Me-TV-FM:
I whole-heartedly agree with your assessment of the new
station - great variety but too many repeats - and not repeats of the songs
you'd like to hear. Like you, I've been surprised many, many time by hearing
something I had forgotten all about and not heard on the radio in a long, long
time - but too many times they're playing something so obscure or off the wall
that it just doesn't fit - and I find myself tuning away trying to find
something else, something better on another station. I think you hit it right
on the head when you said that when they're on, they're right on the money, and
it's the best mix of music on the radio today - but when they're off, they're
way off - and it just doesn't work and, from the sounds of things, most
listeners are feeling the same way and already searching for something else.
I'm just not sure it can work. They'll play a dozen great songs in a row -
things you haven't hear for ages - but the rest of the time is filled with too
many songs by the same artists which takes away that whole feeling of variety
that has been making them sound so different. Then again, Chicago really needed
something like this - and you've been saying that for years - so I'd have to say
that this has been a very noble effort. Everybody I know has at least tried the
station - and most really seem to enjoy the newness of how fresh things sound by
hearing the songs they haven't heard in a long, long time - but I say stick with
what's working and leave the obscure stuff behind. I'm with you on this
one.
Steve
Please know that I'm not trying to sway the opinion of any listeners of the
new Me-TV-FM ... if anything, I'm trying to reach out to the station to say
"Please be aware of this ... and fix it ... because you've got a GREAT concept
here ... and the potential to be a great radio station ... but you're already
starting to lose your audience because nobody seems to be watching the
store!!!"
I have copied them in on ALL of our reviews thus far ... and will do so on
this one, too ... ALL in an effort to help make this the BEST radio station on
the dial. I've said it a dozen times already ... you guys are SO close to
getting it right ... but LISTEN to the station for a few hours with an open mind
and you will quickly see where the flaws are.
You've got a potential audience out there who would love nothing more than
to just set their radio dials at 87.7 FM and leave them there ... and listen all
day long ... but that won't happen until you fine-tune the programming. And fix
some of those dumb-ass slogans ... referring to this whole new idea of being
able to listen to Me-TV-FM on your television set as "another way to take Me
with you" is ridiculous!!! You're not going anywhere if you're sitting home in
front of the tv listening to Me!!! Revamp it to say ... "another great way to
spend time with Me" ... makes a WHOLE lot more sense ... and is even more
on-target and catchier. (We've got LOTS of great ideas like that one that boil
down to nothing more than some "fine-tuning" of the station. We REALLY should
talk!!!) kk
I'm getting close to giving up on 87.7. You're 110%
right about songs not being played for a reason. My husband and I look at each
other and he's a music buff like you and says "I've never heard this
before".
Laurie
It's like I said yesterday ... not
all songs should be treated equally when it comes to rotation. (I heard "Honey"
yesterday for what has to be the 10th or 12th time ... yes, it was a HUGE hit
... a BIG #1 Record ... but it quickly fell on to the "don't play" list and,
short of Scott Shannon playing it as part of his "Cheezy
Easy-Listening" feature, it stayed off the radio for
30 years ... it was just too big of a "downer" to play.) GREAT that they
resurrected it and are playing it again ... NOT great that they don't understand
that this is one of those you should only play three or four times a year ...
not per week! "Feelings" (which I also heard yesterday) falls into this same
category ... you guys all know the ones I'm taking about ... yes, play them now
and again for the "wow" factor ... we can sit through that ... and I think it's
great that SOMEBODY is playing Bobby Goldsboro on the radio again ... I'll bet
I've heard at least seven or eight of his songs on Me-TV-FM already ... but I go
back to what I said earlier ... just because it's "on the list", was a hit and
is something that hasn't been played in awhile DOESN'T mean it deserves to go
back into heavy rotation. It's the rotation part of this whole concept that
Me-TV-FM doesn't seem to have a handle on. (kk)
Kent,
Thanks for
keeping those of us who don't or are not able to get Me-TV-FM up to date on
their progress. From what you are saying, I probably
would have pulled the plug on them weeks ago.
You mentioned Norman Greenbaum and the car accident he was in. Remember his follow up hit, CANNED
HAM, which somewhat did OK here in OKC?
I did not know that Don "THE HAPPY WHISTLER"
Robertson had passed away. FH is the only place I
learn of the passing of these artists who were not as well known as some of the
larger one. At times, I have often gotten Robertson's
tune out of 1956 somewhat confused with Charlie Blackwell's 1959 instrumental MIDNIGHT OIL along with his
whistling.
In
Thursday's FH, Doug from Toronto made a comment at the end about radio stations
today putting
out a weekly
survey of the hits being played on their particular radio station. Interesting!
I just wonder if any top 40 (?) radio stations out
there are putting together their own weekly radio surveys.
And finally,
I just went online and found out that a lot of people started playing and
remembering Roy Orbison's 1965 tune RIDE AWAY (MGM). As I am sure you know, it
is being used in the background of a Geico commercial. Why the powers that be decided to use that particular
song, I don't know. Good tune though.
Another commercial being played here in OKC
(don't know if it is being played up in your part of
the country), has to do with Sleep Number Mattresses with the Token's THE LION
SLEEPS TONIGHT being used in the
background.
Larry
We used to featured Norman Greenbaum's "Canned Ham" every Easter
along with "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" by The Jelly Beans. With Easter falling
this weekend, it's funny that this should come up now!
(Nope ... these tracks won't play either thanks to DivShare being
out of commission right now!)
I, too, wondered who thought to dig out this old Roy Orbison
chestnut ... certainly not one of his better-known tunes ... and not really a
hit ... but it just proves again the power of the musical connection if only
listeners are exposed to this great music sitting in the vault somewhere.
(Kinda like resurrecting the Roger Miller / "Robin Hood" song for those Android
commercials ... man if that one doesn't win every advertising award this year,
I'll be shocked!) "Ride Away" did make The Top 20 in Cash Box and Record World
... but stalled at #25 in Billboard ... that's a topic we'll be taking on
shortly here in Forgotten Hits ... how could there have been such a great chart
discrepancy between the three major trades back in the day when they were all
essentially polling the same sources ... so stay tuned for that one.
Don't give up on Me-TV-FM just yet ... it's a brilliant concept (if
I do say so myself ... and since I've been pushing for exactly this concept for
the past fifteen years, I should know!!! lol) They may get this thing on track
yet ... and soon be syndicating all over the country. We've already heard from
countless Forgotten Hits readers who are jealous and wish they had something
even remotely close to this concept playing in their area. I believe I will be
proven right on this one ... this type of programming CAN succeed today ...
they've just gotta work all the bugs out! (kk)
re: Bread:
Hard to believe that anyone could write a book about
Bread and only interview guitarist Rob Royer, who was only in the group for a
very brief time. My archives include an extensive audio interview with David
Gates, who, for all intents and purposes, WAS Bread. Despite having written and
sung the very best output of one of the '70s finest soft-rock bands, Gates could
not have been a more pleasant, down-to-earth and ego-free interview
subject. "Baby I'm A-Want You," Everything I Own," "The Guitar Man," "Lost
Without You Love," the shimmering "If" and other Bread hits are among the
best-crafted pop records anyone has ever made. I remember David telling me how
when Bread's debut hit, "Make It With You," began climbing the charts in 1970,
his local newspaper championed the success of their hometown hero via an article
which identified his breakthrough hit as "Naked With You"!
Perfectly produced records crafted around inspired
songs paint vivid portraits in sound of human emotion. Check out the structure
and execution of this sensitive track from 1972. If you've ever been in this
emotional boat, you know exactly how precisely Gates' craftsmanship as a
composer, lyricist, arranger and performer speaks to and for your heart in this
relatively minor Bread hit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24IfD-0VUu4
Gary Theroux
Absolutely one of my favorite bands of the '70's ... and of all-time ...
and "Diary" ranks right up there amongst their finest work. (Me-TV-FM is
playing that one ... and several other Bread selections again ... it is SO good
to hear this music on the radio again.)
By the way, Gates' own mother referred to his first national hit as "Naked
With You"!!! (lol) In addition to seeing them several times in concert during
their hey-day, I was also fortunate enough to catch their reunion tour in the
late '80's or early '90's. I'll never forget the emotion David Gates conveyed
when explaining the real story behind "Everything I Own" to the audience ... the
song was actually written about his FATHER, who had just passed away, and not a
love affair. Listen to it in that context and the song takes on a whole new
poignant meaning. He later told us that same night that if he had known he
would still be singing these songs some 25-30 years later, he would have written
them in a much lower key!!! (lol)
A shame that he's retired ... but he certainly touched MY life ... and the
lives of many, many others with his incredible gift of music.
(kk)
re: Apologies:
A percent of the notification list
went out as an "unblind" email yesterday ... long time readers know that this
happens every couple of years or so ... but that we always try and keep our
mailing lists private. And, unfortunately, there are those on the list who
never fail to jump at and seize this opportunity to poach names for their own
mailing lists. It's unfortunate and I apologize.
Because of the volume of mail we
send out and the number of subscribers involved, our mailing list is broken into
four separate lists ... all of the other lists made it out correctly yesterday
... but we apologize to those who were affected by this one list going out via
regular email. All we can do is say we're sorry and ask that those receiving it
respect the privacy of others, much as you'd like for yourself. We'll do our
best not to let it happen again ... but history has proven that one of these
seems to slip through the cracks every 2-3 years or so. Again, apologies.
(kk)
