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Post by seattlefollower on Jun 15, 2009 11:27:32 GMT -7
Okay, I am hoping to spark some discussion on this topic.
I happened to listen online to X96 last week for most of my workday and here's what I observed: It's "alternative oldies" without actually stating they've made a change. In using this term, I mean a "90s station" without branding itself as such. It seemed much like the station I listened to when I lived there 3+ years ago.
"Alternative" as a format has struggled as music audiences continue to fragment and (i.m.h.o.) younger people discover music via MySpace, clubs, etc. instead of radio. To a lesser extent this is also related to the 'grunge' influence petering out and 'alternative' bands apparently being more influenced by greats of the genre in the 80s - ie. Talking Heads influencing Death Cab for Cutie, for example.
X96 is still a good station I think but it is still the same station it's been for many years. Radio From Hell has many of the same bits and pieces that have been successful over the years, Todd Nuke 'Em is still the PD and still introducing new music via Todd's iPod, Corey O'Brien's even been there like 10 years now, starting in overnights/interning to his current place. I hate to say it, but I don't miss Artie...
Musically, I realize the station is playing some new cuts, but they don't appear to have jumped (thank goodness) onto the "active rock" bandwagon - this is what happened to "100.3 the X" in Boise as well as several other male-oriented rock stations. In SLC this would be even stupider since KBER, "94.9 Rocks" and "the Blaze" have that niche covered.
I think Utah has also proven to be less-than-receptive to Triple A so it's good they've not tried to 'mellow down' as well, similar to (excellent station) KNRK, "94/7 Alternative Portland." The genre seems to be at a strange crossroads where few artists have the same sound/feel as those from the late 90s-early 2000s unless we're lucky enough to get a new album from one of them - ie. Everclear, Linkin Park.
I only hope that with the coming PPM, Simmons doesn't start knee jerking and completely f-up a very good station. Yes, Kerry Bill and Gina talk a lot. But you know what? I think they're usually pretty concise, compelling and make good content. The meter will hopefully reflect this!!!
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Jun 15, 2009 22:26:19 GMT -7
The conventional wisdom seems to be that young people are finding music by other means than radio, but I saw a report somewhere that seems to say that it isn't really as bad as some are thinking. If I figure out where I saw it I'll let you know. One other thing that nobody seems to be talking about. Ok, there are other ways than radio to hear music. But how do you discover new artists? Click on random weblinks until you hear something you like? That doesn't sound like a good solution to me. I think radio (whether it's traditional over the air or something new like satellite, webstreams or whatever) is still going to be important to get the word out. No?
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Post by thebaldone on Jun 16, 2009 21:49:38 GMT -7
I actually think AAA would work in Salt Lake if it was done well. The End was a great station until about 5 years ago. The problem with some stations, and not X96, is that programmers/owners/consultants are busy trying to fix what ain't broken. PPM's, hopefully, will give us an inside scoop, but word of mouth still tells me that X96 is a top tier station. 107.5, or 101.9 The End now is not one I hear anything about. KBULL, KSL, X96, FM100, KOSY, KNRS, KBER, U92 are the only stations people are really talking about, ... still. What is the common thread?? They are consistant without much change except for maybe FM100 (point 3) going away from the continuous soft hits a bit and playing some up beat stuff.
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Post by seattlefollower on Jun 16, 2009 21:57:01 GMT -7
The conventional wisdom seems to be that young people are finding music by other meansBut how do you discover new artists? Click on random weblinks until you hear something you like? That doesn't sound like a good solution to me. Honestly, I've discovered some through public radio (good example: Estelle, months before "American Boy" broke the top 40 charts - she was on C89.5), Canadian radio (CBC Radio 2 and 3) and DSPete introduced me to slacker.com - I type a song I want to hear, usually hear it FIRST then subsequent artists in a similar vein. Or, I pick one of the pre-selected stations that seem to be about as diverse as most commercial stations. The hardest part about online music selection? Not as portable. But, that's what a good mp3 player could change. |
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Post by dxstuboy on Jun 17, 2009 22:15:07 GMT -7
Bald, what was The End like 5 years ago? I wasn't here and am curious. I remember when it was on 107.5, but I don't remember when it was "better" lol.
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Post by thebaldone on Jun 19, 2009 15:23:03 GMT -7
maybe more like 10 years ago.
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Post by seattlefollower on Jun 19, 2009 17:53:50 GMT -7
maybe more like 10 years ago. Well, I moved away 3 years ago. At the time, the station at least had "Mister West" and "Biff Raff." I think the death of the "good" End started with the loss of Barb. While Kari Bushman is hard worker, I've never been a *big* fan of her presentation. As mystery cuts continued to befall the station, the music changed a little and competitor KJQ(N) became almost the same station before flipping to Jack. When I first moved to Utah (circa 2002), I really liked "the End" but later moved to KJQ as a P1 and probably Star 102.7 and X96 as a P2. I got annoyed by Chunga's ego and learned more about the back story and it turned me off. X96 did a better job of representing 'the other' in Utah and so that's where I stayed when I didn't listen to NPR. In reality, I still wake up to "Morning Edition" all the time, which is unusual for someone my age. I really enjoyed Jonathan Browne's wit and personality, which seemed to come through the airwaves. Returning back to "the End," "Biff" left and the station moved to a little more traditional Triple A vs. the 80s-alt. heavy version that had been cranking for years. This may have also been because of "my 99-5" playing a very similar music format. It seems the trend is that people really do want 'less talk' (!!!) and I think KENZ's ratings were impacted. The company made a decision as well to try and save 101.9 by killing "POP FM" and moving KENZ there. The benefit? Wider signal. The con? Risking losing listeners. |
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Post by dxstuboy on Jun 19, 2009 22:54:00 GMT -7
One of the promotion directors at Citadel still has a "101.9 Pop FM" sticker on her door. I always wondered about that, now I know. I used to listen to Chunga and Mister in the morning, but after Mister was let go, I gave up hope on KENZ until I started working there last fall. The only time KENZ is good (for me) is the retro Sundays. Other than that, my music tastes are a bit older than what they play normally.
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Jun 20, 2009 0:16:48 GMT -7
I don't think there was much risk of losing listeners by moving The End to the 101.9 slot, either from not knowing about the move (very well publicized) or by loss of the signal itself (south of Utah County isn't nearly as much of a concern for a Salt Lake centric station as the lack of signal in Weber/N Davis IMO).
I'm not sure how Citadel came up with that, but they needed to figure out what to do with the station rather quickly. The deal for Millcreek to sell them the station (Millcreek was trying to revitalize The Kat at the time) came out of nowhere. It simulcasted K-Bull for a couple of days then went into a "go to 93.3 for country music" loop for a few weeks, then simulcasted K-Fan for months before the new format got launched. I wonder how much planning actually went into the formatics of the station. It never quite seemed to gel to me.
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Post by seattlefollower on Jun 20, 2009 9:15:46 GMT -7
I'm not sure how Citadel came up with that, but they needed to figure out what to do with the station rather quickly. The deal for Millcreek to sell them the station (Millcreek was trying to revitalize The Kat at the time) came out of nowhere. It simulcasted K-Bull for a couple of days then went into a "go to 93.3 for country music" loop for a few weeks, then simulcasted K-Fan for months before the new format got launched. I wonder how much planning actually went into the formatics of the station. It never quite seemed to gel to me. I forgot about all that mess! I just remember being up to hear when they "killed" KKAT. I was sad, as KKAT/Cat Country was a really good station after Millcreek took over from Clear Channel. |
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Post by thebaldone on Jun 20, 2009 10:50:06 GMT -7
I listened to the End until they moved to 101.9... something about it was just unnatural for me being a Utah County boy.
The revolving door of morning show co-hosts gets old as well... Marcus, Casey, Mr. West... all gone for who?? I don't like those with Chunga now.
It seems that Chunga is a LOT of talk, less music. X96 moved that way with Radio from Hell, so of course Chunga had to follow.
I think the final nail was when Biff left. I worked for Biff for a year 10 years ago and he was a great guy to work for... and in MY OPINION, he made The End.
I missed all of the KKAT drama at Millcreek... thank goodness.
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