as I only listened to him once, do they play any music in the morning when he's on?



On another note it seems KJR has found a new song they play at least twice a day - Another Saturday Night by Cat Stevens.
 
Mookie said:
On another note it seems KJR has found a new song they play at least twice a day - Another Saturday Night by Cat Stevens.
Click to expand...

They pound Peace Train (10 times in the past week) and played Wild World twice, but they haven't played Another Saturday Night.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom