WDRC-FM playlist (Was Re: Wide-open FM reception in CT)

[mwaters@mail.wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

>Howard Glazer wrote:
<snip>
>Has anyone else noticed the broadening of WDRC-FM's
>playlist lately? They've added "Oh Wow Wednesdays" to their programming
>-- one or two forgotten oldies every hour -- but, beyond that, the
>standard fare is being supplemented with buried treasures like Wilson
>Pickett's "634-5789," Tommy Roe's "Jam Up and Jelly Tight," Stevie
>Wonder's "A Place in the Sun," Herman's Hermits' "Dandy" and Fantastic
>Johnny C's "Boogaloo Down Broadway."
>
>Could it be? A radio station that's finally listening to radio/music
>geeks?

        No <g>. Everything's a reaction to WZMX going to "dancin' oldies."
Whatever the reason, it's nice to hear a few songs that are different on
WDRC-FM after all these years. And what's nice about WZMX is that it's
loaded with songs that have not been heard much lately, although a lot of
it isn't in sync with my personal taste. But some of what WDRC is doing
seems like groping around in the dark, dredging up really obscure songs in
an effort to counter WZMX but not to sound too much the same. IMO, WDRC has
a dilemma, in that the older piece of their audience, for the '50s music,
is at risk of being driven away by all the late 60s/early 70s and even mid
'70s soul / r&b that's been added. And, it sounds to me like they've cut
way back on the '50s/doo wop type stuff. Chuck Berry, Elvis
Presley--they're still on--the most familiar 50s stuff. But a lot of the
rest is way reduced. Also, you'll note that it's r&*b/soul/pop that's been
added, not any so-called hard rock from the later period of years that they
cover. You don't hear "Layla," for example, because that's classic rock
territory. It's not in the WZMX mix, and WZMX is what they're reacting to.
        But the broader, deep, important, philosophical question <g> is,
How long will it be until we hear Chuck Berry on the music of your life
formats?

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