Morning radio...
Okay, rant time...
Morning radio in these parts, at least in my view from what I've sampled, comes in certain varieties:
1. Music with weak attempts at witty banter between songs. (ex: WZLX, which happens to be my main station after 10am)
2. News and current events. (WBUR, which is the local NPR station.)
3. News and current events, with some sort of humor intermixed. (Imus in the morning, which until recently had been my main morning choice.)
4. Morning talk radio. (WBCN with David Lee Roth... but wait, more on this in a minute.)
5. Entertainment -- humor with everything else mixed into it. (Bob and Tom, when it was broadcast in this area.)
Let's look at #4, for example.
In January, Howard Stern had gone to satellite radio. Okay, fine, good riddance, never liked you. In his stead came David Lee Roth. The Diamond Man himself.
I didn't start listening to him until, oh, a couple of months ago, maybe, and I had to say that I was thoroughly entertained by the show. DLR showed people that he wasn't some dumb aging rock star. He had smarts, charisma, and style. His cohorts (Hutch, Sasha, B Young and Animal) were great. His guests were entertaining and fun, and even informative. I got a lot out of the show. At first, I was flipping between him and Imus. Now, Imus had gone by the wayside. I was a DLR fan.
About a month or so ago, Dave's programming managers with Citadel/CBS (including one Mark Chernoff, or however he spells it) changed Dave's format. Gone were Sasha, Animal and B Young. No more incidental music by B Young. It became dry as day-old toast.
However, Dave was not quitting. He had some of his own money tied into the program, and if he walked away (which is what I think the programming directors wanted), he would be out the money in his contract.
So he stuck with it, did the best that he could. Nothing could keep him down.
Well, CBS Radio has struck. DLR's show is now history, probably as of today. He's being replaced by a syndicated and sanitized feed of Opie and Anthony. WtF??????
It never fails. Colleen and I find a morning radio show that we enjoy, and it goes away. Bob and Tom were on 100.1 The Fox a few years ago. Loved them. Then one morning right after we get back from our Christmas vacation in Virginia, we awoke to not hearing their antics on the radio. The Fox dropped them.
So, it leaves a dearth in decent morning radio in my area. Guess it's back to listening to Imus the Cantankerous Old Bastard or listening to CDs.
So, my big ol' friday_fu goes out to Mark Chernoff and the execs at CBS Radio for getting rid of a decent morning radio show and replacing it with utter dreck.
x-posted to friday_fu and my LJ.
Morning radio in these parts, at least in my view from what I've sampled, comes in certain varieties:
1. Music with weak attempts at witty banter between songs. (ex: WZLX, which happens to be my main station after 10am)
2. News and current events. (WBUR, which is the local NPR station.)
3. News and current events, with some sort of humor intermixed. (Imus in the morning, which until recently had been my main morning choice.)
4. Morning talk radio. (WBCN with David Lee Roth... but wait, more on this in a minute.)
5. Entertainment -- humor with everything else mixed into it. (Bob and Tom, when it was broadcast in this area.)
Let's look at #4, for example.
In January, Howard Stern had gone to satellite radio. Okay, fine, good riddance, never liked you. In his stead came David Lee Roth. The Diamond Man himself.
I didn't start listening to him until, oh, a couple of months ago, maybe, and I had to say that I was thoroughly entertained by the show. DLR showed people that he wasn't some dumb aging rock star. He had smarts, charisma, and style. His cohorts (Hutch, Sasha, B Young and Animal) were great. His guests were entertaining and fun, and even informative. I got a lot out of the show. At first, I was flipping between him and Imus. Now, Imus had gone by the wayside. I was a DLR fan.
About a month or so ago, Dave's programming managers with Citadel/CBS (including one Mark Chernoff, or however he spells it) changed Dave's format. Gone were Sasha, Animal and B Young. No more incidental music by B Young. It became dry as day-old toast.
However, Dave was not quitting. He had some of his own money tied into the program, and if he walked away (which is what I think the programming directors wanted), he would be out the money in his contract.
So he stuck with it, did the best that he could. Nothing could keep him down.
Well, CBS Radio has struck. DLR's show is now history, probably as of today. He's being replaced by a syndicated and sanitized feed of Opie and Anthony. WtF??????
It never fails. Colleen and I find a morning radio show that we enjoy, and it goes away. Bob and Tom were on 100.1 The Fox a few years ago. Loved them. Then one morning right after we get back from our Christmas vacation in Virginia, we awoke to not hearing their antics on the radio. The Fox dropped them.
So, it leaves a dearth in decent morning radio in my area. Guess it's back to listening to Imus the Cantankerous Old Bastard or listening to CDs.
So, my big ol' friday_fu goes out to Mark Chernoff and the execs at CBS Radio for getting rid of a decent morning radio show and replacing it with utter dreck.
x-posted to friday_fu and my LJ.