Jurassic KGB Park Updated 2000

Over the same span of time, I've seen the likes of 102.9 Classic Rock, KCBQ 105.3, Rock Mix 103.7, and The Eagle 94.1 come and go so fast that few people noticed as they made the same mistake of programming the same old kind of songs KGB 101.5 (and the late KPRI 106.5) once made famous in San Diego by themselves.

How many more times do we aging baby boomers actually need to hear "All Right Now," "Rocky Mountain Way," "Free Bird" and "Hotel California" -- not to mention the granddaddy of obsolescence, "Stairway to Heaven," over and over again until we die?

Must traditional rock and roll radio stations program the formats by decade in order to get an audience? Who is the idiot that ever invented this concept of format programming? Frankly, I'm insulted when these programmers actually think that since I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, that all I want to hear is classic rock MADE ONLY in the 1960s and 1970s, read, program a classic-rock format by decade, instead of the preferred genre as it really is, since the music programmer is dumbstruck, as if there hasn't been a record made worth playing since "Smoke on the Water"?

A lot of attention is paid to the purchasing habits and musical preferences of the "aging baby boomer," whoever that is. Sure I watch reruns of comedies and cop shows on cable, but I do enjoy some of the newer shows out there such as "South Park" and other stuff, so why is San Diego rock and roll radio (with the exception of Sets 102.1) ignoring what the rock and roll music fan in San Diego really wants to hear?

It's a pity, because we need outlets for the new, the bold, the unpredictable. And nowhere more than in radio, which rides along with us on our morning commutes, and is available to distract or console us when the day is done and the night long.

Radio airplay, listen up KGB and The Planet (and Arrow 93.1 for that matter), of newer traditional rock and roll material is what generates interest of today's music at the record store. Not only that, playing new music doesn't cost a thing to put on (except for paying out the usual royalties of course) the airwaves.

So why doesn't NBC and CBS air just reruns in prime time from some 20-30 years ago? It wouldn't get high ratings, just the ratings of those who never saw the shows or the few who wish to see the repeats again. It's the same thing with these classic rock stations here. They're just programming reruns of classic rock songs from some 20-30 years ago, contributing nothing towards the advancement and survival of the traditional rock and roll genre.

So I like to hear the classic rock songs. Check. I like to hear the new classic rock songs from the artists I enjoyed in the past. Check. I like to hear the newer rock artists today. Check. One out of three isn't good you station programmers!

With the loss a couple of months ago of 92.5 FM, which called itself "Independent Radio" (and it wasn't far off), we're left with 91X and whatever acceptable tunes we can find while randomly scanning everything else on the dial.

Anyone can just whine and complain about this -- I'm even capable myself. But not this time. Instead, I turn proactively to one longtime radio station in particular -- KGB -- with a simple request:

Modify your format. Please. (see If I Programmed a Radio Station on my website)

So, let's go back to the late 1960s when all those really classic rock artists were just coming out. Cream. Janis Joplin. Jimi Hendrix. Grateful Dead. The Yardbirds. Suppose that back then there were nothing but radio stations playing songs from 20-30 years ago and the only stations playing today's music were bubblegum stuff like The Archies and acts that sound like them. Would these classic rock artists have ever succeeded without any radio play? Of course not.

So, it's the same thing today, only this time, the newer songs by the classic artists the boomers grew up with are not being heard locally on over-the-air radio where it belongs, and instead, the boomers are being assaulted by reruns of the same songs from 1/4 century ago.

Why KGB? Why have you rested on your laurels for so long after all these years of being the trend-setter of Southern California radio, aside of the late KMET in Los Angeles? What ever made you decide to change your classic rock format from a genre to a period piece as it has been since the cast of 90210 were just getting gray hairs in 1990?

Long before its classic-rock days began, KGB was a leader, not a follower. It was often adventurous and never canned-sounding. The voices and music that emanated from its frequency belied its place in a conservative broadcasting town.

paragraphs from DAVID CODDON's guest column from the Union-Tribune follows:

One half of a fierce Top 40 radio war in the late '60s (it was "double-cash KGB" vs. "fun-lovin' KCBQ), KGB-AM and its companion FM station underwent a "recycling" in 1972 that changed the texture of San Diego radio for a decade. Morphing from its dated "Boss Radio" format into one emphasizing album tracks from artists as diverse as King Crimson and The Move to It's a Beautiful Day and Gil-Scott Heron, KGB (along with now-defunct KPRI-FM) took San Diego listeners to places they'd never been before.

More mind-blowing still, it seems in retrospect, you could hear this music not only on the FM dial, but on AM. In those first few post-recycling years, KGB simulcast at least part of the broadcast day on both 1360 AM and 101.5 FM. Can you imagine the luxury of being able to turn on an AM radio and hear something other than talk, news or the Archies' "Sugar Sugar"?

Besides helping to euthanize bubble-gum radio, KGB was there in the '70s to nurture local music talent. The vehicle was the annual "Homegrown" album, which over the years grew in quality and sophistication into something more than just a glorified, station-promoted bootleg-for-charity.

With little competition at doing what it was doing, KGB was usually involved in whatever major rock-music event was happening in town. The call letters had visibility, even after The Chicken (who originally wore those letters across his feathery chest) went his own way. Bill Murray, at the time a member of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, once wore a KGB Radio shirt on "Saturday Night Live." And, in the early '80s, the station hosted a music-video show on Channel 10, back when MTV was brand-new, and largely unknown and untested.

Glamorous stuff like that aside, a music radio station is only as good as its music. Today, KGB-FM is a classic-rock station-it calls its music "World-Class Rock." (Its AM affiliate, now known as KPOP, plays music for a much older, nostalgia-minded demographic, and has for years.) KGB is arguably better known for the antics of its morning team (Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw) than it is for anything musical. Music-wise, it's a dinosaur, and that's particularly hard to swallow for those who remember when the station was a pioneer in local radio.

So with all the classic-rock from the 60's-80's programmed there, you'd think that KGB would be at the top of the ratings in San Diego? Guess again. A glance at the summer '98 Arbitron ratings, which gauge the listening habits of San Diegans, finds KGB-FM at No. 11. If you're not in the Top 10, why not make a change?

back to me

Sure we got classic rock on 102.1 and 103.7. I'm not saying for KGB to abandon the classic rock songs from the 1960s-1988 or whatever, just ADD SONGS FROM 1989 through TODAY? Chances are, your station would just climb in the ratings with the profusion of all the great new traditional rock songs that can and should fit into your classic rock and roll format.

Meantime, I have given the #1 button to Sets 102.1 and KGB at #2, and Planet at #3. A better alternative is to simply merge the KGB and Rock 105.3 stations into one traditional real rock and roll station playing not just classic rock but also progressive rock and the best of today's rock and roll all in one station. Reformat the 105.3 into a all hard rock and punk format, which in turn would result in 91X giving up the hard punk songs in favor of returning to the real alternative format it once had in the mid-late 1980s instead of the noise that it is today. Remember when 91X used to play Culture Club, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, and Erasure? 91X should just return the format back to its roots and then I'll reset a button for it too.

Radio's a business. And money matters. But those of us who take our radio stations personally feel a sense of ownership in them, too. That entitles us to, if not a corporate vote, then at least some unbridled wishful thinking.

What's Wrong With KGB

There is nothing wrong with the music of the 60s and 80's I grew up with being played on KGB. It's just that the listeners think of rock and roll as a genre, rather than a period piece, limiting the range to a few decades, and with Sets FM grabbing listeners away from KGB and others, thanks to their Internet streaming audio from their website, KGB better be seriously thinking of overhauling the format from a period piece to a genre.

Although KGB has been playing some new rock and roll songs as I listened, such as Sammy Hagar, Def Leppard, and Tom Petty, the new rock and roll being played is too few and far between in order to build familarity with the songs.

It's okay to put on a drive time show worth a listen such as Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw, but after the show ends, KGB should put on a adult rock and roll mix that is more exiciting and innovating than what they are currently programming today.

There's nothing wrong with Jim McInnes, Coe Lewis or the recently fired John Leslie, but it's the music that matters to the listener and that is what brings in the listeners.

It's not the tasteless promotional stunts that bring in the listeners, the listeners are much smarter than that and they will choose whatever music programming they believe is best for them.

So instead of trying to think of a way to get your station plugged for free on 10 News Nightcast (free plug from D.T.) or a mention of the stunt on the Union-Tribune, why doesn't KGB concentrate instead on improving their format, turning the period-piece format into a genre, and shelling out some bucks to TV stations to plug their station announcing the changes of the format. That is what will keep classic rock and roll radio alive here.

The Planet FM, however, with some tasteful billboards on the road, may have also benefited from the listener fallout of the KGB listeners fed up with their tasteless billboard campaign stunt.

There is also a problem with cannibalization between several Clear Channel-owned stations in San Diego. Sister station KIOZ 105.3 plays harder rock and roll, but there is about a 15-25% overlap of the music selection between it and KGB. The uninnovative and misnamed Mix 95.7 (Yicks 95.7 as I call it) often plays the softer classic rock songs KGB plays from the 70's and 80's. Competetor Planet 103.7 plays most of the same songs heard on KGB, but plays songs like James Taylor and Starship that hardly qualifies as classic rock, more like KYXY-ish soft songs instead. But they don't play the same song twice in the same day, which can still be too repetetive if you try to listen to it everyday. Sets 102.1, which plays many songs dating from the early 60s through today, plays many of the same songs KGB, Y107 and 91X plays without the grunge or heavy metal, but they need to be rockier and get away from chick folkers like Sarah McLachlan, heard on Star ad-nauseum. The late Eagle 94.1 only played classic rock from the 60's and 70's, which just wasn't enough to keep listeners in for longer periods of time.

Several North County residents can clearly recieve Los Angeles' KLOS 95.5 playing rock and roll that really rocks. There you can hear more of the newer rock songs from acts you listened to in the past, as well as a wider selection of rock, plus Jim Ladd nightly at 10pm who uses his knowledge of rock to play classic rock you probably haven't heard in ages, with the help of the listeners on the request lines.

KGB, are you with me on this? Do some research and get to work on fixing your format immediately and present to San Diegans a rock and roll format that really really rocks the way it should be presented. Thank you.

KGB-FM It's (Still) Time To Change Your Format

Dave Rickards on-air slamming of KGB music focus as well as him airing phone calls from listeners what they listen to after DSC ends just proves that there is much room for improvement for KGB's music, even if the ratings don't suggest otherwise.

DSC gets a 10 rating, KGB gets half that. Figure that you get a 4.4 because KGB is running a much lower rating in the 2-3 range the rest of the day.

All the promos you do isn't going to change that...until you do one thing...

Improve Your Programming. Plain and simple as that.

No Free Baby billboards! Just straight old-fashioned programming progressive rock music for the adult listener (not the skate-rat MTV kind)

Listeners are tired of this 30-year-old music, yet there are still enough listeners to vault KGB into the Top 10. This is good enough?

Listeners mentioned Sets on KGB, but remember that Sets doesn't come in everywhere in the county. If you surveryed this many people listening to some north county station, then what does this tell you? People want to hear the best of new rock music (not the Megadeth brand of rock).

I've gotten some letters for my Dave's Radio Waves column on the Internet. This is a sample I posted on the Internet:

"KGB-FM - Even DSC won't defend it's vacuum of the last decade of music. They need to play more deeper cuts of classic rock artists as well as their newer songs and newer artists. We don't have a real AOR station in this town now. A large playlist with a mix of alternative, classic, & new rock should keep listeners from turning the dial after Dave, Shelley & Chainsaw sign off."

and as for your competetion, from the same person:

"The Planet - (See KGB-FM) Now that it's ownership is changing hands, it has an opportunity to do what KGB won't do, but it also needs to widen it's playlist, give local artists more exposure and put Dr. Demento on. If it does so, promotes itself well and sponsors major concerts in the area there is no reason that it couldn't blow the present KGB away, and possibly 91X and Rock 105 as well."

Don't forget that Sets also plays some dinosaur rock every now and then as well. Who listens to the same old CD (no plural intended) everyday? Who wants to anyway?

Think about it.

Rickards Is Mad as Hell

If you recall, the team of Dave, Shelley, and Chainsaw started out on KGB, but once their contract ran out, they moved over to KIOZ then at 102.1 and not yet under the same roof as KGB. Then Jacor bought out KIOZ when it was at 105.3 and later moved them back to KGB again!

One morning, Dave Rickards's target of conversation was KGB itself, talking about its choice of an oldies-rock only playlist, his General Manager, what it's like to be part of corporate radio, some of KGB's sister stations, and fielding callers about their station preferences after the DSC show ends at 10am.

"If you turn on Rock 105, oh my God...it's all the same-sounding...I wanna kill you in the head.... Everything that they play," says Rick from a newspaper article.

What was particularly unsettling to Clear Channel brass was that the DSC show aired callers who said they loved Dave, Shelley, and Chainsaw but couldn't handle KGB during the rest of the day. "[KGB] has a terrible lack of variety," said one.

"I turn [the Dave, Shelley, and Chainsaw show] on the minute I get in the car each morning, and it stays on until [the show] goes off," said another caller. "The instant it goes off I change to Sets 102 because I don't want to hear old stuff."

Rickards countered by saying that Sets' more adventuresome music format doesn't translate to big ratings. "They always come in at the bottom of the heap."

Another caller responded, "Sets 102 has its finger on local music," on the KGB airwaves.

"I'm going to start calling Sets and say send me $100 or I'm going to go till 11," declared Rickards.

Sets is locally owned, unlike KGB, and some listeners consider it to be much more adventurous than any Clear Channel station.

Although Sets ranks low county-wide, the station is strong in North County where it originates and consistently ranks in the top five there. Also bear in mind that due to its relative weak signal, Sets just won't come in on clock radios and portable radios in the Southern half of the county. Likewise, in North County, it's a challenge to get most of the San Diego stations from 30-40 miles south.

In a remarkable display of chutzpah, Rickards & Co. dissed KGB itself, sharply criticizing its tired classic-rock format. KGB switched to dinosaur rock back in Dec 1990 (corrected date) when a lot of new songs were hairband and grunge MTV acts.

Quality rockers such as Tom Petty, Van Halen, and Elvis Costello continued to put out rock and roll records heard on Los Angeles' KLOS 95.5 as well as the then-quality alternative rocker 91X and the old location for Sets, KIOZ 102.1, whose signal was weaker then than it is now; I needed cable to get KIOZ down here.

Nowadays, most of the local FM stations are no longer on local cable.

Rickards said he has long urged his bosses at KGB to play more new music.

"There's plenty of (new) music out there that sounds right on this radio station," he said. "I've asked the bosses to take a chance. But none of these guys have the guts to go with just what sounds good. "For the last couple of years I have said to the many [program directors] who have gone through the revolving door here, 'Isn't it time we start bringing back new, palatable music?' Back in '91 the new music didn't fit KGB. But it's changed now. There is plenty of new music that I think fits the radio station."

KGB Is Missing The Boat

Take a look at this recent list of the 42nd Annual Grammy Award winners in the categories KGB should have seen fit to play on their radio station, courtesy of http://grammy.com/:

Album of the Year: ``Supernatural,'' Santana.
Record of the Year: ``Smooth,'' Santana.
Song of the Year: ``Smooth,'' Itaal Shur and Rob Thomas (Santana featuring Rob Thomas).
Male Pop Vocal Performance: ``Brand New Day,'' Sting.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: ``Maria Maria,'' Santana.
Pop Collaboration with Vocals: ``Smooth,'' Santana featuring Rob Thomas.
Pop Instrumental Performance: ``El Farol,'' Santana.
Pop Album: ``Brand New Day,'' Sting.
Female Rock Vocal Performance: ``Sweet Child o' Mine,'' Sheryl Crow.
Male Rock Vocal Performance: ``American Woman,'' Lenny Kravitz.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: ``Put Your Lights On,'' Santana featuring Everlast.
Hard Rock Performance: ``Whiskey in the Jar,'' Metallica.
Metal Performance: ``Iron Man,'' Black Sabbath (ok, that's better heard on Rock 105.3!)
Rock Instrumental Performance: ``The Calling,'' Santana featuring Eric Clapton.
Rock Song: ``Scar Tissue,'' Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers).
Rock Album: ``Supernatural,'' Santana.
Alternative Music Performance: ``Mutations,'' Beck (not sure if Beck would fit in KGB's playlist)
Traditional Blues Album: ``Blues on the Bayou,'' B.B. King.
Contemporary Blues Album: ``Take Your Shoes Off,'' Robert Cray Band.
Spoken Comedy Album: ``Bigger and Blacker,'' Chris Rock (too blue for even Dr. Demento to air!)

Some nominees who didn't win but do rock:

Female Pop Vocal Performance For a solo vocal performance: "Thank U", Alanis Morissette
Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: "All Star", Smash Mouth
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Love Of My Life", Santana Featuring Dave Matthews
Pop Instrumental Performance: "A Day In The Life", Jeff Beck, "El Farol", Santana
Female Rock Vocal Performance: "Bliss", Tori Amos, "Jukebox", Ani DiFranco, "Angels Would Fall", Melissa Etheridge
Male Rock Vocal Performance: "Can't Change Me", Chris Cornell, "What It's Like", Everlast, "The Promise", Bruce Springsteen, "Hold On", Tom Waits
Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: "Special", Garbage, "Black Balloon", The Goo Goo Dolls, "Malibu", Hole, "Scar Tissue", Red Hot Chili Peppers
Hard Rock Performance: "Get Born Again", Alice In Chains, "Lit Up", Buckcherry, "Bawitdaba", Kid Rock, "Freak On A Leash", Korn, "Nookie", Limp Bizkit
Metal Performance: "Bad Blood", Ministry. "Enter Sandman", Motorhead with zebrahead, "Starf***ers, Inc.", Nine Inch Nails, "Superbeast", Rob Zombie
Rock Instrumental Performance: "What Mama Said", Jeff Beck, "Espionage", Green Day, "Bodyrock", Moby, "Windows To The Soul", Steve Vai
Rock Song: "Angels Would Fall", Melissa Etheridge & John Shanks, "The Promise", Bruce Springsteen, "Room At The Top", Tom Petty, "Special", Doug Erikson
Rock Album: "Breakdown", Melissa Etheridge, "Significant Other", Limp Bizkit, "Echo", Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, "Californication", Red Hot Chili Peppers
Traditional Blues Album: "Memphis Monday Morning", Bobby "Blue" Bland, "A Good Day For The Blues", Ruth Brown, "Blues On The Bayou", B.B. King, "Blues Everywhere I Go", Odetta, "Legends", Pinetop Perkins & Hubert Sumlin
Contemporary Blues Album: "Live In Chicago", Luther Allison, "Take Your Shoes Off", The Robert Cray Band, "Wander This World", Jonny Lang, "Welcome To Little Milton", Little Milton "Continental Drifter", Charlie Musselwhite

If that isn't enough, KGB should have also taken a good hard look at the artists in the rock categories nominated by the Grammys and saw that there were plenty of good rock and roll songs to program in on their 50kW blowtorch in San Diego.

KGB's 25th Skyshow: Is It The Best They Can Do?

Let's take a brief look at what KGB was back then in 1979 when it was at its peak, and in 2000 when it's KGB in name only, it's just not KGB anymore, in fact, it hasn't been KGB since it went dinosaur rock in 1991.

In 1979, KGB had a enthusiastic progressive rock and roll format, playing selected album cuts of the best rock albums of today, with exciting enthusiastic personalities behind the mikes hosting each of the shifts; that was back when the people who worked at KGB really cared about the music...because they were competeting with KPRI 106.5 at the time!

In 2000, KGB is a pathetic shadow of its former self. Dave, Shelley, and Chainsaw are there solely for the purposes of propping up their lowly ratings for the other dayparts, unemotional voicetracking is rampant overnights and on weekends (as well as on Star and Sets I have to add) giving the station a stale robotic feel.

In 1979, KGB's worst promotional nightmare was Ted Giannolis ankling the station (or fired whatever it was) and KGB trotting out its "Replacement Chicken" at San Diego staduim during a Padres game to jeers and boos. Ted gave rebirth to "The San Diego Chicken" to a standing ovation the following month.

In 2000, KGB's worst promotion so far is the unfunny commercial series of Dave, Shelley, Chainsaw, and Rick Rockwell doing some tribute to his "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" stunt some four months ago. Is this the best these top-rated morning show hosts can do for a station plug?

In 1979, great programming brought in the listeners.

In 2000, cheap gimmicks, controversial stunts, and bad commercials don't seem to be bringing back the listeners that defected somewhere else.

In 1979, you could listen to KGB everyday and get something new out of it.

In 2000, just listen to KGB for eight hours one day out of a month; you're not missing anything new since they're not playing anything new.

In 1979, KGB once had exciting weekend and weekday night specials, even the Humpday Special.

In 2000, KGB has voicetracked weekend shifts, reruns of old Rockline episodes, and the usual dinosaur rock most of the other times.

In 1979, KGB had a fun-oriented morning show with plenty of rock and roll to start your day.

In 2000, KGB has a lot of talk in its morning show, using recycled skits and material over and over again. Abromowitz as the fall guy will be funny the day that hockey's Stanley Cup final is the highest-rated sporting event for the year.

In 1979, Radio people were music-oriented from the owners all the way down to the janitors.

In 2000, Radio people are strictly business-oriented, and the quality suffers.

In 1979, I could say that the fireworks were a celebration of how good radio station KGB was.

In 2000, I'm saying that not even the fireworks show can mask how dated KGB's sound has become.

In 1979, I could tell my friends to listen to KGB.

In 2000, I tell everybody on the Internet a better rock station for you to listen to on the Internet.

In 1979, KGB had a preset on my car radio.

In 2000, A Mexican rock station occupies the preset once used for KGB.

So when you folks go to the KGB sky show tonight, just think to yourself, back then this was once a great rock station 21 years ago, and after the fireworks is over, feel free to pop in one of your favorite rock artists' CD that KGB is ignoring as you drive home.

Will KGB ever shape up? Will it move up its classic rock period piece forward one year? Will it make their morning team play rock music during the mornings? Will we see another tasteless billboard publicity stunt from them ever again? And....what about Gabby Powana! Will he ever host Brainstorm again....and...will Dr. Demento ever return to the San Diego airwaves....and...will anyone from KGB interrupt its dinosaur rock broadcast to announce that the classic rock format was all a dream and return to active album-oriented rock and roll?

Don't hold your breath, folks.