So -- Rock 103 is getting a makeover.

[Double M]

I was listening to Rock 103 this afternoon, and heard Rick and Luca. I was surprised to hear them considering I heard that Dennis and Rick had been axed. What a shame, There are so few shows left that incorporate the listener like they did. Real live radio, I miss it. Almost everything is voice tracked now. No live jock there to answer the phone for requests or dedications, or to ask who that artist was or give anything away. Mr. Terry hit the nail right on the head. VT is ok sometimes but what's wrong with everone doing a live show and listeners being able to interact? It's all about the money. It puts good talented people out of work. Corporate radio isn't interested in what listeners want if they were this downward spiral would not continue on. The surveys they take are bogus. People want to hear more music and less chatter. They want to hear more than the 300 songs they are getting on commercial radio. Radio will only get better when they play more variety and put real live talented people on the air to interact with them. There's too much competition from sat radio and ipods for people to keep listening to this recycled garbage. Back to the new line up at 103, this is the first I am hearing about that. I hope Tim was just kidding. I would rather hear Rick in the afternoon. I can't see Rick and Luca meshing well with Bad Dog. I have grown accustomed to hearing Tim in the mornings. And six hours is way too much. I think Bad Dog would do ok in talk radio. They really screwed up when they let Bev go. And some of the other talent there,too. This revamped line up will not help the ratings. They need to rev up the music again and make there morning show edgier again. Tim and Dog need a woman on with them again. Bev kept them in Check. This line up will not do well and probably won't last long. I grew up on Rock 103 back in the late 80's and 90's, it was pretty good then. If only they would go back to the way things were when they were sounding good.

 

[radiosaur]

I was listening to Rock 103 this afternoon, and heard Rick and Luca. I was surprised to hear them considering I heard that Dennis and Rick had been axed. What a shame, There are so few shows left that incorporate the listener like they did. Real live radio, I miss it. Almost everything is voice tracked now. No live jock there to answer the phone for requests or dedications, or to ask who that artist was or give anything away. Mr. Terry hit the nail right on the head. VT is ok sometimes but what's wrong with everone doing a live show and listeners being able to interact? It's all about the money. It puts good talented people out of work. Corporate radio isn't interested in what listeners want if they were this downward spiral would not continue on. The surveys they take are bogus. People want to hear more music and less chatter. They want to hear more than the 300 songs they are getting on commercial radio. Radio will only get better when they play more variety and put real live talented people on the air to interact with them. There's too much competition from sat radio and ipods for people to keep listening to this recycled garbage. Back to the new line up at 103, this is the first I am hearing about that. I hope Tim was just kidding. I would rather hear Rick in the afternoon. I can't see Rick and Luca meshing well with Bad Dog. I have grown accustomed to hearing Tim in the mornings. And six hours is way too much. I think Bad Dog would do ok in talk radio. They really screwed up when they let Bev go. And some of the other talent there,too. This revamped line up will not help the ratings. They need to rev up the music again and make there morning show edgier again. Tim and Dog need a woman on with them again. Bev kept them in Check. This line up will not do well and probably won't last long. I grew up on Rock 103 back in the late 80's and 90's, it was pretty good then. If only they would go back to the way things were when they were sounding good.

On August 19th, Double M wrote THIS:

I see alot of negativity on this board. I know radio isn't perfect but neither is anything else. Thanks for the warning anyway. Can't be worse than retail. Can I get some positive feedback please?

What a difference a few months back in the business makes, eh?

Just an observation...

 

[Tenn Radio Boy]

Moles inside CC tell me that you will see fewer and fewer personalities and longer and longer music sets with no talk.

They are trying to imitate your Ipod or mp3, but at so many have said it before...too little too late. They should have thought about it long ago.

As for Tim Davies, he's a CC Zombie, skin on the outside, no heart or anything else on the inside. His number one goal is keeping his job until the suits figure him out.

 

[JustARadioFan]

Although the crack about teaming Dennis & Marky B was half heartedly a joke, it couldn't be any worse than some of the other strange bed fellows that have popped up in Memphis the past few years.

And I agree whole heartedly about voice tracking being the death of real radio.... I have some good memories of sitting in the 103 studio occasionally on Saturday nights listening to one of the masters having a blast tossing the play list to the side because he could segue THESE three songs perfectly to make it sound like one continuous track and watch the phones light up with all of the "that was so AWESOME, dude!! How did you do that??" calls. But for me, radio began its slow death the first Saturday night that show was voice tracked and hearing him announce the top of the hour play list as I got out of my car to walk into the bar and join him and friends. The same thing happened a couple of years later with Marky B either the first or second time he was at 98.1 (before it was the MAXX) and his show was on the air when I left but I was looking at him through the window.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, dear children.... what you don't know won't hurt you - they wouldn't tell us that if it weren't true, would they? Would they??? :-\

 

[radiosaur]

All joking aside, I think trying to sound like mp3s or IPods is suicide. My IPod has MY playlist in it. Not a dog in the set. Simply because people are different, a radio station cannot possibly do that for me or anyone else. So, what CAN I get from radio that I cannot from IPods or satellite radio?

Well…traffic, weather, real-time scores, humor, brand new music that I don’t have time to surf for, what to do this weekend, live cuts….ALL of which require a someone live on the air.

One glimmer of hope in all this: If radio continues to decline in revenue, the big corporations may bail because of the smaller profit margins…if radio was returned to local owners, we might see some more creative programming. But if that’s going to happen, it better happen soon.

 

[robgrayson]

Anyone consider that maybe Tim is just tired of getting up so early? My sympathies to those cut, and condolences to the survivors who, in good radio tradition, have to do more with less.

WARNING: CONVOLUTED SENTENCE AHEAD>>>

The aforementioned "coal-mine canary" started falling off it's perch for me in the late 80's, when the new owners of 103 came through and fired the "continuity director" because her job description wasn't on the list of approved titles they got from the folks who loaned them the money to leverage their way into ownership.
It wasn't that we didn't need a continuity director, it was just that she didn't fit the paint-by-number plan.

Years later it really hit home with me when I went to 98 one Friday night about 9-ish to drop off a program for use the next morning. I walked through the entire station (106, 103.5 and 98 at that time) and found NOT A SOUL. All the lights were out, and NO ONE WAS HOME. Just the humming of little hard drives.

 

[nativeatlanta]

WTF???? Why does Clear Channel liked to give makeovers or flip formats on classic rock stations they own? Do they have a dislike for classic rock(the format that use to be known as album oriented rock)?

Examples: WDIZ/Rock 100-Orlando, WSHE-FT Lauderdale/Miami, WKLS/96Rock-Atlanta, KZPS-Dallas,KLOL-Houston,WMMS-Cleveland.


Rock 103 is one of the last decent classic rock stations left in the USA. But,Clear Channel has decide to tamper with it.

Where does this leave Melody? I enjoyed listening to her as a midday jock.

I get off this rant & go back to listening to Sirius Radio online.

 

[interested party]

Earlier in this thread, someone put forth their opinion that radio, AS A PLACE WE GO FOR MUSIC,

 

[interested party]

Let me try this again....sorry...

I'm not in radio and never have been.....but for a few years now I have felt that radio....AS A PLACE WE GO FOR MUSIC....is on the decline with no chance to reverse the trend.

The "corporate philosophy" is the root cause. As mentioned in several posts already, that philosophy, and all that entails, has created a product that NO LONGER serves the audience. And now there are alternatives that DO.

I suggest that the balance between the art of radio and the business of radio has become completely one sided.

I truly believe if a station felt they could have a violin sustain a b-flat for 24 hours a day........and still meet their quarterly numbers, that they would do it. The art of radio, which allowed it to grow and flourish has been stifled and I see no reason to believe that will change.

df

 

[goldengateblonde]

Where does this leave Melody? I enjoyed listening to her as a midday jock.

With the "restructuring," they managed to get rid of both her and Dennis. Two salaries saved. Yay them.

My first thought when I heard the news yesterday is that Ric and Luca probably didn't get a raise, despite now being required to work an extra two hours every day. Knowing Clear Channel, they were probably told they could deal with it or find work elsewhere. I hope I'm wrong about that.

 

[Zeke_Terry]

Let me try this again....sorry...

I'm not in radio and never have been.....but for a few years now I have felt that radio....AS A PLACE WE GO FOR MUSIC....is on the decline with no chance to reverse the trend.


df

I'm kind of torn by this - on one had I can agree that using the radio as a place we go for music ONLY is swirling the bowl. But - it's what's inbetween the music and commercials that keeps my attention.

Those of us in the industry now have had "the powers that be" try to beat it into our heads that the music is the STAR!!

I cry Bull___!!!!

The music is no longer the star on radio. With mp3 players, XM/SIRIUS, and even portable compters we have our own music stations.

Radio's job SHOULD be to entertain AND inform the locality. Hell, it's in the license that we serve the LOCALITY. I couldn't give a rats anything who Paris Hilton or Lindsy Lohan is doing these days - I can see all this garbage online or on ET. What I want on the radio is what is happening HERE.

Local News. Local Traffic. Local Gossip. What is happening HERE!

The corporate suits have driven all the locality out of radio.

You rarely hear about the big wigs just up and losing their jobs - they always get some kind of package - not often enough when Board Op Smith gets the ax do you see him give a severance. Notice my wording there.

Video may have killed the radio star, but the corporations killed radio.

Thank you.

 

[Tynosaur]

Perhaps the mom and pop operations should take over once more. Oh, I forgot, most of them are certifiable, according to the horror tales I read here...but at least they don't have stock holders to answer to. Lordy, doesn't anyone get it? The Old West is gone! Stop whining and get on with your life!

 

[Tynosaur]

I realize this thread concerns Rock 103, but what about Fred "Hollywood" Moore and Denise Dean being let go from WDIA. I see no thread mentioning the changes at CC's urban properties. Is there some double standard I've not been made aware of in the bylaws of this site? Or are most of the contributors wearing blinders? One wonders.

 

[sjs1959]

When did THAT happen? I also heard Captain Curtis Lee on WRBO the other day and wondered when he left WDIA..

 

[sjs1959]

I realize this thread concerns Rock 103, but what about Fred "Hollywood" Moore and Denise Dean being let go from WDIA. I see no thread mentioning the changes at CC's urban properties. Is there some double standard I've not been made aware of in the bylaws of this site? Or are most of the contributors wearing blinders? One wonders.

Since I don't take the CA, I missed the article, which I found here on Google:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/nov/10/familiar-voices-depart-airwaves/

 

[firepoint525]

Everyone reading this thread (so far) should go to http://www.krud.com and click on the "cartoon archives" or something like that. And you will realize that you are not alone. You should encourage all your friends and family (particularly anyone who is not in radio) to check out that site (and read the explanations below each cartoon) and they will understand where you are coming from.

 

[Meepster]

I read the article about Fred when it came out.
It has not been mentioned on this board, but neither was Steve Butler's canning.
(except once when I referenced it)

So...I don't know exactly what "TYNO" was trying to get at...but

WRVR-Steve Butler got dumped after years of loyal service
WDIA-Fred Moore got dumped after years of loyal service

(Steve was on the same shift for something like 26-28 years)

So...what ARE you saying?
What kind of "Blinders" are you referring to, and exactly WHO is wearing them?
???

 

[Zeke_Terry]

Perhaps the mom and pop operations should take over once more. Oh, I forgot, most of them are certifiable, according to the horror tales I read here...but at least they don't have stock holders to answer to. Lordy, doesn't anyone get it? The Old West is gone! Stop whining and get on with your life!

The best radio stations I've ever worked for have been Mom & Pop stations. Worked for 1 local owner in Paragould AR, 2 local owners in Jonesboro AR - and here in Memphis I'm working for a local owner. I've also worked for 2 big corporate giants, Clear Channel - which I loved the people, but HATED the company, and Entercom - only part-time there and they took good care of me.

So - should the Mom's and Pop's take over - by all means - they will probably actually CARE about it.

And as to the stop whining and get on with your life comment ..... this is my way of showing how I feel about this industry. Sorry if I haven't been in as long as you, but I still have a fresh passionate memory of radio.

 

[DeadElvis]

None of this, of course, should be surprising to anyone.

Look at the calendar. This is when CCU does its layoffs. If you're still employed on Thanksgiving Day, you're generally OK.

Cutting at 'DIA, though, could be dangerous.

DE

 

[goldengateblonde]

None of this, of course, should be surprising to anyone.

Look at the calendar. This is when CCU does its layoffs. If you're still employed on Thanksgiving Day, you're generally OK.

Well isn't that pleasant.

"Happy holidays. Get out."