Still more music tweaking at DRC-FM

[CTListener]

DRC-FM apparently is returning '50s music to its "nobody plays more music" oldies/big hits/good time rock & roll playlist. I heard Elvis' "Hound Dog" yesterday around 1 p.m., the Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue" late last night, and just a few minutes ago, Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" sandwiched between "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "Sultans of Swing." (And Nazareth's "Love Hurts" was in the next set -- has there ever been a station anywhere that had the Fleetwoods and Nazareth on its playlist at the same time?) Surprising, to put it mildly. I can't recall hearing of the '50s coming back to an oldies station once the decade had been banished -- especially a station that's still playing a lot of the classic rock and '80s music that it added in its brief "Big Hits" period. Maybe there's still the idea there that DRC can somehow make a "Jack" format consisting entirely of old music work.

 

[DJ Jim Wayne]

I heard the same thing and I must comment that it really takes some guts to do this. I think Big D should be commended for trailblazing this "broadest" format!Now if only they could clean up their signal . . . . .

 

[Turntable]

Yep. I've said it before, others have said it before, but just in case anyone missed it the first fourteen thousand times, I will say it again...FIX THE DAMNED AUDIO PROCESSING!!It isn't rocket science...

 

[CTListener]

Yep. I've said it before, others have said it before, but just in case anyone missed it the first fourteen thousand times, I will say it again...FIX THE DAMNED AUDIO PROCESSING!!It isn't rocket science...

Not being an engineer, I don't mind it all that much. I admit it doesn't sound as good as, say, WHCN's, but I prefer the music on DRC to that on HCN and am not about to go changing stations just because the Gene Pitney song on DRC doesn't sound as good coming out of my speakers as the John Mellencamp song on HCN. Somehow, I think the processing issue is a non-starter for most, if not all, of the station's other listeners who aren't professional engineers or audiophile hobbyists. (The audiophiles are probably listening to their CDs, or maybe HD Radio, anyway.)My only real problem with the latest DRC imaging package is the heavy-handed use of "Star Wars"- type sound effects on every damn sweeper. "swishswishswish ... your kids call it old school ... swishswishswish ... we just call it good music ... zapzapzap ... good time rock and roll, DRC-FM!" ... "swishswishzapzap ... the first station on your dial ... zapzapswish ... now keep it there ... zapswish ... DRC-FM!" Enough!

 

[RadioMan203]

I heard the same thing and I must comment that it really takes some guts to do this. I think Big D should be commended for trailblazing this "broadest" format!

Ha! I've been doing that format for almost 6 years now! The former WMEX-FM in New Hampshire (not to be confused with the Boston legendary station with the same calls) did that even before I did!It's nice to see DRC-FM finally coming to the party!BillCapitalRadio.us

 

[RadioMan203]

Yep. I've said it before, others have said it before, but just in case anyone missed it the first fourteen thousand times, I will say it again...FIX THE DAMNED AUDIO PROCESSING!!It isn't rocket science...

First of all, I really believe that it has to be a GM decision that the audio is so crappy, as I can't imagine an engineer worth his salt to want to take ownership of how the station sounds! From what I've been told, they're running an Aphex FM2020 (at least) and I've heard that box sound quite sweet on other stations. I'm not a loud box like an Omnia or an Optimod, but it can certainly be made to soound many hundreds of a percent better that it does on DRC-FM.Second, audio quality in general has to be address. I've hear Abba's "Dancing Queen" and it sounded like they were playing the worst quality mp3 file you could ever make! I've also heard the imaging liners by Bill Rock sound like they were also poorly encoded - very swishy! i know Bill personally and his studio gear is top notch - I highly doubt there's a quality problem on his end (if you've heard his work for NBC Television that should say enough).DRC-FM has such an inconsistant sound in both programming and with their audio that it makes it hard to listen to them for any extended amount of time. DRC-FM's also suppose to be broadcasting in HD - I wonder if that sounds as God awful as their analog signal.Buckley must be spending more money on their New York cluster as Engineer Tom Ray has their stations sounding pretty decent by comparison.

 

[GlennO]

Since when does it take "guts" to add songs to a playlist? It's all about what works. That eventually translate to what makes money. Just when they seemed to be regaining some familiarity and focus, the Platters reappear. If playing hits from when Ike was president makes them happy, fine. It does fly in the face of so much of the conventional wisdom that are inconvenient truths to the "big playlist = big listenership" crowd.

 

[Turntable]

Yep. I've said it before, others have said it before, but just in case anyone missed it the first fourteen thousand times, I will say it again...FIX THE DAMNED AUDIO PROCESSING!!It isn't rocket science...

First of all, I really believe that it has to be a GM decision that the audio is so crappy, as I can't imagine an engineer worth his salt to want to take ownership of how the station sounds! From what I've been told, they're running an Aphex FM2020 (at least) and I've heard that box sound quite sweet on other stations. I'm not a loud box like an Omnia or an Optimod, but it can certainly be made to soound many hundreds of a percent better that it does on DRC-FM.Second, audio quality in general has to be address. I've hear Abba's "Dancing Queen" and it sounded like they were playing the worst quality mp3 file you could ever make! I've also heard the imaging liners by Bill Rock sound like they were also poorly encoded - very swishy! i know Bill personally and his studio gear is top notch - I highly doubt there's a quality problem on his end (if you've heard his work for NBC Television that should say enough).DRC-FM has such an inconsistant sound in both programming and with their audio that it makes it hard to listen to them for any extended amount of time. DRC-FM's also suppose to be broadcasting in HD - I wonder if that sounds as God awful as their analog signal.Buckley must be spending more money on their New York cluster as Engineer Tom Ray has their stations sounding pretty decent by comparison.

Agreed. WRKI's Pete Partenio is running Aphex 2020 (MkIII as I recall) and it sounds pretty sweet. IMO, DRC-FM as "Connecticut's First" has an obligation to present a listenable product on-air. As it sits, the station is almost completely unlistenable. I mean sure, on your $30 Wal-Mart boombox you probably wouldn't notice the difference between DRC-FM and say, oh, a good sounding station like WRKI or WPLR. But if you have good equipment (I do most of my listening in a recording studio environment) you can't hold that station for ten minutes without a headache. And, to the poster above who said that the audio quality isn't his main concern, you don't have to be an engineer, broadcast, audio, or otherwise to enjoy good quality audio. And with today's processors, you don't even need to be an engineer to effect good sound quality (or to destroy it for that matter i.e loudness wars).This has nothing to do with engineering, more to do with common sense. If it has the potential to sound good with a few changes to the parameters on existing gear, why not make it sound good? Why not? Because WDRC= "We Don't Really Care!"I want to see them prove me wrong. I hope someone at DRC is reading this...As an aside and a wink, WMNR in Monroe is now one of the best sounding stations in the state. They acquired WEZN's Omnia6EX when they went to Orban. Great job Bill!!! I remember fighting with their old 8100 at Masuk for years!!! I got it sounding pretty good though!-A

 

[RadioMan203]

Agreed. WRKI's Pete Partenio is running Aphex 2020 (MkIII as I recall) and it sounds pretty sweet. IMO, DRC-FM as "Connecticut's First" has an obligation to present a listenable product on-air. As it sits, the station is almost completely unlistenable. I mean sure, on your $30 Wal-Mart boombox you probably wouldn't notice the difference between DRC-FM and say, oh, a good sounding station like WRKI or WPLR. But if you have good equipment (I do most of my listening in a recording studio environment) you can't hold that station for ten minutes without a headache.

Excellent points! I met Pete many, many years ago when Al Mathews and a few others from the then-oldies WMMM/WCFS in Westport made their exit to Mt Kisco's WVIP-FM (between V-106 and the "SuperStation" simulcast - Al I think was PD or Music Director, Chris Cimmino was on-air and swing shift). Pete was the typical engineer who had his own quirks but knew his stuff. I'm not surprised one bit if he has his 2020 sounding great

This has nothing to do with engineering, more to do with common sense. If it has the potential to sound good with a few changes to the parameters on existing gear, why not make it sound good? Why not? Because WDRC= "We Don't Really Care!"

I nearly fell off my chair on this one ... can I quote you on that? Hey, I'm just about ready to make up some bumper stickers with that one!

I want to see them prove me wrong. I hope someone at DRC is reading this...

Don't hold yer breath on that one! If the audio decisions are from the GM (the former chief engineer, mind you) he must have gone tone deaf! I know he doesn't reply to his emails as I had written to him some years ago and he has yet to discover the reply button!

As an aside and a wink, WMNR in Monroe is now one of the best sounding stations in the state. They acquired WEZN's Omnia6EX when they went to Orban. Great job Bill!!! I remember fighting with their old 8100 at Masuk for years!!! I got it sounding pretty good though!

I do have to say it's really sounding great, but between Kurt, John and Clif I wouldn't expect anything less. I'm working with them on a few computer related projects. It's kind of nice to see my "old home" so nice and spiffed up. One of my own prized possessions is the second board WMNR had for an on-air console: an early 70's vintage Gates Yard 80. It brings back some fun days for me and reminds me how fun radio use to be.Bill

 

[CTListener]

And, to the poster above who said that the audio quality isn't his main concern, you don't have to be an engineer, broadcast, audio, or otherwise to enjoy good quality audio. And with today's processors, you don't even need to be an engineer to effect good sound quality (or to destroy it for that matter i.e loudness wars).

I enjoy good quality audio. And yes, WPLR sounds better than WDRC. But to me, content is king, and I stand by my original assertions: I'm not going to switch to a better-sounding station that doesn't play the music I like, and I just can't see this issue costing DRC a significant number of potential listeners, other than professional audio types. Folks listening in the car, on the office radio, or while repairing a transmission at Firestone -- in other words, 90+ percent of the station's daytime audience -- just aren't going to care.I agree that it would be nice if DRC sounded as good as the other stations on the Hartford/New Haven dial. But other than professional pride (which, along with 50 cents, will buy you a copy of the Courant) what's the incentive for Buckley to make those improvements?

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

It's quite sad to see what has happened to 102.9, The once great BIG D 103.I'm not nearly old enough to remember it from the 60s or 70s obviously.. but I can tell you one thing for sure... it was better in the 90s as Big D 103.. the music was great and the audio didn't sound so bad.

 

[Turntable]

Bill, email me [email protected] I have questions for you..."One of my own prized possessions is the second board WMNR had for an on-air console: an early 70's vintage Gates Yard 80."...are you talking about before the twin stereo 80's at Masuk, or before my time?I've had occasion to visit the new studios which are about a stone's throw away from my home... I have seen the rackroom and I have alot of questions... Mario and Bill Batista knew next to nothing....-A

 

[RadioMan203]

It's quite sad to see what has happened to 102.9, The once great BIG D 103.I'm not nearly old enough to remember it from the 60s or 70s obviously.. but I can tell you one thing for sure... it was better in the 90s as Big D 103.. the music was great and the audio didn't sound so bad.

Paul, I remember "discovering" DRC-FM on my first transistor radio (sounds silly unless you realize this was the late 60's early 70's) and their then Top-40 format was great! Well executed and fun to listen to (I would switch between them and WABC, WNBC and any other station I could get well on the little radio).I couldn't remember when I started to notice DRC-FM falling apart, audio quality wise, but I'm sure a trip through my aircheck collection will prove there was a time when they actually sound better than they do today.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

I think that they started falling apart sometime in the 90s when they started using Big Hits 102.9...... when they dropped the BIG D 103 slogan is when things started..

 

[GlennO]

Big D 103 became Oldies 102.9 DRC-FM right after the station's 40th anniversary as Big D in August 2000. Big Hits came a couple of years later. WDRC-FM had a major ratings spike as recently as the summer of '04, although that's been more the exception than the rule. Dramatic surges can be deceiving. I know for a fact that many fifties tunes were hitting a sour note with the more casual baby boomer listener (the P-2 silent majority) as far back as the mid-nineties. That is why the reappearance of early era songs is surprising in a format getting more 55-plus day by day even with a 60s/70s emphasis.The audio issue has been thoroughly discussed here. Some changes since the 90s include a rapid succession of morning shows after Jerry Kristafer's departure in late '97, a rhythmic reaction to Dancin' Oldies Z-93.7 in '99 and abandoning Westwood One's Hartford research completely later in '99. At this point, they probably don't know what to replace their oldies/classic hits mix with if they have to after all the tweaking. I don't have the answer. That's what research is for.

 

[Pete Partenio]

Thanks for the comments on the WRKI audio, Yes it is a Aphex 2020 MK 3.I first heard it when it was still a breadboard on Donn's bench at Aphex and have one in my studio at home,I feed it with a PR&E Radiomixer 20, sounds real good .....when setup right.I guess I will take a listen to WDRC, they might be running the orignal 2020, it had some problems!Pete

 

[CTListener]

Some changes since the 90s include a rapid succession of morning shows after Jerry Kristafer's departure in late '97, a rhythmic reaction to Dancin' Oldies Z-93.7 in '99

Hehehe. I remember that. "Here's another HOT OLDIE on 102.9 DRC-FM," and then something like the Emotions' "Best of My Love" or the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" would play. "Hot" apparently being a DRC euphemism for "black." I remember discussing it at the time with a fellow oldies radio geek at the office, and we both figured out what was going on immediately.Funny thing is, after 93.7 abandoned "Dancin' Oldies," DRC kept most of the "hot" oldies around anyway. In fact, for the entire decade, the DRC-FM playlist seems to have been put together, on the fly, by musical packrats.

 

[CTListener]

It's quite sad to see what has happened to 102.9, The once great BIG D 103.I'm not nearly old enough to remember it from the 60s or 70s obviously.. but I can tell you one thing for sure... it was better in the 90s as Big D 103.. the music was great and the audio didn't sound so bad.

OK, I now fully agree with you and the other DRC audio naysayers. I gave DRC a good, close listen for about a half-hour on my car radio just now and, man, the differences in audio quality from song to song were incredible. Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" sounded like crap, but the song that followed it, Linda Ronstadt's "Heat Wave," was pretty good, as was the next song, the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever." Then I heard a set that began with the Intruders' "Cowboys to Girls," which sounded embarrassingly awful, continued with a high-quality "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover," then ended with a screechy, distorted-high-end "Gimme Some Lovin'." Oh, the Rays' "Silhouettes on the Shade" was in there somewhere, sounding flat and thin, but seeing as how that song first appeared as an uncredited bonus track on Thomas Edison's debut album "Mary Had a Little Lamb," I give it a pass. (OK, 1957, if it's accuracy you want.)Of the low-quality songs I heard, I think only "Gimme Some Lovin'" is being played on any other station in the market. I'm pretty sure I've heard it on WAQY at some time or another, probably in the car, and never noticed the sort of audio deficiencies I heard tonight on DRC.

 

[Turntable]

Yeah, WAQY 102.1 sounds pretty good, I used to listen to them all the time when I was living in Stafford Springs. Funny thing, and you'd be interested to hear this Pete if you are keeping an eye on this thread, is that I could get I95-- inside the apartment, on my Sangean ATS-803a, --with just the telescoping whip antenna! I could even pull it in stereo, albeit with alot of multipath. Stafford is about 95 miles from Brookfield!-A

 

[CTListener]

Yeah, WAQY 102.1 sounds pretty good, I used to listen to them all the time when I was living in Stafford Springs. Funny thing, and you'd be interested to hear this Pete if you are keeping an eye on this thread, is that I could get I95-- inside the apartment, on my Sangean ATS-803a, --with just the telescoping whip antenna! I could even pull it in stereo, albeit with alot of multipath. Stafford is about 95 miles from Brookfield!-A

I've got the same radio, but living only two miles from West Peak, I95 is out of the question -- 95.1 is just WZMX/WKSS hash.