WFNX: Another sad performance

[ciao99]

Looking at the 12+ numbers is like predicting the weather with the farmer's alminac. The truth about sales is that a good ad targets someone. There is no point to selling beer to 12 year olds or a deal on high heals at macy's to guys.

A station like FNX that has strong numbers males 18-32 and 25-44 is very desirable to advertisers. A good sales staff can sell that. And they make good money.

And you guys should be proud that you still have a station like FNX. Well programmed, locally owned, a history with the city of boston, they have something to say... Those stations just dont exist anymore. I cant think of a major market independantly owned station other than fnx.

I just don't see what the problem is. You dont have to like it, but respect it for what it is.

But that's the point: WFNX is not well programmed. Local programming made way for Lovelines, a syndicated talk show from LA. The programming is also all over the place. You can make you point about beer ads and Macy's ads, and it's valid. But WFNX is going for both older and younger with its programming changes, and the numbers are down. As for strong male numbers, that's to be debated. Plus most listeners I know of are female, not male.

 

[spilot113]

Looking at the 12+ numbers is like predicting the weather with the farmer's alminac.

Wrong, 12+ DO shows overall trends.

While some variations between 12+ and 25-54 do occur...it's rare that a station is doing gangbusters 12+ but is in the dumper in every demo.

It's also rare that a station is in the dumper 12+ and show up very well in the demos.

The 12+ #'s are a good benchmark to tell if a station is gaining listeners or dumping them. And it's the only thing thats available to post.

The truth about sales is that a good ad targets someone.

A station like FNX that has strong numbers males 18-32 and 25-44 is very desirable to advertisers.

The truth about sales is you can sell anything....but at what price? The worse the numbers, the lower the rate/revenue...even though you may indeed have Macy's spots on the air.

I am at home and don't have the 18-32 (I thought it was 18-34) demo in front of me, nor the 25-44.

However 25-54 WFNX is in 20th(!!) place. Not good by any stretch of the imagination.

They are beaten by WNNW (an AM Spanish station in Lawrence), Frank-FM in Nashua, WXLO in Worcester, The River in Havrhill (ahemmm..Andover).

And you guys should be proud that you still have a station like FNX. Well programmed, locally owned, a history with the city of boston, they have something to say...

Say what? "Well Programmed"? By what stretch of any standard would anyone say this? A history? "Something to say..."? What do they have to say?

I just don't see what the problem is. You dont have to like it, but respect it for what it is.

Well...What is it? A piss poor signal, with no money put into programming, no one is paid well, and the audience is rejecting it.

 

[Brooklyndon]

I definitely consider myself lucky to have grown up being able to listen to the leftover lunch. I had sort of stopped listening to WFNX back during the Extreme FNX days, but since 2005, I typically choose it over WBCN whenever I'm back in the commonwealth.

Its a shame that potentially people want to get rid of the only alternative station on the East Coast.

 

[Neanderpaul]

I definitely consider myself lucky to have grown up being able to listen to the leftover lunch. I had sort of stopped listening to WFNX back during the Extreme FNX days, but since 2005, I typically choose it over WBCN whenever I'm back in the commonwealth.

Its a shame that potentially people want to get rid of the only alternative station on the East Coast.

I certainly don't want it to go away. I want it to be what it should be. Why can't an alternative station play ALTERNATIVE? Here...a sample of what I think WFNX should sound like (again just my opinion, and we know what they say):

Clash - Police On My Back
Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkies
Erasure - Love To Hate You
Against Me - Thrash Unreal
English Beat - Save It For Later
Dropkick Murphys - Shipping Up To Boston
U2 - Party Girl
Killers - Somebody Told Me
Feist - 1,2,3,4
Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK
Modest Mouse - We've Got Everything
Beck - Devil's Haircut
Psychedelic Furs - Heaven
Spoon - The Underdog
Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died
Paramore - Misery Business
Coldplay - Speed Of Sound
Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
Coheed & Cambria - The Running Free
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Rascal King

There's almost 2 hours of Alternative...no David Bowie "Fame"...No Queen..No Counting Crows.

Counting Crows? On an alternative station? Really?

Make no mistake. I am not a WFNX listener. I'm strictly meathead bottle-o-whiskey and Les Paul guitar guy personally. But, if you're going to be "alternative", "Let's Dance" has NO place on your station.

 

[Signpost]

"Let's Dance" has NO place on your station.

I think you're judging 'FNX from the Thanksgiving weekend programming - when it was all "leftovers".
But when I heard Ric Ocasik singing "Who's Gonna Take You Home Tonight.." i recoiled..
But i'm OK with old Bowie songs - deeper cuts preferably ("Hang Onto Yourself"). They should throw in old Roxy Music too.

 

[Neanderpaul]

"Let's Dance" has NO place on your station.

I think you're judging 'FNX from the Thanksgiving weekend programming - when it was all "leftovers".
But when I heard Ric Ocasik singing "Who's Gonna Take You Home Tonight.." i recoiled..
But i'm OK with old Bowie songs - deeper cuts preferably ("Hang Onto Yourself"). They should throw in old Roxy Music too.

Did they star their Thanksgiving leftovers weekend October 17th? That's the random day I monitored, and the following songs played that have NO business on any alternative station:


Bowie - Let's Dance (twice)
Bowie - Space Oddity
Cars - Magic
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
Sting - All This Time

It can be argued that those artists were "alternative pioneers" but those songs have no business on FNX. Sting as a solo artist has never been alternative. By the time he was releasing solo records, he was an out of the box add on WBOS. Magic from the Cars? No, it didn't play during leftover lunch. I'll go back to Summertime. Just for kicks...let's pull up June....11th? Stand by:

Bowie - Suffragette City & Young Americans
Dishwalla - Counting Blue Cars
Peter Gabriel - Big Time
Seven Mary Three - Cumbersome


No...it appears as if WFNX is trying to do something different. And that is admirable. But, IMHO, and again I'm one person. They're diluting the product by playing out-of-format songs. Perhaps the "variety" thing does work. We see it in a lot of formats now. Active has widened, Alternative seems to be. At least at FNX. "Name" radio stations seem to be everywhere.

Remember when that was called AOR?



Have a swell day!

 

[spilot113]

Its a shame that potentially people want to get rid of the only alternative station on the East Coast.

For a 24 year old financier you jump to a lot of conclusions....

No one wants to "get rid" of it....

They would simply like it programmed better.

 

[inthewolf]

1) The reason many of those leftover songs play (and show up on mediabase)
is that FNX plays random 80s songs in the overnight to rest the gold. Most
of the really strange and random ones never play in the day outside of
leftover lunch


2) You cannot judge a radio station by looking at the BDS chart. You have to
actually hear a station to understand.


3) To say that David Bowie is NOT alternative is just a ridiculous
statement.


4) True alternative stations around the nation have taken a much wider
persepective in the past few years. Take a look at KNRK in Portlands
numbers. They are outstanding. They play the Pretenders, The Cars, The
Police, Peter Gabriel, etc. Feel free to look at the new and successful WRFF
in Philly or the new alternative in Hartford. Or how about the End in
Seattle? Or KBZT in San Diego. All do well. All play a VARIETY of
alternative.

5) FNX plays every single one of the alternative songs that Neaderpaul
posted in his list. I mean sure we could bang Chili Peppers every hour all
day but doesn't BCN already do that? FNX should play a variety


6) FNX has its ratings challenges, we all know that. The station is trying
to reach an 18-49 audience. That's the target. The music reflects that.

Back to work...

 

[Neanderpaul]

1) The reason many of those leftover songs play (and show up on mediabase)
is that FNX plays random 80s songs in the overnight to rest the gold. Most
of the really strange and random ones never play in the day outside of
leftover lunch

Untrue. I don't need to post times. They're readily available on Mediabase & BDS

2) You cannot judge a radio station by looking at the BDS chart. You have to
actually hear a station to understand.

Nice try. I know the songs involved. And I know what they sound like.

3) To say that David Bowie is NOT alternative is just a ridiculous
statement.

Never said anything of the sort. Without David Bowie, you don't get Trent Reznor, or Marilyn Manson, or AFI. Bowie is the Elvis of Alternative. But it's not who you play. It's what you play by who you play. "Let's Dance" is not an Alternative song. Never has been. Perhaps that slot would've been better served by "Ashes To Ashes?" See? Not anti-David Bowie...but play the right David Bowie tracks. Something that fits the format of the station.

4) True alternative stations around the nation have taken a much wider
persepective in the past few years. Take a look at KNRK in Portlands
numbers. They are outstanding. They play the Pretenders, The Cars, The
Police, Peter Gabriel, etc. Feel free to look at the new and successful WRFF
in Philly or the new alternative in Hartford. Or how about the End in
Seattle? Or KBZT in San Diego. All do well. All play a VARIETY of
alternative.

"Let's Dance" and "Cumbersome" aren't Alternative.

5) FNX plays every single one of the alternative songs that Neaderpaul
posted in his list. I mean sure we could bang Chili Peppers every hour all
day but doesn't BCN already do that? FNX should play a variety

Within format yes. But Queen isn't in-format. Neither are the tracks I listed. The listed songs dilute the format IMHO. But hell..I could be wrong. I'm willing to consider that. Ratings will always be the ultimate arbiter.

6) FNX has its ratings challenges, we all know that. The station is trying
to reach an 18-49 audience. That's the target. The music reflects that.

Some of it sure. But again, it appears they're reaching too far for cume they'll never get...and at the potential expense of their P1s. Not very different than when they alienated everyone by trying to be "Active/Alternative" back a few years.

Just my 2 cents. All it's really worth anyway

 

[Eli Polonsky]

But, if you're going to be "alternative", "Let's Dance" has NO place on your station.

Boston market AAA stations WBOS and WXRV were both playing "Let's Dance" by Bowie at the same time about a half hour ago!

 

[Brooklyndon]

if the main critique about WFNX is that they play the wrong Bowie song then things song like they are in good shape. Certainly a few music lovers would think it would be rad or subversive to hear other Bowie tracks like "Boys Keep Swinging" or "Stay." It ain't gonna happen, too many Yah-Dudes would think those songs were gay.

What's scarier is how WFNX ignores the Nu Rave sound, Klaxons and Shitdisco should be a part of their playlist they are the hottest bands in the UK right now. Furthmore, dance punk bands like You say Party, We Say Die and Arctic monkeys should be getting airtime.

Addtionally, on the lists of leftovers, maybe The Pretender's "Tattooed Love Boys" and U2's "Two Hearts Beat as One" should be in the mix.

If I programmed a youth-oriented rock station I'd be targeting women, putting my station neck deep in Nu-Rave and Dance Punk currents with a lifeboat of classic, dancable, guitar-oriented New-Wave songs. Until then I'll stick to analyzing money-market derivatives.

 

[PaulRAnderson]

How do you all think WFNX compares to what it was twenty years ago? I was a faithful listener at that time, but gave up on the station as it went all-testosterone-all-the-time over the years.

Would it be possible to program the station as it was in the late 1980s? I don't mean the same artists, of course (although some could still be played) but the same attitude? It was a good, mainstream alternative station then, listened to by college students, young professionals, male and female. It defined the "alternative" sound then. Could it do so now?

Or maybe I'm just an old fart and have no clue. I could not name a single Beastie Boys song if I tried.

Paul

 

[MoLarryMoLarry]

Chris - as a former employee who was at fnx during the incredible run from 1990-1996, I have one word of advice - well, a couple actually.

STOP RESPONDING TO THESE POSTERS WHO DO NOT AND WILL NOT UNDERSTAND FNX. You're wasting your breath trying to defend the station. Just enjoy the time you have working there and being surrounded by the people who DO love it and get it. It's a terrific experience that few will ever understand.

Leave the numbers to the guessers - really, who cares? these same guys are already trying to make a post to critique my use of the term "incredible run" because they think I'm talking about the ratings. further proof that they dont get it and never will.

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

"Let's Dance" has NO place on your station.

I think you're judging 'FNX from the Thanksgiving weekend programming - when it was all "leftovers".
But when I heard Ric Ocasik singing "Who's Gonna Take You Home Tonight.." i recoiled..
But i'm OK with old Bowie songs - deeper cuts preferably ("Hang Onto Yourself"). They should throw in old Roxy Music too.

Did they star their Thanksgiving leftovers weekend October 17th? That's the random day I monitored, and the following songs played that have NO business on any alternative station:


Bowie - Let's Dance (twice)

That sounds more like a Disco Vinnie song anyway b/c of Chic's involvement on the record! You remember Chic, right? Good Times - Le Freak (Freak Out) - Everybody Dance - I'm Coming Out (Diana Ross) - We Are Family (Sister Sledge)

Not exactly AOR, eh?

 

[ex radio pimp]

First I want to say that Ben Orr sang Drive, not Ric Ocasik and the show is called “Loveline” not “LovelineS"

OK

I worked at fnx until recently. The current PD (KD) is the reason I quit and probably will be jaded against radio forever. Here is a guy who was running the station on an interim basis in 02 and led it directly into the toilet. Same ratings as you're seeing now.

Then FNX brought in a real PD (let's call him The Big guy) and he fixed everything. Ratings went up 75% , they got millions from snapple, they played the right songs, doubled their signal, things got better. The Big Guy took the current PD (KD) under his wing and tried to teach him how it is done. KD pretended to listen. As soon as The Big Guy left KD brought in all of hsi boyfriends from Virginia (where they had already failed as a group) and gave them the morning show. He put his other boyfriend to do a clone of his (KD's) show in afternoon drive on the same day. The station, under the leadership of The Big Guy, was peaking. So KD gets the job and changed everything all on the same day! You average listener had to wonder if they were listening to the right station becaus their morning guy and their afternoon guy were suddenly gone and suddenly rince, the Gin Blossems and Queen are "alternative"!

When The Big Guy came in to rescue us, one of the things he mentioned was how KD had special programming every weekend. The Big Guy noted that people might like to hear the same music on their favorite station on Saturday rather than deal with some random theme every weekend. What did KD do? You guessed it, as soon as The Big Guy was gone he brought back speacial weekends ; all 90's, all dead people, all 80's, all where the hell are my favorite songs????

KD leads a boys club and he's a stubborn ass who is a top 40 guy disguised as "alternative". He has no clue what that station is supposed to be about, what it was, what made it great, and he doesn't care. He has destroyed moral, alienated his part timers who have been waiting for full time jobs to open only to lose them to KD's Virginia Boys Club. He is cold and callous and doesn't care about anything or anyone except for his lame click of unfunny boyfriends. He has ruined that station. The GM gave KD free reign and it didn't work. How long will they put up with this?

I had to leave because of that guy. He made me want to jump off a bridge.

 

[oncebittentwiceshy]

Dear exradiopimp,

Kudos on your post...as a former FNX employee I admired your bluntness. After my dismal experience with the powers that be @ FNX, I have vowed to never return to radio because sadly, I also tired of battling the ever expanding egos that called the shots.

LOVED "THE BIG GUY"...and am fortunate to still keep in touch with him. He deserves respect because dammit, he earned it!

best of luck to you ;D

 

[MoLarryMoLarry]

dear pimp and once bitten -

if KD REALLY wants to enjoy running FNX, then perhaps he should've taken the lead from the Big Guy (that's one way of putting it - LOL) and enjoyed the fruits of the FRIED BACON SANDWICH from the diner across the street or the Kelly's Fried Shrimp Special in Revere. Those things ALWAYS made the big guy happy about working in alternative radio! LOL!!

 

[inthewolf]

Facts are fun things, ex radio pimp.

Its too bad you didnt enjoy you're time at FNX but your vitrol against the current PD seems unwarranted. A lot of what you say just plain isn't true.

"The big guy", who was/is a great guy and a format visionary, did not increase FNX's ratings by 75%. In fact, FNX had its highest numbers in years the book before "the big guy" took over. The big guy, 12 plus, had an average of a .8. The station, since he left, has been right around the same. Not great, for sure, but the current PD "KD" hasn't made the station go up or down. (except in 18-34 where the numbers have shown significant growth in the past few months)

The Snapple deal came from sales and not programming. The signal move came from the stations engineer and also not programming.

The second thing you mention is the new morning show which you say "failed a group before". Also not true. The 3 guys had never worked together as a group but when "KD" and two of the morning show members were in VA the station they were at had its highest ratings ever (even up to right now). The 3rd member of the show had the #1 rock station in Georgia. Also if you take a look at the current trend, you'll see the new show is slowly gaining traction and actually already have numbers better than the previous morning incarnation.

The third thing you mention is Queen/ Gin Blossoms. "The Big Guy" put those songs into spice rotation not the current PD. Also "The Big Guy" is still very actively invovled in FNX because he is the consultant.

The fourth thing that is inaccurate is the special weekends. The station has been doing special weekends in the fall book to help juice the weekend numbers which had been terrible. Just trying to put a little fun and life into the station especially while BCN runs football. Why hate on this? Stations do special weekends all the time. Hasnt ROCK 101 done block party weekends since 1976?

The fifth mistake is the the new PD is a top forty guy. He has never worked in top forty ever. Personally I dont think he is an ass. Im also not one of his "boyfriends".

You clearly are angry that you were passed over for a full time gig. It happens. Being a parttimer sucks and always will. People get passed over all the time. This business blows. Its probably good you got out of it because it seems to have made you entirely too angry over something that, in the big scheme of things, isnt that important.

 

[TravisWMLN]

Facts are fun things, ex radio pimp.

Its too bad you didnt enjoy you're time at FNX but your vitrol against the current PD seems unwarranted. A lot of what you say just plain isn't true.

"The big guy", who was/is a great guy and a format visionary, did not increase FNX's ratings by 75%. In fact, FNX had its highest numbers in years the book before "the big guy" took over. The big guy, 12 plus, had an average of a .8. The station, since he left, has been right around the same. Not great, for sure, but the current PD "KD" hasn't made the station go up or down. (except in 18-34 where the numbers have shown significant growth in the past few months)

The Snapple deal came from sales and not programming. The signal move came from the stations engineer and also not programming.

The second thing you mention is the new morning show which you say "failed a group before". Also not true. The 3 guys had never worked together as a group but when "KD" and two of the morning show members were in VA the station they were at had its highest ratings ever (even up to right now). The 3rd member of the show had the #1 rock station in Georgia. Also if you take a look at the current trend, you'll see the new show is slowly gaining traction and actually already have numbers better than the previous morning incarnation.

The third thing you mention is Queen/ Gin Blossoms. "The Big Guy" put those songs into spice rotation not the current PD. Also "The Big Guy" is still very actively invovled in FNX because he is the consultant.

The fourth thing that is inaccurate is the special weekends. The station has been doing special weekends in the fall book to help juice the weekend numbers which had been terrible. Just trying to put a little fun and life into the station especially while BCN runs football. Why hate on this? Stations do special weekends all the time. Hasnt ROCK 101 done block party weekends since 1976?

The fifth mistake is the the new PD is a top forty guy. He has never worked in top forty ever. Personally I dont think he is an ass. Im also not one of his "boyfriends".

You clearly are angry that you were passed over for a full time gig. It happens. Being a parttimer sucks and always will. People get passed over all the time. This business blows. Its probably good you got out of it because it seems to have made you entirely too angry over something that, in the big scheme of things, isnt that important.

so does that mean fnx has some part time openings?

 

[ex radio pimp]

Facts are fun things, ex radio pimp.

Its too bad you didnt enjoy you're time at FNX but your vitrol against the current PD seems unwarranted. A lot of what you say just plain isn't true.

"The big guy", who was/is a great guy and a format visionary, did not increase FNX's ratings by 75%. In fact, FNX had its highest numbers in years the book before "the big guy" took over. The big guy, 12 plus, had an average of a .8. The station, since he left, has been right around the same. Not great, for sure, but the current PD "KD" hasn't made the station go up or down. (except in 18-34 where the numbers have shown significant growth in the past few months)

The Snapple deal came from sales and not programming. The signal move came from the stations engineer and also not programming.

The second thing you mention is the new morning show which you say "failed a group before". Also not true. The 3 guys had never worked together as a group but when "KD" and two of the morning show members were in VA the station they were at had its highest ratings ever (even up to right now). The 3rd member of the show had the #1 rock station in Georgia. Also if you take a look at the current trend, you'll see the new show is slowly gaining traction and actually already have numbers better than the previous morning incarnation.

The third thing you mention is Queen/ Gin Blossoms. "The Big Guy" put those songs into spice rotation not the current PD. Also "The Big Guy" is still very actively invovled in FNX because he is the consultant.

The fourth thing that is inaccurate is the special weekends. The station has been doing special weekends in the fall book to help juice the weekend numbers which had been terrible. Just trying to put a little fun and life into the station especially while BCN runs football. Why hate on this? Stations do special weekends all the time. Hasnt ROCK 101 done block party weekends since 1976?

The fifth mistake is the the new PD is a top forty guy. He has never worked in top forty ever. Personally I dont think he is an ass. Im also not one of his "boyfriends".

You clearly are angry that you were passed over for a full time gig. It happens. Being a parttimer sucks and always will. People get passed over all the time. This business blows. Its probably good you got out of it because it seems to have made you entirely too angry over something that, in the big scheme of things, isnt that important.

OK I'll see you these and raise...

It is my understanding that we cannot quote ratings here but pre big guy , I was there mind you, was about where it is now. KD was running the show pre big guy. When the big guy left, ask around , look it up, it was about 75% better. We had our best book in years right before the big guy left. I wish i could quote the numbers to you.

The Snapple and Signal moves were both credited in meetings to being impossible without the big guy. If that's not true, which i think it is, then credit FNX management with bold faced lies.

As far as KD's boyfriends failing in Virginia and wether or not they worked together see the follwoing quote from wikipedia (source is not the greatest but it's been this way on that page for years.) Please note that ratings were down and the Sandbox was RE UNITED in Boston:

"By September of 2005, the station was clearly struggling in the ratings. Program Director Mike Murphy was dismissed and went to program WHFS in Baltimore ( Murphy is now Program director at WBBT & WLFV in Richmond ). Charlie and Fletcher soon followed heading to Montpelier, VT and Savannah, Georgia respectively. After being apart for several years, Charlie, Fletcher and Special Ed reunited on July 23, 2007 on WFNX as the hosts of a new morning show called, The Sandbox."

As far as Queen and Gin Blossems (and counting crows for that matter) I never EVER had that on my schedule til the big guy was gone. To say KD hasn't made changes is to say something other than the truth. He loves pop hits. Ask him.

Onto Special Weekends. Under The Big Guy we had leftover thanksgiving and that's about it. KD , before and after the Big Guy, has had special weekends every weekend. Think about the person who wants to hear that new Interpol song that they heard all week on a Saturday or Sunday and checks the station all weekend and can't hear it. That person calls to request it but my hands are tied, I have to play all music by dead artists or all 90's or whatever special weekend it is. Block party weekends on Rock 101 don't break the format. All 80's All Weekend does. It isolates young listeners and annoys a lot of people. The phones ring and they have nothing good to say.

A far as weekend ratings being low also un true. Jim Ryan has had the highest rated show for years. Wec are constantly told that Saturday's are the highest ratings of the week. Spice it up for football? Why? Becuae KD loves special weekends. The Big Guy told him it was a bad idea to have speacial weekends every weekend. As soon as he was gone KD ignored the advice of his "mentor".

As for KD never working in top 40 ever...look up B106. POP as pop can be.

As for me being angry about being passed over. Wrong again . I was never going to get a job. Anytime KD mentioned my name it was to make fun of me and put me down. I had no illusisons of getting a job. But both The Big Guy and KD told other jocks that they are "the future" and that they're "next". But they weren't next. The Virginia Boyfriends were and always were going to be next. KD has no problem lying to your face. Centore, Sanbox, Greek = All from KD's Virginia days.

The only thing you got right is that none of this is any impiortant unless you consider being a man of your word, people's incomes and careers, the ratings and a sinking ship "important." It's no longer important to me because I don't have to live in that poisonous atmosphere anymore.

Facts are funny.