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KQRS in 11th place

Ever since Hamilton was not renewed by the previous geniuses of Less-Cume, the station was on the way down.
DH was playing "Play that Funky Music", to counter KQQL back in the day.
Was it Classic Rock? Hell no, but it was working.

Scott Jameson knew what he was doing, but the Corps wouldn't let him have the $$$ needed to keep things going, killing off the local music research etc.

Can't wait for "Lite Rock -- KQRS". <-- Kidding of course.
 
Many years ago...that almost happened. (I'll leave it at that.)
I’ve also heard rumblings that WLTE was considering flipping to classic rock to make a run against KQRS. Right about the same time KQ was flirting with a flip to AC. It would have been interesting if both followed through, and ended up swapping formats.
 
I’ve also heard rumblings that WLTE was considering flipping to classic rock to make a run against KQRS. Right about the same time KQ was flirting with a flip to AC. It would have been interesting if both followed through, and ended up swapping formats.
Interesting for a bit, yes. But now, both operators are on the race to the bottom, I'm not sure today's 103 would sound much better than today's KQ.

What made KQ "stand out" was the jocks. I know that's cliche, but nearly everyone I talked to never cited the music as a reason to listen to KQ, it was always the personalities. I fully realize that isn't true with EVERY format, but there are just some that shine due to the personalities and presentation, in some markets. People here really treat the radio personality as a "friend" (well, at least they used to). There was a reason WCCO was "The Good Neighbor".

At the end of the day, radio consultants, researchers, and bean counters can certainly say "well, we fired x personality, and ratings went up" but I think eventually that catches up with you and the inertia of a listener will eventually fade as they start to realize the station SOUNDS canned, boring, and unimpressive. I know it certainly did that to me.
 
What made KQ "stand out" was the jocks. I know that's cliche, but nearly everyone I talked to never cited the music as a reason to listen to KQ, it was always the personalities. I fully realize that isn't true with EVERY format, but there are just some that shine due to the personalities and presentation, in some markets. People here really treat the radio personality as a "friend" (well, at least they used to). There was a reason WCCO was "The Good Neighbor".
I entirely agree with this. The on-air personalities of KQ are one of the biggest reasons I keep listening. This is why I was crushed when both Ray Erick (middays) and Eddie (early morning, ~3-5 AM) retired within months of each other, and that might have a part in the ratings we see. I used to put KQ on while I went to sleep both because I enjoyed the music that got played late at night (I once heard a 15 minute Pink Floyd song last year!) and because I felt a connection with the station and the stories Eddie would share. I guess I just don't feel that as much anymore, especially with the change of imaging.

I also don't care for the "Steve Gorman Rocks" show KQ runs at night not because it's a bad show, but because it's so obviously canned, commercialized and syndicated. I enjoy radio because it feels more personal to me and where I live, having local personalities and imaging. Syndicated shows like "Steve Gorman Rocks" or "Nights with Alice Cooper" throw all that away and at that point just start to feel like a jukebox with ads.

Hell, I've found myself preferring the noisy, mono signal of Sauk Rapids' WHMH or Wisconsin's WKFX over listening to KQ's syndicated "Steve Gorman Rocks" show or 93X's semi-syndicated "Greg Beharrell Show" during their two hour 10 PM to 12 AM overlap at night!
 
So true, if it's music you want, pick a streaming service, Sat Radio, smart phone with your tunes etc.
Not sure if the corps who own the stations across the nation realize talented personalities do make a difference.
 
I'm shocked that it's fallen down to 11th place, frankly. KQ has always been my favorite station and has meant a lot to me.

I have noticed that KQ started playing a number of newer tracks recently from bands such as Metallica, Foo Fighters, Candlebox, and a bunch of other 90s artists. I've also noticed a distinct lack of a few other older bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival. They've definitely shifted the format a little bit over this last year. I think that the new "edgier" slogans they adopted last November was also intended to adapt. I think they got the message but don't want to increase their (already large) overlap with 93X.

I was very saddened to see Ray Erick retire as well. I called in to KQRS on his final day and I'll never forget the conversation I had with him on the phone. He was incredibly friendly and we just talked about cars (the vehicle, not the band) for a good couple of minutes. I really miss him.

I still feel that this format of music can still bring in younger listeners. I'm eighteen, but I've been listening to KQRS for years and I still listen to it for hours a day. Most of the people I've talked to about it also listen almost exclusively. It saddens me to see other stations like KZJK that cost a fraction of the money to run overtake KQ in the ratings though. As much as I like Remy Maxwell on KZJK, I'm much more attached to KQ because of the on-air personalities alone.
KQ has really fallen down in the past 2 years. Their playlist used to be wider, I recall Rock 'n' roll stuff all the way back to the late 60s, now it appears it's more of the standard Classic Rock format. Losing Ray, and Wally Walker from the lineup has impacted KQ heavily. Not to mention ditching the five o clock whistle, something we'd look forward to every Friday, that got taken off. And the morning show... I personally don't listen, but others have stated that Tom has gotten so cranky and nobody really wants to hear it. Not to mention, all the people who used to like Tom but don't anymore have moved to 93.7's HAMS. The overlap between 92.5 and 93.7 at this point isn't funny at this point. They seemingly killed off the old KQ, and IMO they need to bring back everything they were doing between 2018 and 2019, including the broad playlist, 5 o clock whistle, and the old imaging. All they are doing now is watching themselves get completely torn apart by their own sister station.
 
KQ has really fallen down in the past 2 years. Their playlist used to be wider, I recall Rock 'n' roll stuff all the way back to the late 60s, now it appears it's more of the standard Classic Rock format. Losing Ray, and Wally Walker from the lineup has impacted KQ heavily. Not to mention ditching the five o clock whistle, something we'd look forward to every Friday, that got taken off. And the morning show... I personally don't listen, but others have stated that Tom has gotten so cranky and nobody really wants to hear it. Not to mention, all the people who used to like Tom but don't anymore have moved to 93.7's HAMS. The overlap between 92.5 and 93.7 at this point isn't funny at this point. They seemingly killed off the old KQ, and IMO they need to bring back everything they were doing between 2018 and 2019, including the broad playlist, 5 o clock whistle, and the old imaging. All they are doing now is watching themselves get completely torn apart by their own sister station.
I'm not saying I dislike KQ or Cumulus at all, I just don't agree with the decisions they have made for KQRS.
 
KQ has really fallen down in the past 2 years. Their playlist used to be wider, I recall Rock 'n' roll stuff all the way back to the late 60s, now it appears it's more of the standard Classic Rock format. Losing Ray, and Wally Walker from the lineup has impacted KQ heavily. Not to mention ditching the five o clock whistle, something we'd look forward to every Friday, that got taken off. And the morning show... I personally don't listen, but others have stated that Tom has gotten so cranky and nobody really wants to hear it. Not to mention, all the people who used to like Tom but don't anymore have moved to 93.7's HAMS. The overlap between 92.5 and 93.7 at this point isn't funny at this point. They seemingly killed off the old KQ, and IMO they need to bring back everything they were doing between 2018 and 2019, including the broad playlist, 5 o clock whistle, and the old imaging. All they are doing now is watching themselves get completely torn apart by their own sister station.
I agree so, so much. I miss CCR, Joe Walsh, and even REM so much on KQ. I especially miss the imaging too. The old imaging felt personal, local, and honestly was kind of comforting. The new "Dan Stone" imaging just sounds generic, commercial, and frankly makes me cringe. I can't stand it, and I wish so much that they could go back to the old KQ. I love this station but it really feels like it's lost something. I wish so badly someone at KQ could see this
 
I actually enjoy the KQ Morning Show still, but I do worry about where it's going to go after Tommy. I'll admit though that I do listen to the 93X HAMS more now though...
 
I entirely agree with this. The on-air personalities of KQ are one of the biggest reasons I keep listening. This is why I was crushed when both Ray Erick (middays) and Eddie (early morning, ~3-5 AM) retired within months of each other, and that might have a part in the ratings we see. I used to put KQ on while I went to sleep both because I enjoyed the music that got played late at night (I once heard a 15 minute Pink Floyd song last year!) and because I felt a connection with the station and the stories Eddie would share. I guess I just don't feel that as much anymore, especially with the change of imaging.

I also don't care for the "Steve Gorman Rocks" show KQ runs at night not because it's a bad show, but because it's so obviously canned, commercialized and syndicated. I enjoy radio because it feels more personal to me and where I live, having local personalities and imaging. Syndicated shows like "Steve Gorman Rocks" or "Nights with Alice Cooper" throw all that away and at that point just start to feel like a jukebox with ads.

Hell, I've found myself preferring the noisy, mono signal of Sauk Rapids' WHMH or Wisconsin's WKFX over listening to KQ's syndicated "Steve Gorman Rocks" show or 93X's semi-syndicated "Greg Beharrell Show" during their two hour 10 PM to 12 AM overlap at night!

I agree so, so much. I miss CCR, Joe Walsh, and even REM so much on KQ. I especially miss the imaging too. The old imaging felt personal, local, and honestly was kind of comforting. The new "Dan Stone" imaging just sounds generic, commercial, and frankly makes me cringe. I can't stand it, and I wish so much that they could go back to the old KQ. I love this station but it really feels like it's lost something. I wish so badly someone at KQ could see this
Me too... The music was so good, it really sounded unique, now it seems like a very cookie cutter corporate Classic Rock format. Imaging wise I loved the guy who had the deeeeeeeeeeeppppp voice. I can still hear it "Minnnnnesota'zz Classsic Rawkkk iss K-Q-R-S... Gooldennn Valleyyyy". I know they had a different voice guy for a little while before Dan Stone, definitely a different guy, but their voices were pretty similar.
 
KQ basically fixed what wasn't broken in my opinion. Before it worked, they wanted to try something different for "better ratings" and it's failing.
 
KQ basically fixed what wasn't broken in my opinion. Before it worked, they wanted to try something different for "better ratings" and it's failing.
Agreed. I really liked the voice they had just before Dan Stone. I still remember exactly how the legal ID sounded cause I enjoyed it so much, haha. "KQRS-FM, Golden Valley, and KQRS-HD1; a Cumulus station...classic rock became classic here...the legendary KQRS"

...and now it's this. I heard this liner below last night and couldn't help but cringe. It sounds like someone just had the instruction to "make it edgy and have a sex joke" and they came up with this. Really makes me sad.

 
Agreed. I really liked the voice they had just before Dan Stone. I still remember exactly how the legal ID sounded cause I enjoyed it so much, haha. "KQRS-FM, Golden Valley, and KQRS-HD1; a Cumulus station...classic rock became classic here...the legendary KQRS"

...and now it's this. I heard this liner below last night and couldn't help but cringe. It sounds like someone just had the instruction to "make it edgy and have a sex joke" and they came up with this. Really makes me sad.

Yikes! Ever since Jameson left/got fired (Idk what happened) KQ has been a train wreck. Someone had a vision for KQRS to turn it into the corporate shit everyone in the REAL world is against. Radio shouldn't be "we surveyed 15 people today, all of them in the industry, and they say KQ should do this, this and this." That's not how it works, just because cookie-cutter Classic Rock works in one market, doesn't mean it will in all markets. At this point, Tommy is the only thing keeping KQ afloat...if Tommy retires KQ is screwed; with the CREATIVE KQRS from 2019 and before, I would say KQ would probably still work nicely if Tom retired. And regarding that sweeper, I can't listen right at this moment, but I'm guessing it's something the corporates came up with, and just hearing what you quoted from it, sounds like it belongs on 93X
 
Yup, I agree. The station just feels stale now, and seems to have lost everything that made it unique. You aren't missing much with that recording either, it's just Dan Stone reading off the liner "if you think you're ready for a dom-sub relationship, find a dom and sub...scribe to her onlyfans".

Funnily enough, the only time I ever hear the music that used to make KQ special is during the ad breaks for Steve Gorman Rocks. At the end of ad breaks, their system picks a song to "fill in the gap" in programming until the syndicated program returns. This song is almost always something I usually don't hear on KQ, usually one of their recordings from vinyl, and sometimes is something I've never even heard before. Once I even heard a hilarious recording of a phone call to KQ from "butt women" in this gap.

I know I'm kind of beating a dead horse by saying this over and over, but I just wish someone from KQ would read this...
 
Yup, I agree. The station just feels stale now, and seems to have lost everything that made it unique. You aren't missing much with that recording either, it's just Dan Stone reading off the liner "if you think you're ready for a dom-sub relationship, find a dom and sub...scribe to her onlyfans".

Funnily enough, the only time I ever hear the music that used to make KQ special is during the ad breaks for Steve Gorman Rocks. At the end of ad breaks, their system picks a song to "fill in the gap" in programming until the syndicated program returns. This song is almost always something I usually don't hear on KQ, usually one of their recordings from vinyl, and sometimes is something I've never even heard before. Once I even heard a hilarious recording of a phone call to KQ from "butt women" in this gap.

I know I'm kind of beating a dead horse by saying this over and over, but I just wish someone from KQ would read this...
Oh I’m sure they‘ve seen this thread… do they care? Probably not. By the way, don’t tell me they’ve scrapped the all vinyl playlist? I haven’t listened closely for the hisses and pops recently. But If so, that will really tick me off.
 
Oh I’m sure they‘ve seen this thread… do they care? Probably not. By the way, don’t tell me they’ve scrapped the all vinyl playlist? I haven’t listened closely for the hisses and pops recently. But If so, that will really tick me off.
Unfortunately, they mostly don't play it anymore either. All their vinyl stuff has "*VINYL" in the RDS name, but I don't see it very often at all anymore. I see it maybe a couple times a month, and I have KQ on a good part of the day. Just another loss, I guess...

Yup, that's the one! Love that ID. I think I actually happened to have heard the last time that ID was played before they switched to the Dan Stone imaging...at about 4 AM on a Saturday night just before they went on their FCC-required "educational" bit. It was actually a special, longer version I'd never heard before! Here it is, I also really love it:
 
Unfortunately, they mostly don't play it anymore either. All their vinyl stuff has "*VINYL" in the RDS name, but I don't see it very often at all anymore. I see it maybe a couple times a month, and I have KQ on a good part of the day. Just another loss, I guess...


Yup, that's the one! Love that ID. I think I actually happened to have heard the last time that ID was played before they switched to the Dan Stone imaging...at about 4 AM on a Saturday night just before they went on their FCC-required "educational" bit. It was actually a special, longer version I'd never heard before! Here it is, I also really love it:
I miss that one so much. Is it weird to get emotional hearing old imaging? Lol
 
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