RIVER IS SOUNDING PRETTY LAME 0.....

[atlantainrearviewmirror]

Visiting the Gem of the south after being gone for a few months and the RIVER sounds purely awful. Same 100 songs, no worthwhile jocks. The station in my opinion is a juke box and a poorly programmed one at best. Thats all the folks at Clear Channel need to do is get creative and the RIVER will have trouble in my opinion...every day, the same songs, all driven deep in the ground...How about something besides Black Water from the Doobies...they had lots of CHART hits...but no, the RIVER plays the same 1 song by them over and over - because the research told them...they got 100 people in Atlanta in a room and played them 1 doobie brother song and HECK, that must be the one that 4 million people like....WHAT!!!!.....

Cmon folks...at the RIVER, you can do alot better than this garbage.

 

[X-14]

When the River flipped back at the beginning of this year I listened for about 2 days and after hearing the same songs 8 times each in those two days I was done with it. Haven't been back since.

 

[BIGSTICK]

It is so sad that it can't be what it really could be.


Thank God for Satellite radio.

 

[troone]

The real irony is that DAVE was conceived as the antidote to IPOD and Satellite, yet the RIVER proves that it's not the music that has driven people away...it's the clutter. 9 out of 10 times I flip by River, a song's on. I never hear the AM or PM jock in a break or doing a segue. Ever.

As lame as the station is, RIVER has nicely tapped into the real truth. Terrestrial radio is paying for its clutter and seven-minute stop sets.

 

[MisterDaisy]

When the River flipped back at the beginning of this year I listened for about 2 days and after hearing the same songs 8 times each in those two days I was done with it. Haven't been back since.

Quoted for truth.

 

[Miss_Anthrope]

The real irony is that DAVE was conceived as the antidote to IPOD and Satellite...

Just because you play MORE songs doesn't make you better. You have to pick the right ones. I can't tell you how many times I'll tune into Dave hearing a really good song only to be followed up by a WTF song. They play waaaaaay to many WTF songs.. In fact, I'm beginning to think that WTF is a catagory in Selector for DaveFM. A, recurrent, WTF, Img, WTF, Stopset, C, WTF, WTF, B... seems right....

 

[middlega]

I'm beginning to think that WTF is a catagory in Selector for DaveFM. A, recurrent, WTF, Img, WTF, Stopset, C, WTF, WTF, B... seems right....

That's the best LOL line I've read here in quite a well.
Nicely done.

 

[RadioMahn]

Of course no one is going to strike a balance between too many WTF songs and the same 100 songs. That would take too much common sense for a consultant to grasp.

 

[Surfer]

For what it's worth I believe radio stations really don't care at all about the listeners. Their main clients are the advertisers. Listeners are a means to an end. A station will "buy" listeners with fancy contests (which work some of the time). Listenership is mostly done in cars. I've been in the business for 26 years and I know that I haven't met or heard of ANY LISTENER who listens at home. It's all done in the car. Satellite radio may be able to get into the car but most listeners that I've met (about 80-90%) will not pay for satellite.

The River has done what most radio stations haven't figured out yet. It's NOT the programming that's important. It's the PROGRAM! Radio listeners want background noise, not songs to listen to. The more clutter, spots, talking, etc. there is on a station, the more tune out you'll get. When a listener hears a song they like, they turn up the volume. When it's done, the volume usually goes back down. Yes, there is a tune out factor for commercials, talk and the like but radio listenership has changed. Listeners do not want to hear funny jocks, commercials or cute promos. They want just the programming. The River made that work and their ratings went up because of it. Will it last by playing the same small playlist? Probably not. Listeners are human and will eventually get tired of hearing the same old songs. But, in the interim, they'll make money and that's what it's all about. Advertisers will get to buy the coveted rating points and feel good that their money is well spent.

Listeners do not drive radio anymore. I'm not really sure they ever did.

 

[kingdaddy]

Ok, Surfer I gotta challenge you on something:

You said: "I know that I haven't met or heard of ANY LISTENER who listens at home. It's all done in the car."

Maybe you meant to say MOST of the listening is done in the car. Home listening is in the 20% range, generally.

So far, no one has hit on what the River did right. It's not the 300 song list, or being jockless, it's The Marketing. Anytime you spend that amount of money to launch a station you will have success. You have to admit they were the most top-of-mind thing out there when they started. Their spots were everywhere and they're back on now. This is the Cox way of doing things. Saturate the market, get a great cume, some will like what you do and stick around. Both Z & 96 were asleep and the River got lucky and plugged the hole.

I'm a little old school when it comes to programming. I believe the radio is "entertainment", made up of many parts....the music, the "funny jocks, commercials and promos" as you put it, and other elements. And I believe the listeners look at (terrestrial) radio is a companion, of sorts, because when they want just music they're gonna go to their CD's, satellite radio, ipods. Radio stations who chose to be a jukebox are at the bottom of a long list of commercial-free choices, and are doomed. But I digress.

So if there's anything we've learned from The River it's that Marketing makes the difference. And there are many stations up and down the dial whose product is good but could benefit from an agressive marketing plan. But that takes money. Maybe that's a topic for another day.

 

[X-14]

Radio listeners want background noise....

Then why is talk radio consistently one of the highest-rated formats?

 

[Surfer]

I should have made myself a bit more clearer. I was referring to just music-intensive stations only. Talk radio is a whole different animal and the rules are different. For just music, I stand by my comments unless somebody can make a better case (and some folks have so I'm flexible if facts are used).

 

[Surfer]

Kingdaddy, I agree with you about the whole marketing aspect. But I still stand by what I said which was, that radio stations that broadcast music should program themselves to be more of a background noise entity rather than entertainment. The entertainment factor of radio has been so diminished by all the other choices that radio is being relegated to the level of a beautiful music station. If I could, I'd find new and creative ways to get the advertisers message across without interrupting the programming. That would be a fun challenge, in my opinion.

 

[SuperQ]

They play waaaaaay to many WTF songs


I give you a challenge sir. If you can determine which songs are WTF songs for all people, you will become a very rich man indeed. Unfortunately, your WTF song is someone else's all-time favorite. Your all-time favorite songs are someone else's WTF.

Since hearing someone else's favorites ticks you off, I must assume that the songs you like must also tick someone else off. Satellite and the internet offer hundreds of channels filled with your WTF songs, so others will surely find something they like.

If you can perfect the formula of playing only songs everybody likes, we will all be working for you someday.

Until then, the least common denominator wins.... in radio music, in television shows, in politics. We must deal with it.

There's a reason stations have short playlists. It works. It worked when there were three stations to a market and it works now. It's just that in the 70's we didn't have Internet chat boards to allow frustrated programmers to vent.

 

[atlantachristmas]

If you Listen Pretty Well The River Plays some songs that B98.5 Plays I think that Cox Should it Come on With Another Format maybe an all 80's Station!! I dont think The River is not going to last very much longer with Dave FM ON HAND!

 

[factory]

If you Listen Pretty Well The River Plays some songs that B98.5 Plays I think that Cox Should it Come on With Another Format maybe an all 80's Station!! I dont think The River is not going to last very much longer with Dave FM ON HAND!

Huh?

 

[JustARadioFan]

If you Listen Pretty Well The River Plays some songs that B98.5 Plays I think that Cox Should it Come on With Another Format maybe an all 80's Station!! I dont think The River is not going to last very much longer with Dave FM ON HAND!

Huh?

I think my brain oozed outta my ear trying to make sense of that statement.... ???

 

[attaboy]

If you Listen Pretty Well The River Plays some songs that B98.5 Plays I think that Cox Should it Come on With Another Format maybe an all 80's Station!! I dont think The River is not going to last very much longer with Dave FM ON HAND!

Do you wear a helmet?

 

[atlantachristmas]

If you Listen Pretty Well The River Plays some songs that B98.5 Plays I think that Cox Should it Come on With Another Format maybe an all 80's Station!! I dont think The River is not going to last very much longer with Dave FM ON HAND!

Huh?

Well, I Posted a Stupid Comment I dont Even Listen to The River so?? I only Listen to B98.5FM AND 94.9 LITEFM thats all!

 

[McDawg]

Surfer, you make many good points about The River's success. And as others have mentioned on here, I too have mostly tuned out on The River because I'm so tired of their tiny playlist. But many of the things that you credit for their success, Surfer - little chatter from their 2 jocks, shorter stop breaks, & music targeted at a desirable demographic - could still be in place even if they expanded their playlist. They could easily expand the playlist and not only hit their target demographic, but maybe keep that same demographic tuned in longer because they would not be hearing the same 2 Doobie Brothers songs over and over. After all, if they like China Grove & Listen to the Music, they're likely to also like Take Me in Your Arms, Jesus Is Just Alright, Takin It to the Streets, & the other great Doobies hits. I'm not talking about including deep album cuts that only an artist's most rabid fans know about. But they can widen their playlist severely and still easily fit the Classic Hits format. I mean after all, we're talking about a 15-year window here - there are plenty of great classic rock hits to go around. I just can't figure out why they won't do that.