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Seriously WTF?

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
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MWmetalhead
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Dec 28, 2019 8:17 am

R.E.M. -- yuck. :barf



Mega Hertz
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:18 am

I'm not sure how "The One I Love" managed to test in (all these years, I might add). I'm not sure how any REM tests in...they weren't exactly AOR darlings...


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syntheticexctasy
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by syntheticexctasy » Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:30 am

For years WRIF and WCSX have been sorely mismanaged from a programming point of view in my opinion.

I get that WRIF doesn't want to alienate older listeners, but the two playlists overlap much too far....

move anything from 1995 and earlier to WCSX, and stick to 1995 and later on WRIF....seems simple?



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Colonel Flagg » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:39 pm

Mega Hertz wrote:
Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:18 am
I'm not sure how "The One I Love" managed to test in (all these years, I might add). I'm not sure how any REM tests in...they weren't exactly AOR darlings...
That's incorrect. Early REM was definitely played on AOR FM stations, including the 3 where I was employed. "The One I Love" debuted on WIOT long before CHR ever touched it. I am fairly sure it was in our "E" catagory at WHTQ when I was there as well.

AOR was a money-demo format, where you heard everything from Fleetwood Mac to Black Sabbath. This was long before consolidation, and before the corporate PDs decided that rock radio should aim for the lowest common denominator.


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Mega Hertz
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Mega Hertz » Fri Jan 03, 2020 8:32 pm

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:39 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:18 am
I'm not sure how "The One I Love" managed to test in (all these years, I might add). I'm not sure how any REM tests in...they weren't exactly AOR darlings...
That's incorrect. Early REM was definitely played on AOR FM stations, including the 3 where I was employed. "The One I Love" debuted on WIOT long before CHR ever touched it. I am fairly sure it was in our "E" catagory at WHTQ when I was there as well.

AOR was a money-demo format, where you heard everything from Fleetwood Mac to Black Sabbath. This was long before consolidation, and before the corporate PDs decided that rock radio should aim for the lowest common denominator.
No shit? I don't ever remember REM on Wheels or Riff. They were more the "college rock" scene with bands like The Replacements and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I really don't recall them on any AOR stations growing up.


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JLesinski
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by JLesinski » Fri Jan 03, 2020 9:35 pm

syntheticexctasy wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:30 am
For years WRIF and WCSX have been sorely mismanaged from a programming point of view in my opinion.

I get that WRIF doesn't want to alienate older listeners, but the two playlists overlap much too far....

move anything from 1995 and earlier to WCSX, and stick to 1995 and later on WRIF....seems simple?
I fear with one guy calling the shots for both playlists it might get worse. Lets hope he'll try to put some clarity and distinction between them.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Colonel Flagg » Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:19 pm

Mega Hertz wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 8:32 pm
Colonel Flagg wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:39 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:18 am
I'm not sure how "The One I Love" managed to test in (all these years, I might add). I'm not sure how any REM tests in...they weren't exactly AOR darlings...
That's incorrect. Early REM was definitely played on AOR FM stations, including the 3 where I was employed. "The One I Love" debuted on WIOT long before CHR ever touched it. I am fairly sure it was in our "E" catagory at WHTQ when I was there as well.

AOR was a money-demo format, where you heard everything from Fleetwood Mac to Black Sabbath. This was long before consolidation, and before the corporate PDs decided that rock radio should aim for the lowest common denominator.
No shit? I don't ever remember REM on Wheels or Riff. They were more the "college rock" scene with bands like The Replacements and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I really don't recall them on any AOR stations growing up.
"The One I Love" by REM was #7 for the year:

http://www.popradiotop20.com/Year/RR-ROCK-1987-Year.htm


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sfpcc
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by sfpcc » Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:41 pm

[

That's incorrect. Early REM was definitely played on AOR FM stations, including the 3 where I was employed. "The One I Love" debuted on WIOT long before CHR ever touched it. I am fairly sure it was in our "E" catagory at WHTQ when I was there as well.

I always considered early REM there first three our four albums: (Murmur, Reckoning, Fables Of The Reconstruction, ,and Life Rich Pageant.)
The One Love would be early middle REM, (maybe I'm splitting hairs.) The general rule is that as over the years Michael Stipe's voice got more coherent.



Mega Hertz
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:01 am

Well that's fair because INXS got played on AOR in Detroit. I just don't remember hearing REM.


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MWmetalhead
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:11 am

I do indeed remember hearing R.E.M. on the Album Rock stations in West Michigan back in the day. Multiple singles, in fact.
I get that WRIF doesn't want to alienate older listeners, but the two playlists overlap much too far....

move anything from 1995 and earlier to WCSX, and stick to 1995 and later on WRIF....seems simple?
I disagree with the above suggestion.

If WRIF's P1s (and P2s) still want to hear certain pre-1995 songs, WRIF absolutely should be playing them!

Personally, I don't want to be forced to tune into WCSX to hear Ozzy, AC/DC, GNR, or pre-Black album Metallica (something CSX and most classic rock stations will not play). I certainly don't want to be forced to CSX to hear early Smashing Pumpkins or early grunge era hits, either.

There is nothing wrong with reasonable song overlap between sister stations. In many cases, some overlap is wise. The overlap between WRIF and WCSX remains minor. If such overlap did not occur, a wide lane would be left open for competing stations to exploit.

Now, I will say this - I *am* sick of hearing certain AC/DC songs on WRIF (I still want to hear 'em on the Riff, but there are multiple airworthy tracks that the Riff seldom touches), and I am definitely sick of hearing any song by Motley Crue on WRIF.



Beerbong
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Beerbong » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:33 am

There should be a moratorium on all current classic rock playlists. Stations should step out of the box and look deeper into the artist catalog for the real hits....Unless of course its Motley Crue. Nowhere to look there.



Y M Ionhere
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Y M Ionhere » Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:08 am

MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:11 am
I do indeed remember hearing R.E.M. on the Album Rock stations in West Michigan back in the day. Multiple singles, in fact.
I get that WRIF doesn't want to alienate older listeners, but the two playlists overlap much too far....

move anything from 1995 and earlier to WCSX, and stick to 1995 and later on WRIF....seems simple?
I disagree with the above suggestion.

If WRIF's P1s (and P2s) still want to hear certain pre-1995 songs, WRIF absolutely should be playing them!

Personally, I don't want to be forced to tune into WCSX to hear Ozzy, AC/DC, GNR, or pre-Black album Metallica (something CSX and most classic rock stations will not play). I certainly don't want to be forced to CSX to hear early Smashing Pumpkins or early grunge era hits, either.

There is nothing wrong with reasonable song overlap between sister stations. In many cases, some overlap is wise. The overlap between WRIF and WCSX remains minor. If such overlap did not occur, a wide lane would be left open for competing stations to exploit.

Now, I will say this - I *am* sick of hearing certain AC/DC songs on WRIF (I still want to hear 'em on the Riff, but there are multiple airworthy tracks that the Riff seldom touches), and I am definitely sick of hearing any song by Motley Crue on WRIF.
I find very little to argue with here.
I listened to WCSX religiously in the very early 90s (middle school, believe it or not). Most of the 80s music they played were from The Police, Billy Squier, and John Mellencamp. It definitely created some biases as to how I define "classic rock" (I still believe its a period in rocks development, particularly the rise of hard rock and prog rock, and traditional singer-songwriter rock being one of the few movements that connected the 70s to the early segments of rock that came from country). However, one thing that bothered me is they ignored certain rock acts that were big in the 70s. No AC/DC, Kiss or Rush. Early Rush, in particular, would have fit in well among the Boston and Deep Purple tracks. While I liked the music, I felt that a few important classic-rock-era bands were missing.
Sadly, they overcompensated. They now waaay overplay AC/DC ( whose music I find irritating and all sounding the same), and their Rush songs go into the boring synthesizer era.
A few Bon Scott-era tunes and some Pre-80s Rush, along with a smattering of "Destroyer"-era Kiss, would work for me.
I didnt like Motley Crue in '89 and I dont like them now. I remember turning on MTV, seeing "Same Old Situation" when it was current, and thinking "wow, a metal group is good for bedtime music. It might be hard rock, but it can put people to sleep. Its so boring". It worked fine on WRIF. But I liked WCSX because I didnt hear stuff like that.
And out of disclosure, theres plenty of "glam rock" I like.
One thing thats ironic to me is that classic rock stations are playing music that was popular because it WASN'T the traditional classic rock fare. New Wave and Punk. The Clash and Blondie were not 3-guitarist arena rock with elaborate solos. R.E.M. and U2 were "college rock" that told people "im too hip and sophisticated to listen to mainstream rock". Glam Rock was a newer generation directly influenced by the 70s sounds. So it seems wierd to me when I hear Led Zep segue into either an 80s band influenced by them or a new wave band people liked out of rebellion to the blues-based album/stadium rock.
Once Motley Crue and Poison, and now Smashing Pumpkins, hit the playlists, "classic rock" has gotten to be too broad a category and the parameters arent defined clearly enough.



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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:20 pm

I'm gonna do something UNHEARD OF on the internet.

I was wrong. While I don't remember REM on either of our local AOR stations, there were obviously AOR stations that played them. Thank you for your corrections.

A lot of you guys sound like my girlfriend and I. She cannot STAND AC/DC, and we've both had it up to here with the Crue. She did note, however, that they really only stayed in popular conscience because of the Tommy Lee shenanigans. I don't understand how a band that got you laughed at years ago is STILL the most (over)played band on rock based library formats.

If we're gonna be treated to Poison and Crue and Whitesnake and Winger, then dammit, let's get the 90s revival going already.


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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Colonel Flagg » Sat Jan 04, 2020 7:04 pm

I am quite surprised that none of you have commented on the R&R AOR chart at the link I posted, and how different the AOR of yesterday is from the "Classic Rock" and "Active Rock" of today. The majority of the tracks on that chart are just...gone from OTA radio.

The closest thing we have to a traditional AOR station around here is K106.3 CKUE Sarnia, and even that's a bit of a stretch. Sadly, I now have to be at our place on the St. Clair River to hear them, thanks to the co-channel jesus freaks.


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Re: Seriously WTF?

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:40 pm

Without looking, three songs I remember hearing quite a bit on WRIF were "Feels So Good" by Van Halen, "No Smoke Without a Fire" by Bad Company and "Tall Cool One" by Robert Plant. 1988-89, obviously. How often do you hear those 3 on classic rock radio now?


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