It's been reported that former WRXP PD Leslie Fram has been named VP Music Strategy for CMT. For those who don't know, that's Country Music Television, owned by MTV. One could ask what she knows about country music or strategy for a country TV channel, but that's never been among the criteria for top employees there. We just wonder who else from RXP might be following her to Music City.
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Leslie Fram Update
- Thread starter TheBigA
- Start date
So the programmer of NYC’s last great hope for a contemporary rock station has swiftly changed gears and is now programming mainstream country music instead. Can’t blame Leslie for landing a lucrative new gig, but this helps explain why ‘RXP’s music mix sounded so lame and uninspired to many of us. The station was simply in the hands of someone who didn't fully understand or appreciate the music, even if she was striving hard for success. Hope things go better for her in Nashville. Country seems to be a place where there are some big bucks to be made these days.
MarkO said:
Fram had spent her entire career in rock formats. What makes you think that she "doesn't fully understand or appreciate the music?" Is that another way of saying that you wanted nothing but punk rock or death metal or some other microniche genre on WRXP?
And it seems to me that someone who has spent as much time (and perhaps was born and raised in) the south who finds enough things appealing about country music that CMT would interest her. Can it be totally possible that she likes more than just rock music? I get really tired of you absolutists who think that your kind of music is the only good kind and everything else sucks. If Leslie Fram has a broad taste in music (stop the snickering), then good for her. She is someone I'd rather be around (or work for) than someone whose tastes are monochromatic.
I guess her Southern roots are showing.
As long as the job doesn't require her ideas, initiatives, and objectives to be measured by ratings, then she'll be fine.
Her failed radio work in Atlanta and NYC proves that she has no idea how to build a sizeable audience of listeners that's economically viable.
Her failed radio work in Atlanta and NYC proves that she has no idea how to build a sizeable audience of listeners that's economically viable.
Posted by Leslie on her Facebook page moments ago:
"Thanks to everyone for the amazing outpouring of support! I'll be working at CMT in Nashville as Sr VP of Music Strategy in one of the greatest cities in the world-Nashville. New York will always be special to me-where else can you walk for 5 miles and hit a Chinatown and Little Italy in one day! I'm grateful for your friendship and love of great music! More adventures to come because the first order of business will be to find the best BBQ in Nashville-please weigh in!!!!!"
"Thanks to everyone for the amazing outpouring of support! I'll be working at CMT in Nashville as Sr VP of Music Strategy in one of the greatest cities in the world-Nashville. New York will always be special to me-where else can you walk for 5 miles and hit a Chinatown and Little Italy in one day! I'm grateful for your friendship and love of great music! More adventures to come because the first order of business will be to find the best BBQ in Nashville-please weigh in!!!!!"
She's teaming with Brian Phillips who she worked with at 99X Atlanta - He was
never in Country until KPLX Dallas and then CMT.
never in Country until KPLX Dallas and then CMT.
D
Dick Skinner
Guest
WRXPinsider said:
And how's your career proceeding, UIDinsider?
E
Ejxit
Guest
DToTheJ said:
Nashville a greatest city? Stop pulling my joint!
WRXPinsider said:
You are nothing but poison. I hope you go nowhere in your career, because if you continually spew hatred about your employers, it will come back and bite you. With the way the industry is at the moment, with jobs being few and far between, no-one can afford to burn bridges.
Ejxit said:
"greatest"?...no great place to live and work? absolutely.
Mark Jeffries said:
OK, maybe I was being a bit tough on Leslie personally, but my comments on the music at WRXP are valid.
Basically, the music programming at ‘RXP seemed to involve grabbing a generic list of a couple of hundred “burnt out” modern rock hits from 1980 to 2000, mixing in some earlier over-exposed classic rock, and then adding a few currents from the top five of today’s Billboard Alternative chart. Not much knowledge or appreciation of rock music is required to do that.
I believe that music programming at WRXP which dug deeper and wider, and reflected a more customized and edgy NYC approach, would have been more successful.
Also, the non-music production elements at WRXP generally had a very stripped-down sound, and failed to convey much excitement or sense of forward momentum.
Generally, WRXP gave the impression that it was “over-researched” and “under-programmed”, and it struck me as being very bland compared to some rock format offerings available elsewhere.
I was hoping that the people in charge of WRXP would eventually see the light, and realize that a revamping of the current format would yield positive results, but clearly I was just involved in unproductive day-dreaming.
By the way, my personal tastes in music are much more varied than is suggested in the comment I have quoted above. My tastes don’t extend, however, to contemporary mainstream country music which I find to be extremely boring.
MarkO said:
Better watch the negative opinions on this board, Mark. Some of the readers have a problem with truth, especially when it's not dripping with happy talk.
The expression of less-than-praiseworthy opinions about a PD - regardless of the validity of the observations/revelations - seems to be sacrilege. The same mentality ("Our PD is a genius, sooo talented! Her vision can't be tampered with!") led to the demise of WRXP.
WRXPinsider said:
You really don't get it, do you?
Mark can express whatever opinions he'd like, whether one agrees with him or not, because Mark has the guts to identify himself.
On the other hand, you rudely criticize others while hiding in the shadows and keeping your identity a secret. Why would anybody respect you or your opinions?
Many factors led to the demise of WXRP. I'd say having a cowardly wimp such as yourself on staff was probably one of those factors.
BTW, it took Leslie virtually no time at all to find a great new job.
...and where are you working, nameless wonder?
MarkO said:
To be fair, the station DID have a "deeper and wider" approach for its first two years or so. And when they streamlined the playlist, the ratings gradually started going up. Plus, as small and predictable as the playlist was towards the end, it DID differ in some ways from most other modern rock stations in the country. It wasn't exactly the type of music mix that *I* would have ideally liked to hear, but they seemed to have made some progress in finding the right mix of rock for "average" listeners in this area. Leslie Fram deserves some credit if you ask me.
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