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No posts about radio

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
Greg Buben
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Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:52 am

No posts about radio

Post by Greg Buben » Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:32 am

I realize that the radio especially the non commercial radio in Flint and to a lesser extent in the Tri Cities suck but
wish that somebody would atleast share what stations and formats they like or dislike. The posts I see in this section
are all about TV or some kind of nonsense. I would like to have some feeling from participants in these areas on what
is liked and should continue as well as what's disliked and perhaps should be flipped. I have always had ties to the
Flint area and I hope someday that the radio can improve there as well as in the nearby Tri Cities.
Greg Buben



Realist
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Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: No posts about radio

Post by Realist » Thu Sep 16, 2021 5:33 pm

Problem you have in both the Tri Cities and Flint is that you have one major player dominating both markets - Cumulus - thus don’t expect format changes, just the same corporate driven playlists. Townsquare is in Flint but no longer dominates like it did. Saginaw’s other big players are Alpha Media and MacDonald Broadcasting. It’s sad that radio has become kinda boring around here as a result.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: No posts about radio

Post by Colonel Flagg » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:32 am

I post about radio here occasionally. There seems to be very little interest. Kind of a shame, considering how unique Flint and the Tri-Cities were for radio years ago. I suppose that was too long ago for the majority of the posters on this board.


"Pretty soon, every kid in America will wish he were me"

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Musicrewired
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Re: No posts about radio

Post by Musicrewired » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:46 pm

I've seen the lack of interest in the subject of radio on this forum for a while. The topic is usually met with the Buzzboard equivalent of static.

Radio may not be very interesting in the area, but it's not unique to mid-Michigan. The people reading aren't very interested in that part of the media market, apparently. I don't think the TV end has much more to talk about, but there appears to be some motivated individual(s) toward that subject.



matt1
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Re: No posts about radio

Post by matt1 » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:19 am

I would bet the DJ's will probably will get dementia or Altzimers playing the same old classic crap!!!



Deleted User 14896

Re: No posts about radio

Post by Deleted User 14896 » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:02 am

Let me throw this out there. Kind of buckle your seat belt because it may be be a tad of an unconventional thought to those here on Buzzboard that are employed, or have been employed in the commercial radio industry:

With the exception of sports and all news stations, what's the chances most listeners in the 21st century don't want to hear gums flapping in the breeze? They would prefer just one song after another?
No morning show(gasp). No weather. No traffic. Just one song after another, with just enough commercials to pay the bills and make a bit of a profit. And break the commercials up, don't play 12 in a row.
How many listeners in a car hit the preset as soon as the song is over, and someone starts talking?

As many in this forum know, this discussion is also going on in the Metro Detroit forum. So many over there want to talk about how local content will save the day. Local people. They talk about exhuming radio personalities from the 70's and 80's thinking that will draw more listeners.

You get where I'm going. But ponder it for a bit. I've said before I believe one of the biggest reason satellite radio took off is because you don't have the "I'm in love with the sound of my own voice" radio personalities. They always have to hit the post, even if what they are saying isn't relevant at all.

I've seen it when a station changes formats and for awhile, there is no morning show and on air staff. The ratings are at their highest. I believe it's because they are just playing one tune after another. And as the new format starts adding flapping gums, the ratings start going down.

I remember the last couple format changes on one of the Detroit stations. The threads about the new station were full of "Gotta have a morning staff" and "Exhume so-and-so for the morning show". Are folks who have this sort of thinking living in the 80's and 90's?

I'm not in the industry. Strictly a casual observer. So I fully admit I could be all wrong.
Your thoughts?



learn to fly
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Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 6:28 pm

Re: No posts about radio

Post by learn to fly » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:11 am

Interesting Mike. Consultants world wide have expounded on this philosophy for years. It's wrong. If all you do is play music, somebody else can come in a play more. New stations are a novelty and garner ratings, but fall eventually. The only way to sustain a competitive advantage is to build a relationship with the audience. The only way to do that is talk. The problem with the industry is that talent has taken a back seat to sales and management. I actually worked at one time for an organization who shall remain nameless that had 7 stations, 3 program directors, 6 on air talent, and 12 upper management. WTF is wrong with the picture. Sirius wins because of music sure, but listen to the talent they employ. It's the best in the world.



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ZenithCKLW
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Location: Livonia, MI

Re: No posts about radio

Post by ZenithCKLW » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:13 am

You have an interesting thought, and I've considered the same many times. This may sound controversial to some, and maybe I'm wrong. I'm also a bit distracted as I type this, so bear with me.

I think broadcasting conglomerates fall into the trap of assuming everybody has the same tastes, wanting the same thing, and they try to please what they think the one ideal listener is. I would counter that by suggesting there is no one formula that will "save the day." Some people will like personality, some will like FM jukeboxes. Currently, these broadcasters are trying to cater to everybody with their safe, heavily researched, and strictly programmed formats, and pleasing nobody with them. I do like personality, and I listen to Station A for that. I also like an FM jukebox, and I listen to HD Station B for that. I like having both options available, and having both options keeps me continuing to use my tuner. If I have one format choice with the tuner, that's not enough to keep my habit with the tuner.

It may be a time for niche formats, even if operational efficiencies are lost. Some will say short-term profit is the only driver that keeps them afloat, but I would say that approach is putting the nails in the coffin. I wouldn't say the loss of profit will necessarily result in death, as much as I would call it an investment in the future. Some companies will survive, and some won't. I believe more voices, more choices, and more competition will save the day. Not regional superclusters. Reinvent.



gotigers
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:40 pm

Re: No posts about radio

Post by gotigers » Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:46 pm

Mike Oxlong wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:02 am
With the exception of sports and all news stations, what's the chances most listeners in the 21st century don't want to hear gums flapping in the breeze? They would prefer just one song after another?
No morning show(gasp). No weather. No traffic. Just one song after another, with just enough commercials to pay the bills and make a bit of a profit. And break the commercials up, don't play 12 in a row.
How many listeners in a car hit the preset as soon as the song is over, and someone starts talking?
Me! I'm not in the Flint area, so I don't have much opinion on what's going on over there, but over in Kalamazoo I've been listening to the new Hits 96.5 quite a bit precisely because they have a playlist similar to WKFR but they talk a lot less and the commercials don't last as long. I only have a 10-15 commute each day, and I'd rather spend that time listening to music than hearing someone talk about something I don't really care about.



Realist
Posts: 979
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: No posts about radio

Post by Realist » Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:32 pm

Mike Oxlong wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:02 am
Let me throw this out there. Kind of buckle your seat belt because it may be be a tad of an unconventional thought to those here on Buzzboard that are employed, or have been employed in the commercial radio industry:

With the exception of sports and all news stations, what's the chances most listeners in the 21st century don't want to hear gums flapping in the breeze? They would prefer just one song after another?
No morning show(gasp). No weather. No traffic. Just one song after another, with just enough commercials to pay the bills and make a bit of a profit. And break the commercials up, don't play 12 in a row.
How many listeners in a car hit the preset as soon as the song is over, and someone starts talking?

As many in this forum know, this discussion is also going on in the Metro Detroit forum. So many over there want to talk about how local content will save the day. Local people. They talk about exhuming radio personalities from the 70's and 80's thinking that will draw more listeners.

You get where I'm going. But ponder it for a bit. I've said before I believe one of the biggest reason satellite radio took off is because you don't have the "I'm in love with the sound of my own voice" radio personalities. They always have to hit the post, even if what they are saying isn't relevant at all.

I've seen it when a station changes formats and for awhile, there is no morning show and on air staff. The ratings are at their highest. I believe it's because they are just playing one tune after another. And as the new format starts adding flapping gums, the ratings start going down.

I remember the last couple format changes on one of the Detroit stations. The threads about the new station were full of "Gotta have a morning staff" and "Exhume so-and-so for the morning show". Are folks who have this sort of thinking living in the 80's and 90's?

I'm not in the industry. Strictly a casual observer. So I fully admit I could be all wrong.
Your thoughts?
You hit on multiple points that I agree with.

I’ve had satellite radio since 2003 and had the original XM radio. I instantly fell in love with the variety of stations, the wide musical selection / wow factor, no commercials and, with the primary exception of the Decades channels, NO DJ’s! It was heaven. Unfortunately that all changed with the merger / takeover by Sirius. Tighter playlists and way too many DJ’S. Thankfully they’ve loosened up their playlists a bit up but it’s still not XM.

Only time I turn off SMX when in personal cars? To listen to Detroit Tigers games (now have to subscribe to SMM’S top channel selection that includes Stern to get it) and to listen to Z93’s Morning After morning show as they crack me up. Company cars don’t have SXM so I constantly button push.

You further mentioned no DJ’s upon a station start up getting high ratings? I’ll expand on that. Wife and I have done winter vacations in the Fort Myers / Naples area in FLA for the past 8-10 years. The classic rock station in that area, 94.5 The Arrow, is consistently in the top 3 of overall ratings, if not Number 1 at times. THEY HAVE NO DJ’S AT ALL 24/7. Apparently it doesn’t bother the folks there.



DAC
Posts: 581
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 5:43 pm

Re: No posts about radio

Post by DAC » Mon Sep 27, 2021 12:25 am

I don't say this as a slam to Sinkclair or a personal attack, just a statement of fact. Sinkclair starts many of the posts in the forum, and without that, the forum would be very slow in general. Maybe nothing has really been newsworthy lately? I dunno. I had a mild debate with Sink once, and he told me I could block him if I wanted. I wouldn't do that, because then I'd never see most of the topic starters. I'd look through some of the additional pages of posts, maybe some things have gotten lost in the shuffle.



smallwonder
Posts: 103
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 4:02 pm
Location: midland mi

Re: No posts about radio

Post by smallwonder » Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:16 pm

The market is dead for all purposes. There is one dominant morning show. Clay and Lisa Marie's Cars 108 show is just straight up boring, and audiences have bailed after Pat and AJ's dismissal.


turn up the radio! mighty in might!

Realist
Posts: 979
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: No posts about radio

Post by Realist » Sun Oct 03, 2021 5:50 pm

Does Elisha, the mid day VT’ed jock on Z93 (as she was also on WIOG), leaving count as news?



Mega Hertz
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Re: No posts about radio

Post by Mega Hertz » Sun Oct 03, 2021 8:40 pm

A few thoughts I would like to add, which may or may not tie into some thoughts above.

-As it's mostly Boomers and Gen Xers who last utilized radio as one of a few ways to get music, that is generally why people always want to bring back 70 year old jocks. Then those 70 year old jocks want good money to tell people to text "such and such" to 920200 to win Bob Dylan tribute show tickets. Or read stories about a guy who got his dick caught in a woodchipper, talking long enough to hit the post on Stranglehold. Who can take terrestrial radio into the 21st century, and be just as important to listeners as the on-demand app that brings up ANY song you want to hear in seconds?

-This may speak to Zenith's point more, but radio still has a mentality of "A win is a win, whether it's by one point or a hundred points". Joe Schmoe may have WCSX on while on his way home from work, but is he LISTENING? Or is it just something to make noise? It doesn't matter. He is tuned to that station, so WCSX gets that share when the PPM code picks up.
***I realize we are in the Flint forum, but even in a diary market, the point still stands.

-I have never known ONE person who has EVER said "Oh, yeah, I love W---, I gotta have my Steve Miller and Quiet Riot every 20 minutes!". That points to "it tests well". Okay, fine. More Than a Feeling, Smoke on the Water and Don't Stop Believing all score through the roof. But let's look at it like this. There are nearly 70 restaurant options on M59 in Macomb county. Everything from steak to fish to Italian, high priced to coupon deal. You say "Well, I wanted ribs tonight". Okay, well, these are your options: McDonald's, Wendy's, White Castle or Olive Garden. No rib option. But you gotta eat. While there may be a Famous Dave's or Texas Roadhouse, you are only offered Mickey D's, Wendy's, White Castle or Olive Garden. Well...I guess...White Castle. Do you like them? Sure. Is that what you really wanted? No. But those were your choices and you had to pick. Same with "it tests well". If you're only offered Back In Black, Lights, Sweet Home Alabama or Come Sail Away...well...I guess Lights. But eventually, you grab your mobile device and say "Fuck, I've had enough McDonald's and Wendy's...where can I find a rib joint?" Or in radio's case, you pull up YouTube and search out what you wanna hear.

-SiriusXM was brought up. Best 5 or 6 dollars a month I've ever spent. Where on FM am I gonna get a modern punk station, a deep tracks channel, decades (since the radio seems to have forgotten anything past 1992 exists), a classic rock station that plays harder classic rock and metal (that ISN'T Paranoid), an actual metal station...I have filled my presets already and still have about 5 or 6 more stations I like. That comes out to about 25 cents per channel. But folks have us convinced that ONLY 150-250 songs were ever popular. Radio stations played ONLY those songs and merely twiddled their thumbs on the air until it was time to play Hotel California again. Don't hand me this shit about "stiffs". See point 2. Nobody is asking for side 2 of Genesis's first album. But throw us a bone here.

-Morning shows/zoos. A dude that was working with me a few weeks back was playing me a phone scam from some station in Seattle (a CHR station) and he was totally enthralled with these setups and gags. I didn't have the heart to tell him "Dude, it's gonna end with 'This is Tom and Blinky at Q107 and your wife set this is up, and then everyone laughs and we go into commercial'". Of course, mornings will vary. Some want talk. Some want comedy. Some just want music. This case may be a little harder to crack.

Radio has nothing to blame but itself. What worked in 1988 isn't gonna work in 2021 and beyond, especially when all you have to do now is say "Alexa, play Robin Trower" or whomever. Radio is gonna be that ugly girl at the bar at 1:50am...if it isn't already.


"Internet is no more like radio than intravenous feeding is like fine dining."
-TurkeyTop

matt1
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Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 12:53 pm

Re: No posts about radio

Post by matt1 » Tue Oct 05, 2021 1:07 am

Back on June 19, 20 & 21, 1981 when I heard "On The Run" by Pink Floyd "WHNN......Bay City, Saginaw......is RECYCLING"!! (from hard rock to Adult Contemporary). (The only soft rock station for the Tri Cities & Flint is FM 96 WHNN)



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