WBCN During the Early and Mid 1980's

[Ratings Magnet]

I can remember BCN playing "Head" from Prince's first record, so there was a long history there. I also remember the greatest segue in radio history, from Devo - Whip It into Sinatra - My Way. I think it was Frank's birthday or something. BCN used to play Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight too.

The point is BCN has incredible music unpredicability then.

Man, I remember when Oedipus had banned Aerosmith for a while from the station (he actually took all their records out of the studio) and Carter Alan taking an Aerosmith gold record off the wall and trying to play it on air, turns out it was a classical record of some sort. But, it was great radio.

Add to that music unpredicability, awesome imaging and fantastic talent (it was Laquidara, Matt Segal, Tracy Roach, Parenteau, Carter, Jerry Goodwin when I started listening), and you have a station that successfully created the feeling that if you were not listening you were going to miss something.

 

[timpani]

Neanderpaul was correct, college stations such as WMBR and WZBC were actually the first to play most records that WBCN was known to have "broken" back in those days, often as much as half a year ahead.

In the late '70s/early '80s, WBCN was actually looking to college stations to determine which of the music they were playing seemed like it would be accessible and successful enough for them to "break" months later. Those days are long gone.

Hi, I am the new kid here and check into this board every so often.

I saw this discussion and thought it significant to mention that WBCN back in the late 70's early to mid 80's did not have to look to college stations to determine what they would play. They already had dj's and a program director who were concurrent college radio dj's while at WBCN. Most of the airstaff attended weekly music meetings with Oedipus for input on what new music would be introduced each week. Oedi, himself, continued doing the Demi Monde on WMBR well after he became program director at WBCN.

 

[Ombudsman]

WCOZ was where it was at.

 

[Oldbones]

I first heard Michael Bolton on BCN. His cover of 'Dock of The Bay'. Sometimes too much freedom can be a bad thing.

A couple years ago I was sorting thru some old copies of Billboard, and was surprised to see a Michael Bolton song (don't recall what it was...don't think it was anything I'd ever heard of) on their AOR chart, so I guess he was considered a rock act early in his career.

I never was much of a rock dog, but I enjoyed WBCN in the late 70s/early 80s. They were more adventurous than WCOZ, but COZ's tight focus (and better numbers) kept 'BCN from being too obscure.

 

[aaronread]

I don't like it when college stations become that snooty and elitist. I agree that college stations should provide an alternative to what's available on commercial radio, but occasionally mixing in a more popular tune once in a while, especially something that had roots on college radio before commercial, won't kill them.

Worth mentioning is that for many, many years, the college radio stations sounded a lot like what you hear on WFNX now. Well, okay, obviously they're as "polished" or "commercial", but the style of rock was not dissimilar. It was stations like WBCN and WFNX moving more into the "alt-rock" category and away from AOR that "drove" the college stations to being more and more "underground rock", in order to maintain that elitist stance of "we play what the commercial stations won't".

Problem is, instead of working to find acts that might be just on the verge of going big and beating the commercial stations to it...most (not all, but most) college stations instead focused on finding bands that commercial would never play, which rapidly because "music that 99% of all listeners will shut off the radio if we play it". Much easier to just define yourself as what you're not than to try and define what you are. Of course, in doing so you give listeners no reason to ever listen to you in the first place, but it's easier.

After all, are there not enough excellent alt-rock bands that aren't getting airplay on WBCN or WFNX? I find that exceedingly hard to believe, given their "narrow" playlists. I wouldn't exactly say that WZBC or WMBR could wipe the floor with WBCN or WFNX if they wanted to. But I would say that WFNX, at least, would be sweating quite a bit if either WZBC or WMBR actually geared up to go toe-to-toe with them.

 

[timpani]

But I would say that WFNX, at least, would be sweating quite a bit if either WZBC or WMBR actually geared up to go toe-to-toe with them.

I completely agree. Also WERS. They are sounding stellar these days. Not as "punked up" as ZBC or MBR, but playing excellent music that commercial radio won't touch.

 

[timpani]

But I would say that WFNX, at least, would be sweating quite a bit if either WZBC or WMBR actually geared up to go toe-to-toe with them.

I completely agree. Also WERS. They are sounding stellar these days. Not as "punked up" as ZBC or MBR, but playing excellent music that commercial radio won't touch.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Worth mentioning is that for many, many years, the college radio stations sounded a lot like what you hear on WFNX now. Well, okay, obviously they're as "polished" or "commercial", but the style of rock was not dissimilar. It was stations like WBCN and WFNX moving more into the "alt-rock" category and away from AOR that "drove" the college stations to being more and more "underground rock", in order to maintain that elitist stance of "we play what the commercial stations won't".

That was what eventually happened, but not what originally happened. DJ's like Oedipus, Tom Lane and others pioneered punk rock in this area in the mid-70s on WMBR when WBCN was still playing mainstream AOR. WBCN was still playing exclusively the ilk of what is now classic rock (The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, etc...) when those DJ's on WMBR began playing the Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, the Buzzcocks, the Dead Kennedys, etc... and WFNX was still WLYN-FM, a local-service AC station. It wasn't even "Y-102" (WLYN-FM's pre-WFNX New Wave format) yet.

WBCN started tuning into (the more mainstream end of) New Wave and punk a year or two after WMBR (and WZBC shortly thereafter) pioneered it, then (the new rock shows on) WMBR, WZBC and other college stations became increasingly obscure to maintain their esoteric position.

Problem is, instead of working to find acts that might be just on the verge of going big and beating the commercial stations to it...most (not all, but most) college stations instead focused on finding bands that commercial would never play, which rapidly because "music that 99% of all listeners will shut off the radio if we play it". Much easier to just define yourself as what you're not than to try and define what you are. Of course, in doing so you give listeners no reason to ever listen to you in the first place, but it's easier.

That's one of the things I find frustrating about a lot of college radio. There is so much good music that commercial radio is not playing that college stations could play, and still be unique in playing it on the dial, without snidely resorting to purposely turning off listeners for the sake of elitism. And, to be fair, some college shows/DJ's do just that and do a fine job, but the attitude of the elitist anti-listener DJ's (except for a very small like-minded clique of their own peers) still bugs me.

After all, are there not enough excellent alt-rock bands that aren't getting airplay on WBCN or WFNX? I find that exceedingly hard to believe, given their "narrow" playlists. I wouldn't exactly say that WZBC or WMBR could wipe the floor with WBCN or WFNX if they wanted to. But I would say that WFNX, at least, would be sweating quite a bit if either WZBC or WMBR actually geared up to go toe-to-toe with them.

That won't happen. Even if they decided that they wanted to (which they don't), I don't think either college station is set up tightly enough internally management-wise to pull it off logistically.

I completely agree. Also WERS. They are sounding stellar these days. Not as "punked up" as ZBC or MBR, but playing excellent music that commercial radio won't touch.

WERS is doing something different - it's what I call a form of "eclectic AAA", and as a station run by a professional communications school that actively wants their station to be a ratings and fundraising success, I think it was a very smart idea for them going forward. As the currently college-age and young adult iPod generation grows up, I think the type of format that WERS is doing will resonate well. Look for more non-comms (or perhaps even comms) elsewhere adopting similar formats eventually.

 

[Research_Weenie]

WERS is doing something different - it's what I call a form of "eclectic AAA", and as a station run by a professional communications school that actively wants their station to be a ratings and fundraising success, I think it was a very smart idea for them going forward. As the currently college-age and young adult iPod generation grows up, I think the type of format that WERS is doing will resonate well. Look for more non-comms (or perhaps even comms) elsewhere adopting similar formats eventually.

i agree - i've been tuning into WERS most mornings. Love the fact the music is excellent, but there's also competent news/weather. Much more to my liking than the old "coffeehouse" format.