Thoughts on Houston Radio

[TheBigA]

I notice when I travel away from Houston to different major cities that radio sounds the same. Similar playlists, voice-overs, etc. Sad to admit but I choose to leave the radio in the OFF position these days.

I've spent most of my life traveling around the country, and I always remember radio having similar playlists, similar jingle packages, and similar voices. Especially within ownership groups, like RKO or Sonderling, but also at indie stations. There really were only a couple of radio jingle companies, they all used the same musicians and singers, and you'd choose from a few template jingle packages. Playlists were dictated by the national charts, like Billboard or Cash Box. That's how my PD decided what to play. So what you describe is really how most of radio has been for practically my entire life.

 

[bturner]

I agree with the above post and the post he references. It is correct the elements sounded the same but it is the local flavor I noticed and while I saw most stations determining playlists from Billboard, Radio & Records and Gavin Report during my time in programming, each station had a slant with some songs that other stations didn't play. It might have been the same Tanner jungle package but each station had a local personality. They might have both done 20-20 news and had a Boss 30 playlist but each station had a certain personality amid the common to all aspects.

The trend in the past 20 years or so seems to be toward carbon copies of formats without any individuality within the format or concept. I recall listening to the 'Arrow' classic rock concept in 3 cities about a decade ago. They were identical, even down to the placement of station promos within the hour and the even the liners. I don't recall if they were all owned by the same company but that was back before most stations were vice tracked.

 

[TheBigA]

I don't recall if they were all owned by the same company but that was back before most stations were vice tracked.

I believe it was a CBS format. Perhaps late 80s.

 

[bturner]

You refreshed my memory. It was CBS that began the Arrow. I recall The Arrow came to Houston shortly after I got to Houston in 1993. I think their 20th anniversary is about to happen. They were K-Lite prior to than, a Format 43 (was that the number) for that soft rock format. Sunny 99 won out on that. I bet KODA's staff cracked open the champagne when the switch happened.

 

[RadioFaninTexas]

You refreshed my memory. It was CBS that began the Arrow. I recall The Arrow came to Houston shortly after I got to Houston in 1993. I think their 20th anniversary is about to happen. They were K-Lite prior to than, a Format 43 (was that the number) for that soft rock format. Sunny 99 won out on that. I bet KODA's staff cracked open the champagne when the switch happened.

K-Lite 93.7 was a great station during its run!

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I notice when I travel away from Houston to different major cities that radio sounds the same. Similar playlists, voice-overs, etc. Sad to admit but I choose to leave the radio in the OFF position these days.

I can't believe I am saying this, but you really ought to buy an HD radio. In Houston, the really creative, unusual, and interesting formats are all on HD-2 and 3 channels. The OTA stuff is bland and horrible. When not listening to an HD-2, I am listening to satellite or streaming on my iPhone, connecting to the car radio via bluetooth.

 

[stevenNOLA]

I can't believe I am saying this, but you really ought to buy an HD radio. In Houston, the really creative, unusual, and interesting formats are all on HD-2 and 3 channels. The OTA stuff is bland and horrible. When not listening to an HD-2, I am listening to satellite or streaming on my iPhone, connecting to the car radio via bluetooth.

I fully agree with this post. HD Radio provides a nice change from the main channels. My main channels preferences are Hot, Sunny, 93Q, The Buzz and The Eagle. (yeah--I'm all over the place). It would be nice to see the analogs simulcast a complimentary sub channel from time to time (ex: Hot could run Energy on Friday or Saturday night when the slot isn't sponsored). I know they have done this before but I'd like to see more of it.

 

[notmenoti]

Houston Radio is boring. When I let my XM lapse, the only things worth listening to (for me) were 92.1 and the NPR station. If I didn't want to listen to them, I streamed Tune In and Slacker in the car. The Houston stations of the same genre seem to play the same 6 songs constantly. I listen to XM, iHeart, Tune In and Slacker to get a wider variety of music. I'm also a big smooth-jazz fan, and that has been relegated to HD in Houston. Houston radio makes it worthwhile for me to pay XM or use one of the online radio outlets.

 

[Ment]

XM is a Joke. I would take Internet radio or regular Houston radio any day. After XM merged to sirius it's really a joke. FM sounds much better then XM does by far. Even AM.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

XM is a Joke. I would take Internet radio or regular Houston radio any day. After XM merged to sirius it's really a joke. FM sounds much better then XM does by far. Even AM.

I totally agree on the sound quality of XM. I subscribed to XM instead of Sirius so I wouldn't be financially supporting the pervert Howard Stern. Then they merged, and I grudgingly keep the subscription going because it is about the music. My first radio was a six transistor portable. The sound quality was awful through the 3 inch speaker. My second had 8 transistors and a marginally better speaker. My third was an all American 5 tube radio with a 4 inch speaker. Sound quality on those radios was worse than XM, but on them I heard the great stations of the day - WLS, WABC, etc. All memories now - memories of good music even if the sound quality was horrible.

And the sound quality still is horrible. Whether it is Bob-FM which is always blended to mono, or KONO 860 getting shredded by KEYH, or the faint 1490 from Huntsville or 1220 from Madisonville - THAT is over the air Houston radio to me except for HD. I won't listen to the crappy non-HD formats they broadcast on local stations. The only bright spots in Houston radio for me are Air-1, KUHA classical, and KCOH which at least plays classic soul oldies. Most of the time, I am on HD-2's, satellite, or streaming.

 

[ContinuousWave]

As someone that lives outside of the market, Houston radio, at the present time, is pretty meh.

I do agree with KHMX. This station literally kicked off the Hot AC movement that has engulfed this country. While the format has shifted dramatically since 1990, I think it has probably swung too far towards the younger end of the pendulum, with Mix following suit. Of course, 14 year olds that may listen to the format probably have never heard of Dave Matthews Band (a core group), but I could be wrong thanks to the advent of the internet. What also puzzles me is that if CBS is trying to market KKHH and Mix together, why can't they separate their playlists?

Actually, WOMX in Orlando was the first MIX station...and was the template for others like Houston, etc. under Jacor then CC...
The ORIGINAL concept of MIX was a station of the best of today and the previous 2 decades...so in the 90s, it was 70s-90s...which worked great...however, in the 2000s, the music had skewed sooo much, you cannot really do a 80s or 90s-today music...the current generation doesn't mix well with the last 20years..What Houston needs is a good JACK with live DJs (Dallas' is still going strong though sister KLUV is almost playing the same format with LIVE DJs...go figure)...a lot of people thought MIX would go to a KISS format...but when CC dumped 96.5, that obviously didnt happen...that WOULD be a direct competitor to 95.7. Now with the Arrow (which was an original CBS O&O format) is gone, maybe CBS will move KHMX more toward a Classic Rock/Hits format.....MAYBE

 

[ContinuousWave]

KRBE remains a legacy Houston station, and is very good at what they do. Unfortunately, they p____ed away the once powerful footprint they once had - by not challenging new 104.1's in the area, and by fooling around with HD. They are nothing like the station in the late 80's that blanketed Austin almost like a local, was solid into the south parts of the DFW metroplex, and only faded in the East when another 104.1 in Houma began to cover them. That didn't happen until Lafayette..

RBruce, I don't understand your statement "the other 104.1s".......there are no new ones to the east except for the translator in Lake Charles which is a fill in for KRLR...which they DON'T need IMPO....I understand Sanger's 104.1 license is being surrendered by Cumulus so there goes the north side....Nothing new down the coast (KBFM has been there forever).. The coverage loss on KRBE (and other FMs off Senior Road) can be attributed to HD from what I see....

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