New York City Radio at an all time Low!!

[prescott]

not only does every station stink, but most new music is bad, and there is no station playing any great classics or obscure classics....Do you realize no station plays Elvis Presley, there is no format for him!!

 

[dmargalotti]

not only does every station stink, but most new music is bad, and there is no station playing any great classics or obscure classics....Do you realize no station plays Elvis Presley

Hey...thanks for the broad sweeping generalization and your personal evaluation of the entire New York Radio market which serves some 15 million people daily (guess you know more than they do).

There are certainly some things that I personally would like to see changed and yes, if you're an oldies fam, it's a shame there is not a broadcast outlet catering to your personal music tastes. However, it hardly seems fair to say EVERY station stinks simply because you are looking for a format no longer available in NYC.

Maybe you have some more constructive criticism you'd like to offer?

 

[TowerBuzz]

Yes and let's also remember that the most urban market on the planet truly is lost without someone playing "teddy bear" by Elvis Pressley, I dont kow how this city manages to function. Oh the humanity!. Listen as someone who firmly believes that Chuck Berry or Little Richard was the true king of rock and roll, I think I can find a way to sleep without the knowledge that a station in New York plays Elvis. Then again there is always sat, if Sirius doesnt have an all Elvis channel they will, jesus they have all Bruce and all WHo,........Something tells me they did once upon a time have an All Elvis channel.

:

 

[Jay F]

Do you realize that several markets don't have any stations that play Elvis? NYC radio is not unique in that respect.

 

[icybluelake]

not only does every station stink, but most new music is bad, and there is no station playing any great classics or obscure classics....Do you realize no station plays Elvis Presley

Hey...thanks for the broad sweeping generalization and your personal evaluation of the entire New York Radio market which serves some 15 million people daily (guess you know more than they do).

There are certainly some things that I personally would like to see changed and yes, if you're an oldies fam, it's a shame there is not a broadcast outlet catering to your personal music tastes. However, it hardly seems fair to say EVERY station stinks simply because you are looking for a format no longer available in NYC.

Maybe you have some more constructive criticism you'd like to offer?

Before we rush to judgementt, I think you might be reacting just a tad defensively. I think the original comment might, just might, be speaking for some other people who might feel similarly. The absence of oldies and/or Elvis may have little to do with it for some others. Just a thought...

 

[SoulCrusher]

NYC is a very sad market - it is absolutely shocking that no one plays The King. This is also a city without an Active or Alternative Rock station, and there is also no station that plays Country or Classic Hip Hop. Meanwhile, we have two boring Rhythmic ACs, two awful excuses for Urban stations, a Smooth Jazz station that might as well bill itself as a "soft rock" station, etc. And that doesn't even cover the sorry excuses for stations that are CBS/Infinity's Free-FM (a jumbled mess of a talker that goes from targeting frat boys one minute and then five minutes later goes after their moms) and Jack-FM (Playing What We Want - as long as it's a big hit that you're sick of). Changes are imminent in this market. The 1996 Telecommunications Act needs to be repealed so these media conglomerates are forced to sell off some of their stations. Lack of competition is what's hurting terrestrial radio.

 

[neo11]

NYC is a very sad market - it is absolutely shocking that no one plays The King. This is also a city without an Active or Alternative Rock station, and there is also no station that plays Country or Classic Hip Hop. Meanwhile, we have two boring Rhythmic ACs, two awful excuses for Urban stations, a Smooth Jazz station that might as well bill itself as a "soft rock" station, etc. And that doesn't even cover the sorry excuses for stations that are CBS/Infinity's Free-FM (a jumbled mess of a talker that goes from targeting frat boys one minute and then five minutes later goes after their moms) and Jack-FM (Playing What We Want - as long as it's a big hit that you're sick of). Changes are imminent in this market. The 1996 Telecommunications Act needs to be repealed so these media conglomerates are forced to sell off some of their stations. Lack of competition is what's hurting terrestrial radio.

Agreed on all counts. I understand that big companies don't want to take risks in the #1 market in the country, but it's not like many of them are putting out a successful product right now. Plus, one would think (and hope) that the #1 media market could do better than some lame, cookie-cutter format that you'll also hear in Peoria (no offense to Peoria, but still). No new rock. No triple A. No oldies of any kind. No dance music. No classic hip-hop. No country. Heck, no standards or light AC. I'd expect more from the radio in market #1. I'm sure the usual industry types will now come in and repeat the same old arguments as to why these formats are not on, blah blah blah blah, and yes, I do also get tired of hearing the same question...why is country not on? why is oldies not on? But certainly, when you have so many FM stations in market #1 in the toilet, one wonders what these corporate heads are thinking.

Right now, I really don't feel any station anymore has a sound that is truly New York, especially any music stations. Anything being programmed here sounds like it could just as well be heard in market #100, with no surprises.

 

[cawasinnj]

The 1996 Telecommunications Act needs to be repealed so these media conglomerates are forced to sell off some of their stations.

Even if the legislation that allowed the big clusters is repealed (and with the Dems taking over in Washington who knows), anything that exists now will be grandfathered.

 

[neo11]

The 1996 Telecommunications Act needs to be repealed so these media conglomerates are forced to sell off some of their stations.

Even if the legislation that allowed the big clusters is repealed (and with the Dems taking over in Washington who knows), anything that exists now will be grandfathered.

I seriously doubt that the act would flat out be repealed or that ownership levels will ever be rolled back to the way they were, unfortunately, but as you point out, even if that were the case, existing stations would likely be grandfathered, much like many stations today are shortspaced to adjacent stations or put out more power than any station could legally be allocated for today, as they are grandfathered in from previous sets of rules.

 

[Time Traveler]

Well...as a Rock and an Oldies listener, I have to agree that New York radio is pathetic these days. I suppose that if I were into Hipanic or Hip Hop formats, I might have a different attitude. I also remember that being far from the case from the '60s, well into the '90s. As recently as 1994, during a visit to NYC, I rmember having
WNEW for AOR, WXRK for Classic Rock, WAXQ for Active Rock, WDRE for Modern Rock, and CBS-FM for Oldies.
Today, the only station that I would bother with for music in New York, would be WAXQ. One Rock station for a city that size is pretty sad...

 

[sdwulfdawg]

Even if the legislation that allowed the big clusters is repealed (and with the Dems taking over in Washington who knows), anything that exists now will be grandfathered.

Divestiture is not an unknown concept in the business world. However, seeing how Clear Channel is now shrinking and how other station groups are figuring out that you cannot program a station in NYC and be effective from Missoula, Montana, it is the "invisible hand" which will ultimate rule.

 

[Jay F]

NYC is a very sad market - it is absolutely shocking that no one plays The King. This is also a city without an Active or Alternative Rock station, and there is also no station that plays Country or Classic Hip Hop. Meanwhile, we have two boring Rhythmic ACs, two awful excuses for Urban stations, a Smooth Jazz station that might as well bill itself as a "soft rock" station, etc. And that doesn't even cover the sorry excuses for stations that are CBS/Infinity's Free-FM (a jumbled mess of a talker that goes from targeting frat boys one minute and then five minutes later goes after their moms) and Jack-FM (Playing What We Want - as long as it's a big hit that you're sick of). Changes are imminent in this market. The 1996 Telecommunications Act needs to be repealed so these media conglomerates are forced to sell off some of their stations. Lack of competition is what's hurting terrestrial radio.

Agreed on all counts. I understand that big companies don't want to take risks in the #1 market in the country, but it's not like many of them are putting out a successful product right now. Plus, one would think (and hope) that the #1 media market could do better than some lame, cookie-cutter format that you'll also hear in Peoria (no offense to Peoria, but still). No new rock. No triple A. No oldies of any kind. No dance music. No classic hip-hop. No country. Heck, no standards or light AC. I'd expect more from the radio in market #1. I'm sure the usual industry types will now come in and repeat the same old arguments as to why these formats are not on, blah blah blah blah, and yes, I do also get tired of hearing the same question...why is country not on? why is oldies not on? But certainly, when you have so many FM stations in market #1 in the toilet, one wonders what these corporate heads are thinking.

Right now, I really don't feel any station anymore has a sound that is truly New York, especially any music stations. Anything being programmed here sounds like it could just as well be heard in market #100, with no surprises.

Not having a country or active rock station is what makes the landscape of NYC radio so different from markets like Peoria. I'm sure you could find plenty of contry and rock on Peoria radio.

That being said, CBS could put on these Midwestern type formats on their NYC outlets and probably get better ratings than what they have now.

 

[NJMike]

Everyone is pretty dead on about the poor state of NY radio. I also want to point out, especially to those who only think of the "NY market" as people living in the 5 boroughs, that this market also serves northern & central NJ, Rockland & Westchester Counties, and Long Island. There are many, many listeners in the suburban part of the market that need to be served as well by NYC stations. Often times programmers and advertisers forget about this part of the NY metro radio market.

In addition, since this market is so diverse culturally & ethnically, it should equate to having diverse options for people - including a diverse number of radio formats. Isn't that the whole point of diversity? It pains me to see the same thing being offered on NY radio that is not reaching the full diversity of the market. Here in NJ, we have stations that attempt to fill in the format gaps NYC stations are leaving (rock, oldies, country, soft AC), but they are scarce and do not carry the signal strength comparable to NYC station:

rock - 105.5/WDHA (limited to northern NJ)
oldies - 1250/WMTR (limited to northern NJ - plus, AM signal can't compare to FM in terms of quality and reliability)
county - K98.5 (limited to the shore area)
soft AC - Magic 98.3 (limited to Middlesex & Somerset Counties - gets beat up badly by LI's 98.3)

 

[dmargalotti]

NYC is a very sad market - it is absolutely shocking that no one plays The King. This is also a city without an Active or Alternative Rock station, and there is also no station that plays Country or Classic Hip Hop. Meanwhile, we have two boring Rhythmic ACs, two awful excuses for Urban stations, a Smooth Jazz station that might as well bill itself as a "soft rock" station, etc

What I gathered from the original posters comments was that because there is not a format HE likes, therefore all NY radio stinks. And you seem to be echoing that sentiment.

My point is, regardless of whether you like a stations' format or not...there are some very well programmed stations with great personalities, doing good radio. It's hardly seems fair to condem the entire market with a blanket statement that NY radio stinks.

I do agree, there are formats that are not represented and there are many listeners that would like to hear more diversity. But that doesn't mean all NY radio stinks.

If you like country, oldies, active rock, etc....you do have options other than radio. You are in control of your entertainment choices. Use your ipod, mps, cd players...get satellitte radio...listen to the music channels on cable. You've got options and you can choose not to listen to a station or maybe only listen for news, sports, traffic & weather.

For the record, I happed to like a lot of progressive rock and old-school alternative music that you don't ever hear on the radio either. In fact, most people probably have never even heard of many of the bands I listen to. That doesn't mean radio stinks...it means the medium is not designed to cater to everyones individual tastes.

 

[Ozman]

Fairfield county is worse on the nyc border... to far south to get 98.5 the bone.. but we get 95.9 the fox but rock msic is still limited 95.1 WRKI doen't make it well nor does WBAB but whats interesting is 106.3 WPDH's relay comes in clerly now

Everyone is pretty dead on about the poor state of NY radio. I also want to point out, especially to those who only think of the "NY market" as people living in the 5 boroughs, that this market also serves northern & central NJ, Rockland & Westchester Counties, and Long Island. There are many, many listeners in the suburban part of the market that need to be served as well by NYC stations. Often times programmers and advertisers forget about this part of the NY metro radio market.

In addition, since this market is so diverse culturally & ethnically, it should equate to having diverse options for people - including a diverse number of radio formats. Isn't that the whole point of diversity? It pains me to see the same thing being offered on NY radio that is not reaching the full diversity of the market. Here in NJ, we have stations that attempt to fill in the format gaps NYC stations are leaving (rock, oldies, country, soft AC), but they are scarce and do not carry the signal strength comparable to NYC station:

rock - 105.5/WDHA (limited to northern NJ)
oldies - 1250/WMTR (limited to northern NJ - plus, AM signal can't compare to FM in terms of quality and reliability)
county - K98.5 (limited to the shore area)
soft AC - Magic 98.3 (limited to Middlesex & Somerset Counties - gets beat up badly by LI's 98.3)

 

[prescott]

My point is, regardless of whether you like a stations' format or not...there are some very well programmed stations with great personalities, doing good radio.

WHO????

 

[kevinsealy]

ALTHOUGH I'M NOT A FAN OF ROCK, THERE'S NO STATION IN NYC THAT PLAYS ROCK CURRENTS.




THANKS,
KEVIN L. SEALY

 

[SoulCrusher]

NYC is a very sad market - it is absolutely shocking that no one plays The King. This is also a city without an Active or Alternative Rock station, and there is also no station that plays Country or Classic Hip Hop. Meanwhile, we have two boring Rhythmic ACs, two awful excuses for Urban stations, a Smooth Jazz station that might as well bill itself as a "soft rock" station, etc

What I gathered from the original posters comments was that because there is not a format HE likes, therefore all NY radio stinks. And you seem to be echoing that sentiment.

My point is, regardless of whether you like a stations' format or not...there are some very well programmed stations with great personalities, doing good radio. It's hardly seems fair to condem the entire market with a blanket statement that NY radio stinks.

I do agree, there are formats that are not represented and there are many listeners that would like to hear more diversity. But that doesn't mean all NY radio stinks.

If you like country, oldies, active rock, etc....you do have options other than radio. You are in control of your entertainment choices. Use your ipod, mps, cd players...get satellitte radio...listen to the music channels on cable. You've got options and you can choose not to listen to a station or maybe only listen for news, sports, traffic & weather.

For the record, I happed to like a lot of progressive rock and old-school alternative music that you don't ever hear on the radio either. In fact, most people probably have never even heard of many of the bands I listen to. That doesn't mean radio stinks...it means the medium is not designed to cater to everyones individual tastes.

I am a fan of some of the genres that are absent in the area (not really into Country, though). But there are a lot of stations in this market that are just plain executed poorly. Hot 97 and Power 105 are both not really Urban, not really Rhythmic CHR, but somewhere in between. Neither of them play anything that came out before, let's say, 1996. They're both essentially the same station. Did it ever occur to the folks behind one of these stations that maybe people want to hear more classic hip-hop & R&B and less of the pop music that's better suited for a Z-100 (Cassie, Justin Timberlake, etc.)? The same holds true for WNEW and WKTU, both essentially the same station - they might as well be called Movin' 1 and Movin' 2. Why the latter moved away from its upbeat Dance mix is still a question that has no answer. That's what bothers me most about this area - all the format overlap. Meanwhile, what does the Male listener under 50 have in this market? Maybe Hot and Power, but as we established both often lean Female with their programming due to the Pop presence. After that, there's nothing else I can think of. I really don't see what's stopping CBS/Infinity from taking one of their stations Alternative (real Alternative - don't play Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith and call yourself Alternative like K-Rock did), considering all the underperforming stations in the market.

 

[dmargalotti]

My point is, regardless of whether you like a stations' format or not...there are some very well programmed stations with great personalities, doing good radio.

WHO?

OK - How about Z100, WFAN, WABC? You don't think these stations are good at what they do regardless of whether you like their format? I think they know their audiences and serve them well with a high quality on-air product. Forget the fact that you don't like the format. Look at all the elements that make a good station...talent, formatics, imaging, production, style, presentation & delivery. Are you telling me that every station in NY stinks? No one knows how to do good radio because they're not playing songs you like??

That's like saying the USA stinks because it's cold out and you like the surf in warm weather.

The lack of a variety of formats is not grounds for a blanket statement declaring that all NY radio stinks. It is however the basis for making a case that there are certain segments of the audience not being served by the industry in this market. See the difference here?

 

[oh_hell_naa]

NYC is a very sad market - it is absolutely shocking that no one plays The King. This is also a city without an Active or Alternative Rock station, and there is also no station that plays Country or Classic Hip Hop. Meanwhile, we have two boring Rhythmic ACs, two awful excuses for Urban stations, a Smooth Jazz station that might as well bill itself as a "soft rock" station, etc

What I gathered from the original posters comments was that because there is not a format HE likes, therefore all NY radio stinks. And you seem to be echoing that sentiment.

My point is, regardless of whether you like a stations' format or not...there are some very well programmed stations with great personalities, doing good radio. It's hardly seems fair to condem the entire market with a blanket statement that NY radio stinks.

I do agree, there are formats that are not represented and there are many listeners that would like to hear more diversity. But that doesn't mean all NY radio stinks.

If you like country, oldies, active rock, etc....you do have options other than radio. You are in control of your entertainment choices. Use your ipod, mps, cd players...get satellitte radio...listen to the music channels on cable. You've got options and you can choose not to listen to a station or maybe only listen for news, sports, traffic & weather.

For the record, I happed to like a lot of progressive rock and old-school alternative music that you don't ever hear on the radio either. In fact, most people probably have never even heard of many of the bands I listen to. That doesn't mean radio stinks...it means the medium is not designed to cater to everyones individual tastes.

I am a fan of some of the genres that are absent in the area (not really into Country, though). But there are a lot of stations in this market that are just plain executed poorly. Hot 97 and Power 105 are both not really Urban, not really Rhythmic CHR, but somewhere in between. Neither of them play anything that came out before, let's say, 1996. They're both essentially the same station. Did it ever occur to the folks behind one of these stations that maybe people want to hear more classic hip-hop & R&B and less of the pop music that's better suited for a Z-100 (Cassie, Justin Timberlake, etc.)? The same holds true for WNEW and WKTU, both essentially the same station - they might as well be called Movin' 1 and Movin' 2. Why the latter moved away from its upbeat Dance mix is still a question that has no answer. That's what bothers me most about this area - all the format overlap. Meanwhile, what does the Male listener under 50 have in this market? Maybe Hot and Power, but as we established both often lean Female with their programming due to the Pop presence. After that, there's nothing else I can think of. I really don't see what's stopping CBS/Infinity from taking one of their stations Alternative (real Alternative - don't play Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith and call yourself Alternative like K-Rock did), considering all the underperforming stations in the market.

I agree with everything you just wrote.

When my dad was alive he told me that WNEW was THE rock station to listen to. They weren’t about only playing the latest modern rock hit, but about artist development and playing more than one track off an album. This is what CBS should do with 102.7, make it into a real modern rock station.

I may not like to listen to country music, but there should be one in NYC. The NYC market serves more than the 5 boroughs. Think about the listeners on long island, Hudson valley and north Jersey.

Hot97 is bland and needs to take more risks. I know playing Immortal Technique may be off limits for obvious reasons (although I would like to hear them on HOT97), but expanding the playlist and finding local talent as well as playing the nationally recognized hip-hop artists would do the station good.

Power 105, just blow it up into something else. How about a dance music station that plays dance music. No slow R&B songs, no hip-hop joints just dance/techno/trance all types of beats.

I find it shocking that here in the #1 radio market we have so many format holes.