Radio today. Sigh.

Here's a story from AP about the sad state of modern radio and the 'alternative' to it.
Dan C




CEDAR GROVE, N.J. (AP) - When 13-year-old Dana Marino
flips on her boom box, she wants to hear her favorite
songs. And she often does - over and over and over
again.
``FM stations overplay popular songs, to the point
that no one likes them anymore,'' the eighth-grader
complained after enduring a recent audio overdose of
J.Lo and Ja Rule.
Ed Cronin, 42, rarely flips his radio on. He longs
for the free-form format of his teen years, when you
could hear anything from Elvis Presley to Elvis
Costello, the Supremes to the Sex Pistols.
``You were exposed to all sorts of other stuff -
not only the hip and new, but older stuff,'' said the
resident of West Roxbury, Mass. ``You can't hear that
now.''
Finally, a place where no generation gap exists.
When it comes to commercial radio, it appears
everybody has a gripe - except the corporations atop
the multibillion-dollar industry. Their stations, they
say, are just following the advice of the Kinks' Ray
Davies: Give the people what they want.
``We play what people want to hear,'' said John
Hogan, president and chief operating officer of Clear
Channel Radio and its 1,200 stations. ``And if we play
too little of what people want to hear, they're going
to go somewhere else.''
They already are - although it's not necessarily to
other radio stations.
Radio listeners are listening less. In 1993, they
spent an average of 23 hours per week with the radio
on; last year, it was down to 20* hours, according to
Arbitron numbers.
Those most likely to turn off the radio:
teen-agers, long among the medium's mainstays. Among
girls age 12-17, the radio is on just 16 hours a week.
For boys, it's just 12* hours. That's bad news for the
country's 11,047 commercial radio stations.
Why the turn-off?
Some, like musicians Prince and Little Steven Van
Zandt, blame playlists so strict they make the old Top
40 format seem extravagant.
Others blame a 1996 law that opened the door for
corporate ownership of hundreds of radio stations,
replacing often-eccentric local owners with a legion
of sound-alike voices and formats.
``FM is creatively tired,'' said Lee Abrams, a
veteran radio consultant now employed by the satellite
radio company XM. ``The attitude is, `We're making
money. Why change it?'
``They make their money, they pay the bank,
everybody is happy,'' Abrams continued. ``And music is
very low on the totem pole.''
To listeners, music ranks higher - and they're
willing to look a little harder for it. Untold numbers
download music off the Internet, and about 25 million
people dial up Internet radio daily, a recent study
found. XM predicts its satellite audience will
quadruple to 350,000 by the end of the year.
Such abandonment once seemed impossible, when radio
was king and its DJs ruled the musical landscape.

^---=

When Richard Neer debuted on New York radio in
1971, the broadcast world was a different place. Right
into the '80s, the airwaves - from WNEW-FM in New York
to KFOG-FM in San Francisco - enjoyed a golden era.
``It was a time of artistic freedom. And we thought
that would last forever,'' said Neer, a former 'NEW
jock and author of the book ``FM: The Rise and Fall of
Rock Radio.''
Competition was cutthroat, with stations waging war
for a single tenth of a point in the Arbitron ratings
(and its corresponding bump in ad rates).
It was business, sure. But it was personal, too,
and the DJs were the ``personalities.'' Many were
larger than life, nearly as large as their egos.
In the '60s, ``Murray The K'' Kaufman quit in the
middle of his shift when handed a playlist. In the
'70s, the legendary Frankie Crocker rode into Studio
54 atop a white stallion. In the '80s, WNEW's Scott
Muni opened every show with a Beatles tune in memory
of John Lennon.
By the '90s, the power had shifted. ``Research
started taking over,'' Abrams recalled. ``People
wouldn't go to the bathroom without going to a focus
group.''
The result, according to critics: appealing to the
lowest common denominator with a slimmed down
playlist, and ignoring the fringes.
``The philosophy was superserve your core audience,
rather than hit a broad demographic,'' said Neer.
``Anybody over (age) 50 was discounted, thrown
aside.''
Artists were marginalized along with audiences.
Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Stevie Wonder was
suddenly MIA on the FM dial. AM radio had become the
bastion of talk radio.
Phenomenons like the recent soundtrack to ``O
Brother, Where Art Thou?'' - No. 1 on the charts, 5
million copies sold, Grammy album of the year -
remained invisible to most programmers.
``There's nobody in the mainstream with the freedom
to turn audiences on to great old or new stuff,'' said
Springsteen's guitarist, Nils Lofgren, an old FM
favorite. ``It's about corporate money, not great
music.''
Some blamed the Telecommunications Act of 1996,
when Congress deregulated station ownership.
Previously, ownership was capped at 40 stations
nationally and four in any market - two AM and two FM.

Suddenly there was no national ceiling, and local
ownership was doubled to eight stations.
Out-of-towners snapped up local stations.
Combatants like morning hosts Howard Stern and Don
Imus became co-workers. Ex-competitors did
cross-promotions.
Today, Infinity Broadcasting - home to Stern and
Imus - owns 180 radio stations in 22 states. Emmis
Communications' three New York stations control 14
percent of the revenue in the nation's No. 1 market;
in other markets, that number can quadruple.
But the big daddy of the business is San
Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications, which owns
1,200 stations in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Clear Channel estimates that each day, it
reaches 54 percent of people age 18-49 in the United
States.
It owns eight channels in Washington, seven in
Dallas. Its ascension to the nation's No. 1 radio
operation has raised many questions; the latest
controversy involves ``voicetracking,'' a new system
that replaces on-air talent with pre-recorded
material.
Clear Channel's Hogan defended his company as good
for both audience and advertisers. He says Clear
Channel has become radio's boogeyman, taking the blame
for any radio wrong.
``We're a big target, and I don't think anybody's
bashful about taking a shot at us,'' Hogan said. ``A
part of me wishes we were as powerful as people
think.''
Those who condemn 21st century radio, including
XM's Abrams, don't understand that times and
technology have evolved, Hogan said.
``They're like old ballplayers,'' he said.
``They'll tell you that the game has changed, and the
new players aren't as good. Part of that is just human
nature.''
Meanwhile, record companies and recording artists
are supporting a proposed bill, sponsored by U.S. Sen.
Russell Feingold, D-Wisc., that might restore the cap
on station ownership.
Despite the complaints, independent studies have
shown that deregulation has increased choices on the
dial. Hogan explained how that was possible.
Pre-1996, four companies might run classic rock
stations in a single market. Multiple ownership now
allows multiple formats - although, he acknowledged,
some of those formats could mean repeating the same 10
songs ad infinitum.
``It's just fundamental that what you put on the
air is a reflection of what the listeners want,''
Hogan said.
But Neer remembered the fall of WNEW, when an
out-of-town company took over what was once among the
nation's leading rock stations.
``They came in and stripped away what made the
station unique,'' he said. ``At WNEW, they came in
from Detroit and decided to program like it was
Detroit.
``It never worked.''

^---=

At XM Radio, the problems of ``terrestrial'' radio
are reason for optimism. XM, billed as ``part rock,
part rocket science,'' provides a growing number of
subscribers with 100 digital channels beamed via
satellite.
Fortune magazine hailed XM as the No. 1 product of
2001. Its wide-ranging, round-the-clock station
options include acoustic rock on ``The Loft,''
old-school R&B on ``The Groove,'' Latin Jazz on
``Luna.''
Abrams, the XM head of programming, hopes his
operation can take off the way FM did 30 years ago.
``Programming is a battle of art and science,'' he
says. ``It's just become too scientific, and the art
went away.''
Hogan laughed at this assessment: ``If you call Lee
Abrams up and ask for help, I'll bet you a dinner the
first thing he does is conduct a market survey.''
Can XM replace the current AM/FM formats? Clear
Channel hedged its bets by investing in the new
technology, making one of its investors the sort of
conglomerate ripped by Abrams.
In San Francisco, Clear Channel owns seven
stations. Tony Mastrogiorgio, a transplanted New
Yorker now on the West Coast, doesn't listen to any of
them.
He'll occasionally flip on the local college
station, KUSF-FM, which just marked its 25th
anniversary. He finds their playlist lacking, too.
Mostly, he'll put in a CD - something old by The
Clash, or something new by The Hives - and wonder what
happened to radio.
``How tragic it is that we live in a world where
the `alternative' radio station plays Dave Matthews,''
said Mastrogiorgio, referring to the multi-platinum
alt-rock band.
``That's an alternative the way CBS is an
alternative to NBC.''

 

Yes, unfortunately radio today is sad. I can remember listening to it at home. But now, unless I want to hear Prairie Home or a specialty show, I never do. It makes it difficult to find new music I like. When good stations do come around that play truly alternative music it seems they just don't last, someone buys it out and changes the format and/or language. Ther used to be a great station in the LA area KSCA (Southern Cal Alternative) but someone bought it out, changed it to Spanish and last I read it was one of the top stations in the area. Now all that's really left is oldies or ones that I can't listen to with kids in the car.

 

It is very sad indeed. And the saddest thing is you cannot hear "new" artists because FM either plays current lowest common denominator trash like Creed or they play Classic Rock ad nauseum 24/7.

If record companies want something to blame for people stealing music online, they can blame the sad state of radio which forces people to search elsewhere to find and hear music. If they find something good and can keep a copy, why not.

 

Been saying this for years. Real radio stations have to be deeply affected before a change comes forth. Too many hotshot programmers who tell smaller radio stations what to do. Most of them are on the west coast, and they tell all markets that they do "research" in their market to suit the listener's needs. This is just not true. Everyone is playing the similar stuff, depending on format.

The same 90's songs, not exactly mainstays, are being repeated obnoxiously; the same ones I remember playing first on the same station. I'm getting kinda sick of wussy boy rock with lyrics of empty pain and confusion. No real confidence in rock music lyrics or playing. Tune down everything and bitch about everything. Then play it on the radio until ppl get sick.

What's worse is advertising in radio has gotten out of control to the point where playing 15 minutes of 1 min spots or more is much more demanding than a listener's attention span.

Talk radio is doing OK I hear. Music radio died long, long ago fellas. It's why the 2nd thing I grab for is my CD magazine for the car, then the keys.

 

This article is right on the money. I know from my personal experience that I don't listen to as much radio as I use. This is mostly due to lack of good music today and the formula driven format of most corporate owned stations. When I do listen, I tend to tune into NPR or some fringe station that brings back the ecletic mix of yesteryear. The whole modern rock/pop music industry is in the dumpster and unfortunately, the musical outlets such as radio are not helping any.

It will be interesting to watch XM and Siruis Radio to see hoe these and other emerging digital/satelite radio do and if they can bring back some of radios listeners.

 

here in SF, where radio reception is a crap shoot anyway, i stopped listening a long, long time ago. maybe a little NPR in the morning--KALW through cable TV channel 26 of all things--gets me on my way.

gradually, it will get to the point where radio as we know it will simply become irrelevant--if it hasn't already; like the home shopping channel or a program length advertisement on TV. just a noisy din, like traffic wash. or background noise.

the true alternative? stop listening to commercial radio. just stop. call it a boycott if you want, but if everyone stopped listening, say for a month, i think we'd all be better humans for it. if you must listen to the radio for the lack of another distraction, tune in below 92 on the dial.

later, chris

 

Gradually, over the years, I have listened to less and less radio to the point where I seldom listen at all. I get sick and tired of hearing the same twenty songs repeated over and over again. Classic Rock is a joke. Top 40 is a joke. It's all a joke. They have now included the hair bands of the '80's into the playlists of classic rockdom. Radio is boring. I can't get past the commercials anymore.

Satellite radio XM is an alternative but not the answer. Why must we pay more money to get the level of listening pleasure we desire? As with television, radio is a free service. As with television, they are forcing the consumer to spend money, on that normally free service, to get what they desire. With cable TV it was the promise of strong signal and clear pictures. Next came more channels. Next came more and more channels of things we don't want to watch. Movie channels galore, all costing more and more. Radio is heading down that same pipeline. Maybe that is why I own so many CD's and LP's.

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.

 

I listen to so little commercial radio that it's not worth counting. Maybe some talk now and then. Most radio in the car for me is NPR, but I'd really like more choices.

I also can't stand the music programming of today. It sounds like formats are programmed by robots, which is apropriate since much of the time we're actually listening to computers.

That friendly DJ taking your requests and spinning records or CDs at a station somewhere in your home town late at night is a thing of history.

Notice the mention of 'voicetracking' in the story?

I was talking to one of our local radio guys a while back and asked him about the technology. He flat out said "I hate it! It ain't radio!".
He records two or more full time programs for two different stations in one short shift.
Others record more. He also told me that Clear Channel (and others) have an answering service to take 'requests'. So when you think you're calling KOLT to ask for your favorite song, you're calling an operator who sends your 'request' to corporate headquarters on computer. This while your 'DJ' is probably sound asleep.

There are also corporate voices who record breaks for several markets. One voice can read the temp and toss off 'local' spots in Denver, Dallas, Chicago, etc., and say "How's the traffic out there?" while the computer automatically cuts to a local traffic guy. It's sad, very sad.
The whole thing is a scam to trick you into thinking you're listening to LOCAL radio. There's no such thing anymore.

Perhaps this is why local talk radio, which is still live, is so popular on AM?
Dan C

 

If you think the DJ/Announcer is local on your station, or is live, better think again. There are exceptions, and some people might not care about that, but the wheel is normally set for auto pilot.

One of the reasons I left radio was the fact that I got BORED waiting every 20 minutes to talk and "do my job" rather than the good ol' days when cuing up music and organizing your time meant something. Now, it's a 7 minute upload to the booths upstairs where the seat's been empty for years.

 

When I received my First Class Radio Telephone FCC license back in the 60's NYC still had many great radio stations. WQXR actually put out a hi-fi AM signal that on a great AM radio almost sounded like decent FM. ABC did not know it owned WABC; no commercials and full programing freedom. A full 50,000 watts of self programed, uncompressed live radio. Almost CD in its dynamic range and quality. WBAI and WNYC and WQXR FM put out world class uncompressed FM. I had a hand around a number of these stations. Then the audiance started to grow, stations were looked to as profit centers at the commercial end of the FM dial, WABC was changed to WPLJ. All the evil practices from commercial AM were introduced. Hard limiting, steep compression and little black boxes that took control of dynamic compression and eq. All provided a much louder sound but distroyed my listening enjoyment. I kept getting fired when I put up the good fight to preserve natural dynamics. Radio killed itself. I don't hold up much hope when Digital AM and FM are introduce in the next 18 months or so. Bad management practices are impossible to deal with. The FCC is totaly brain dead when it comes to sound quality. Managment wants it loud, real loud. Studies showing that this is driving away the listner go unread or worse. So today we have central brains doing the mass programing we hate and total dynamic compression killing the sound.

 

The only reason I turn on the radio anymore is to hear the news or talk radio. But if you think talk radio is fine, listen again! From what I haer, over 90% of it is ultra-conservative guys like G. Gordon Liddy and Michael Reagan. Where are the other guys?

Other than all that, I happened to stop at the local oldies rock station on the dial and to my surprise they played "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers. This kind of thing should have not been exciting, but it just goes to show you how rotten radio has gotten.

 

Talk about progress. We now have a Disney AM radio station; I kid you not.

 

The initial article posted is sorta ironic. I recently posted an explanation of what drove me away from top 40 "hit oriented" AM radio in 1968 (on the ICE board), in a thread similar to the "singles versions" thread here. I explained that after '68, I was almost unaware of single edits. The reason? - WNEW FM in New York (the same station that is featured in about a third of that article). From '68 to '92 they played the cutting edge and the history - they never let you forget the history.

Pearl Jam followed by James Brown. The Lemon Pipers, The Weavers, Mettalica and Sabbath. Otis, Smokey, Jackson 5 - followed by Led Zeppelin. They didn't always "fit your mood", but they were never BORING or PREDICTABLE.

They adored Sinatra and Torme - everything connected on that station.

Sorely missed - the last bastion of DJ's that had the final say. Their NY audience was extrenly loyal. They played that BBC Zeppelin concert so many times that it seemed like old news when that CD came out...

 

In the mid nineties, in Hartford CT, a radio station out of nowhere began playing a lot of stuff I enjoyed at the time, plus stuff I never heard. Punk, Ska, some classic rock, grunge, metal, hard rock, indie. Lots of it, and no DJs. I didn't find myself missing the DJs, because most around here were formula anyway. The unusual mix of music alone (compared to the top 40 drone today - any format) was a big breath of fresh air. I didn't change the station in both my cars, I kid you not, for 2 years. They didn't call themselves anything - just their call letters (WMRQ). They played a whole lot of kick-ass stuff on this station, like the Pixies, Camper Van Beethoven, Meat Puppets, Sex Pistols, etc. Not to mention a lot of stuff I had never heard before (or since). They'd play everything that no-one else today is playing. Then, of course, the mega media market behind this little experiment decided to ask listeners "what they wanted to hear". Playing that "we wan't to be your radio station" game. Then they added a morning show personality, and other DJs. Then playlists became more narrow in focus, but it was still sometimes a good listen. And then, within weeks of these changes, all the older great music was cast aside in favor of, I kid you not, maybe the same 20 tunes played ad-nauseum, some more than others. You could easily hear the same tune maybe 30 times in a day, no kidding. Their target market cannot possibly be more broad than ages 13 to 22, and it doesn't have to be that way. I think these idiots think kids will be turned off by the great old stuff. Would a little Sex Pistols, RHCP of old, Specials, Bosstones, Elvis Costello, XTC, etc be a bad thing? I guess they think so. Too bad.

By the way, they now have Dee Snider (from Twisted Sister) doing their morning show (3 years now I think). Before this gig, I think he did some syndicated 80's metal thing about hair bands. I listen sometimes (the show is pretty good), but the rest of the station is a total waste.

 

I think the last time I turned on my tuner was 11/2001. I agree with everything that you guys are saying having been a regular listener in the 70's and 80's, but after 1990-91 it sure went downhill fast!

 

The only time I listen to the radio is in the car. I usually have the "Oldies" or "Heavy Oldies" stations on.

 

Yeah, I can remember when AM stations were pop, there
wasn't much on the FM dial, and late at night when
the ionosphere would bounce just right we in central
Texas could get great stations like KOA in Denver, and
WLS in Chicago. Then the bigger market cities in Texas
put up some decent FM stations, AOR stuff got more air
time, and it really became interesting--if you were
close enough to pull them in, near enough to Dallas, San
Antonio, or Houston. I lived on the lower Gulf coast,
sort of a radio wasteland (or so it seemed), but I could
tweak the antenna enough to get a San Antonio station
that played album sides at night...I recall being really
excited the first time I heard the entire side 2 of Days
of Future Passed. I had to beg my dad to let me make
a long-distance call to the station to find out what it
was!

Today's commercial radio is a dead duck, programming-wise.
I can only echo what has already been said. If it wasn't
for left of the dial stations I would not turn the tuner
on anymore, and I am thankful to live where I can get a
couple of good ones. We have a classical-only station, and
also a truly great NPR affiliate, KUT, that still has
live DJs 24/7. Some time in the past several years they
announced a plan to shift to automated late night programming,
and they got such negative feedback from the listeners that
the idea was scrapped. Fundraising continues to meet their
expectations, and they keep giving us what we want (and pay
for), so it's a win-win deal. Vote the dial! Contribute to
non-commercial radio and support diversity on the air! It's
not going to happen anytime soon on "free" radio...

 

Ah, The glory day's of AM radio. Then we got hip to the commercial free FM stations in the mid 60's.

 

XM Radio

FWIW I have a XM radio and Kloss Model 2 in a table top system in my bedroom. I never been able to listen to commercial radio (brain-free formulaic pop or oldies play lists aren't me) and have abandoned NPR since XM showed up.

Now I have the BBC World Service (which for documentaries, news coverage and real analysis of real news make CNN and NPR look like rank amateurs) and endless varieties of stations playing good music. For this I pay $10 a month. I used to pay this to my local NPR station. Additionally I don't have to listen to banal DJs and even more banal advertisements on other stations.

Most music is back-to-back for half and hour at a time and radio displays the artist and track name.

On one flick through the dial I heard some Zappa, Eno, a Prince Far I dub plate and African Head Charge. Try doing that on FM.

In other words, I feel the XM radio subscription is money well spent and an excellent way of experiencing new music.

 

If any of you who might not remember the nutty radio days of the mid 60's, make sure you ahve Real Player and plunk down on www.reelradio.com


Be sure to listen to the REAL Don Steele!

And also to the "NINE!" spoof. An example on how "radio talk" sometimes gets shortened to....nothing but "NINE!!!"

http://www.reelradio.com/philpott/index.html#nine

 

Re: XM Radio

Hello Martin,

Well, at that price, it appears enticing. Couple of questions if you don't mind.

1) How does the receiver get its signal? Via dish antenna and coax?

2) Did you have to buy the Receiver? I remember seeing an advertisement indicating that the Receiver was an additional cost.

3) How does it interface with your stereo gear (standard RCA plugs using AUX connection) and can it be split to various stereos throughout the house without purchasing another receiver (like dual LNB).

4) Were there any installation costs or "turn on" fees and how long before the monthly rates increase?

Thanks for the answers. It seems like a worthwhile option but I am not completely convinced it is worth the cost. The reason I say this is that included with my cable TV subscription is roughly 30 channels of digital music, covering many genres and completely commercial free. I find that it's an okay solution to my radio woes but I like the occasional voice of a DJ butting in. The programming and commercials is the main problem. Anyway, thanks again for any answers.

 

Radio in L.A. is great if you know where to look. Cal State Longbeach has an amazing Jazz station with Chuck Niles as one of the DJs, Cal State Northridge has a great classical station that plays amazing programs on the weekends of all types of music including folk, country (real country). Brittish invasion, surf and old time radio. KPFK has the Global Village program featuring music from around the world and we still have Jim Ladd doin his things late at night on the otherwise very commercial KLOS.

 

Steve,

Were you the guy that mastered that famous Bill Drake produced "time sweep" of number one songs that covered the period from 1956 into the early 70's? I have it recorded off the Radio on a reel somewhere.

KHJ, I have always liked the Robert W. Morgan Cruisin CD. Must have been a great AM Top 40 station...based in Pasadena, as I recall.

Bob

 

For Elegy

1) How does the receiver get its signal? Via dish antenna and coax?

The antenna looks like a fist-sized scale-model of a shark's tail. Mine sits on the inside of my window sill. A narrow coax connects it to the receiver.

2) Did you have to buy the Receiver? I remember seeing an advertisement indicating that the Receiver was an additional cost.

Yes, I paid $230 for my Sony.

3) How does it interface with your stereo gear (standard RCA plugs using AUX connection) and can it be split to various stereos throughout the house without purchasing another receiver (like dual LNB).

Yes, the home version of the Sony comes complete with a mini-jack to two phono connector. I replaced this with a mini jack to mini jack for the Kloss. The 'tape-out' on your reciever would achieve the signal distribution you describe.

4) Were there any installation costs or "turn on" fees and how long before the monthly rates increase?

The normal turn on cost is $14. I got it for free. No 'professional' installation is required. I bought the Kloss and Sony new and was up and running and listening to the BBC within 20 minutes. You don't have to point the antenna like a television satellite dish.

I also get some music channels from DirecTV. However, it was the BBC World Service that clinched XM radio for me. It really is in a class of it own (well compared to its US competition at least). I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of music stations though. The reggae station is particularly good. Lots of quality stuff.