WTHK Classic Rock, got me..

[saintrichard]

I had a chance to listen to them today for the first time, what the heck are they anyway, sounds like a watered down version of an oldies station without the Motown. They are the best example of Chicken Rock I have ever heard, talk about safe tunes, Joel, Elton, Eagles, Stix, Queen, Morrison, Mac, America, Heart and the predictable, occasional, Southern Rock token bands, Skynard/Alman Bros/Top, you know the pattern. This station is so safe its pathetic, there must be people on this board that have heard them more than I have. Question, do they ever play anything Hard or obscure? They are very hard to listen to for more than 15 minutes at a shot, the jocks are so out of it, they would be better automated. OGL has a better blend of old rock than they do. If this is what Classic Rock is becoming, its very sad.

 

[BlueHen]

> I had a chance to listen to them today for the first time,
> what the heck are they anyway, sounds like a watered down
> version of an oldies station without the Motown. They are
> the best example of Chicken Rock I have ever heard, talk
> about safe tunes, Joel, Elton, Eagles, Stix, Queen,
> Morrison, Mac, America, Heart and the predictable,
> occasional, Southern Rock token bands, Skynard/Alman
> Bros/Top, you know the pattern. This station is so safe its
> pathetic, there must be people on this board that have heard
> them more than I have. Question, do they ever play anything
> Hard or obscure? They are very hard to listen to for more
> than 15 minutes at a shot, the jocks are so out of it, they
> would be better automated. OGL has a better blend of old
> rock than they do. If this is what Classic Rock is becoming,
> its very sad.

I remember there was a hint late last year of The Hawk playing harder-edge artists, but it looks like nothing ever came of it:

http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Board=philadelphia&Post=317228&page=

 

[westlife]

> I had a chance to listen to them today for the first time,
> what the heck are they anyway, sounds like a watered down
> version of an oldies station without the Motown.

...and that's exactly what the 40-something secretaries in the office where I work love. There must be half a dozen of them with a little clock radio at their desk tuned to 94.5 The Hawk all day long. There's also one or two others who listen to NJ101.5, but that's about it when it comes to radio in the office here.
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[Starscream]

Classic rock has always been this way - where have you been? Safe music that baby boomers feel comfortable hearing.

First things first - you are COMPLETELY shooting yourself in the foot trying to talk programming when you can't even spell the names of the bands correctly. Stix? Skynard? "token bands"?

Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and the Allmans are CORE ARTISTS in the classic rock format.

I've never listened to OGL, but aren't they positioned as an oldies station? I think the wiser comparison would be to MGK. That being said, comparing The Hawk to an oldies station is laughable. I never heard bands like Queen, Styx, and ZZ Top on CBS-FM before JACK, and that's the measuring stick of Oldies Stations. So there, you are wrong.

Long story short - The Hawk fills a niche that needs to be filled - a local rock station for the NJ/Penn border areas. If you want harder or obscure cuts, it's either out of format for classic rock or on a specialty show.

 

[kevs]

> Classic rock has always been this way - where have you been?
> Safe music that baby boomers feel comfortable hearing.
>
> First things first - you are COMPLETELY shooting yourself in
> the foot trying to talk programming when you can't even
> spell the names of the bands correctly. Stix? Skynard?
> "token bands"?
>
> Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and the Allmans are CORE ARTISTS in the
> classic rock format.
>
> I've never listened to OGL, but aren't they positioned as an
> oldies station? I think the wiser comparison would be to
> MGK. That being said, comparing The Hawk to an oldies
> station is laughable. I never heard bands like Queen, Styx,
> and ZZ Top on CBS-FM before JACK, and that's the measuring
> stick of Oldies Stations. So there, you are wrong.
>
> Long story short - The Hawk fills a niche that needs to be
> filled - a local rock station for the NJ/Penn border areas.
> If you want harder or obscure cuts, it's either out of
> format for classic rock or on a specialty show.
> Also,the Hawk is on 97.5,not 94.5.

 

[mcmannors]

>>There must be half a dozen of them with a little clock radio at their desk tuned to 94.5 The Hawk all day long.<<

As another poster mentioned, The Hawk is at 97.5, not 94.5. They switched about 5 months ago.

 

[DJinNJ]

Guess they must be enjoying the sounds of WPST especially since The Hawk has been on 97.5 since Valentines Day. Maybe that middle-aged thing has them confused as to what they are really listening to! It's almost like night and day between the two!!

94.5 = WPST

97.5 = WTHK

~DJinNJ

 

[wavelength]

> > I had a chance to listen to them today for the first time,
>
> > what the heck are they anyway, sounds like a watered down
> > version of an oldies station without the Motown. They are
>
> > the best example of Chicken Rock I have ever heard, talk
> > about safe tunes, Joel, Elton, Eagles, Stix, Queen,
> > Morrison, Mac, America, Heart and the predictable,
> > occasional, Southern Rock token bands, Skynard/Alman
> > Bros/Top, you know the pattern. This station is so safe
> its
> > pathetic, there must be people on this board that have
> heard
> > them more than I have. Question, do they ever play
> anything
> > Hard or obscure? They are very hard to listen to for more
>
> > than 15 minutes at a shot, the jocks are so out of it,
> they
> > would be better automated. OGL has a better blend of old
> > rock than they do. If this is what Classic Rock is
> becoming,
> > its very sad.
>
> I remember there was a hint late last year of The Hawk
> playing harder-edge artists, but it looks like nothing ever
> came of it:
>
http://www.ra> dio-info.com/mods/board?Board=philadelphia&Post=317228&page=
>


In regards to hard and obscure I hope you are referring to Vanilla Fudge, early Pink Floyd, or MC5. If you are referring to 80's hair metal that is not classic rock. It never should be thought of as classic rock!

 

[gethigh]

> > > I had a chance to listen to them today for the first
> time,
> >
> > > what the heck are they anyway, sounds like a watered
> down
> > > version of an oldies station without the Motown. They
> are
> >
> > > the best example of Chicken Rock I have ever heard, talk
>
> > > about safe tunes, Joel, Elton, Eagles, Stix, Queen,
> > > Morrison, Mac, America, Heart and the predictable,
> > > occasional, Southern Rock token bands, Skynard/Alman
> > > Bros/Top, you know the pattern. This station is so safe
>
> > its
> > > pathetic, there must be people on this board that have
> > heard
> > > them more than I have. Question, do they ever play
> > anything
> > > Hard or obscure? They are very hard to listen to for
> more
> >
> > > than 15 minutes at a shot, the jocks are so out of it,
> > they
> > > would be better automated. OGL has a better blend of
> old
> > > rock than they do. If this is what Classic Rock is
> > becoming,
> > > its very sad.
> >
> > I remember there was a hint late last year of The Hawk
> > playing harder-edge artists, but it looks like nothing
> ever
> > came of it:
> >
> http://www.ra>
> dio-info.com/mods/board?Board=philadelphia&Post=317228&page=
>
> >
>
>
> In regards to hard and obscure I hope you are referring
> to Vanilla Fudge, early Pink Floyd, or MC5. If you are
> referring to 80's hair metal that is not classic rock. It
> never should be thought of as classic rock!
>
Hey too bad on that, a number of "classic rock" stations play hair band music and consider that classic rock, along with all the .38 special, and Skynyrd, and Kiss, and Molly Hatchet they play. I have heard the "Free-Beer & Hot Wings" station, I can't imagine with all the stale cracker safe classics they play, that I could hear The MC5 exclaim, "Kick out the jams muthafuckers!" and then launch into "Rambling rose". However if they ever wanted to be exciting with their choice of 70's Classics, I'd be interested in hearing Blue Cheer's rendition of Summertime Blues.

 

[KeithThompson]

"If you are referring to 80's hair metal that is not classic rock. It never should be thought of as classic rock!"

To quote Bowling For Soup from the song "1985"..."when did Motley Crue become classic rock?". A lot of that 80s hair band stuff isn't exactly my cup of tea either, but much of that stuff is 20 years old or older and many of the people that listened to that stuff are now in their 40s. At some point (if it hasn't already arrived yet) classic rock has to incorporate later eras of music so that the demographic doesn't get too old (especially since it won't be that long from now when the classic rock audience hits retirement age). In many ways, you can think of classic rock as today's oldies format while today's oldies format can be thought of as nostalgia.


> > > I had a chance to listen to them today for the first
> time,
> >
> > > what the heck are they anyway, sounds like a watered
> down
> > > version of an oldies station without the Motown. They
> are
> >
> > > the best example of Chicken Rock I have ever heard, talk
>
> > > about safe tunes, Joel, Elton, Eagles, Stix, Queen,
> > > Morrison, Mac, America, Heart and the predictable,
> > > occasional, Southern Rock token bands, Skynard/Alman
> > > Bros/Top, you know the pattern. This station is so safe
>
> > its
> > > pathetic, there must be people on this board that have
> > heard
> > > them more than I have. Question, do they ever play
> > anything
> > > Hard or obscure? They are very hard to listen to for
> more
> >
> > > than 15 minutes at a shot, the jocks are so out of it,
> > they
> > > would be better automated. OGL has a better blend of
> old
> > > rock than they do. If this is what Classic Rock is
> > becoming,
> > > its very sad.
> >
> > I remember there was a hint late last year of The Hawk
> > playing harder-edge artists, but it looks like nothing
> ever
> > came of it:
> >
> http://www.ra>
> dio-info.com/mods/board?Board=philadelphia&Post=317228&page=
>
> >
>
>
> In regards to hard and obscure I hope you are referring
> to Vanilla Fudge, early Pink Floyd, or MC5. If you are
> referring to 80's hair metal that is not classic rock. It
> never should be thought of as classic rock!
>

 

[valkyrie777]

"Chicken Rock"

> They are the best example of Chicken Rock I have ever heard, talk
> about safe tunes,

LOL! Thanks for a quick stroll down memory lane. My mentor when I was about 17 was an old rock jock from the 60s/70s who loved to use the phrase "Chicken Rock"...a now mostly-obscure term for a station that wouldn't quite rock but would kind of creep up to "rock" by playing borderline rock groups...or "rock lite".

I had forgotten that term; thanks for the refresher course.

 

[westlife]

> Guess they must be enjoying the sounds of WPST especially
> since The Hawk has been on 97.5 since Valentines Day. Maybe
> that middle-aged thing has them confused as to what they are
> really listening to! It's almost like night and day between
> the two!!

I'm still not used to the frequency change since I rarely listen to either WPST of WTHK myself. However, unless WPST has "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult in their playlist, I'm pretty sure these secretaries have their radios tuned to WTHK, regardless of where the heck it's on the dial!
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[pdq]

>However if they ever wanted to be exciting with their
> choice of 70's Classics, I'd be interested in hearing Blue
> Cheer's rendition of Summertime Blues.

...which was released in 1968. I have the album, "Vincebus Eruptum," in front of me. Their highly unusual (and LOUD) rendition of the Eddie Cochran classic actually peaked at #14 nationally. Incredible for 1968.