so who went to ratfest?

[radroad]

haha NOBODY DID! took the day off and even though it rained i thought for sure there would be people in the seats, but they were not. the lawn was ok but then again for 10bucks the lawn should've been packed. to be honest the only reason i went cause ive been a korn fan for a long time. even took some vacation days to go, but outside of some banners you couldnt tell the rat was even there. looked to be maybe 4,000 there and thats empty for the arts center

 

[SoulCrusher]

My guess is that either the rain limited attendance or perhaps WRAT didn't do the best job of promoting it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but RatFest '06 was essentially the New Jersey leg of the Family Values tour, right? I found it interesting that they were sponsoring a show with all these bands, given the fact that nowadays they're sounding more like a Heritage Rocker like WMMR than an Active Rocker like WYSP or WZBH. They would have been more at home promoting some trad rock show with Tom Petty & Def Leppard or something.

As stated before, Active Rockers are either moving in a safe, tried-and-true direction or actually embracing harder sounds, and WRAT is most definitely doing the former. They seldom ever play any of the bands that were at the show (Stone Sour's latest overplayed single notwithstanding), and also aren't playing acts like System Of A Down, Mudvayne, Slipknot, Atreyu, etc. Meanwhile, there's still all the overplayed Classic Rock that can be heard elsewhere, and all the equally overplayed Modern Rock acts as well.

WRAT needs to figure out what kind of station they are, and fast. There's a void in this area with heavier rock not being represented at all, and I think this station really needs to fill it - this is where the Active Rock format is going, and this will be WRAT's ticket to longevity should they choose to embrace it. Take out a couple of billboards letting everyone know that you're now playing the edgier stuff. Ah, who am I kidding? It's the suits at Greater Media (and not the PDs/MDs) that are really running the stations, playing what they think listeners want to hear. That approach may work in some places, but not here. WRAT has a good sound, but why they are afraid to take even one or two risks with their sound? Test the waters by playing something edgier - you know, for those of us that get bored by the likes of Hinder, Buckcherry, and other dime-a-dozen rock acts.

 

[radroad]

you are correct it is the jersey leg of familey values a show when krock was behind it was always packed rain or shine. maybe cause fans of that music dont listen to the rat they didnt know about the show

 

[SoulCrusher]

you are correct it is the jersey leg of familey values a show when krock was behind it was always packed rain or shine. maybe cause fans of that music dont listen to the rat they didnt know about the show

Given that these bands are as successful as they are, and that no one else serves this audience (perhaps WYSP on a rimshot, but that's a real stretch, and they only rock about 30% of the time by my estimation), you would think that WRAT would take that opportunity to cater to that audience.

If I was calling the shots at WRAT, I would do the following:

1. Cut back on overplayed Classic Rock staples and overplayed Alternative/Pop stuff. I'm not saying to stop playing them, but WRAT doesn't own most of these bands in the market, so why not carve out a unique niche by playing more bands commonly associated with Active Rock and the harder side of the Alternative format?

2. Run advertisements that point out that the station is evolving and now includes heavier rock acts in the regular rotation. WRAT has established itself in recent years as being real MOR (middle of the road) with their music selections, so it would definitely be wise to go after this unserved audience with advertising. I know a lot of people that are fans of these bands that aren't satellite radio subscribers, and they would definitely tune in.

3. Increase the amount of currents played to roughly about 40. As much as I like WRAT, I find fault in its predictability and many burned-out tracks, and increasing the amount of currents and expanding the library would do them good. Active Rock is changing and stations have to evolve in order to thrive. Bullet For My Valentine is currently just outside of the Top 20 on the Active Rock charts, and should be receiving some spins - sure, maybe it's a tad more intense than some of the stuff on the charts, but "Tears Don't Fall" is an awesome song and it would definitely score big with WRAT listeners like it has around the country. The same applies for lots of other songs - there's even more straight-up rock fare that The Rat hasn't touched (Black Stone Cherry, Crossfade) just because they're so restrained on their currents (only 15-20 last time I checked).

4. Core artists would be expanded to include System Of A Down, Korn, Tool, and Rage Against The Machine among them. I would probably start off by dayparting bands like Slipknot until I find out what kind of reaction they receive, but they would definitely receive airtime.

I ber you the ratings for this station would be stronger than what they're doing currently. After all, how many bands does The Rat own? Metallica, Godsmack & Disturbed - that's it. They really should go after the audience that's currently being ignored.

 

[surfer dude]

Yo Radroad, I think you went to the wrong show dude. I was on the lawn and it was packed. The Rat logo was everywhere and you'd have to be an idiot not to know it wasn't their show. They offered a ticket upgrade, but the rain was so bad, it wasn't worth sitting down because all the seats at the back were getting rain too.

As stated earlier, anything that WDHA or WRAT does you will have a problem with. :'( It's so obvious.

 

[radroad]

yo surfer dude what do you work for them? anybody who was there knew the crowd was scattered. the lawn packed? maybe you should go to an ozzfest that is what a packed lawn looks like. yes i did see banners but where are the jocks onstage? because it wasnts the "rats" show that concert was going to happen with or without them. the g 1063 ball was "thier" show because they got the bands (not the greatest but i liked seeing dramarama) the show had nobody there! korn still kicked a$$ but if ysp had it maybe more poeple would have known

 

[Bogotaboy]

Friend from the Arts Center told me attendance was about 3200...good crowd but small for Arts Center.The Toby Keith show sold out....without even a local country station...Imagine that............

 

[radroad]

WOW i thought it might (and i mean might) have been 4,000 but 3200 sounds right. now lets see 7000 seats they can get 10,000 on the lawn (maybe more) sounds to me like a bust! I wonder if krock never fliped and promoted the show if it would have been better ? I saw that jones beach got cancelled due too flooding!

 

[SoulCrusher]

WOW i thought it might (and i mean might) have been 4,000 but 3200 sounds right. now lets see 7000 seats they can get 10,000 on the lawn (maybe more) sounds to me like a bust! I wonder if krock never fliped and promoted the show if it would have been better ? I saw that jones beach got cancelled due too flooding!

The problem is this: Korn is not a core band for WRAT, and neither are any of the other acts (they are playing the bloody hell out of that Stone Sour song, probably because it's nice and mellow and fits in with a lot of the music that they've been playing). It would be like G Rock Radio sponsoring a Morrissey concert - yes, they do play some of his songs on occasion (with and without The Smiths), but they're too busy playing bubblegum pop/punk and worn-out grunge tracks to devote more time to him.

As stated before, I think the key to WRAT establishing more of a loyal following would be to alter its sound somewhat. Right now it breaks down like this: 50% of the songs they play can be heard on local Classic Rock stations, and 40% can be heard on G Rock Radio, so that leaves maybe 10% of the songs overall can only be heard on WRAT. Something needs to be done about that. WRAT needs to move away from overplayed classic rock staples and go a little deeper instead. They also need to embrace an edgier sound, which includes dropping some of the hair metal & trad rock acts and giving more airtime to acts like Korn, System Of A Down, Rage Against The Machine and Tool. It would also be smart to change the advertising a bit to let the fans of edgier rock know that now they can hear their favorite bands on WRAT. Everything else can remain the same. If this happens, I predict regular 4 shares at least for the station. But I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.

 

[Bogotaboy]

Dude I hated radio as much as you,but thats all over now.Its spelled SIRIUS...Why dont you get a subscription.Channel 21 is the station for you.We as listeners have never been able to change FM...so give up...thats what satellite is for.You will be hooked and never or rarely listen to FM again

 

[SoulCrusher]

Dude I hated radio as much as you,but thats all over now.Its spelled SIRIUS...Why dont you get a subscription.Channel 21 is the station for you.We as listeners have never been able to change FM...so give up...thats what satellite is for.You will be hooked and never or rarely listen to FM again

Maybe I'm letting the opinions of some posters at this board affect me, but satellite radio is losing money, and there are no signs that it's going to change. I'm just concerned that I'll pick it up, they'll go off the air, and I will be left with a useless device. It has not been a profitable venture thus far, and probably won't be unless changes are made (they might just have to start airing advertisements. It's a shame, because terrestrial radio in many parts of the country is bland and consultant-driven, and I would have liked to see satellite radio succeed, but I don't think it will. I don't know how many more losses XM and Sirius can handle.

 

[Bogotaboy]

What????You wont get satellite because of their financial issues? I drive all day and listen to radio just about all day,Since I got my Sirius my stress level is less and I am more relaxed, people have notcied it.You think I care about their financial issues while I am enjoying the music.Do you enjoy watching weekly TV shows? What if they get cancelled,life goes on.Sounds to me like a pre programmed answer from a radio PD defending FM... I have never heard such an analogy before,you wont get it in case they fail. You need to get a Sirius receiver and try it..buy a cheap one at Walmart first..You can get one for 40 bucks...then get better equip if you like it.You will hear all your faves of course,album cuts,cover songs,acoustic stuff....instead of the 40 songs that a creatin PD puts on a playlist....GOOD LUCK

 

[PleasetoShore]

According to the ArtsCenter promoter just over 9100. More than showed up to the Korn show in Spring. 4000 more than went to Jones Beach.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Man, these "figures" for the Korn show are really all over the place, aren't they?

Still, I think attendance could have been higher. I mean, Deftones and Stone Sour were there as well, and they're enormously popular right now. Truth is, WRAT doesn't really serve the fans of these bands, being more of a trad rock station than hard rock. The only time you hear non-currents from Korn, Deftones, Sevendust, System Of A Down, and other harder acts would be during a request show or one of their Three-Play weekends. Ditto for Tool, with the exception of "Sober", which IMO is the weakest track in their catalog (still a great song, though).

WRAT is very MOR, as mentioned before, despite the edgy station IDs and whatnot. If they did more to appeal to this audience, attendance would have definitely been a thousand or so higher for sure. They would have been more in their element basing a show around neo-hair rockers like Hinder and Buckcherry, maybe adding a group of washed-up hair rockers like Poison or Warrant for good measure.

 

[SoulCrusher]

What????You wont get satellite because of their financial issues? I drive all day and listen to radio just about all day,Since I got my Sirius my stress level is less and I am more relaxed, people have notcied it.You think I care about their financial issues while I am enjoying the music.Do you enjoy watching weekly TV shows? What if they get cancelled,life goes on.Sounds to me like a pre programmed answer from a radio PD defending FM... I have never heard such an analogy before,you wont get it in case they fail. You need to get a Sirius receiver and try it..buy a cheap one at Walmart first..You can get one for 40 bucks...then get better equip if you like it.You will hear all your faves of course,album cuts,cover songs,acoustic stuff....instead of the 40 songs that a creatin PD puts on a playlist....GOOD LUCK

Just because I'm concerned that it could all end tomorrow. They're not going to keep operating these services at a loss forever, you know.

How adaptable are these receivers that you mention? Are they portable? Could I use it in my car if I so choose? $40 is reasonable - going into the $100 + range would be taking a gamble given the history thus far with these companies.

If I knew that it was committed to staying on, regardless of the losses, I would definitely be in. I know for a fact that this service is popular in markets that have major format holes - among them, NYC, Philadelphia, and Monmouth/Ocean. There are some good terrestrial radio stations (If a station that sounded like WJSE was in Monmouth/Ocean, it would pull killer ratings and ad revenue) out there, but very few to speak of in these markets which are full of safe generic cookie-cutter takes on formats that are also usually safe and generic to begin with. However, satellite radio does look like a more attractive option with every passing day - that one hurdle is the main thing that's difficult to overlook.

 

[radroad]

According to the ArtsCenter promoter just over 9100. More than showed up to the Korn show in Spring. 4000 more than went to Jones Beach.

jones beach was cancelled and there is no way 9100 were there because i was there and it was the deadest show ive seen because unless your a die hard korn fan nobody knew about the show cause those bands get no play here. i went to the rat website and there is 1 pic of 20 people in front of a stage what a joke

 

[SoulCrusher]

To further illustrate my point about WRAT being too similar to other stations: At 11:30 AM this morning, they were playing Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike" at the exact same time as G Rock Radio. About 20 minutes later they played R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", which played this hour on G Rock. It's one thing to do that with Currents but quite another to do it with Gold tracks. This is definitely not the first time it's happened either - just the other night they were both playing Audioslave's "Be Yourself" at the same time as well.

WRAT identifies itself as an Active Rocker as opposed to a Heritage Rocker. That said, why do they play so few Currents, and why do they seldom ever play even the most established modern hard rock acts, even in dayparting? Unless they really want to appeal to the older demos, I don't get it. RatFest could have been a lot more popular than it was if the station reached out more to the fans of the edgier bands on FM Radio. While they have more of an edge than WMMR, that's not saying much. They need to go for a more aggressive overall sound to keep from getting lost in the shuffle.

 

[PleasetoShore]

radiorad, sorry. but it was 9100 in the door of course that includes all the free tickets that were given away, infact a few hundred purchased lawnies but didn't show because of the rain. face it, wrat somehow did their job.. outsold jones beach, outsold the krock show at the meadowlands back in spring. maybe they don't play that genre enough, maybe you hate them, maybe you have no idea what you're talking about.. well, whatever, you can believe what you want... it really has no bearing. i thought i heard that korn played jones beach, but some of the second stage acts didn't. and even if it was cancelled... tix sales there were 4k less than the arts center.

 

[radroad]

where did u get this info of 9100????? and this outsold jones beach is nuts because i'll say this as plain as i can .KORN DID NOT PLAY JONES BEACH THE SHOW WAS CANCLELED. maybe you have no idea what your talking about

 

[PleasetoShore]

i counted every person who came in the door, just like you. becuase that's right, you were at the show and you can tell just by looking at a group of people how many are standing there....right?

9100 came from the arts center managing office and promo/marketing dept. oh wait, maybe it's a conspiracy inside the arts center to make you look bad? the point is... you just don't know, do you. there could have been 4000 people there as far as you know... but you're so sure of hoping to further your propaganda that you'll make obviosly conspicuous comments about things like the number of people who went to a concert... when in fact the only people who can make that call are the people who scan tickets. perhaps when the promoter or marketing office returns your call, you can ask them. until then, comment about things that you have hard facts about. blah, blah, blah.