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Someone asked me recently why I've cut back on writing about Bay Area radio. OK, fair question. Simple answer. Do this: listen to the terrestrial tripe that currently exists and you'll understand my lack of radio posts.IHeart Radio has foisted the latest pack of crap on the airwaves in the form of another innocuous, almost ludicrous offering called "The Breeze" --98.1 FM, which flipped from urban oldies to the mass dreck of "soft AC"--just what we need: Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Michael Bolton and Vanessa Williams.
Maybe we should all get out our hula hoops and bell bottoms too and do the hustle. Who the hell was responsible for this? A former groupie for Rick Dees?
Don't get me wrong, I miss 1976 quite a bit. I was 14 and had a major crush on Mrs. Matlock but that was 40 years ago. Granted, there were no cell phones and selfies but fantasies are just that, fantasies --if I wanted retro FM radio in the form of oldies, I'd prefer more Spinners and The O' Jays over Mariah Carey.
Celine Dion? Oy Vey.
Radio in this market isn't worth writing about. It's trash. That's right Lowenstein, Rudy Fitzy, Fatnich and you other boobs. You people are so irrelevant. Stick to satellite and ditch your "traditional" commercial radio. As long as the chosen few own radio stations, it's going to suck eggs even more. Get used to it.
ReplyDeleteHmph...you want some breeze...just stand still while I rip a fat one at ya...BREET!!!
DeleteFor us at work, it's star 101.3
ReplyDeleteNone of this breezy shit.
Radio PD'S kill me with the whole 100,000 in a row bullshit when kicking off a new format.
ReplyDeleteIn this day & age any average Joe can already program his own personal 100,000 songs in a row and he can do it better than these yayhoos at IkillRadio, etc because Average Joe knows exactly what he wants to hear.
What people yearn for is radio programming that makes them feel part of a community... personalities they can connect with interactivity.. Hearing their name's ... Calling in for contests ..TaTa Tuesdays...
The Tim Jordan's and Justin Wittmeyers of the world just don't get it. Hence the slow, painful demise of once great a once great media.
It's sad..It's sad...
KISQ kinda sucked also. There is a plethora of "classic RnB" from the 60's to the 80's they could play but radio is based on some computer program. Everytime I would turn to 98.1, It was always, the same Teena Marie, Isley, Dazz Band all day. I understand a program for new top 40 where they're trying to sell albums- but on a "classic station" Let the DJ "dig in the crate" and play to the mood of the day or SET the mood of the day like they USED to do. I've actually been listening to The Breeze the past day or so as it sounds like the old KOIT. I'll tire of it soon and move on though.
ReplyDeleteI wish KISQ had played more KBLX-styled urban adult contemporary mixed with classics and KBLX would have taken up the mantle of KKSF by (returning to) smooth jazz mixed with smooth RnB/ and "Quiet Storm" at night. WHO are these radio execs ANYWAY ?!?!
Agreed! When the Quiet Storm existed on KBLX and classic soul and RB were on KISQ, they were my favorite FM stations. Now it is Sirrius XM and the Internet.
DeleteWhat about the old KSOL? Now that was a great station for all the urban oldies!
Delete107.7 KSOL never played oldies back in their day. They played the RnB/funk/early rap of the day- urban contemporary. The music they played WOULD be classic on what used to be KISS FM
DeleteI'm talking about 98.9 KSOL.
DeleteSoft AC, some consultant probably bought a boat coining that "format."
ReplyDeleteFor people who find Little River Band too edgy?
I just threw up my Xanax.
DeleteBased on some infomercials I've seen on TV, soft rock was very popular in the 1970's. But musical tastes change by the decade.
DeleteCompanies such as Cumulus have been allowed to slowly strangle the life out of radio, and no one does anything about it. Look it how Cumulus slowly ruined KGO: In a short period of just under four years, they 1.) Fired most of their high profile talk show hosts, 2.) Went all news but then when that didn't work, fired the evening anchors and reporters, then the weekend reporters and anchors, then the morning news folks and the sportscasters. What have they got left to listen to? A tired, worn our Ronn Owens, a mediocre Chip Franklin with Nicki Madora and Kim Foster as ridiculous side kicks, Brett Burhardt occasionally doing afternoon news updates, and a lot more dreck. Those of us who worked hard and put a lot of labor, love and sweat into that radio station over the years, then were rudely kicked to the curb, shake our heads in sadness and bewilderment. Meanwhile, people are too wrapped up in their cell phones as they're tweeting, texting, face booking and instagramming to pay even a cursory of attention. Sad!
ReplyDelete98.5 KOME...Dennis Erectus,the Who,Led Zeppelin,the Stones,AC/DC,the Kinks,Ian and the Blockheads,the Three Stooges guest starring Nancy Regan,Aerosmith,Hendrix,Joplin and the list goes on. Now that was radio !!
ReplyDeleteYes...'the Kome spot on your dial'. Pushed the limits of the FCC...drove many of us to turn off the TV and listen to Dennis at night. Not many DJs were able to do that. Because he was in San Jose, he's been largely forgotten...but for those of us around here at the time he made radio exciting. Sadly, those days are long gone.
DeleteDoes your mother know you've got KOME on your radio? It was simply the best, better than all the rest when Mikel Hunter ("Lefty", "Captian Mikey from KLIV) was the PD. Icing on the cake was driving north-east, and around the Red Top Dairy Farm, your KOME spot magically became KZAP -- another fine dining experience in its own right, especially when you timed your trip to catch KZAP's "Electric Lunch". Gone, but not forgotten!
DeleteHere's why you should write about radio, Lieberman...it's compelling! 30-some comments, including one from a bona fide Bay Area radio legend who's been dead for 15 months! Top THAT, Ben Fong-Torres!
DeleteSirius XM, 160Gig iPod and USB stick in my car for music. Haven't listened to commercial radio in ages. I even get my traffic reports fed directly to my nav now. Radio is useless as far as I'm concerned. Might as well knock down the buildings and towers and build condos or TJs or something.
ReplyDeleteWill they be playing "Muskrat Love" by The Captain & Tenille?
ReplyDeleteEvery two hours at :15 & :45
DeleteAnd hearing Mariah Carey is like hearing the brakes screeching on a VTA bus who's operator forgot to stop at a RR crossing. Heck, the brakes sound better...
ReplyDeleteOnce when I was working at KPIX Maria was "singing" at some awards show on TV and everyone around me had it tuned in. And they were all marveling at her high-note screeching--"Isn't she amazing?!" No, what's amazing is she gets people to *pay* to listen to that crap, whereas if the five-year-old at the next table in the restaurant were doing it we'd tell the kid to shut up.
Delete"The greatest singer of all time," said a reporter next to me. I am amazed to this day I did not throw up on my copy.
Mariah Carey used to have talent. I thought she was going to be a new kind of popular singer, but she reverted to hip-hop pop. What a waste.
DeleteThe Walnut Creek and Piedmont types like that kind of music!
ReplyDeleteNeeds more Manilow!
When was the last time you were in Walnut Creek? It's full of pickup truck-driving types with backwards baseball cap who blast white rap. And I live in Piedmont and I doubt a single household will be tuned to this crap. Breeze indeed!
DeleteWhat exactly is "white rap"?
Delete11:51 actually hit on the head a little. There are two stations now covering the boomers. 103.7 and The Breeze.
ReplyDeleteHard sell. Nationally and regionally. Maybe. Locally. Easy sell. And perhaps if you focused on local revenue and results, this was an easy decision for San Francisco and San Jose markets. It's not the ratings that matter, its the results.
I suspect many a Benz dealer etc, are very interested in this development and tapping this market.
So say what you will,the Breeze will be a good thing for other listeners (several that have said they like it to me) and maybe they will real honest to god old school air personalities since there are several available in the Bay Area.
I suspect it's targeting dentist offices and other spots where KOIT has become too edgy.
ReplyDeleteCan someone explain the business model behind playing 10,000 songs in a row? How do they bring in revenue with little or no commercial time?
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason they call this "stunting."
DeleteFrom wikipedia: In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs content that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play. The tactic is commonly used when a station is about to undergo a major change (such as a change in format, branding, frequency, ownership or management, or even the acquisition of a high-profile program or personality), or simply as a prank on listeners and rival broadcasters (e.g. a temporary April Fools' Day stunt that does not involve an on-air change); either way, stunting is intended as a way to generate a greater amount of media publicity and audience attention to the station, by virtue of its shock value, than a straightforward format change could provide. Depending on the station's situation and its management's preference, stunt formats can last anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks before the permanent change is launched.
Figure the songs average four minutes each. 15 songs per hour...figure in IDs and promos....10,000 songs takes a month. So you give up one month's billing (during which most sponsors are going to take a pass to see how you do before committing anyway) and you use the (inflated) first book (from all those people who listened longer because of no commercials) to sell ads for a higher rate in month number two.
DeleteI prefer listening to airchecks of kfrc from that period. In general I would rather listen to airchecks over the current Bay area radio stations as I get a better variety of music and great djs, not to mention songs that radio stations no longer play.
ReplyDeleteFYI I am sick of seeing 10 commercials an hour on the ktvu mornings on 2 for "the breeze "
So this is what Bay Area radio has sunk to, Non stop Talk Shows and Elevator Music. We need something different, along with something better. Bring Back KFRC!!!
ReplyDeleteHate to tell ya, but if they brought back KFRC, it would either be what Big 103.7 or KMEL are now.
DeleteBring back both KYA and KFRC! As for now, KBLX is the only station that will continue providing us a needed Purple fix on a consistent basis. Sometimes SF's Star 101.3 and Pleasanton's KKIQ will play Prince, but not as much as KBLX. Not much to choose from. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteThey need to get rid of Mark Curry on KBLX in the morning. He is not funny and can't carry a morning show.
ReplyDeleteFinally it is nice to hear that station without Renel!!!! It's about time!!!
ReplyDeleteCept for a few stations around the country, terrestrial radio is dead. D.E.D. dead, and you can thank the top two radio companies in the country for that. PPM's provided a helping hand when it was their system that turned the broadcasting industry upside down. Time to turn those studios into bowling alleys, at least you'll get to score!
ReplyDeleteNO Comment!
ReplyDeleteWhy is Sylvia Cha-Cha Chacon in Merced ?
ReplyDeleteAgreed about Mark Curry. Kimmie and Victor Zaragosa could EASILY and better carry that show by themselves. Curry is (was) a funny dude- but really only good for about a segment- NOT an entire morning show EVERYDAY.
ReplyDeleteWe just need whip-em-out Wednesdays here. ..cellphone callers to the jocks when they're flashing and where they are. ...community contact, I tell ya!
ReplyDeleteHow many radio execs sitting around a conference room table does it take to decide on a slogan like "#1 for relaxing favorites at work?" I just threw up in my mouth thinking about that scene....
ReplyDelete