New York Surrounded by Country

[Element9]

Re: Too Sophisticated For Country

>
> Yea..bring in country and people will listen. Yet again
> another out of towner claiming to understand what New York
> wants to listen to.
> You don't understand the NYC. demographics to make a
> statement as such.
>

Yeah, wouldn't want OUTSIDERS deciding what New Yorkers want to hear on the radio! Who said only people from Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo and Middletown were provincial! Most of the programmers, jocks and GM's that are spoon feeding you the music and programming you love in Market #1 are OUTSIDERS. You think they all grew up in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens? Don't be myopic.

 

[johneb2johneb2]

Re: Too Sophisticated For Country

> >
> > Yea..bring in country and people will listen. Yet again
> > another out of towner claiming to understand what New York
>
> > wants to listen to.
> > You don't understand the NYC. demographics to make a
> > statement as such.
> >
>
> Yeah, wouldn't want OUTSIDERS deciding what New Yorkers want
> to hear on the radio! Who said only people from Albany,
> Syracuse, Buffalo and Middletown were provincial! Most of
> the programmers, jocks and GM's that are spoon feeding you
> the music and programming you love in Market #1 are
> OUTSIDERS. You think they all grew up in Brooklyn, Manhattan
> and Queens? Don't be myopic.
>
I agree, I am not an outsider...I lived in NYC for over 35 years, and now reside in Suffolk County. The notion that NYC can't support a country station is wrong. If you look at all the support NYC fans have been giving country without a station, (concerts, records etc.), you will know the following is there. What is missing or wrong is the advertising perception & the greed for money. There was a time when radio was conceived with the listener audience in mind; today that is not true. Money can be made with a country format & with decent ratings. It will not be a top draw however, as with many other formats, because of the NYC demographics. Right now, the philosophy appears to be make the most money as quick as possible, to satisfy the powers to be. Plain & simple, if you want your own niche in the market with steady revenue, than country is a very viable option. There would be those who argue that the format has been tried before and failed. Such was not really the true picture. Most times, as with other formats, it was changed due to buyouts with the new owners opting to go for the "quick big bucks". Ratings wise, it wasn't fantastic but steady, around 2 if I recall. Take a look at the last ratings, and honestly tell me that country would not have been higher than a considerable number of these. Sorry, if I am rambling on, but I see this argument discussed over & over again. It doesn't matter what the format is, just what ever can bring in the biggest $ quickly to satisfy the corporate people! I believe they call it instant gratification

 

[PuertoRicanSoul]

VERY GOOD POINT...

Although I've always agreed with Jeffrey...element_nine brings up another good point...the idea of the majority of GMs, PDs and jocks alike NOT born and raised within the 5 boroughs, or even Northern NJ/Long Island.

AND THIS MY FRIENDS....is a formidable culprit in the demise of NYC music radio....this is another point that escapes me as to why radio execs insist on recruiting out-of-town talent over those who are IN-TOWN....geez, you'd think it wouldnt be so hard in a metro area that totals over 20 million people.

> >
> > Yea..bring in country and people will listen. Yet again
> > another out of towner claiming to understand what New York
>
> > wants to listen to.
> > You don't understand the NYC. demographics to make a
> > statement as such.
> >
>
> Yeah, wouldn't want OUTSIDERS deciding what New Yorkers want
> to hear on the radio! Who said only people from Albany,
> Syracuse, Buffalo and Middletown were provincial! Most of
> the programmers, jocks and GM's that are spoon feeding you
> the music and programming you love in Market #1 are
> OUTSIDERS. You think they all grew up in Brooklyn, Manhattan
> and Queens? Don't be myopic.
>

 

[davideduardo]

Re: Hold on. Not True.

> >
> > Yea..bring in country and people will listen. Yet again
> > another out of towner claiming to understand what New York
>
> > wants to listen to.
> > You don't understand the NYC. demographics to make a
> > statement as such.
> >
>
> Yeah, wouldn't want OUTSIDERS deciding what New Yorkers want
> to hear on the radio!

The people who decide on the songs on the radio are all local listeners. PDs do not decide ont he music. Listeners do.

> Who said only people from Albany,
> Syracuse, Buffalo and Middletown were provincial! Most of
> the programmers, jocks and GM's that are spoon feeding you
> the music and programming you love in Market #1 are
> OUTSIDERS. You think they all grew up in Brooklyn, Manhattan
> and Queens? Don't be myopic.

If you find out what the listeners want, and give it to them, you could be from Greenland for all it matters.
>

 

[Element9]

Re: Hold on. Not True.

>
> The people who decide on the songs on the radio are all
> local listeners. PDs do not decide ont he music. Listeners
> do.
>
Dave, I have read your well-reasoned posts on many boards and I respect your opinion. However, NY state attorney general Eliot Spitzer's report offers a strong insight into what gets played and why it gets played.
>
> If you find out what the listeners want, and give it to
> them, you could be from Greenland for all it matters.
>

Perhaps in Greenland there can be found PD's and MD's that are "pure as the driven snow." The songs we hear on Urban and CHR radio are not as stringently selected as most listeners might believe.

Regards,

-9-

 

[davideduardo]

Re: Hold on. Not True.

> >
> > The people who decide on the songs on the radio are all
> > local listeners. PDs do not decide ont he music. Listeners
>
> > do.
> >
> Dave, I have read your well-reasoned posts on many boards
> and I respect your opinion. However, NY state attorney
> general Eliot Spitzer's report offers a strong insight into
> what gets played and why it gets played.

That report makes much out of e-mails that say, "what do I have to do to get my song played." All that really means is the same thing that a salesperson for radio means when they say, "what do I have to do to get you to advertise." It's a pitch line, not anything more.

Most stations never see record promoters, even in NY, because they do not play currents or do not play enough of them to be of interest.

Stations that do play currents have always taken risks on new songs. Whether we play a song due to record promoter pressuer, becaue we like it, or whatever, we have no clue about whether it will be a hit. This is why stations test their songs... currents every week, in fact, and kill the ones that do not work.

NY stations bill $30 million up to $60 million. Record company promotions do not even pay 1% of that, and at the end of the day, most staitons quit doing indie promoter activities as much as several years ago, and some never ever worked with them. This is simply grandstanding by a politician.
> >
> > If you find out what the listeners want, and give it to
> > them, you could be from Greenland for all it matters.
> >
>
> Perhaps in Greenland there can be found PD's and MD's that
> are "pure as the driven snow." The songs we hear on Urban
> and CHR radio are not as stringently selected as most
> listeners might believe.

They are selected, after a week or two, by the listeners themselves. The biggest urban operator in NY, Emmis, did not work with independents and is 100% research driven. If it tests, it plays. If it does not, it goes away.

 

[ontheair247]

Re: Too Sophisticated For Country

> > >
> > > Yea..bring in country and people will listen.


> The notion that
> NYC can't support a country station is wrong. If you look
> at all the support NYC fans have been giving country without
> a station, (concerts, records etc.), you will know the
> following is there. What is missing or wrong is the
> advertising perception & the greed for money.

I think New York is big enough to have a country station. The problem so far seems to have been that NY radio programmers just have not served there market with what people really want to hear.
That's been true for several decades and it's gotten relatively worse instead of better. Many smaller markets across the USA have much better sounding stations with more diverse formats. NYC usually has it all backwards.