Wednesday Blogs

54° - clear at 7:39am

Good Morning from Okemos

Robert Feder. His retirement is radio's loss. Feder - well known columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times who's written with passion for the medium and his market has announced that he'll be accepting a buy-out package and leaving in the coming weeks. If you followed Chicago radio, you read Feder.

Sean Ross of Edison Media writes more about Feder here.

Weekly Update. Longtime friend and consultant Dave Lange now posting a weekly review of radio news with "The Radio Week That Was". Check it out on Dave's blog here.

More Voices. Audience Development Group's Kevin Robinson and Tim Moore are both offering their take on the business - each with a weekly email. Just started receiving this week. Subscriptions are free here.

Around The Dial: WZLX/Boston offering listeners a chance at cash with "Dilating For Dollars". Staffer Heather from the station's morning show is expecting.

The listener who comes closest to the date and time of birth wins. See more here.

Congrats to WLAV. The Grand Rapids classic rock station wins two Marconi awards at last week's NAB. Very awesome!

Will have more tonight. Have a great day.

Labor Day Weekend On The Radio

83° - sunny at 11:38am

Good Morning from Okemos.

Listening to Bob Stroud's Sunday Morning WDRV program. This morning Bob featuring the music of Labor Day Weekend 1968. As I type this - he's playing a bubblegum classic "1,2,3 Red Light" by the 1910 Fruitgum Company.

Its been 40 years and I'm sad to say that I still know the words - there's brain cells that apparently can't be overwritten. (It was a great pop song - I heard that Talking Heads used to perform it!)

Driving around town a few times this weekend, its apparent that I'm one of the few left in town with most of the normal folk sneaking in one last getaway before summer unofficially ends.

That said - normal weekend listening habits also change - and as usual many classic rock stations around the country are using the 3-day holiday to do something special on the air and working extra hard to build some quarter hours.

In New York, WAXQ (Q104.3) is using the extended weekend to air the Top 104 albums of all time. See the list here.

WZLX/Boston is celebrating the weekend airing blocks of music from the "50 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". See the list of the 50 here. Very cool 'ZLX!

In Kansas City, KCFX (The Fox) is counting down the 500 Greatest Classic Rock Songs Of All Time.

KSAN/San Francisco's Labor Day programming is one created by the listeners with a "Listener Playlist Weekend". See the web setup/playlist recruitment here.

In Tucson, KLPX is putting listeners on the air with the "Cheap Labor Day Weekend". They've got a script posted on their website along with a phone number for listeners to call in and read back for air. I like this. The setup here.

WHLK/Madison (The Lake) is airing the ""Top 93 Album Sides of All Time." Every hour starts with a classic rock album side: "Music the way it was meant to be heard...on vinyl, one side at a time." Very nice!

In Philadelphia, WMGK is doing a "Labor Day Double Play" weekend with 2-fers all weekend long.

And on Monday, WGRF/Buffalo (97 Rock) is devoting the day to something we mentioned here a few weeks back - a countdown of the Top 20 Concerts at (local venue) Rich Stadium. Very cool. Combining listener input to create content that's truly local to Buffalo. More here.

Did I miss something you're doing? Let me know!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Wednesday Blogs

67° - mostly sunny at 8:23am

Good Morning from Okemos.

Always Roll Tape...err...TiVo: Last night I was watching a CNBC special on the Detroit Auto Show; the program highlighted a GM private party where Kid Rock performed.

CNBC interviewed Kid Rock and the result was a great soundbite for Detroit and the auto industry; timely audio that a great imaging guy (in Detroit) could use....just thinking here. Keep that TiVo going when you're watching the tube, you'll never know when you'll hear a good catch.

Steve Palec/WKLH: I've been a loyal fan of Steve's Sunday Morning "Rock 'N Roll Roots" show for a few years now. Milwaukee's Business Journal recently published an article about Steve and what he does when he's not spinning Led Zeppelin. Read here.

HD: Monday in "Net News", All Access published an HD Radio Update. Ibiquity's Bob Struble announced more automaker deals and the availability of sub-$100 consumer radios. On the programming side, ESPN is now offering HD-specific programming for stations.

Still - consumer awareness (not lack of interest) appears to be the biggest problem for the technology. Fred Jacobs ponders this lack of awareness for HD (as compared to the interest in the mandated Digital Television Transition) and asks "What would happen if all analog radio was to disappear on 1/1/2010? Would it be the end of radio as we know it? Or would it be the beginning?"

Read Fred's piece here.

Boston Blues: I note that the HD-2 channel of WZLX/Boston is airing blues 24/7 as "Radio Mojo". Very cool.

Somebody ought to try that in the Windy City!

Tom Becka. Congrats to my friend of 25+ years on the national release of his book "There's No Business Without The Show". Tom - who is hosts afternoons on talk KFAB/Omaha - has been a jock, radio salesperson, radio sales manager, stand-up comedian and talk show host.

All the best to my friend on the success of his book. Tom and I began our friendship at a little radio station off a rut-filled dirt road in Santa Fe. Memo to Tom: I'm waiting for my autographed copy!

Have a great Wednesday.

Classic Rock Salutes George

54° - sunny at 8:03am

Good Morning from Michigan.

Remembering George. Noticed just a few classic rockers remembering and paying tribute to George Carlin with their websites. WZLX/Boston has this section on its website for listener memories. Very cool. Likewise, WGRF/Buffalo's Rob Lederman posts his memories of George. See here.

Just a thought: there's a ton of George Carlin videos available via You Tube that could be embedded on a station website. A list here.

An online tribute would not be a bad thing to do. It's not too late; with a proper disclaimer (NSFW), you could even post the 7 words piece.

Around the web:

Cox Radio Steps Up. Cox - which in this author's opinion has been using the blandest of bland web templates for years - steps up with some site redesigns. Noted WHTQ/Orlando and WHPT/Tampa this morning. Very nice guys!

Late day update (9:55pm Eastern): Dave Martin with a common-sense thought today on his blog:

"Broadcast site after broadcast site feature Contact Us pages filled with email addresses, however, very few provide the primary telephone number. Getting in touch with station based colleagues and not having their direct dials often means visiting their website. More often than not one finds numbers for the studio, the newsroom, the sales department but no mention of the main number. Thinking my best bet is the sales dept I often call that number, usually get voicemail and typically become captive to the automated attendant. Provide the main number, answer your phone. My sense is there's competitive advantage here as no one is doing this."

More tomorrow...thanks for the pings; it makes it all worthwhile.

More Classic Rock Winter Numbers

27° - clear at 7:33am

Welcome to Wednesday.

Chicago, Part 2: An inside source reveals a bit about Chicago 25-54 numbers. AAA WXRT up and healthy. Classic rock/hits WDRV flat and healthy. Classic/mainstream rock WLUP down and not-so-healthy.

I think it would be fair to say that Emmis has its challenges in the Windy City with not one, but two full class B FMs. Perhaps a contributing factor to WLUP's troubles is Steve Dahl; who successfully moved from afternoons at WCKG to mornings at WJMK (Jack FM). Radio-Info's Tom Taylor repored this morning that Steve debuted #3 M25-54. Wow!

Elsewhere: Congrats to WCSX/Detroit and OM/PD Doug Podell. 12+ numbers released yesterday show the classic rock station rising a full share. Sister WRIF holds steady.

Boston: WZLX up a bit. San Diego: KGB-FM up a few notches too!

Added: Dave Lange writes here about Comedians and Morning Shows. Good read with your morning coffee and Krispy Kreme.

Late Night Update: All Access reports that services for legendary air talent Ron O'Brien - who passed away this past Sunday - will be held Friday Morning at 11am in Pennsylvania.

The services will include a 5-minute video tribute to Big Ron will be webcast at www.wogl.com. The video was produced by "Shotgun" Tom Kelly and Art Voulo, Jr.

The Weekend Classic Rock FM

70° - scattered clouds at 12 noon

Welcome to Saturday.

On the home agenda today is buying new bikes for my 12 and 9 year old, both who have seemed to quickly outgrow their old ones. Still think we're in the "big box store" bike purchase era instead of the $$ specialized bike retailer; the guys are still growing and they'll be outsizing whatever we buy today in short order...

Around the dial this weekend:

WAXQ/New York with a Bon Jovi weekend; tying in to an upcoming concert. Q104.3 also has a great interview with Ray Davies on their website (as do many Clear Channel classic rock stations). I think Ray's music in the past 3 years has never been better and is right up there with the best of the Kinks stuff from years ago.

WZLX/Boston and an Eagles weekend with ticket giveaways with as the band comes to town.

WGRF/Buffalo going into time-warp mode all weekend (great graphic!):

Another matter:

Dave Martin expresses it best. On what I refer to as the hysterical anti-HD radio bunch.

"A small and largely anonymous anti-HD Radio claque are engaged in a hobby of online ranting. The majority of these rants are no more than the noise of sockpuppetry (some possible astroturfing) being tyronic, invidious and inimical in nature. If you've not been exposed to these rants you're in luck."

This blog has certainly been the recipient of such rants with each and every mention of the letters "HD". I see the trolling - for anything HD-related - by the ranters in my site statistics.

I've stopped publishing the comments of the anonymous HD ranters. They contribute nothing new to the discussion at hand and drift off topic. I sense a "if you're not with us, you're against us" attitude. I could be wrong.

The bottom line is that the technology is here. The investments have been made. Its time to find ways to monetize and make it work.

Dave further observes: "It's still way early in the game". Read Dave Martin here.

Just thinking: It only took FM 30 years to come of age in a less-cluttered technological environment.

If today's ability to blog had been available in the early 40s, I can only imagine the rants that would have been posted after W2XMN went on the air. And ranting turning to gloating when many of the early FM efforts went dark in the 50s.

More Sunday.

2008 Spring Book Promos - Part 1

45° - rain at 10:45pm

Spring book began today; while we haven't spotted a ton of spring promotions (makes one think of budget woes) - I did run across a few worth mention.

WAXQ/New York is repeating their "Music Director" promotion - where listeners enter a five-song set of music and when they hear it on the air they can call in to win $104. A variation on the "Workforce Payroll" promotion.

All cash winners go into a grand prize drawing for $40,000 to be used toward a summer beach house rental along the Jersey Shore or Long Island. A little inspiration for the beach house rental is seen to the right.

See the complete promotion on the Q104.3 website here.

WZLX/Boston is doing the Workforce Payroll - with "all new hires on Workforce Payday Thursdays earn the maximum wage of $500 per hour!!" Likewise with KRXO/Oklahoma City with Workforce Payroll $100/hour giveaways.

In Tulsa, KJSR (Star 103) also doing the promo as "The At Work Network Payroll" with $100 an hour.

A few weeks back, I wrote here about WCSX/Detroit and its "Stimulus Package" promo. The stimulus now showing up on WKLH/Milwaukee with $600 cash prizes.

WKLH also doing van runs giving out checks for 96 cents to remind people to listen. Checks have reminder to winners "not to spend it all at once". LOL. See here.

WAQY/Springfield will also featuring the stimulus package soon. Tease on the website here. Also on the stimulus promo bus is KLPX/Tucson.

And WWUZ/Fredericksburg is offering a "stimulus package" with the "Workforce Cash Artist of the Day." See here.

More promos to come.

Bringing In The New Year with Classic Rock

26° - overcast at 9:45pm

Classic Rock Radio brings in 2008.

Countdowns appear to be the main event; but there's some other great features around the dial too.

In progress: CFMI/Vancouver kicked off a 500-song countdown on Boxing Day (that's the day after Christmas for us here in the States) and it runs through New Years Day.

KZOK/Seattle began a Top 1000-song countdown on Christmas Day - concluding on New Years Day.

In Scranton - WEZX/Scranton is in the midst of their Top 1007 countdown.

WAXQ/New York is replaying its Top 1043 songs of all-time (it did this over Thanksgiving) starting New Years Eve at 1pm.

Tucson's KLPX is spending the last day of the year counting down the Top 25 Classic Rock Albums Of All Time" as voted by listeners.

WAOR/South Bend is soliciting listener votes on their three favorite classic rock songs for a Top 30 Countdown on New Year's Eve. Voting by text message.

Check out WAOR's execution of the voting process here.

In Kansas City, KCFX is doing their top 1001 classic rock countdown. KZEP/San Antonio is all party songs starting at 8pm New Year's Eve.

WZLX/Boston does it live - live performances of classic rock favs by request starting at noon New Year's Eve. WTKW/Syracuse is bringing in the New Year with an A to Z marathon.

WABX/Evansville doing all requests ("happy YOU year") from Workforce members now through New Year's Day.

PD John Hager and WGRF/Buffalo celebrating the last day of the year 6am to 9pm by playing "the last cuts from Classic Rock's greatest albums".

Starting at 9pm its a commercial-free request fest with live reports from Buffalo's (and 97 Rock's) 20th Annual Ball Drop. Just like Times Square - but in Buffalo.

And on the first day of 2008 - John keeps the theme going with "by playing the first cuts from Classic Rock's greatest albums". All-Request starting at Midnight.

WKLH/Milwaukee is giving the airstaff New Year's Day off with a schedule full of syndicated specials - many of them encore presentations from the past year. See the lineup here.

Wednesday Blogs

58° - clear skies at 10am

More summer ARBs: CBS Radio's classic rocker WZLX/Boston is on fire - with their best 12+ performance in recent history. I can only imagine the target demo. And in Detroit - WCSX posted a half-point 12+ gain over spring. Very nice!

From my blogosphere:

David Martin reviews the numbers and notes the success of programmers Jhani Kaye (KRTH) and Brian Thomas (WCBS-FM). David writes: "It's not the format (song), it's the singer (the execution)." With apologies for abusing my privilege to quote - Dave adds:

"The winners mentioned in this post are programming their stations in real time. They are working in a living performance art. One of the oldest and last "live" performance arts. They understand. It's about going to work every single day totally obsessed with one goal - to commit great radio. All that's important is what comes out of the speakers, what's on the screens. Everything else is a footnote. Let me also remind you - as has been written here for some years now - it's not about radio, it's about audio. Period. Paragraph. The secret to success remains clear...you must create proprietary intangibles (innovation!)."

Dave's complete piece here. Another great read. Randy Michaels once referred to this obsession for great radio as a "sickness" - and that he was honored to be part of "the club". Me too.

Footnote: The "Z Channel" graphic lifted from a poster for a fantastic IFC documentary about one cable programmer's obsession. More here.

Ideas & Resources: Had an email a few weeks back from George Cook - with links to some more resources that came out of the 2007 NAB/R&R Convention - some since mentioned on this blog.

One terrific one I haven't yet passed along was the Mike McVay-moderated "75 Ideas in 75 Minutes". Download the powerpoint via McVay Media here.

Some of the powerpoint really needs the missing narration - but you can still get a lot out of it.

BTW: George Cook has a great blog: The GEOmetric Media Blog. I'll be adding to my blogroll here shortly. And thank you George!

Production Wizard: I missed mentioning on Sunday. Rick Kaempfer's Chicago Radio Spotlight interviews Bonneville/Chicago's Matt Bisbee - on radio, his career, promos and life. Read here.

I seem to recall a "Matt Bisbee" attending Columbia College/Chicago about the same time I did in the mid-70s.

The day job awaits. Have a great Wednesday!

More Labor Day Weekend Programming

61° - overcast at 9am.
Left: downtown Lansing 9am. Current image

Big downpour here last night as thunderstorms moved through Mid-Michigan. Cool weather made for a great night's sleep!


Heard yesterday that KRFX/Denver will have Night Ranger's Jack Blades in the studio - in morning drive and again this afternoon. Night Ranger in town for two free shows Saturday at the annual "Taste of Colorado".

Years ago, my station had Night Ranger in for a concert - and the entire band was great about appearances around town before the show. Very radio and fan friendly.

Listening to KRFX's Lewis & Floorwax this am; heard an absolute killer track from Devon Allman and his band Honeytribe. Apparently they were live in studio earlier in week. Devon is son of Gregg. Check them out here.

Labor Day Weekend Programming - Part 3: KGB/San Diego is doing a no-repeat weekend "with deep cuts and KGB classics". Sponsored too!

WKLH/Milwaukee is serving up an artist A to Z weekend. Have a sponsor behind it also.

WAQX/New York is doing a request weekend with a twist: "sing us the song that you want to hear live on the air, and earn the song you want to hear. Embarrass your friends, family, and of course yourself, and we'll play your request!" Here.

WCSX/Detroit - aside from broadcasting from the Detroit Grand Prix - is doing a Classic Rock Live Tracks weekend; plus Aerosmith ticket giveaways for a September 8th show. Here.

Mainstream rock WMMR/Philadelphia is doing a "back to school" A to Z this weekend.

I just love this graphic from their website!


WZLX/Boston celebrates "Zeptember" - spotlighting Led Zep with "exclusive interview audio from the ZLX Vault…the hits, deep cuts and lost classics from the Zeppelin catalog."

Added: More additions to the "PPM Rulebook" from Paragon Media Strategies. Read here.

July 4th and more

75° - cloudy at 1:30pm

Welcome to Thursday.

Summer book (6/28-9/19) starts today along with The Conclave in Minneapolis. But you knew that...


On the air - on the 4th:

Buffalo's WGRF is doing a "USA to Z" featuring "Classic Rock's greatest songs about life in America."

WCSX/Detroit also on the air with "USA to Z" - promising "All-American bands in alphabetical order, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.". This will be followed up with a complete A to Z starting on July 9th. Likewise with Milwaukee's WKLH...all day Tuesday and Wednesday.

KSEG/Sacramento is featuring a "Made in the USA Classic Rock A-Z" with all American bands.


In Boston - WZLX is doing "All American Classic Rock Blocks" on Independence Day.

WRXK/Naples is celebrating the 4th by changing their handle from "K-Rock" to "U-Rock" with an all-request Independence Day. Paducah's WQQR is doing on-air giveaways 4x an hour to caller 4.

July 7th (Saturday)

Premiere Radio Networks will be providing coverage of the "Live Earth" event from noon to 8pm ET.

Premiere reports more than 100 stations signed already.

The broadcast features 9 concerts from 9 countries - including Genesis, The Police, Bon Jovi, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. Details here.

Classic rockers on board for Live Earth include WAXQ/New York and WNRQ/Nashville.

WGRF/Buffalo celebrates 7-7-07 with "The Magnificent Seven" - with listeners voting now to pick classic rock's seven greatest bands. The station will play only those seven "great artists" from 10am-9pm on the 7th.

WKLH/Milwaukee also with "The Magnificent Seven" and listener voting is underway. Did I mention downtown MIlwaukee rocks?

In Billings - KRKX is doing an abbreviated "Magnificent Seven" - airing one hour that day.

Hope whatever your station does on the 4th or the 7th, you've got some great imaging in the can ready to go!

Paul McCartney: Bob Lefsetz writes here about seeing Paul perform last night. In the audience: Ringo Starr with Barbara Bach. Olivia Harrison. Joe Walsh. Jeff Lynne. Barbara Orbison.

"Mindblowing" says Bob.