The 2003 San Diego TAR Awards 10-14-03!

Every year, unfathomable but workable ideas keep getting ignored in radio, plus the usual overserving several niches are the highlights of the year of 2003.

Here are the "winners" of several categories.

Worst place to look to program Top 40 and CHR radio: "American Idol" the TV series. None of these acts have any lasting value for those over the age of 25. All of them sing forgettable predictable love songs.

Runner-up: Billboard Magazine. Why program according to the trades? Most of the songs don't have broad appeal, and you're in broadcasting?

Worst New Station: The Fox 1450. It came and went faster than the Governor recall election, which lasted almost three months. The good news? It played 70's era music not heard in decades. The bad news? It played only 70's music.

Best New Station: Tie: 94/9 and The Mighty 1090, beating legendary stations 91X and XTRA 690 in their respective alternative rock and sports talk formats.

Biggest Drop in Quality Award: Z90. In the one year since the Diaz family (who are using XLNC1's illegal high power to block out liberal leaning KPFK out of Los Angeles) sold the LMA rights of Z90 and perrenial loser 99.3 (more about it in a minute) to Clear Channel, the sound of Z90 has deteriorated to a point where it's just plain unlistenable with a mish mash of forgettable redundancy. Los Angeles counterpart Power 106 sounds many times better than this crud. This is one of the few radio stations from Los Angeles that beat a similar San Diego format.

Most Annoying Radio Ad: Mossy ________. They're in your face with their obnoxious ads every hour on most radio stations. Does anybody really need to buy a car that often? How many ways has Mossy _______ touched you today? Get these lemons off the air!

Worst Music Director: Jen of Star 100.7. Thanks to goddamn-awfully bad songs by Evanessence and sleepy songs by Dido, this station, which was once fun to listen to in 1997, has driven away many listeners to other stations, many back to 91X and KIFM. Who wants to listen to that depressing and boring crud?

Runner-up: Whoever programs My 94.1. From Cincinnatti? A/C counterpart KBIG 104.3 out of Los Angeles sounds way better than this shit, yet it's also a Clear Channel Worldwide station.

Best Music Director: David Tanny of DFSX Fun Radio. Programs fun 24 hours a day, not bore. Never picks up Bill-bored magazine because they don't know jack about music; they just report what kinds of songs that drive people away from Top 40 radio.

The Weakest Link in Radio: Diana Laird of CCSD. She decimated z90 and Channel 933 sounds horribly too urban, scaring all the listeners away. Even KIIS-FM/XM sounds better than 933!

The Weakest Link in Radio News: Preston Turegano of the San Diego Union. Where's the cutting edge of radio reporting? There's a lot of news he's just not reporing of in a timely basis. The paper went up from 35 to 50 cents last week. Might as well give us $1 worth of radio news a day.

Worst San Diego Station: The Fox 1450. Lasted a full two months!

Past Losers:
2002: Hot Country/Bob 99.3 (still can't get country right)
2001: B 94.9 (all 80's, lasted from 2000 until 2002)
2000: Hot Country 99.3 (launched last year, never got the ratings)
1999: Galaxy 91.7 (lasted four months)
1998: Independent 92.5 (lasted eight months)
1997: Flash 92.5 (sank in ratings vs. 91X)
1996: 91X (Flash beat it until it fired Brian Jones)
1995: The Beach 102.9 (lasted 14 months) Played only 70's songs.
1994: KCBQ 105.3 70's and 80's oldies. What a train wreck!
1993: Q106 - what were they thinking when they dropped the hit songs
1992: 94.9 when it was an AC station until it went oldies.
1991: KGB 101.5 - the year it dropped new rock for oldies rock only.
1990: KCLX 102.9 - all oldies rock and roll?
1989: The Wave 102.9 - KIFM 98.1 beat it by a landslide.

Worst Replacement for a Disk Jockey: Mojo Nixon replacing Jim McInnes.

Best Hiring of a Fired Jock: Planet 103.7 hiring Jim McInnes.

Worst Misconception About a Genre: Tie: KGB and KPLN. All together now..."Classic Rock is a Genre, Not a Period Piece!" When will they ever learn?

Worst Radio Station Website: histar.com. Their Star Zone addon is a memory resource hog, adding unnecessary spyware that could crash your computer. Worst of all, you need to use the risky and dangerous Internet Explorer and people who don't use Windows can't use the website at all. It's a great way to steer your listeners over to My 94.1. The webmasters should be fed to the lions.

Biggest Waste of Wattage: Tie: My 94.1 at 100,000 watts, and XLNC1 90.7 at some 20,000 illegal watts from Mexico!

Worst Station To Drive Your Car To: z90. Plays it too safe and santized. Doesn't even jam or groove.

Worst Station For Men: Tie: My 94.1, and Star 100.7.

Worst Station For Women: Rock 105.3.

Worst Radio Business Move: Clear Channel combining XTRA 690 and 1150 into one huge train wreck. By letting go of half of their on-air staff, who went to upstart Mighty 1090, the ratings for XTRA 690 took a nosedive faster than Gray Davis' approval rating.

Worst Handle for a Station: "Newsradio" KOGO. It's a news/talk station. Newsradio is for KNX and KFWB's all news formats, not KOGO.

Good Riddance Award: Radio Disney 1240. When Disney wouldn't buy KSON 1240, Jefferson Pilot sold it to a broadcaster specializing in Asian formats, leaving many kids to wonder if 1240 is playing Radio Disney in Mandrian Chinese.

Biggest Niche Not Served: Modern era Dance (not 70's disco or 80's new wave). I'm talking about today's hit dance music that you can hear everyday and all the time on BPM XM channel 81.

Other Underserved Niche(s): Comedy music and talk, true underground rock, current traditional rock and roll (KPRI 102.1 doesn't go far enough), full spectrum 80's and early 90's oldies (not just the new wave pop stuff Star and 94.1 plays).

Most Overserved Niche(s): Hip Hop (z90, 933), Soft Love Songs (most everywhere), All Oldies Only Programming (92.5, 101.5, 105.3, 95.7), Pop Alternative (91X, 92.1, 93.3, 94.9, 100.7, etc.),

Most Rhythmic Station: With z90 and 933 too slow beyond recognition, KIFM's smooth pop and jazz format takes the title. Runner Up: Magic 92.5.

Best Local Talk Show: Roger Hedgecock. The issues of the day, plus song parodies by the resident bard make drive-time informative and fun.

Best Syndicated Talk Show: Rush Limbaugh.

Best Local Music Show: Go Loco hosted by Tazy Phillipz. Wow! Six hours of new and local music you won't hear any other time!

Best Syndicated Music Show: Dr. Demento (heard on the Internet only)

Best Music in the Morning: DFSX Comedy Radio. No talk, no mindless banter, and no bodily function jokes. Just funny music to get you up in the morning!

Best Morning Show (syndicated): Bob & Tom (heard on the Internet only)

Best Talk Morning Show: Tony and Kris, KSON

Best Middday Music Show: DFSX Comedy Radio

Best Afternoon Drive Music Show: Halloran, FM 94/9.

Best Evening Music Staton: DFSX Comedy Radio.

Best Overnight Music Station: DFSX Comedy Radio.

Best Station for News: KOGO 600.

Best San Diego Station: DFSX Comedy Radio. Plays fun music others are missing.

Past Winners:
2002: DFSX Comedy Radio
2001: DFSX Comedy Radio
2000: Z90
1999: Star 100.7
1998: Sets 102.1
1997: Star 100.7
1996: Channel 933
1995: Flash 92.5
1994: KKOS 95.9
1993: Z90
1992: Z90
1991: Z90
1990: Z90
1989: 91X
1988: 91X
1987: Q106
1986: 91X
1985: 91X
1984: 91X
1983: 91X
1982: KGB 101.5
1981: Mighty 690
1980: KPRI 106.5
1979: KGB 101.5
1978: B100
1977: B100
1976: KCBQ 1170
1975: KCBQ 1170
1974: KCBQ 1170
1973: KCBQ 1170
1972: KCBQ 1170
1971: KCBQ 1170
1970: KCBQ 1170
1969: KCBQ 1170