Media at Art Prize and other events

[Radio1]

Why wasn't WOOD TV broadcasting from the GRAM as they have been in previous years?

What happened to WGRD's Wingfest concert?

Why is there no longer the B-93 free Birthday Bash concert?


The only media I saw at Art Prize was a WZZM 13 van parked at the Gerald Ford Museum.

[MWmetalhead]

The GRD concert generally featured B / C grade artists. No big loss.

Record labels spend little effort and money on radio promotions these days.

[zzand]

Have to disagree. I spend several hours weekly talking to record companies and promoters. We set up in studio visits and talk music spins and adds. Lots of money is spent on promotion to radio.

[MWmetalhead]

Which genre - country music?

They get much more support from the labels than any other genre. Awards shows galore on network TV. Plenty of new music product exposed via FM airplay year in and year out.

Still, even in Country, the massive (largely free) festivals hosted by radio - something largely unique to that genre - seem much fewer in number than in year's past.

Folks on the Radio-Discussions boards have talked about the subject of the labels' relationship with radio. My remark is based on their consensus assessment. In Rock music, label support is way down compared to, say, 20 years ago.

It's excellent that your station has good connectivity with labels and artists.

[zzand]

Yes sir, country. The fact that I report to three trade publications doesn't hurt either. lol

[MWmetalhead]

[dwp49423]

Didn't News 8 At Noon broadcast year round from the GRAM at one point? Guessing this was ended due to Covid when museums were closed and never resumed.

[radionut]

I thought it was after the Riots they stops.

[dwp49423]

I thought it was after the Riots they stops.

Maybe it was-that timeframe is kind of a blur. The shutdown began in mid March 2020 and the riots were two and half months later at the end of May. Due to my employer being a supplier to essential industries, we did not shut down so I did not have a chance to watch daytime TV to know when News 8 at Noon moved back to College Ave.

All the GR museums closed to the public during the Stay At Home order so it made sense to me that WOOD no longer had access to that studio (plus it would have potentially caused people to congregate downtown during the pandemic). Even if the GRAM studio had remained accessible and barricades kept the crowds away, that studio seemed cramped so on air talent maintaining the six foot spacing may have been tricky. Plus with people taking voluntary Covid layoffs (remember the extra $600 a week unemployment) WOOD may not have had enough staff to run both locations (not sure how many people were behind the scenes downtown)

The riots do also make sense as it seems about the same time is when News 8 also abandoned its street front studio in Kalamazoo. Lots of glass, expensive electronics plus the window background gave protestors (both George Floyd supporters and Whitmer haters) a potential window into West Michigan living rooms for their signs and gestures depending on how camera placement was.