55+ (was: Boxford pirate's coax cable cut)

[markwa1ion@aol.com]

One thing missing from a lot of the satellite stations, and to some 
extent terrestrial music broadcasters too, is the element of 
PERSONALITY.  "Local feel" is often lacking too.

DJ's of earlier times like Bill Marlowe on the adult-pop side and the 
'60s WBZ stable of DeSuze, Maynard, Kaye, Bradley, and Summer just 
aren't falling out of the trees these days.

Some stations can be good jukeboxes, but where's the Marlowe-like 
exuberance over a killer sax solo, Jeffy Kaye being deeply informed 
about folk music on his Hootenanny, Dick Summer rallying "Nightlighters 
Against Gutlessness" after the murder of a woman in NY in front of 
witnesses who did nothing, or DeSuze trying to pick up everyone's 
spirits during a miserable snowstorm or after a crushing defeat of the 
Sox ?

I hear satellite stations of various types when out in restaurants and, 
while the music may be good, I'm just not getting the same kick out of 
listening as I did with '60s-era Boston radio (or for that matter into 
the '70s and '80s on the FM side, especially WBCN).

Is this kind of personal interaction gone from DJ practice and limited 
only to talk formats now that automation and non-local sourcing rule 
the commercial-station music formats ?

I do appreciate what some of the smaller stations are doing.  They put 
the big stations with their bigger budgets to shame.

Mark Connelly - Billerica, MA

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Nelson <raccoonradio@gmail.com>
To: markwa1ion@aol.com
Cc: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
Sent: Wed, Sep 23, 2009 12:11 pm
Subject: Re: 55+ (was: Boxford pirate's coax cable cut)

One could get XM/Sirius which has 40s and 50s stations, etc. (When I
visit my Dad on Cape Cod and help him shop, I put XM 40s on 4, the
"Savoy Express" on (my Dad can't drive any more so I do the honors).
They also have a beautiful music station, Escape.)

Some college stations have oldies. WMWM has a Saturday night oldies
block with the group-sound Uncle Henry's Basement (on since '89) and a
rotating series of shows that feature rockabilly, and 50s/60s
R&B/blues, etc. Sometimes I'll throw in Bo Diddley or
Chuck Berry on my blues show and will mention "you won't hear these on
the oldies station down the dial". Uncle Jack's Roadhouse, a country
and roots show on Sat.
afternoons, will do some country or blues oldies.

It's only for a minute or so, maybe not even, but usually you can hear
a Sinatra tune as bumper music on Laura Ingraham (WRKO, etc.) I think
she does it for her dad...

WATD does have some interesting stuff. I think they still have a 
wee-hours (Tue
nights?) oldies show done by a legally blind DJ, IIRC.

I would think that older listeners will enjoy news/talk or sports but
for music, there's not much out there on local terrestrial radio