this week in review....

["Chuck Igo" <Chuckigo@worldnet.att.net>]

having spent the week in "exile" (read that: at the in-laws to save on gas
$$$),
i'm just getting a chance to review this weeks posts.

for Bill O:  it's not your radio.  the level of social discourse (or
intercourse)
has been lowered to a half-click up from the bottom.  the distance between
an HBO
comedy special and where radio's banter is currently set is narrowing
quicker than
a tropo-induced dx sideband.  (see what i did there...???)

for Adam:  WBCN "changed format" a long time ago and lost its soul when they
let
Charles go to 'ZLX and decided Boston needed Stern.  Howard is Howard.  He
does
what he does well, at least in the eyes of his employers.  Big bucks and a
dose
of fame: it's what every kid who has ever slapped on a pair of cans has
desired.
as far as 'BCN's music is concerned, it still has heart and the edge for
which 104.1
is known.

for Jeremy:  The Blimp is still a good station, but again, due to corporate
direction, they have also lost that which made them stand out in the early
80's.
and let me add that there were a number of Portland stations then not afraid
to take
chances and let it ride, programmed on a basis of "gut instinct" and talent
instead
of market or corporate research.  the ratings results we see now are based
on the fact
that all the listeners have is what's available.  imagine someone taking a
chance to try
something different.  i'll tip the hat on that thought to WCYY.  they rolled
the
dice on new and alternative artists and came up big.  funny, though...
that's what
WBLM and WMGX  "USED" to do.  and i will give credit to those professionals
in
Portland who have managed to maintain a good lifestyle while keeping their
class levels
strictly UPPER.  the staffs at WBLM and WMGX are good examples of this,
something to
which the stations who have the attention of the younger demos should
aspire.
not unlike Bill O, i find myself tuning in alternative, dare i say "family
friendly fare"
for the morning kiddie runs, such as Dave Supple's morning thing out of
Camden,
instead of listening to "was it good for you last night?" discussions on the
Top 40
stations.

for Dan B:  The overall Portland Ratings show how dangerous consolidation
can be,
and is a fine example of worst fears realized.  One company, in this case
Citadel,
controls more than a third of the available listening audience in Maine's
largest
metro.  (4 of the top 7 stations are Citadel, with a whopping 33+ share
based on
the 12+ numbers)

for Joe Pop:  Ron Robin's Stero93... was that when 106.7 was WBZ-FM?
or after WMJX made its soft-rock (yeah, the chicken ac thing) debut?  Boston
had several stations along those lines, iirc: WHUE (when they started adding
vocals), and WSSH.  Ron, of course, spent some time on WBZ after his 'MEX &
'VBF
stints.  was 'BOS after 'VBF? (i seem to recall the Stereo93 thing from the
late 70's... help me out if i'm experiencing a senior moment. ;-)  )

for the radio and tower threads:  now that we've ironed out the technical
aspects,
all we need is a little creative stuff coming from the speakers.

- -Chuck (hmmm, didn't mean to rant) Igo