Radio around here has gone from Top 40 to Top 7

(Gotta rant for a minute or two)

A lot of radio in this area (upstate NY near Rochester) went from Top 100 in the 1960's & 70's to Top 40. A few years ago it went to more like Top 20 and now it seems to be (as some locals call it) "Top 7." Not to rant about any particular style of music or individual artist but hearing the same bland crap wears thin.

No matter what you'd like to listen to, the stations have almost nothing that isn't replayed a hundred times a week. It makes no difference if you like Adele, Pink Floyd, Toby Keith, or whatever -- if it's all only played in a "Top 7" format, it wears thin.

There are also far too many local stations that are computer controlled. Let's just say for instance that going from The Ramones into an Elton John song probably isn't making anyone happy in either camp.

Either that or it's plagued by multiple rebroadcasts. Even the station I'm streaming right now rebroadcasts on up to 5 or 6 stations in about a 50 mile area so the same program can be heard on as many as 3 stations at the same time.

A cheapo HD receiver doesn't help. There's just more lame crap on almost every one of those added stations.

Anyone miss live, local DJ selections?

Is radio any better anywhere else or is it all computer controlled, robotic crap now?

There is a well known radio monolith (rhymes with sheer flannel) that bought up radio stations all over the country and converted many of them to "voicetracked" stations, where a single voice talent sits in a studio and creates intros and out-tros for many of their stations. The technology is pretty slick and they can make you think that the talent is local and actually sitting there the whole time when they're not.

They're not the only company doing this though; technology has made it simpler and cheaper to run radio stations by remote control, playing music from networked servers rather than by a local DJ. And I suspect there is some ratings algorithm that's driving the endlessly repeated airings of a small handful of songs.

I really miss the days of local talent. We still have a couple of stations in our area that are locally owned and operated. They are a breath of fresh air compared to the large national conglomerates.

It's all about the bucks. They want you to tune in, hear something popular, and then stay for a half hour; they know you're too busy to listen all day long like you used to, so they just wanna hook you for that half hour, which inevitably ends in that ten-minute block of ads that pay the bills, and also makes you change the station.

It's the advertising equivalent to a "drive by shooting," but as chmsan points out, since "Sheer Flannel" owns all the stations, they get you to hear the ads eventually, and that's how they make their money.

It's the same with "free" radio as with "free" TV, "free" internet content, etc.; if you're not getting charged for it, you're not the customer, you're the product. Advertisers are the customer.

You don't stand a chance around here, not only do they play the same stuff over and over, but they have their commercials synchronized so you can't skip to a different station playing music.
Lot's of good stuff in the public radio range, especially in the evenings.

bansuri said:

You don't stand a chance around here, not only do they play the same stuff over and over, but they have their commercials synchronized so you can't skip to a different station playing music.

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There's actually an advertising term for that. It's called roadblocking. Really annoying.

Sadly, most media in the US, not just radio, has been concentrated in fewer and fewer hands and is controlled by those whose agenda is not merely massive profits but also what news and viewpoints we are exposed to as well as what artists we are "allowed" to hear.

Some may be interested to learn that "Sheer Flannel" is owned by private equity firms Bain Capital and Thomas Lee partners after having been taken private in a leveraged buyout in 2008. Bain has been in the news a lot lately because presidential candidate Mitt Romney was one of its founders and it is the source of his enormous wealth.

I guess when it comes to interesting good music to listen to and exposure to new artists it can help to live within reach of a good college radio station.

Also, the resurgence of community radio stations in the last few years due to implementation of the Local Community Radio Act of 2010, signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011 is a welcome development and one I personally find astonishing, considering the current political climate.

The Act states the following: The Federal Communications Commission, when licensing new FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM stations, shall ensure that-- (1) licenses are available to FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM stations; (2) such decisions are made based on the needs of the local community; and (3) FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM stations remain equal in status and secondary to existing and modified full-service FM stations.

Significantly, on March 19, 2012 the FTC issued a ruling that addresses the concern that major corporations using "translator" stations as LPFMs, originating programming that could otherwise only be heard on AM or on a proprietary digital radio system called HD Radio. This use, now disallowed by the FCC, could have circumvented caps intended to prevent excessive concentration of media ownership, and violates the rules that other community LPFM stations must abide by.

A small but important win for the rest of us.

Gryffin said:

It's all about the bucks. They want you to tune in, hear something popular, and then stay for a half hour; they know you're too busy to listen all day long like you used to, so they just wanna hook you for that half hour, which inevitably ends in that ten-minute block of ads that pay the bills, and also makes you change the station.

It's the advertising equivalent to a "drive by shooting," but as chmsan points out, since "Sheer Flannel" owns all the stations, they get you to hear the ads eventually, and that's how they make their money.

It's the same with "free" radio as with "free" TV, "free" internet content, etc.; if you're not getting charged for it, you're not the customer, you're the product. Advertisers are the customer.

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Well said and that is why I turned my radio OFF quite a while ago. Bring the DJ back....LIVE. We should all turn-um off. They will listen.
Keith

It does make you wonder if the FCC ruling that allowed the consolidation of broadcast radio could be reversed. Certainly the breakup of Bell Telephone showed that increased competition produced better service and prices. I'm a bit amazed that "sheer flannel" is still in business, considering how awful their program material is. I must just be getting old and cranky in my old age, eh?

Personally, I've given up on commercial radio. There are a few stations that I stream on-line. I'll also listen to Pandora or such.

The sad thing is that there are good artists out there, and we are missing one convenient medium for listening to them. Thank goodness that the internet has partially compensated for the effective loss of radio broadcasts.

regards,
Steve K.

The FCC ruling of a few years ago was headed by political bigwigs who had their hands in a few of the broadcast giants up to their shoulders. Public interest or service never came close to even a backseat in that decision.

That's why there's nothing like tuning up and down the dial and hearing the same Toby Keith song played by 3 different stations all at the same time.

Except maybe hearing the same Adele song being played on 5 different stations all at the same time.

Even if the artist is a favorite of yours, it wears thin in an instant.


Every once in awhile even the commercials between songs are the same on multiple stations. I've heard all of that in the past few months.


One of the stations I do listen to still rebroadcasts on a separate local frequency in the same area of the band, and on HD, and also on another station within less than 100 miles.

Why have a decent portable radio that gets good reception when you're just going to hear the exact same thing?

On another topic, FM is bad enough but AM is horrible beyond belief. Do I really want to get news from a station that broadcasts reports of UFO abductions and info on all natural, "miracle," sex cures?

It ain't just the schmear channel business (ain't that the one about toppings for warm bagels?). The media market in this area has dozens of stations on FM alone. There are 3, count 'em, 3 top media companies that own almost everyone of those.

The college stations have a bit of programming that's different once a week or so but the only bright spot on the dial is an almost all jazz station that doesn't sound like it's broadcasting to elevator riders.

There's also a daily talk show that isn't about sports, rabid politics, and the like, and that also has a staff that matured beyond the age of 14!

Pretty slim pickin's so I stream audio more and more.


Any good suggestions for streaming Americana, alt-rock for grownups, surf/punk, or real jazz? I'll miss out on local radio but ya gotta listen to something, right?

Keep in mind that we're currently entering a sweeps period so you're going to see an uptick in breathless, sensationalized news stories. "Do you know what household item has more germs than a toilet seat? We'll tell you... at eleven!"
:ironic:

Yes, going further off topic but can I listen to that sound bite on the cell phone that everyone else in the house uses? While I stop by the mail box? (Sorry, could not resist since I've heard crap like that too often over the years).

Well, I could just listen to CNN. You know, "Commercials, Not News."

The whole business is of course to get more listeners to sell more advertising spots. I get that.

On the other hand one local station admitted that their programming and ratings target was for about 10% of the local audience. They thought that would be a great number. I thought it meant that 90% of the potential audience would want nothing to do with them.

You can't cater to everyone but their thinking is just plain wrong. "I know -- let's market a product that almost no one will want -- 10% or maybe a little less than that. Wow, that sounds like a great market. Let's do it!"

chmsam said:

Any good suggestions for streaming Americana, alt-rock for grownups, surf/punk, or real jazz? I'll miss out on local radio but ya gotta listen to something, right?

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Where I live we are very fortunate to have a terrific local/regional FM station(s) WRSI - "The River", that bills itself with the tagline, "Different is Good", and it is. They broadcast mainly to Western and Northern Mass, Southern Vermont and New Hampshire and are located in Turners Falls, MA. They generally are in the category labeled "Adult album alternative"..... Here's a description from the Wikipedia entry I've linked. - "Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats. The format has a broader, more diverse playlist than most other formats and tends to appeal more to adults than to teenagers. Musical selection tends to be on the fringe of mainstream pop and rock as well as many other music genres such as indie rock, alternative rock, alternative country, jazz, folk, world music and blues. The musical selections tend to shy away from hard rock and rap music."

The station features actual live local DJ's and hosts, visits, interviews, some talk and occasional studio performances with well known and not so known regional and national musicians who are touring the area. They play a wide range of interesting music from old rock and folk classics to acoustic, indie, American roots, and a wide selection of new and diverse material from many genres, both singles and longer album cuts. They stream and offer podcasts. They even take requests via email. You can find WRSI here: http://www.wrsi.com/ . Here is a page of Recently Played tunes. There's a Wikipedia page about WRSI.

I feel very fortunate to have this local resource and I don't know quite what I would do without it, especially while driving but I often listen when I'm working as well. As a friend once said, when I was talking about all the radio stations I can receive from my mountain top location, "It's the only one that matters". Everything else on the airwaves with the exception of the 5 public broadcasting stations I can receive from 4 states seems like repetitive canned garbage.

Check 'em out. It sounds like it might match your request for suggestions.


A little trivia: MSNBC television host Rachel Maddow spent two years hosting "The Big Breakfast" show on WRSI during the early days of her radio career back in 2002.

Ah, yes, another station carrying Little Steven's Underground Garage. He plays great stuff. I don't know if I should be proud or embarrassed to say how many of the artists he plays that I've seen over the decades -- sometimes a bit of both I guess but great music anyway. :thumbsup: Definitely not gonna hear the same Adele song played twenty times during one of his shows.

If you like that stuff then check out Whole Lotta Shakin', WRUR's Rejuvenation, and WRUR's Blacks and Blues

All three are streamed on www.wrur.org. It's the campus station for the University of Rochester. All three shows have been on for many years.

"Whole Lotta Shakin'" is Rock n Roll, Surf, Punk, Americana, etc., and it's on from 4 - 6 p.m. on Saturdays. And it's followed by some other good shows.

"Rejuvenation" is a soul music show covering musice from the 1940's through the 1970's. It's followed by "Blacks and Blues" which is billed as "Black Classical Music" (soul, jazz, etc.). Makes for a great Friday night of radio.

The unique feature of these shows is that they are hosted by people who live and breathe the music they play. I've never heard a bad show on any of them and I've been listening to some of those shows since the 1980's. I almost always hear something new to me and really different on these shows.

How rare is that? (But I still want more!!)


And thanks for the input. I'll check those out.

There is some hope after all!

Speaking of streaming radio stations, I'd like to make a product recommendation........SKU - 625 from DX.

It's one of those FM transmitters that are usually used in an automobile. That's what I bought it for but it never made it out of the house once I checked it out. The thing about this one is that at around 7 dollars US it far exceeds the performance and features of several others I've owned over the years that cost many times more. Unlike many on the market, you can tune it to any frequency on the FM dial in 0.1 MHz steps and has 10 memories. It can be powered by two AAA batteries, 12 volt car adapter (included) or USB. It has a blue illuminated display (a little dim), a clock, a battery indicator and even a built in thermometer (why, I don't know). The build quality is just ok but more than adequate. There can be a slight signal to noise hum but I find that this can be ameliorated by adjusting the computer volume in coordination with the receiving radio volume. The main thing that has impressed me about this cheap little transmitter is the range and the battery performance. I can broadcast from my office computer to any bedroom in my house and to the FM radio downstairs in the kitchen with a clear strong signal. None of the other transmitters of this type I have owned can do that and they have even had trouble within my vehicle at times. The range can be further enhanced by using a USB cable connection but the perfomance I'm getting is just with batteries. Two AAA Eneloops in this thing last so long it blows my mind and I don't know how they do it but DX says it has "ultra-low power consumption" and it turned out they were not making that up.

Anyway, the whole point of recommending this (or any other similar product that works well for you) is that it brings the streaming of radio back to where it belongs.....on the radio! Of course, this changes the whole online listening experience and lets you "cut the cord" to your computer and tune in wherever you like.

It's bad around here too. I'm pretty sure if I have the same station on for an hour I will hear the same song twice, luckily I don't drive that often or listen to radio frequently. Then I switch to another station and it's the top 10 repeated all over again, pretty annoying.

I leave it on talk radio, like NPR, BBC, etc.

Muzak loops get boring too fast.


As described, they are targeting people in their cars, commuting, as that's the most common radio listening scenario...and the commute is an average of 15 - 45 minutes.


A few songs interspersed with ads fills that gap...and for the average joe/jill shmoe...they hear the top 7 on the drive, and that's it until the next day.

Even NPR, etc, replays the same damn discussions/interviews, but at least there's no commercials.


TV is like that too, 3,000 channels and ~ nothing is on...they are so starved for content its not even funny (Or even very entertaining).

WYEP - Alt/indie no commercials
90.5 FM Pittsburgh - Jazz

both stream online

As others have alluded to, web radio is where it's at, specifically the Internet broadcasts of those smaller terrestrial/"regular" over-the-air stations that aren't interested in the corporate playlist. Head over to TuneIn Radio to listen to almost every radio station worldwide for free, see what you've been missing; if you're reading this, you already have everything that's needed to listen in.

I recently bought a Grace Digital Wifi Internet Radio, the Mondo - GDI-IRC6000, and have it connected to my surround system. I mostly listen to Pandora but occasionally surf around on the ~18,000 other stations from around the world. I can also control it from my iPad and easy chair. It works well and I'm pleased with the purchase.

I have learned SO MUCH from this thread ! ! !


Thank you to everyone, for your comments and contributions here.


Gee -- I thought it was just ME !


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