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Actual Format Names of San Diego Radio Stations (Mar 14, 2002)What's the difference between Hot Adult Contemporary and Hot CHR? Soft Rock and Adult Contemporary? Mainstream Country and Urban Country? Lite Jazz and Smooth Jazz? I can't tell. Can you? They all sound like an offshoot of one big genre to me.Commercial radio stations left and right give their radio stations playlists that sound basically like another station as far as genres are. The radio stations like to format their stations so that they sound a little bit like the format they say it is, but in reality, it all basically sounds like adult contemporary music to me. No edgy guitar work for soft rock. No extreme fiddles and banjo pickin for country. No swinging crooners or lounge pianists on adult contemporary. No actual jazz on smooth jazz. Really. I swear that this is not a lie. I turn on KIFM 98.9 for their idea of lite or smooth jazz and what do I hear? Soft adult contemporary, soft R&B, soft acoustic. Nothing wrong with this music, but where's the jazz? I turn on KSON and Hot Country and I hear a lot of chick acts that sound closer to the A/C sounds of Carly Simon and Karen Carpenter of the 70's than the country sounds of Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Where's the country that sounds like country? It's mostly adult contemporary nowadays. Nothing wrong with the music, it's nice, but it ain't country music for the most part. I put on soft rock KYXY. Where's the soft rock hits from Mick Jagger, Beatles, Rembrandts, Jack Johnson, Steve Poltz, and so forth? I don't hear any rock in this soft rock format. Where's the rock? I put on this new station, "My Mix" or whatever, that's programmed entirely, I swear, entirely by Martians! It's all basically an aimless sloppy adult pop music format with no personality whatsoever. OK, but it's not "MY" kind of mix I want to hear everyday! I put on old school Magic 92.5 and I feel like I'm gypped every time I listen to it. Which old school music are we talking about? I was expecting to hear music that was basically popular when people were in school such as alternative punk from the 70's or underground new wave from the 80's. That's the kind of music I got from the old schoolmates when radio, back in my old school days, had basically a crappy lineup of stations for a rebellious 17 year old male to choose from. No wonder I watched ABC prime time TV in my teen days! I turn on dozens of stations that say "news/talk", expecting the emphasis to be on news more than talk since news comes before talk in those formats. I hear about two minutes of news at most on KOGO that's actually news, then a lot of other talk. Finally, I turn on what is probably the most misnamed station in San Diego. KGB-FM World Class Rock. Bull! If reducing the once great progressive rock format of the 70's into a period piece format world class, then OJ Simpson is pardoned of all alleged crimes. World Class is supposed to be about new rock and roll music for adults to enjoy, while using the library to accentuate its brand, repeating the classics just once a month or less, while embracing the new. I don't see any world class in its World Class handle. Anyway, here's a translated list of San Diego radio station formats with the formats they are calling themselves, followed by the formats they are really programming. Like I said, who can tell two like-sounding genres apart?
LEGEND
talk/news = stations that play 2-3 minutes of news per hour
eclectic = plays a variety of genres, cannot be categorized.
most stations are not programmed that way.
teen pop = music dominated by youth acts regardless of genre
adult pop = music aimed primarilly at the mature music listener
adult rock = same as adult pop, only with rock music
MOR = a rockier version of adult pop with some teen appeal.
pop rock = rock and roll that's basically commercial appeal.
STATION CALLED FORMAT ACTUAL FORMAT
540 classical classical
600 news/talk talk/news
640* news/talk talk/news
690 sports/talk talk/news
760 talk talk/news
910 religion religion
1000 talk talk/news
1070* news news
1130 talk talk/news
1170 talk talk/news
1210 religion talk religion
1240 kids teen pop
1320 eclectic eclectic
1360 nostalgia adult pop
1450 classical classical
88.3 trad jazz jazz
89.5 news/classical news/classical
89.9* eclectic eclectic
90.3 hip hop/R&B teen pop
90.7 classical classical
91.1 pop alternative pop rock
92.1 alternative eclectic
92.5 old R&B MOR
93.3 top 40 teen pop
94.1 three decades adult pop
94.9 80's MOR
95.7 60s-70s adult pop
96.5 soft rock adult pop
97.3 urban country adult pop
98.1 smooth jazz adult pop
98.7* hot AC MOR
98.9 rock espanol eclectic
99.3 urban country adult pop
100.1 religion religion
100.3* hip hop teen pop
100.7 hot AC MOR
101.1* oldies adult pop
101.5 cls rock pop rock
102.1 AAA adult rock
103.7 classic hits adult pop
104.3* hot AC MOR
105.3 hard rock pop rock
105.9* hip hop teen pop
Now let's take a look at how the formats stack up...
STATION CALLED FORMAT ACTUAL FORMAT 103.7 classic hits adult pop 101.1* oldies adult pop 99.3 urban country adult pop 98.1 smooth jazz adult pop 97.3 urban country adult pop 96.5 soft rock adult pop 95.7 60s-70s adult pop 94.1 three decades adult pop 1360 nostalgia adult pop 102.1 AAA adult rock 90.7 classical classical 1450 classical classical 540 classical classical 98.9 rock espanol eclectic 92.1 alternative eclectic 89.9* eclectic eclectic 1320 eclectic eclectic 88.3 trad jazz jazz 104.3* hot AC MOR 100.7 hot AC MOR 98.7* hot AC MOR 94.9 80's MOR 92.5 old R&B MOR 89.5 news/classical news/classical 1070* news news 105.3 hard rock pop rock 101.5 cls rock pop rock 91.1 pop alternative pop rock 100.1 religion religion 1210 religion talk religion 910 religion religion 1170 talk talk/news 1130 talk talk/news 1000 talk talk/news 760 talk talk/news 690 sports/talk talk/news 640* news/talk talk/news 600 news/talk talk/news 100.3* hip hop teen pop 105.9* hip hop teen pop 93.3 top 40 teen pop 90.3 hip hop/R&B teen pop 1240 kids teen popWell, how many stations in the following genres do you see here? Any Progressive Rock stations in San Diego? No. How about Dance? Nyet. Folk? Nope. Country (as in real country)? Not in San Diego. Alternative? Only on the college stations. Easy Listening? No. Beautiful Music? No. World Beat? No. Reggae? No. How about my specialty, comedy? Not even a little bit of that in San Diego radio. No wonder San Diego radio is a cesspool of mediocrity; what's left of radio's listeners must be satisfied with it. Where's The Diversity? It ain't in San Diego radio, that's for sure! Talk about lack of diversity, let's see the formats by company.. STATION PROGRAMMER ACTUAL FORMAT 1450 astor classical 92.1 astor eclectic 1000 astor talk/news 99.3 califormula adult pop 90.7 califormula classical 90.3 califormula teen pop 89.9* college eclectic 88.3 college jazz 102.1 compass adult rock 105.9* emmis teen pop 94.9 jeffersonpilot MOR 98.1 jeffersonpilot adult pop 97.3 jeffersonpilot adult pop 1240 jeffersonpilot teen pop 100.7 midwest MOR 760 midwest talk/news 540 other classical 98.9 other eclectic 1320 other eclectic 100.1 other religion 910 other religion 89.5 public news/classical 100.3* radioone teen pop 1210 salem religion 1170 salem talk/news 103.7 viacom adult pop 101.1* viacom adult pop 96.5 viacom adult pop 1070 viacom news 95.7 clearchannel adult pop 94.1 clearchannel adult pop 1360 clearchannel adult pop 104.3* clearchannel MOR 92.5 clearchannel MOR 98.7* clearchannel MOR 105.3 clearchannel pop rock 101.5 clearchannel pop rock 91.1 clearchannel pop rock 1130 clearchannel talk/news 690 clearchannel talk/news 640* clearchannel talk/news 600 clearchannel talk/news 93.3 clearchannel teen pop* = Los Angeles based radio Didn't we hear Clear Channel say anything about diversity? Take a look at how diverse their selection really is! Why three adult pop stations? Three MORs? Three pop rock stations? Four talk/news stations? No wonder Clear Channel is losing money! They're cannibalizing each other! If "Cheap" Channel wants a bigger bottom line, here's what I would do with their 14 stations that are audible in most of San Diego county... FREQ COMPANY OLD FORMAT NEW FORMAT 101.5 clearchannel pop rock Progressive Rock 105.3 clearchannel pop rock Easy Listening 1130 clearchannel talk/news Comedy/Novelty 1360 clearchannel adult pop News/Talk #2 600 clearchannel talk/news News/Talk #1 690 clearchannel talk/news Beautiful Music 91.1 clearchannel pop rock Alternative 92.5 clearchannel MOR Dance/Electronic 93.3 clearchannel teen pop MOR Top 40 94.1 clearchannel adult pop Country 95.7 clearchannel adult pop Folk 640* clearchannel talk/news News/Talk 98.7* clearchannel MOR Easy Listening 104.3* clearchannel MOR World BeatNow that's what I call diversity! Messageboard Chatter: Bryan SchockIt must be ripe season to pick on Clear Channel. Here's some discussion that was seen on the independent.fm messageboard operated by Premium Radio 92.1Halloran vs Schock in Blurt 2.28 Author: David Tanny Date: 02-27-02 21:31What is Schock's fixation on loving music in the article? Excerpt: "The only thing I'll say about Mike Halloran is I'll give the guy credit for being such a music lover that he's willing to risk his ability to feed his family to play the music that he loves," said Bryan Schock, program director for competing radio station 91X. (Halloran is program director for 92/1.) I believe that the radio listeners happen to be music lovers themselves, given the fact that more alternative music lovers prefer 92.1 over 91X in a few demographics in the North County. If Schock really cared about music on 91X, its listening base up there wouldn't have been fed up with their playlist enough to make the switch over to 92.1. If a radio man doesn't care about the music, then he shouldn't be in the programming aspects of radio. It's sad when a radio vet such as Schock who should know its listeners better doesn't use his 19-year plus experience to give what's left of his listeners a format with enough current variety of genres and new music to make 91X compelling radio you want to leave on all day. Excerpt: Schock: "...when I walk into a Costco, I realize not everybody there is a hard-core music lover. I have to serve the masses." What does Costco have to do with music? Does Costco sell just the Billboard Top 10 albums? I never go there, and I refuse to patronize a membership-only store for reasons that are beside the point. Excerpt: Schock likens Halloran to a self-indulgent restaurant owner. Excerpt: Schock: "You have to make sure you're not serving food for only ten people. You can't serve the food that just you like. He tends to serve meals to a smaller portion of the public...." The way 91X's playlist is compiled, I've only seen ten people on the independent.fm messageboard that are satisfied with Schock's McRadio franchise. Halloran's "independent Buffet of Musical Alternatives" is serving up delicious local and imported dishes that 91X's McRadio isn't bothering to serve anymore. Excerpt : "I love Bryan to death," said Halloran about Schock. "He is one of the coolest guys on the planet and one of the original 91X jocks when they signed on in '83. I also understand his concern for the fact that I must feed my family. But I wholeheartedly believe that working for one owner seems a hell of a lot better than working for the largest broadcasting company in America that has laid off so many people since they bought 1200 radio stations." Well, let's hope that Premium Radio gets its signal on one of the Mexican sticks down here to give the southern half of San Diego a real alternative to 91X and make Schock want to start loving music. I don't believe the suits at Clear Channel will want to keep a programmer who can't hang on to his station's listeners for very long. And Bryan, if you're reading this, you better get back to compiling tomorrow's playlist for Robin, Hilary, and Muckley to play; figuring how many times to repeat the same 30 songs is such hard work. http://www.davesfunstuff.com/ San Diego Radio News and Music and Stuff Clear Channel San Diego Doesn't Want You To Know About Author: blorge Date: 02-27-02 21:44So, while all the little Schocks sit down to their Fillet o'Fish sandwiches and Cokes, the little Hallorans feast like kings on amazing delicacies. Maybe we could have a food drive for 91x? Author: TGK Date: 02-27-02 22:49Dave, Did you read last week's Reader? There's an article in there about Halloran being music director of Cool 94.3 up in OC real soon. Cool 94.3 (also an Astor Station) is changing it's format to the same on that we have right here. Author: Steveo Date: 02-28-02 09:11Personally, I'm a big fan of Bryan's picture. Nice choice. Author: olpalbry Date: 02-28-02 09:28 t.bry WAS one of the original jocks at the x.... he was the graveyard guy....ooooooooooooooooo! HE HATED THE MUSIC! he complained about it every day! he wanted to work @ kgb, he DREAMED about it.... his eighteen years experience? all at rock/ metal stations.... he knows ZERO about this music. ZEEEEEEEE-RO! he covers up his lack of knowledge with a mega-violent temper! he's VERY scary! he hates the music, likes colorado more, just the guy you want programming the x, huh? his employees call me all the time and say what a f**kin' jerk he is..... btw, his name is "TAD"... (t.bry)... so stop calling him bryan! (like i've done any good for the name, eh?) i know him simply as "power jesus"! people within CC tell me he's on "the griddle"........ siz-zle! opb "we found your weakness, and it's right outside your door, NOW TESTIFY!" -RATM Author: TheAntiJared Date: 02-28-02 10:00Before 92.1 came about I emailed the guy about The Faint. This was when The Faint was barely known outside of Omaha, they were practically nobodies. But I believed so strongly that people would like the music that I emailed this guy. I hadn't listened to the station in years with the exception of the times when my cd player was on the fritz - but I figured, what the hell? Give it a try, right? So I email him, and I get a call back approximately ONE HOUR later. He says "yeah, I've never heard of them, and unfortunately this is a business, we have to appeal to the masses, and you may think you know what works for radio, but you're only one person, blah blah blah..." He went on this tirade about how he's been in the business and he made bands big (he cited Marcy Playground as his big example - yeah, they went REAL far). He then continued on with his explanation of why it wasn't feasable to take chances. He said "uh, but I'll tell Muckley (sp??) to check it out, he's the PD for 91X." That was it. He basically called me to rub that in my face, at home, with absolutely NO intention of ever giving The Faint a chance. Now, back then I said The Faint was going to be known everywhere. Well, they're touring with No Doubt (who I'm not too fond of, but they're alright)... I'm assuming that in the next few months 91X will be playing The Faint... Not that I'll know if they do. That email to "t.bry" was a last ditch attempt for me to see if 91X had any sense of risk, & whether they had any intention of actually taking listeners/potential listeners seriously. Luckily 92.1 came along shortly after, and while they don't play everything that I like (nor should I expect them to), they are much more likely to play something that fans suggest (think Saturday's Child, Mindsize, etc. etc.) Author: BucsFanInSoCal Date: 02-28-02 10:31AJ roolz! Where would she go if she could believe me? And if she knows, would she go easy? - SatChild Author: olpalbry Date: 02-28-02 13:39 power jesus (t.bry) digs hair-metal, and all that bow in front of him (his dj's).... deregulation breeds incompetence...he's THE shining example! last week at "gavin" i listened to whats left of the record biz tell me stories (over expensive lunches) how frickin' lame he is.... they say he believes he's the most important programmer in the alt. format right now...he's one narccistic f**k. btw, i didn't even know costco sold music! do you have to buy 55 gallons worth? yecccch! that's why god invented "kazaa"! OPB Author: JamEs SatChild Date: 02-28-02 17:14Who wants poop on a plate? "The only true currency in this world is what you share with someone when you are uncool." -Lester Bangs Author: blorge Date: 02-28-02 17:51Yeah, that whole Costco reference is pretty weird. "Who wants a 55 gallon drum of generic sex and candy, come 'n get it!" - Tad Author: olpalbry Date: 02-28-02 20:22 i didn't mean to say graveyard at the x wasn't important, just that billy bones did it better, and for more years than anybody, with a big fat smile on his face! unlike his now "boss".... billy bones rules! he even has a picture of him and dick nixon! t.b. licks balls! Author: goodguy Date: 02-28-02 20:50 Dudes, it's all about Mad Max. Author: TheAntiJared Date: 02-28-02 22:06Hey, speaking of Nixon... I know this is practically ancient history, but they said today that he had considered using nukes on the vietnamese... Weird... nice little blast from the past, not that I remember any of it... Author: olpalbry Date: 03-01-02 09:32 GG, i saw MAX last week! i so love the guy! he always takes the opportunity to bawl me out over something! he's like a big brother, or a even a dad sometimes! first person ever to fire me in radio! what a trend it began! YOU SEE? max was ALWAYS ahead of his time! interesting tidbit: from orbit, the space shuttle can see the great wall of china, the great barrier reef and MAX! i hope he's with us a long time.... -product de skulldor's (opb) Author: bitchyrichy Date: 03-01-02 10:32Mike the Butcher was the man. The only guy whose show would include Cracker, AC/DC, and John Coltrane all in the same set. Plus I won tickets to Shonen Knife on his show....I was actually one of his four or five celebrated listeners. Author: goodguy Date: 03-01-02 16:00 How about Dr. X? I was always amused by his antics back in the day. Author: goodguy Date: 03-01-02 16:02 ...or Chaddy Nelson? Author: olpalbry Date: 03-01-02 20:27 dude.... Author: *Veronica* Date: 03-05-02 13:40It's so funny that every time Ken Leighton writes an article about someone from Clear Channel or 91x saying something about Halloran, the only thing that is accomplished is that they make themselves look like complete asses. Go Ken! |