THE ULTIMATE VENT ABOUT PARTY FM

[Dancerev889]

Last night, Party FM's version of a Saturday Night "Dance" Party felt like a tale of two extremes. The first half sounded good when they were playing DANCE music, but halfway through, someone got the idea to change over to HIP HOP. I don't know if the rest of the show finished like that or not, as I eventually got disgusted and turned them off before the 1AM hour was done.

I started listening to some of the "Pulse alternatives", and they made Party FM look like crap. The Saturday Night Dance Party played on the Original Hot 97 sounded just like this show was meant to. It really did remind me of Pulse 87. I also tuned into Energy 98, and I can already see why they would have been a more logical choice to take over the WNYZ frequency.

Someone on here said that Party isn't a dance station and never identified themselves as such. Well, considering how much they've flirted with dance in both the past and present, we can't help but consider them some form of a dance station. It's not always what you say-----but what you do-----that makes an impression in people's minds.

With that last point being said, I can only wonder what Vic Latino's motivation is with Party FM. Is his goal to make Party a true dance station, or just a hip-hop station masquerading as one? Hip-hop and dance aren't exactly compatible formats, and no station can succeed for long trying to be all things to both audiences. It would be like going to a club that plays a few dance tracks and then out of nowhere switches up to hip-hop, only to switch back without warning. Any club that operated in that manner wouldn't be in business for long.

Sadly, if Party doesn't get its act together soon, neither will they!

Hip-hop and dance music are not compatible? You are kidding right? I think you better take a look back into the history of both and see that they did work together very well. Funny thing is they are doing it again, The biggest hip hop artists are working with the biggest dance djs. Get out of your shell and take a look at the big picture. No wonder most of the people that go on these boards can not take dance music fans seriously, because they can see whats in front of them or remember their own history

 

[lalumia]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

all these threads, by a handful of people, leads us to refer back to 'extreme vs. normal', and the ultimate backlash that will come to the 'extreme' crew who are in danger of being written off as a handul of, well, extremists not actually representing anyone but themselves...

 

[lalumia]

It would be like going to a club that plays a few dance tracks and then out of nowhere switches up to hip-hop, only to switch back without warning. Any club that operated in that manner wouldn't be in business for long.
------------------------------------------------
umm, actually, i've been DJing weekends,doing just what you described,at The legendary ,gay citadel,The BunkHouse, in Sayville Long Island ,since 1996,and last time I checked, we're still in business, jam packed on Saturday nites...

 

[Derrix-Javidd]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

all these threads, by a handful of people, leads us to refer back to 'extreme vs. normal', and the ultimate backlash that will come to the 'extreme' crew who are in danger of being written off as a handul of, well, extremists not actually representing anyone but themselves...

I don't know what "ultimate backlash" you're talking about, nor do I care. If you consider me a part of the "extreme crew", so be it. I'm not afraid to speak my mind about things, whether you agree or disagree.

I've read the "Normal vs. Extreme" thread, and it's basically a thread telling certain people to just shut up and go away. Well, that's the problem---people always just "shut up and go away", while taking the crap the conglomerates throw our way. I'll use an analogy here: Extreme listeners (passionate types) vs. normal listeners (casual or "I don't care much" types) = revolutionary minds (or those who stand up and protest) vs. everyday sheep (those who just "roll with the punches" and let others define what's "normal" for them).

Pulse wasn't just about a musical format or a struggling radio station. It was "the people's station". People were passionate about it because they played what "Big Radio" wouldn't touch and didn't feel made enough money for them. Things are only classified as "niche" to those in power who write the checks. Just because there's lots of stations playing a "mainstream format" doesn't mean that's what people prefer, either.

The sad truth is that good things die off all the time. People protest and no one listens. I remember when CD101.9 was taken off the air to be replaced with RXP. Progress? What people wanted? I don't think so.

 

[Derrix-Javidd]

Last night, Party FM's version of a Saturday Night "Dance" Party felt like a tale of two extremes. The first half sounded good when they were playing DANCE music, but halfway through, someone got the idea to change over to HIP HOP. I don't know if the rest of the show finished like that or not, as I eventually got disgusted and turned them off before the 1AM hour was done.

I started listening to some of the "Pulse alternatives", and they made Party FM look like crap. The Saturday Night Dance Party played on the Original Hot 97 sounded just like this show was meant to. It really did remind me of Pulse 87. I also tuned into Energy 98, and I can already see why they would have been a more logical choice to take over the WNYZ frequency.

Someone on here said that Party isn't a dance station and never identified themselves as such. Well, considering how much they've flirted with dance in both the past and present, we can't help but consider them some form of a dance station. It's not always what you say-----but what you do-----that makes an impression in people's minds.

With that last point being said, I can only wonder what Vic Latino's motivation is with Party FM. Is his goal to make Party a true dance station, or just a hip-hop station masquerading as one? Hip-hop and dance aren't exactly compatible formats, and no station can succeed for long trying to be all things to both audiences. It would be like going to a club that plays a few dance tracks and then out of nowhere switches up to hip-hop, only to switch back without warning. Any club that operated in that manner wouldn't be in business for long.

Sadly, if Party doesn't get its act together soon, neither will they!

Hip-hop and dance music are not compatible? You are kidding right? I think you better take a look back into the history of both and see that they did work together very well. Funny thing is they are doing it again, The biggest hip hop artists are working with the biggest dance djs. Get out of your shell and take a look at the big picture. No wonder most of the people that go on these boards can not take dance music fans seriously, because they can see whats in front of them or remember their own history

I'm not kidding. UNMIXED hip-hop does NOT mesh well with dance music in general. If what you say is true, then why is there still a "bitter divide" between the two formats that persists to this very day in the minds of dance fans everywhere? Do hip-hop fans even listen to dance music? The way I see it, if the two formats worked so well, there should have been no reason that ALL of the dance had to be removed from Hot 97's playlists after the conversion.

What is the motivation behind the collaboration between hip-hop artists and dance DJs you speak of? Money is probably at the root (when is it not?). The people who don't take dance music fans seriously are probably the same ones who mistakenly slapped the "gay" label on the genre as a whole.

 

[Derrix-Javidd]

It would be like going to a club that plays a few dance tracks and then out of nowhere switches up to hip-hop, only to switch back without warning. Any club that operated in that manner wouldn't be in business for long.
------------------------------------------------
umm, actually, i've been DJing weekends,doing just what you described,at The legendary ,gay citadel,The BunkHouse, in Sayville Long Island ,since 1996,and last time I checked, we're still in business, jam packed on Saturday nites...

There's the key right there: LONG ISLAND. What works on the Island doesn't necessarily work in the City, and that's what people have been saying about Party FM in some of the negative posts. There are clubs that do play both formats, but they generally play them on two different floors or in two different rooms. The formats aren't generally mixed into one playlist. If they are and people can stand it, more power to them!

 

[nd2023]

Re: If you took the helm at Party FM, what would you do?

Alot of posts attacking Party but I dont hear much in the way of suggestions on how to fix the format. So here's what I'd do. I'd start with the music, and adding songs like Chicane's "Hiding All the Stars", Tiesto "I Will Be Here", as well as bringing back the popular anthem songs (remember when you'd hear stuff like Amber "One More Night" and the remix of Whitney Houston's "Its not Right" and "My Love is Your Love").
I would also add some freestyle into the rotation, and always play remixes of pop songs instead of original versions, like Beyonce's Singe Ladies, for instance I'd put on the Dave Aude edit. Songs like Ascension "Someone" and Fragma "Miracle" would return to the rotation. I would get rid of most of the hip hop (GOODBYE PIT BULL!) but would keep the crossover stuff like Akon's "Sexy Chick" and Kid Kudi "Day N' Nite". Speaking of that song, I sure do miss it, they dont play it anymore but that Crookers Remix is excellent.
DJ's...I'd get rid of Natalia, and keep the rest. Natalia has too much of an urban feel and doesnt fit in with dance music. I'd keep all the DJ Mix shows as well as DJ Impact's Back in the Day Buffet. The Neighborhood is a good show, and adding the PM Drive was a good decision (one of their few good ones).
With a more dance oriented format the station would STAND OUT more both on the island and in NYC. Right now ppl are leaving the station in droves. They dont even get the same enthusiasm on Facebook.
Their playlist (which they finally bothered around to putting up) does list some songs like Tiesto's, but I have yet to actually HEAR them on the station.

Always playing remixes of pop songs? Thats the worst thing you can do. A lot of pop songs do not need a remix. Radio is for the masses not just a niche audience. Party just made some changes and besides "THEY ARE NOT A DANCE STATION" They never said they were.

If I took the helm at PartyFM, I would want Brett to program it.

 

[nd2023]

If the Saturday Night Dance Party you mention is the one that's broadcast live from a club, and it abruptly switches to hip hop in the middle of it, I would leave the club. If I want to dance to hip hop I will go to a local bar or frat party, not a nightclub in New York City.

 

[NJdx2]

Although I may be new to this board, don't be quick to dismiss me or what I have to say in this thread. I used to be a big fan of Pulse 87 when it was on the air, and I have honestly tried to give Party FM a chance. But after what's happened earlier today, I have to SERIOUSLY question whether this station can survive in the NYC market!

I titled my thread "The Ultimate Party FM Vent" because I have been watching this board ever since the demise of Pulse 87 back in October, and I've noticed the other posts/threads of displeasure about the station. My post will be my view of the situation, and will address multiple issues (some of which haven't been touched upon as of yet). Again, I'm not a "hater". I have listened to this station since the day they've been on 87.7.

Tonight (technically this morning) was about the 3rd or 4th time Party FM's signal has gone out on the WNYZ simulcast (I haven't taken an exact count), and it seems as if no one at the Long Island offices either notice---or even care---that no one in the greater Tri-State can even hear what they're playing! They've had issues like this that have lasted for HOURS! What kind of station tolerates hours of dead air to take place? This NEVER happened when Pulse 87 was on the air!

In their latest "mishap", the "Dirty Beats with ALUV" show went out on 87.7 for a while, only to resurface with a TAPE OF WHAT THEY WERE PLAYING BEFORE THEY FIRST SIGNED ON TO THE AIRWAVES IN NYC!! The "New York City, you've felt the Pulse....." thing is disturbing to hear more than two months later. It's a shame, because while they broadcast something totally different on 87.7, their intended program sounds pretty good on the Internet stream-----but that's not how it's supposed to work! The station has taken a GIGANTIC step backwards, and I'm totally disgusted with them!! I'm sure I could program a much better station than this myself!!

If it were left up to me, I'd get rid of most of the hip-hop and the hip-hop DJs (such as Loki, Spanky, and Ted Smooth), and take the station to the next level as a dance station. There are still some former Pulse personalities that could make the station better. I wish Showboat and DJ James Anthony were back! JVC has the potential to succeed where Mega Media failed, but it's as if no one over there realizes that. Maybe they just took us dance fans for granted when they took over the frequency. Big mistake!

Outside of this, I've noticed the station has recently shuffled their lineup around and been trying to add more dance music, but there are problems that persist with this station nonetheless.

From my point of view, it's not just the confusing mix of hip-hop and dance that is a turnoff. Some (if not most) of the on-air personalities are just downright annoying and/or unappealing, and don't make you even care about what they're playing a lot of the time. Pulido is the only one who seems like he could fit in on a NYC radio station, while the others are just there like wallpaper. The station has an obvious "small market feel" to it, and it's as if some of the people there are second-rate amateurs (at least as compared to some of the people that used to be on Pulse). I guess it will take the January and February books to FINALLY make it apparent that the Long Island format isn't working.

Whenever you post "dissenting opinions" about what they're doing on their Facebook page, someone from there deletes them and pretends they were never there in the first place. They want to give the impression that everyone who posts there loves everything they're doing.

Going without a morning show doesn't help overall (although Vic Latino's shift to afternoons was a good move), and there should NEVER be hip-hop played in a so-called "Saturday Night Dance Party". I've heard the arguments for why they need to play hip-hop, but for a lot of us listening, it doesn't wash. Pulse was very successful for what it was, and there's no reason to believe it couldn't be again. IMO, Vic needs to wake up and either go back to the 80/20 format, or split the stations entirely. Otherwise, we could all be here talking about "Why Party FM Failed And Where We Go From Here"! The work of the NYC Dance Music Coalition may not be done yet!

[size=10pt][size=10pt] [size=10pt][size=10pt][size=10pt]I HAVE SAT BACK AND WATCHED ALL THE POSTS SINCE PARTY TOOK OVER THE 87 SIGNAL. I HAVE THE SOLUTION TO ALL OF THE PROBLEMS POSTED. STOP LISTENING! WHEN THE FOOD AT TACO BELL IS TERRIBLE, DO I PROTEST? NO! I STOP EATING IT! PROGRAM DIRECTOR IS NOT A POLITICAL POSITION, THERE IS NO IMPEACHMENT... IT IS A BUSINESS, AND YOUR ONLY OPTION IS TO STOP LISTENING!!! AS AN AVID DANCE FAN, I'LL TAKE PARTY OVER THE RUSSIAN OR CHINESE STATION THAT COULD TAKE ITS PLACE! IS IT PERFECT? NO, BUT IT'S THE ONLY STATION THAT PLAYS DANCE IN THE TRI-STATE! DO I HATE HIP-HOP? YES! WHAT DO I DO WHEN IT COMES ON? THE SAME THING I DO WHEN COMMERCIALS COME ON... I CHANGE THE STATION! IF IT IS SUCH A FLAWED FORMAT, THEN OVERTIME THE RATINGS WILL FLOP AND IT WILL NOT SUCCEED, BUT UNTIL THEN, WHINING DOES NOTHING. MOVE ON PEOPLE[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size]

 

[dj_quad4]

Sadly, if Party doesn't get its act together soon, neither will they!

Hip-hop and dance music are not compatible? You are kidding right? I think you better take a look back into the history of both and see that they did work together very well. Funny thing is they are doing it again, The biggest hip hop artists are working with the biggest dance djs. Get out of your shell and take a look at the big picture. No wonder most of the people that go on these boards can not take dance music fans seriously, because they can see whats in front of them or remember their own history

Dancerev889:

I have to totally disagree with you,"GANSTER RAP OR HIP HOP"was never an easy blend with dance music listeners.This division got worst after Hot 97 was trash with RAP,yes some songs were mix with some rap beats but was never a big deal for the majority.True corporate America has to sell what makes money,dance music folks have no other choice but to swallow down their throats annoying HIP HOP tunes.Let's get real here Dancerev889,could you imagine what would happen if "HOT 97" or " POWER 105" would play music like what PULSE 87 played?No offense but i think the listeners of these stations would riot them completely.Same goes for 98.7 KISS FM & 107.5 WBLS,you will never hear them play music like what PULSE 87 played.The bottom line HIP HOP is a genre by it's self same goes for dance music.

 

[islanddxer]

Actually I think the Russian station that was on before Pulse 87 played more dance than Party..

[size=10pt][size=10pt] [size=10pt][size=10pt][size=10pt]I HAVE SAT BACK AND WATCHED ALL THE POSTS SINCE PARTY TOOK OVER THE 87 SIGNAL. I HAVE THE SOLUTION TO ALL OF THE PROBLEMS POSTED. STOP LISTENING! WHEN THE FOOD AT TACO BELL IS TERRIBLE, DO I PROTEST? NO! I STOP EATING IT! PROGRAM DIRECTOR IS NOT A POLITICAL POSITION, THERE IS NO IMPEACHMENT... IT IS A BUSINESS, AND YOUR ONLY OPTION IS TO STOP LISTENING!!! AS AN AVID DANCE FAN, I'LL TAKE PARTY OVER THE RUSSIAN OR CHINESE STATION THAT COULD TAKE ITS PLACE! IS IT PERFECT? NO, BUT IT'S THE ONLY STATION THAT PLAYS DANCE IN THE TRI-STATE! DO I HATE HIP-HOP? YES! WHAT DO I DO WHEN IT COMES ON? THE SAME THING I DO WHEN COMMERCIALS COME ON... I CHANGE THE STATION! IF IT IS SUCH A FLAWED FORMAT, THEN OVERTIME THE RATINGS WILL FLOP AND IT WILL NOT SUCCEED, BUT UNTIL THEN, WHINING DOES NOTHING. MOVE ON PEOPLE[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size]

 

[Dancerev889]

Sadly, if Party doesn't get its act together soon, neither will they!

Hip-hop and dance music are not compatible? You are kidding right? I think you better take a look back into the history of both and see that they did work together very well. Funny thing is they are doing it again, The biggest hip hop artists are working with the biggest dance djs. Get out of your shell and take a look at the big picture. No wonder most of the people that go on these boards can not take dance music fans seriously, because they can see whats in front of them or remember their own history

Dancerev889:

I have to totally disagree with you,"GANSTER RAP OR HIP HOP"was never an easy blend with dance music listeners.This division got worst after Hot 97 was trash with RAP,yes some songs were mix with some rap beats but was never a big deal for the majority.True corporate America has to sell what makes money,dance music folks have no other choice but to swallow down their throats annoying HIP HOP tunes.Let's get real here Dancerev889,could you imagine what would happen if "HOT 97" or " POWER 105" would play music like what PULSE 87 played?No offense but i think the listeners of these stations would riot them completely.Same goes for 98.7 KISS FM & 107.5 WBLS,you will never hear them play music like what PULSE 87 played.The bottom line HIP HOP is a genre by it's self same goes for dance music.

See now you sub genre hip hop with gangstar rap. Thats like saying jungle cant mix with most pop records and that way you are correct. Im talking about the more pop sounding hip-hop on thats on every top 40 station in the country.

Is it about money. Youre damn right it is. PEOPLE GOT TO EAT RIGHT? Just like the radio business people get into the music business to make money. Ask any artist why they are doing it and they will say the same thing......money. Ask any dance artist would they want to work with a Jay-Z and everyone of them will say yes. Akon fits with dance music, so does 50 Cent, Lil Jon, Sean Kingston, Jay-Z T.I. Look at all the sampling this year of dance records in hip-hop, do you think there was a reason for that? Check the BPM's on hip-hop records over the past 3 years, they all have one thing in common, they are all going up. P Diddy 5 years ago was working with a dance producer and performed it at the Winter Music Conference. The hip-hop guys on the charts love dance music.

This past year alone has been a huge year for the dance music in general. Lady Gaga huge success, but you probably think she's not a dance artist, Pitbull huge success, you probably dont think he's a dance artist( he just sampled a dance record), David Guetta became a star in the mainstream. But he's probably a sell out in your eyes because he works with the Black Eyed Peas. Tiesto is now doing the same thing with Three 6 Mafia. That song is a pure dance record but not good enough for you.

These are some of the reasons why I hate some of the dance fans, because you can't be happy with something positive going on. You lose a dance station, but 3 days later one of the biggest supports of dance music Vic Latino takes over the airwaves and because it isnt want it used to be you hate it. The man is tweaking what is going on there. Is it pure dance music, no but what is? I hear all the time that commercial dance music isnt dance music at all, its a poor man's version of pop music. The dance community can never be satisfied, so they moan and groan at everything. You still complain about something that happened in the 70's and then that hip-hop took over the scene. Well maybe hip-hop did a better job and marketed themselves a lot better. Take the rose colored glasses off and look at reality. Things are really good right now. David Guetta is going to be on the grammy's when was the last time a dance artist or DJ was on the ceremony. Not to mention he's presenting with a major pop artist.

 

[lalumia]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

the ultimate backlash is that people writing these 'we want dance!" posts will be totally written off as unreasonable crazies, and the genre of dance as a potential format will be written off along with it;
that's what I'm talking about;
and I hate to have to tell you, but I think that's already happened..

 

[islanddxer]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

No, these folks like me remember what Pulse and Party used to be play. Remember Ercola....??? You dont even hear them on Party, even though they were huge in 2008. That was the ANDRE influence there. Party WILL fail, period. And I wouldn't be suprised if TMO buys back 105.3 and 98.5 eventually.

 

[islanddxer]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

Well, maybe this will lend some credit to your belief. The optimist would say this means they may split the simulcast.
http://www.victory2multimedia.com/party87.7.php

But the Pessimist would think, sadly, "dance" isn't even mentioned. Look at the music description:
"Top 40, R&B, Hip-Hop, House, Reggaeton, Pop, Remixes"

 

[islanddxer]

I think the collaboration of hip hop artists with dance music has been a good thing. I think one of the best examples of this is Kid Kudi's "Day N Nite" and Akon's "Sexy Chick". I understand that sometimes you have to play more mainstream music to keep a station afloat, the problem is when you start losing focus, like what is happening with Party.
Vic is supposedly a supporter of dance music, yet his only "tweaking" at Party has been to play less of it. I am still baffled by that ???
Hip Hop and Dance worked well on Party for awhile, heck, I've been listening to the station since its inception, the problem now is that there's less cutting edge dance music, heck, there's less dance music period. And on the Hip Hop side of things they aren't a leader anymore either. Several years ago you'd have a 80dance/20hip hop ratio on Party which sounded great, and I miss hearing the old school in rotation (remember when you'd used to hear Bell Biv Devoe "Poison" in regular rotation?).
The station has lost its edge. And I dont see how it can make money when it plays the same music as 106.1, 101.7, 105.1, 92.3, 97.1, and 96.3,etc,etc, which all have much stronger signals. If ppl want to hear Pit Bull, Rihanna, Lil' Wayne etc they will tune into the station that has a stronger signal. Especially in the NYC area. I really hope Party can improve, but they've had several months now and it just sounds worse, and it's gonna fail if they keep this up. I dont want to see Party fail, which is why I'm upset with the direction they are taking.

 

[Morpheux]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

The did mentioned "House". I mean in NY isn't dance equivalent to House practically?

 

[lalumia]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

re;Ercola,which I did play in my DJ set at the time...
define "huge"......
and, no offense, but getting played on Party 105 and no where else, not showing up in sales charts or impact charts, does not exactly fit the criteria of 'huge'...

 

[lalumia]

you sometimes have to play more mainstream music to keep a station afloat?

in the current market, you have to play nothing but mainstream music to keep a station afloat,which is why the mainstreaming of dance should be your primary concern'
;when that happens, everything will take care of itself..

 

[MoldaMania182]

Re: EVEN I MUST ADMIT...

re;Ercola,which I did play in my DJ set at the time...
define "huge"......
and, no offense, but getting played on Party 105 and no where else, not showing up in sales charts or impact charts, does not exactly fit the criteria of 'huge'...

""Every Word" by Ercola featuring Daniela spent most of its 46 week run in the top 10 without dropping below number 10 on the Hot Dance Chart"

huge.