Sunday Morning Odds & Sods

40° - fog at 10am Left: via Randy Raley's blog. Just too weird to pass up. More here.

Listening: My usual Sunday Morning fare. Bob Stroud/WDRV currently playing "Some Velvet Morning" (1968) from Nancy Sinatra and (the late) Lee Hazelwood. Video here

Velvet Morning one of my favs - a moment when pop met psychedelia. I see on Wikipedia that Vanilla Fudge covered it; I'll have to dig it up - I can only imagine.

Reading this morning: Jerry Del Colliano's INSIDE MUSIC MEDIA^TM - posting on Friday about Christmas Radio and the PPM success of WBEB/Philadelphia and KODA/Houston. Jerry writes:

"My own personal program director's people meter located right here in my gut tells me that audiences like it when radio stations create a feeling of something special."

My gut too - and this relates entirely to what I wrote last night regarding special programming - be it A to Z, a Top 500 Countdown - the clever stuff coming from John Hager in Buffalo - all that.

Jerry adds:

"Imagine what radio could really do if it tried harder. In fact, imagine what terrestrial radio could do if it tried harder the other 46 weeks a year. Betcha the ratings would soar among existing radio listeners."

"Trying harder" will never be a directive from the home office. It takes initiative at the PD level to make it all happen. Perhaps extra staff time. If it doesn't start with the PD - then where?

And GMs: you do trust your PD to do the right thing, yes? Empower them - or replace them with ones you can.

More: The Legendary Bill Drake - from the year end issue of R&R via Jaye Albright:

"Whoever puts the best on the radio wins. Obviously today you’ve got iPods, satellite and all kinds of goodies. There are some good programmers, but some lousy-sounding stations—and some of them have incredible signals. There doesn’t seem to be that fever anymore."

"I know when we were doing it we were like a brotherhood. We went in to win and did whatever it took. We were totally, absolutely dedicated. It doesn’t come across on many radio stations now. A lot of people just don’t know what they’re doing. Of course, that’s always been true, thank you, Jesus."

Great Audio. KRFX/Denver PM driver Shark recently spoke with the legendary Barry Fey about the concert business - music - and Led Zeppelin.

Recorded on the 40th anniversary of Led Zep's first show in America - in Denver. An act added as a favor to an already "sold out" show. Listen here. Great stories you'll love hearing.

Lee Arnold's moment of epiphany. A great read here.

Have a great Sunday. Tomorrow the start of another great week.

Sunday Morning Odds & Sods

72° - scattered clouds at 10:40am

Welcome to Sunday.

It's "Vinyl Record Day" - more here.

Listening to my usual Sunday Morning combination. WDRV/Chicago until 11 eastern - then onto WKLH/Milwaukee. Each stations does a program named "Rock & Roll Roots" - though the shows are far different from each other.

Both shows rock and well worth your time.

Number one 12-plus club. Add to that list KKZX/Spokane in the new Spring numbers. (Nothing new for KKZX; the station has been the 12+ leader in its market many times before).

Around the country:

Detroit: WCSX is hitting the streets next Friday and Saturday for the 13th annual Woodward Dream Cruise.

The event is "the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture with more than 1 million visitors and more than 40,000 classic cars". See here.

Meanwhile - sister station WRIF is giving local bands a chance to open for Motor City Madman Ted Nugent when he returns to town. Details here.

And WRIF is going to broadcast the Detroit Grand Prix live on Sunday, September 2nd. See here. Both 'CSX and 'RIF are pretty dialed into Detroit - very visible in events extending beyond music.

Chicago: WDRV up market legend Bobby Skafish from weekends to PM drive. Skafish for years did PM drive across town on WXRT. A huge move for The Drive!

Denver: KRFX says goodbye to comedian/actor Harland Williams in PM drive. "Shark" - currently middays - moves into afternoons.

Accolades to KRFX PD Garner Goin - an innovator - for trying something very out-of-the-box with Harland Williams.

Have a great Sunday.

Sunday Morning Odds & Sods

85° - sunny at 11am

Good Morning!

Yesterday: I was in Ludington, MI (along the Lake Michigan shoreline) doing a live remote for Todd Mohr's WWKR. It was my first commercial remote in something like 12 years.

It was fun to help out and be on the air again. Nice to see the station's new home too - moving from nearby Pentwater.

Too cool: The station runs the Jones satellite-delivered classic rock format out of Denver - and the talent on the air during my remote was my old buddy Shark. (photo right)

Aside from his Jones duties, Shark also does middays on Denver's KRFX and "voice tracked" afternoons for me in New Mexico (and still does there). Just like old times yesterday.

Live Earth. All I caught was some CNN coverage of yesterday's event. I honestly didn't "get" Live Earth - talking global warming while consuming many kilowatts to power all that stage lighting and sound.

Perhaps it should have been from one site - all acoustic ("unplugged"). From Greenland where the glaciers are melting.

Added: Bob Lefsetz offers his take on Live Earth here.

Grab this music list. Listening this morning to Bob Stroud on Chicago's WDRV. Doing his annual "Living in the USA" show.

Might grab his playlist here once its posted and stick in the file as music ideas for your own July 4th programming next year.

Just heard a great tune as part of WDRV's internet fill: "I Know What I Like" by Genesis. Haven't heard that in years!

Added: In Seattle - KZOK #1 12+ (again) in trend released Friday.

Added: (yet more!) Rick Kaempfer's Chicago Radio Spotlight shines on KFOG/San Francisco PD Dave Benson. A great read here.

Enjoy the day.