CHR's resurgence? Let's hope so!

["Tim Davisson" <timdav@bright.net>]

Several of you on this group and on a couple other radio NGs have been
talking about
the resurgence of CHR music/radio.

This old CHR/Top 40 jock from the 70's & early 80's can tell you this: I
got so bored with
current rock/CHR in the late 80's I stopped listening for nearly 10 years.
In January and
February I started trading tapes with several folks (one in the UK and a
couple around the
US) who'd send me pretty frequent tapes of pure CHR stations.

And you know what? I started hearing all kinds of music that, to these
"old" ears sounded
better than I'd heard in years.

I've actually bought a few CD singles.....in addition to my "replace the
70's greatest hits
LPs with CDs" and occassional acid jazz/smooth jazz CDs.

Currents I really like: Ricky Martin, Sixpense ("Kiss Me"...bought the CD
single),
Shania Twain is OK; both Britney Spears songs (sounds to me like the Lesley
Gore
of the late 90's...anybody remember Lesley?); Jordan Knight, both Whitney
Houston 
tunes; Lenny Kravitz "Fly"; Fatboy Slim; Tal Bachman is very good....just
to name a
few.  


A person my age (50) is not supposed to like current music....but, of
late...I like much
of it.  What I don't like is most rap and metal (what's left), and Cher's
pathetic yet
successful tunes.

I'm rambling (sorry)....so, what's my point? CHR radio tends to be heavily
current/re-current.
CHR radio can and should be fast-paced, fun to listen to, and fresh. Even
the jocks!  If 
current CHR music has a rebirth/resurgence....that's great for radio in
general. The radio
industry's music-intensive formats sure as hell needs a massive remodeling.

Most formats are stricken with the same 300 or 400 tunes, precious few
currents (except
urban hits & CHR)....the same robot-like, emotionless jocks, the same
liners, the same
type of contesting in virtually every market, the same positioning
statements and 
the same type of sweepers (with that filtered, alternative style voiced
liners and edited
one-liners from comedy cuts)......gosh...the radio is sooooooooo boring
everywhere.

Maybe fresh CHR music can catch fire.....and some of the excitement and fun
will
spread to the other formats. Gosh, radio needs it.

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