The YAY's

If nothing else, our most recent radio rave-out spurred a few comments and reactions ... both "YAY's" and "NAY's" ... and we'll feature the best of them over the next couple of days.  (Scroll back to Sunday, October 21st, for a quick refresher course ... or simply click the link below):

Click here: Forgotten Hits: GAMES YOU CAN PLAY AT HOME ... OR IN THE CAR!

First ... The YAY's:

Hi Kent,
Just a message to let you know I'm enjoying your entertaining and insightful "rants" about Chicago radio. Keep the "hits" comin'!
Best,
Bob Sirott
WLS "Class of '73 - '80"

As one of the guys who personified personality radio, thank you, thank you, thank you. We've got a few more rants left in us ... and have even come up with a fun way for others to play at home, too!  (Now you can learn to tolerate today's repetitive playlist and have fun doing it!!!  Perhaps this is the only way to get through today's current state of radio ... to turn it into a game!!!) kk

KK -

Turn this latest rave-out into a stand-up routine and hit the comedy club circuit ~ Start a national campaign ... You'll have a huge following!!
Phil  

Good morning,

I'm still amazed on your blogging skills. You seem so quiet, but a man of many words.

Do I have your permission to post your link to facebook?

xoxox

Carlene

Absolutely! In fact we're hoping EVERYBODY out there will post links of our rave out to ALL of their various social media outlets. We NEED to spread the word if we ever want to make a change. (Several folks have already promised to do so ... and we're hoping many other readers will follow suit.  So PLEASE ... link to our site and let's get a radio revolution movement going! (kk)  

I know that effort can make a difference. At least it's worth a try. Also good to note that survey companies have an influence in every market ... so join them, and answer their questions. It is a pain sometimes but it IS one of those 'your vote counts' situations.

I, too, am dismayed by this sudden trend in broadcasting.  I have always considered the voice coming from my car radio to be comforting ... like a train whistle in the distance. They both remind me that I can be alone, travel, or connect with others if I wish. So, I enjoy listening to the radio. Or I did. Now I find myself storing more and more cds in my car and burning more from my computer ... to store in my car. Unless I am traveling with others, I am now alone in my car; unconnected to the world. I haven't lost the music, but I lost the comforting connection.

Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano  

Today, after I read your latest rant, I decided to do a quick experiment of my own. In the time it took to drive less than one mile to the gas station and back I heard, Cuts Like A Knife, More than A feeling and Love In An Elevator. The offending station was K-Hits 96.3 in St. Louis. To think I started listening to them because a more local classic rock station plays Bon Jovi every hour.

But maybe there is hope ... I was only in the car a short time this morning and only heard one song ... but it was Johnny B. Goode. Yeah, it's Chuck Berry's birthday and he's from St. Louis and it was a St. Louis station, but at least they played it.
Jack

Happy Birthday, Chuck!  But that reminds me of another thing wrong with programming today. It seems that in many cases, the only way some of these artists can get any airplay these days is to die! (And you thought their original deal with the Devil to get famous in the first place had some pretty steep odds!!!) It's true ... somebody passes on and then radio plays their songs again for a day or two. Heck, we even heard "Tiny Bubbles" by Don Ho half a dozen times after he left us. Hadn't heard that song on the radio in over 30 years ... and haven't heard it since ... and may never hear it again ... but once Don bid us aloha, it was suddenly acceptable to play his music again ... for 48 hours anyway. Same thing at Christmas time ... despite over thirty Top 40 national hits, you won't hear a Brenda Lee song all year long ... but come the holiday season, one of the first tracks they dig out of mothballs is "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree". In fact, you'll hear all kinds of artists at Christmastime that you don't hear the rest of the year ... Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, The Chipmunks, Jose Feliciano and dozens more ... all of a sudden their music "fits" into the format again ... but don't even CONSIDER playing one of their legitimate Top Ten Hits during the other eleven months of the year!!!

And another thing ... how is it that radio stations will regularly play tracks like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen or "Rock This Town" by The Stray Cats ... both EXCELLENT musical homages to the music of the '50's ... yet these same stations wouldn't DREAM of playing a song that was actually FROM the '50's?!?!?  Instead of the real thing, we're treated to watered-down, pseudo replications of the genre ... when the fact is there's absolutely nothing wrong with the original formula!  Slap on a Gene Vincent or a Carl Perkins or a Jerry Lee Lewis record once in a while and let today's listeners know where this music came from.  We fell in love with it then ... and this music still holds up extremely well today.  This music was new and exciting then ... and, quite honestly, after being off the air for so long now, it just may come across as "new" and exciting again ... to a whole new set of ears! (kk)

Kent,

I read your latest piece about the crappy state of radio these days and I feel your pain. I've lived it; we all have. 

All I can offer are two little words: SATELLITE RADIO. 

Oh, and ... I'll never have a derogatory word to say about Carly Rae Jepsen after I caught her singing her ubiquitous tune with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots to open one of Fallon's broadcasts. Very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEsPhTbJhuo

Peace and love and good radio to you and your readers.

Ed44

Fun clip, Pete! What musician amongst us hasn't dabbled with some of these toys trying to get a real musical sound out of them at one time or another! (lol) Hate to say it but "Call Me Maybe" is about as catchy a pop song as we've heard this year ... a real stick-in-the-head earworm, to be sure ... and #1 for eight straight weeks to boot!  RIght now I'll take that one every time over another playing of "Jack And Diane" or "Don't Stop Believin'"!!! (kk)

Radio in the AlbaNY area is basically the same as in Chicago. That's why I only hear it when I'm with other people. In my car and my home it's MP3 player all the time. Mark the Shark

>>>I still believe in radio ... but my patience is wearing thin. We've been campaigning for better radio for thirteen years now ... and every time I think we've made a turn for the better, we seem to slip back into the same old "tried and true" pattern again. I haven't forgotten ... and I'm trying not to give up hope. (kk)
Good luck! I feel for you!
Let's take a ride back to the past. Back in the '80's, WOGL-FM offered trivia questions. I'd win a bunch. BUT, then, they'd offer a t-shirt, signed documents by all their DJs, or a couple tickets to an bland event in Philly. THESE DAYS, forget that budget stuff ... now it's a fully paid trip to the Caribbean! So it tells me they are hurting ... and hurting bad. I even questioned a coworker why he was listening to the station ... and he told me that it was only for the vacation! But I also listen to ads that are common amongst radio stations ... this gives me a clue as to how desperate they are for ads. EVERYONE under the sun bows down to GEICO commercials! More and more of the FM band is being taken over by talk shows, sports, news, syndicated shows, etc. A waste of bandwidth, I feel. Anyway, the actual last entertaining radio show I caught was on the music of New Orleans. A well done show, it even included interviews with the artists. But, that was the last, and that was maybe five years ago. Anyway, what can be said on radio to keep it interesting, with the internet and its vast amount of information? Leaves most DJs lost for words. Look at TV, it's the same boring world (staged reality shows). Man has run out of ideas.
John

Hey Kent -   
I have given up on all radio! I just dropped My Sirius subscription I had it for a year and a half. They are no different. When I start hearing the same songs over and over it's time to give up and turn the thing off. I miss the days of underground FM when the DJ had control, someone that knew a few things about music. They went up to $160.00 for a year of Sirius. When I called they offered me a year for $80.00.  
I told them you are a BIG satellite company, and I can't believe that my vault runs deeper than yours! Take the sixties channel for example ... there are enough songs from then I should not hear the same song again in a year! Tell your program director to fire his self he or she is doing a lousy job.

Mickey    

Kent,  
One more song that belongs on that list is Lola by The Kinks. I am one of the biggest Kinks fans in the world but it burns me up when they say we have some Kinks coming up and I hear Lola every time.  
Sev  
I don't hear that one much here ... usually if it's The Kinks, it's "You Really Got Me". (And wouldn't you know that right after I posted this comment I heard "Lola" in the car!!! lol) kk

Hey Kent,
I think another way to help change the absurd programming of so-called classic radio stations is to go after the advertisers. We can call or e-mail them, to issue our complaints, or simply stop buying their products. In this area, there is a huge percentage of health-related commercials. They are very "scare driven". You can't listen to any station for five minutes without hearing spots for doctors, clinics, or hospitals. Well, no wonder! The radio stations they sponsor, are making us sicker by the minute! What goes around, comes around!
- John LaPuzza

Kent,
Just a few short words about today's comments. You are right at the beginning in that the same artists and same songs are being heard in other cities. I can attest to that fact. There are some other artists and songs not on your list which are heard in OKC on the radio very often but maybe not as quite as the ones you have listed.
A few years ago I started changing my dial on my car when I ever heard one of these songs over and over again to our local 'sports talk' radio station. There's one problem with ours, however. Whomever programs these so called 'oldies' stations must program these sports stations, too. Here in OKC, the same persons call in all the time and are heard on the air giving their opinions. So instead of hearing the same songs over and over again, you hear the same people talking on the radio over and over again.
Larry

I say these EXACT words in my head on a daily basis.

Kristy White    

 

Kent ...

I truly want to compliment you PERSONALLY. I agree with what you wrote 100%.

It's like you eavesdropped every thought in my mind! I'm sharing your piece with loads of people!
ART VUOLO, JR.

Kent,
I have read and I totally agree with everything you have said about the sad state of radio, and in particular, WLS-FM.
I told my wife years ago, when the station was using different call letters, here they have ownership of just about the most well known, if not THE most well known call letters in the nation, if not the world, and they weren't being used. I even said at the time, they should use the WLS calls and market it as "The station you grew up with". Well, they did take the call letters back. Step one. And they do say that they are "The station that grew up with you" (personally, I like my phrasing better.) But it is anything but the station any of us grew up with.
Before the latest "Classic Rock" format, it was already boring, and repetitive ... now it is unlistenable. First of all, WLS was never a rock station per se, it was a Top 40 station, That music included country songs, soul music, etc. Even during the late 1960s, when John Rook took over with the "More Music" format, the jocks managed to talk up nearly every song, and bring a level of excitement that is missing today, and they were really involved with the show. Rook had the station formated to within an inch of its life, yet the station was hitting on all cylinders! I believe it was even Station of the Year in 1968, '69, and '70 nationwide. Listen to an aircheck from that era, and it's unbelievable how much they could pack into an hour, even including two full newscasts!
Twice this year, as I listened, or tried to listen to WLS, I could only shake my head in disgust. Once was on Memorial Day weekend, often a time when stations would count down the top 500 greatest songs of all time, obviously a reference to the Indy 500. How a station would arrive at that list, either by polls or some other way, I don't know. But the songs would be counted down in order from 500 to 1. But not WLS. This year, they claimed that they were playing the top 500 songs of all time, but not in any order. They said they were playing the list on "shuffle", which is to say in no order, which is to say there was no way to keep track of it, and by the way, since it's on shuffle, don't be surprised if you hear the same song several times.
The truth was, they were NOT playing the top 500 songs, and had no intention of doing it. By saying the list was on shuffle, was to say there was no list, and they were going to play the same songs as always, yet expect you to believe otherwise. I thought great, it's bad enough your station is horrible to listen to, now I have to have them insult my intelligence.
The second time was when they had a "Chicago Groups Weekend". OK, good, let's hear some of the songs that were big hits in Chicago from local groups. But no, they only played songs from local groups that were huge hits nationally. So sure, they would play The Buckinghams, but not "I Call Your Name". Instead, it was "Kind Of A Drag". If they played The New Colony Six, it was "Things I'd Like To Say", not "Can't You See Me Cry". You get the idea. It was all just national hit records from groups that just happened to be from Chicago. Again, just trying to repackage songs that they were going to play anyway and make it sound as if they were doing something different. And now, The Buckinghams and The New Colony Six are gone from the station.
With this latest Classic Rock format, I am done with the station. And pretty much done with radio. I listen to satellite radio in the car, and internet radio on the computer. What a shame. But we'll always have our memories of the station, they can't take those.
Ken Durkel

You'll see in tomorrow's comments that noted radio programmer Ron Smith says that one of the BEST things a radio station can do (in order to be successful) is to "localize" a part of its sound in order to make it feel like it BELONGS here.  With such a strong and rich musical heritage as the City of Chicago has, you would think that would be a no-brainer ... ESPECIALLY since WLS was PART of that entire heritage and movement!  In fact, they were the LEADERS back then, orchestrating so many great, local hits for some of these artists.  To promise a "Local Hits Weekend" and then NOT feature some of the songs that topped their very own charts shows just how lost they've really become.  On the other hand, I heard K-Hits play Aliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah's "Lake Shore Drive" the other day ... and that's an absolute FIRST for that station.  If nothing else, it looks like K-Hits is at least TRYING to win the ratings battle against the revamped WLS-FM ... and they very well may be poised to do so.  At least half of the emails that we received from local, Chicagoland readers made mention of the fact that they have already turned off WLS-FM in favor of K-Hits which, if not the "golden oldies" answer we're looking for at least seems to have positioned themselves as the lesser of two evils ... which makes me wonder if some of MY comments have ALSO been taken to heart over there. Their new slogan is "So much variety you'll never even have to think about changing the station" ... man, what a GREAT concept!!! (kk)

Hi Kent,

I’ve been reading your postings on the WLS radio fiasco and I completely agree with you. Here in CT, radio sucks as well. Cookie cutter, unimaginative, corporate consultant radio is all we have. It’s really disheartening to remember how great it used to be. I grew up listening to WLS’ sister station, the powerhouse WABC (which switched to all-talk in ’82!!) and I miss it dearly. All of the great NYC stations are either gone or a pale shadow of their former greatness including WCBS-FM which I HAD been listening to since day one in ’72.

The legendary WNEW-FM, album rock, began dismantling in the late ‘90s when some brain surgeon decided to put Opie and Anthony on the air and slowly but surely the station started dumping DJs and narrowing playlists, from what was one of the most incredible music libraries ever, to less music and eventually becoming another talk-radio format. Most of those DJs are now on Sirius / XM and playing a fantastic variety of stuff like the old days, so I can still enjoy hearing them occasionally (my sister’s car has Sat. radio, mine does not, lol).

I’ve been listening to, for a few years now, an FM station on Long Island, about 15 miles across the sound as the crow flies, WEHM-FM 92.9 Progressive Rock (a bit different from the Progressive Stations of old) that plays an interesting mix of new and old rock, although nothing hard like Black Sabbath or Deep Purple, and they let the DJs TALK about the music, the bands, the concerts and just about anything, giving the listener an enjoyable listening experience. While they do have their “own” playlist, it is decidedly different and more varied than any other stations I’ve found in the area. Another alternative is, of course, Internet radio, with a wide variety of styles and formats. My good friend Ron Webb has been doing his own show from the CT School of Broadcasting in Stratford, CT (he’s a graduate, but not a pro. DJ) which he calls the Wingnut Psychedelic Bubblegum Shop, a mix of, as it says, Psychedelic and Bubblegum and Pop. Ron is a real nut, hence the name, for ‘60s and ‘70s era music of this type, including a lot of TV and cartoon music and much of the obscure album cuts, B-sides etc. that never get played anywhere. I’m including a link to the All Noise Radio site where his show can be found, it repeats a few times a week, so it can be tricky to find, but is well worth a listen. http://www.allnoiseradio.com/

Thanks as always -

Eddie Burke,

Orange, CT

Kent,

I've solved your problem.

On the way to work, turn off the radio and play one of your favorite CD's. Otherwise, you might hear that one song off your list that will push you over the edge. I want you to be in the right frame of mind at work.

On the way home, turn off the CD's and play the radio. I don't care if you get home in a bad mood. I'm sure Frannie will know how to adjust your attitude.
Frank B.

The only problem with that idea is that SHE hears the same crappy songs on her way home from work as I do ... and lately she's been just as riled up about this nonsense as I've been ... which just shows you how COMPLETELY out of hand it really has become. And it only seems to be getting worse. Yesterday, I ran through my buttons three times in a half hour. First time, five out of seven stations were playing a song or artist on my list. Second time, three out of five were. (The other three stations were running commercials ... which, incredibly, have now become preferable to listening to than some of these songs on the list!  Hey, maybe this is all an advertising ploy to get listeners to pay closer attention to their commercials!) And the final time seven out of eight channels were playing a song or artist on the list. Think about that for a second ... that's 15 out of 20 ... 75%!!! 75% of the time they were playing the songs that I maintain they're playing too much ... makes me think my opinion (and complete disgust) are pretty justified, wouldn't you say??? (kk)

YEAH, NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!:
One of the most popular features on The Drive, our premium Classic Rock Station here in Chicago, is their A-Z Playlist ... and this Friday (November 2nd), it all kicks off again ... over 2000 songs, spread out over the next eight days, played alphabetically by song title ... which means absolutely NO REPEATS for over a week!!!  
Not only is it great to hear that much variety played back-to-back, but it's also a whole lotta fun trying to figure out what song might be coming up next.  
All I know is it'll keep you tuned in waiting to see what's coming up next ... now that's REALLY giving the listeners absolutely NO reason to even think about changing the channel!  (Radio people WANT to listen to?!?!?  Wow!  What a concept!!!)
They seem to be running these A-Z sweeps more often lately ... and ALWAYS to VERY positive response ... showing you what a little "creative programming" can do for a station.  What REALLY makes it special is that they revamp the song line-up a little bit each time, adding new album cuts and "Wow" surprises while still remaining true to the station's Classic Rock identity.  All that means is more variety, while still giving you what you tuned in to the station for in the first place ... now THAT'S the kind of programming I'm talking about.  (And it's paying off big for The Drive, consistently one of the top-ranked and most-listened to stations in Chicago.) 
You can listen live here: Click here: 97.1fm The Drive
Put it on for a few hours ... my guess is you'll come back to it for the entire "drive" through their A-Z Classic Rock  Library.  It all kicks off at 6 am Chicago Time on Friday!

   

RADIO GA GA

If YOU'RE not done talking about radio, then WE'RE not done talking about it either.

As such,you'll find quite a few more of your radio-related comments posted here over the next few days.  We'll talk about the old days and the current state of radio, 2012 ... and present the good, the bad and the ugly.

And for those of you who are already finding themselves bored with this discussion (and our recent ravings), you can either skip this new batch of columns completely ... or read them with an open mind ... because I think a few of you out there just may be missing the point.  (Clarification to come!)

But first ... a look back at the golden days of Top 40 radio ... 

re:  THE OLD DAYS:
First up ... some GREAT memories from FH Reader Clark Besch ... both of WLS in the '60's and some of the other stations he used to listen to back in the day.   

Hi Kent,

Please pass this on to Dex Card if you would. 

How incredible that you got an email from the GREAT Dex Card! As one of the biggest fans of WLS in the 60's, it is SO good to know Dex is doing well.

I have told the story of growing up and running home from school to catch Dex playing the Silver Dollar Survey in Dodge City, Kansas. I loved Dex's smooth delivery of the countdown. He was "the crew cut fellow in the first row," who welcomed us at 2:00 with "Hi again, everybody" as "BIG D" to "the Card Party keepin' ya company" on "Channel 89", often playing a record from "the Beatle Box" that also might include their latest "TSW" (two-sided winner) which may have "picked up a point" on its "journey to the top" OR might have "fell off three" as he was "workin' our way" thru "Chicago's most accurate and authoritative" "Silver Dollar Survey" on "8-9-0 A-Go-Go in Chicago". Most likely it was "a tough new record" "becoming a giant in our town and all over mid-America" on "Wonderful W-L-S" and at a little after 6, Dex would close saying "That does it for Dex today."
Yeah, I remember it like yesterday.

Dex had so many cool phrases that I would love hearing on a daily basis. In late 1965, Dex started playing a new song that I have made no secret that because of this, "Look Through Any Window" by the Hollies instantly became and still is my fave 60's song. It opened my eyes to Chicago's bias towards British Invasion groups and Chicago groups later. That was a turning point when I began listening to WLS a lot more than KOMA locally. I loved KOMA, but WLS was "mystic." Dex was a huge part of it. In the summer of 67, reception was not good because of the sun spot interference that was always the case DXing from Dodge City. Towards the end of the summer, I realized Dex was no longer a part of the LS staff and the "Silver Dollar Survey" was now the "Hit Parade." I loved Larry Lujack but always missed Dex's seemingly genuine interest in playing the countdown and the numbers of the songs as opposed to Lujack's not caring a bit about where the song was on the chart. It was a changing of the guards to an extent and a move to tightened playlists and an era of dwindling "personality" jocks that WLS had been known for. In retrospect, those mid-60's years at WLS were the best, IMO.

BTW, I also want to thank Dex Card for basically discovering and helping the Cryan Shames begin their career. They became my all time fave band and allowed me to eventually write the liner notes for their album CD reissues in the 90's and 2000's!

From an avid fan: MANY, MANY thanks to Dex there, too ... and for a great radio listening experience!

Clark Besch in Lincoln, Nebraska

Hi guys,

I could talk 60's WLS and KOMA all day. Heck, I do anyway. I pulled my accompanying KOMA week of August 18, 1964, for Kent to compare what I was listening to quite a bit more than WLS at that point in my 8 years old life. Here's the KOMA chart, which shows Billy J. Kramer at number one after all. I am guessing Larry is going by the WKY charts, the other great OKC station in those days. I loved them both and 'though KOMA was known "coast to coast" with its long fades in and out of their 50,000 watt signal, WKY actually beat KOMA most of the time locally in the ratings. It was not much different than a few years later with WLS and WCFL in Chicago where WLS boomed to all parts, while WCFL had directional signal "situations" that, despite also being a 50,000 watter like the Big 89, caused it to be less well known. Certainly, as Larry mentioned, WLS and WCFL BOTH had reception problems caused by OKC stations being exactly on those frequencies. VERY frustrating for me, too, listening in Dodge City, as these stations caused me to have such complications hearing Dex Card in the afternoons.
Anyway, here's the KOMA chart from Kent's WLS week of early listening!

Clark Besch

Larry Neal responds ... 

Clark is right ... any reference I made to songs or records here in OKC come from the weekly surveys of WKY 930 AM, which was a big competitor of KOMA. I am fortunate to have a copy of every weekly survey for WKY from the first one in August of 1958 up through the year 1979 when they ceased to be printed.
Larry

More Larry and Clark banter ...  

Larry brought up the great Art Roberts Sunday night oldies show "Hey Baby They're Playing Our Song." It was late at night, but kept oldies fans interested as well as giving Art a place to showcase his knowledge of the artists of yesterday (a bit like Larry Neal did on his Wax Museum show on KOMA in the 90's!).

Art's theme song for the show was done by Chicago's own Maurice and Mac from the local group, the Radiants! Art would then go on to inspire my buddy James Holvay to get permission from Art to write the 1967 hit of same name for the Buckinghams!!!

Clark Besch

Kent,
You mentioned that you heard BURNIN' LOVE the other day and had not heard it in a long time. Well, come down to OKC and I guarantee you you'll hear it that you will go crazy. Same for SUSPICIOUS MINDS. If a person didn't know better, they would swear up and down that these were the only two songs that Elvis ever recorded.
Thanks for posting COME HOME COME HOME by the Sheppards. I had never heard that song before and kind of figured you would post it. I checked one of my books here at home and according to it, the song COME HOME COME HOME was the 'B' side of the record with the 'A' side being the song FEEL LIKE LOVIN'. You of course were right on the label's name and label number for the two songs which charted in your town.
A comment was made on the Pick Album of the Week. 

The great majority of time the pick album of the week here in OKC had nothing to do with the music format of the top 40 station they were listed on.  I was told years ago that record promoters paid to have their albums listed at the bottom of the survey even though no cuts were played. Whether that's true or not, I don't know.
Larry Neal

Believe me, back when we had an oldies station, we heard "Burning Love" by Elvis plenty here in Chicago, too, where Elvis seems to have been reduced to a three-hit artist ... "Burning Love", the WAY over-played "Suspicious Minds" and the millennium remix of "A Little Less Conversation" are about the only Elvis tunes you'd ever hear unless it was a birthday or death anniversary tribute. (I'll throw "Return To Sender" into that list, too, because Scott Shannon used to play that one quite a bit when he was still on the air here in Chicago.)

No one could expect a station play ALL of the songs they played back in the day ... that's what made a special feature like Ron Smith's old Chicagoland Countdown program was such a welcome delight. Each week Ron would count down The Top 20 Songs in Chicago on that date for any given year on Real Oldies.  You'd hear some real obscurities and surprises there ... NOT necessarily songs that belong in regular rotation, because a good number of them simply don't "fit" anymore ... but a real kick to hear them again within the context of this program.

Dick Biondi would also feature quite a few "obscure" and forgotten tracks on his Friday Night All Request Show, too, proving my point again that the listeners DO remember these tracks because they grew up with them.  The fact that radio doesn't play them anymore had not diminished their "value" and appeal in the listeners' minds ... so it was great to have a forum for a few hours a week that allowed this music to be played again ... but now that's gone, too, with these on-going line-up changes at the station.  (Where else is anybody new to this genre going to discover some of these  great, forgotten tunes?!?!)

Actually, I haven't given up all hope yet ... I have been secretly working behind the scenes to bring Ron's countdown program back to the airwaves ... and that's a REAL Forgotten Hits scoop ... because I haven't even talked to HIM about it yet!!! (lol)  I LOVED this program ... and it was TOTALLY unique to the Chicago scene ... a rich part of our musical heritage and upbringing ... and I firmly believe there is still a place for this program on our local airwaves (or streaming worldwide as the case may be.)

Ron, if you're reading this, I'd like to talk to you about it further ... it may be time to take this one off the shelf and get it back on the air again!  (kk)

Kent,

I can assure you that WLS DID play songs from their "Pick Albums of the Week". (BTW, KOMA listed a Top 10 Albums weekly at bottom of their charts!) WLS most often seemed to program the LP cuts during midday shows in most counts ... I suppose because of the house wife type songs usually found on the pop LPs often picked for the albums of the week. However, Bernie Allen played the Troggs' B side "From Home" and most of the DC5 cuts from "American Tour" album on his show, so even the rougher edged LP cuts could be heard middays, too.
Clark Besch

re:  FORGOTTEN HITS ON THE RADIO:

For 13 years now we've been badgering deejays to step outside the box once in a while and play some of these great, forgotten hits on the radio again ... set the playlist aside now and then and program in half a dozen "WOW!"-factor songs into the mix and see how your audience reacts.  

We've had SOME success with our campaign ... and, by and large, you'll always find a lot more flexibility and variety on the internet today than you will on the terrestrial radio dial.  

Here's a couple of things that caught our radar last week:

I was disappointed to read that the Forgotten Hits website forgot about me.  Let me reintroduce myself ... Mike Baker And The Forgotten 45s.

I am not a journalist but I have come to the Forgotten Hits website to browse. I started a suburban oldies show as an alternative to Chicago radio. Never had any ratings to brag about, but no corporation rules and guidelines to adhere to.
Radio has never been my primary job. Maybe that is why I can have fun over the years with the audience and play more Chicago obscure oldies. As you may now know, after 17 years I am "off" but you might hear a peep from me soon. Until then, my website and supervising WLTL radio at Lyons Township High School will keep me occupied. If you care to check what mischief I have caused, look me up at www.mikebaker45s.com where a whole lot of "stuff" is.
Keep up the Forgotten Hits,
Mike Baker And The Forgotten 45s

Several months ago we ran a blurb about Mike Baker signing off the air with his "Forgotten 45s" program.  I felt cheated in that in ALL the years that I've been doing Forgotten Hits, nobody had ever tipped me off to Mike's program ... I had missed it for 17 years and, now that I was FINALLY aware of it, it was only because it was about to cease to exist!!!  (It just seemed to me that we could have done SO much together during that time to help further the cause of this great, forgotten music, had we only been able to make that connection.)

Cool to hear that you have been following Forgotten Hits ... and it's GREAT to hear from you, Mike.  If you DO get the show up and running again please let me know so we can help to spread the word ... our readers would really enjoy a program like yours.

It's too bad really ... you did your show for 17 years and I'm coming up on 13 years of Forgotten Hits now ... seems to me like we should have connected somewhere along the way and put some specials together! (I'm still up for that, by the way, if you start broadcasting again. It certainly WOULD be a fresh and welcome alternative to our listening choices today!) kk

Meanwhile, it's certainly safe to say that THIS one took me by surprise when I received a link last week ...

Hey, HERE'S a clever name for a website and music premise ... Click here: Gary Shannon—Forgotten Hits

 

Honestly, it's hard to get mad at ANYBODY (especially in the world of radio) dedicating themselves to resurrecting some of the great, long-forgotten music that doesn't get played anymore. (That's certainly been our premise for the past 13 years!)  Gary's promising to feature legitimate Top 40 Billboard Hits (and Lord knows there are HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of them that radio doesn't play anymore) ... it's just a little hard "sharing" the name when we've worked so hard to establish it for the past 13 years.  (In fact, I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with it at all!)     

Regardless, I promised Gary a plug-for-plug exchange and we'll see where it goes from here. As I said, we're all united in the same cause ... and that just means better awareness (and better radio) for the public at large. Besides, he has the means of reaching an audience through radio that we don't have here in print ... so who knows, maybe we'll even work together somewhere down the line on picking some killer selections to feature.

Stay tuned! (kk)      

UPDATE: Well, it's been about a week now ... and not so much as a reply ... so I'm not quite sure what's up with that.  (Being true to my word, Gary, I've plugged your site anyway, regardless of how I may feel about the use of our name, Forgotten Hits.)

Do we really need to rename ourselves "Kent Kotal's Forgotten Hits" to maintain clarity and identity?!?!? Actually, readers have been encouraging me to do this for years now, telling me it's time to take "ownership" of this premise, but I've steered clear ... Forgotten Hits belongs to ALL of us who value and remember this great music that doesn't get played anymore ... I may have come up with the concept ... and act as the moderator ... but I've always viewed the success of this whole operation as a joint venture ... it's the collaboration of the fans, the music, the memories, the musicians and the dee jays that makes this whole thing work ... so while I can take credit for the initial concept ... and may act as the glue that holds the whole thing together ... Forgotten Hits simply wouldn't work without all of you. So it's a bit frustrating to see somebody else trying to capitalize on this name. (Call it something else, dude! ... "Forgotten Top 40" ... here, you can have that one for free!!! Grab it before somebody else does!) Honestly ... after nearly 6000 newsletters and website postings over a 13 year period ... and nearly two million website visitors in the past four years ... I'd have to say that we've pretty well established who we are and what we do. Google Forgotten Hits and/or Kent Kotal and dozens and dozens and dozens of pages will pop up. Like I said, this is a tough call ... as I'm in favor of ANYBODY helping to keep this great music alive ... just come up with your own banner and we'll support you 100% (and send hundreds of new listeners your way, too!) And give US a plug now and then in return. Doesn't that seem like the fairest win / win for all parties concerned??? (kk)

The Route 66 Radio Tour

A few weeks back we told you about an exciting radio concept that we were asked to help to promote.

From what I understand, several of you have already been in communication with the powers that be behind this unique radio idea ... and now we're trying to get a few more of you onboard for this.

Here, from British DJ Paul Peters, is an overview of the project:

Hello Kent,

Bish, in Chicago, has asked me to write something for you, about our 2013 Radio Road Trip, along the old Route 66, and how, and why, we are doing this. So here goes.  (I've even added a few 'Snaps' of us, as we are now, and as I was 45 or more years ago!)

All the very best,

Paul

 Paul and Geoff ... The Fabulous '50's Show

Paul and Geoff on the L.V. 18
(Pirate BBC Essex broadcast from the L.V. 18, the same little ship that was used to make the film 'The Boat That Rocked' re-named 'Pirate Radio' for the U.S. market.)  

 Paul Peters - Home Studio, 1966

 Paul Peters on the way to Knock John Fort, 1960's

Route 66 Mother Road Radio Tour 2013

People are always asking me how, and why, I got interested in radio. Well, one of the reasons was the children's 'Saturday Morning Pictures' as we called them here in the U.K. I'd see these films made in the 40's and 50's where there would be a typical, as far as I was concerned, American Radio Station ... The little white 30's building, the the call sign in large letters on the front, standing out in the desert, with it's tall radio mast at the back, quite often painted red and white ... oh, I so wanted to visit one of those stations, and better still, become a d.j. on one.  

But back in the late 50's early 60's, America may as well have been ten million miles away, as there was no chance of a little kid like me ever getting there, except in my dreams. Here in the U.K. we had the BBC, and you had to be a bit posh to work for them ... they'd never take me on, but that did not stop me riding my little bike the 12 miles out to Brookmans Park, where the BBC had their main transmitting station for the London area. I'd lean against the fence, gazing up at those huge masts, for hours, dreaming of the day that my own voice would emanate from them. It did, but I had to wait almost 45 years for it to happen.

At Easter, 1964, Radio Caroline set sail from Ireland to moor off the Essex coast and began broadcasting. I was just 15, and I so much wanted to be a part of this wonderful new thing called 'Pirate Radio'. I wrote to them, sending a 7" spool of tape with all sorts of things that I had recorded, and in due course a nice letter came back, together with my tape, saying that unfortunately they did not need anyone just at this moment, but if they did in the future, they'd remember me. As other pirate stations came along I wrote to them, but again without any success. Then one day in early November, 1965, I was sat by the fire, looking at the the back of the paper that Dad was reading, and there was the headline 'Pirate Radio War'. It told the story of a guy called Roy Bates, who had landed on an old WW2 Naval Fort, called Knock John, thrown off the guys from a rival station, Radio City, and began to broadcast a station called Radio Essex. Within minutes I had ran to the telephone box on the corner, got his number, and phoned him asking him for a job. "Be in Southend nice and early in the morning and the job is yours!"  Within a couple of days I was heading the 18 miles out to the fort, and my short stay with Radio Essex. But I had got radio in my blood, and in the 70's I joined the team of 'Freelance' broadcasters who presented music shows on BBC Radio Medway, in the south of England.  (Here's a link to an American newspaper that did a report on the death of Roy Bates, the guy who started Radio Essex ... the chap that I ran and phoned ... when he died earlier this month.) 

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/pirate-prince-sealand-remembered

Fast forward to 2006, and my days as a radio broadcaster were long behind me, and I never ever dreamed that I ever get back behind a microphone again. It was a Tuesday morning in May, when, as I arrived at my shop in Lymington, with Geoff Kemp, my business partner of 30 or more years, we were met at the door by David, a member of our staff. "Good morning, sir ... the BBC have been on the phone looking for somebody called Paul Peters.  I told them that there is nobody of that name here, but the lady would not take no for an answer and will phone and speak to you at 11 O'Clock."  "What did you say David?....That's me, I was known as Paul Peters when I worked for the BBC years ago!!!!"

The lady did phone back, spot on 11 O'Clock, and asked me if I'd like to do a 10 minute spot, on BBC Radio 4, talking about my time as Britain's youngest pirate radio d.j. I did this a few days later and afterwards, I so much wanted to get back behind a microphone once again. I'd had this idea for at least 20 years for a show playing just 50's music ... 'The Fabulous 50's Radio Show', so I contacted several BBC local stations with my idea, but none were interested. I was told that nobody listens to 60's music these days, let alone 50's. Then, just by chance, I heard of a new community station called Forest FM, a few miles from my home in the New Forest. I contacted the manager, Steve Saville, and asked if I could have a little look around sometime. He invited me along, and we talked radio for more than an hour. I told him of my teenage adventures on Radio Essex, and to cut a long story short, he offered me a slot each week for my 'Fabulous 50's Radio Show'. I recorded an hour long show, but just could not get a grasp of the way things are done these days. For a start there were no turn tables, just c.d. players and a computer with something called SAM. The show went out on the air an hour after it was recorded, and I sat in my car, deep into the forest, listening to it going out on FM. But I was way out of my depth ... things had moved on over the past 30 years and left me behind in the 70's. No, I'd have to decline his kind offer as there really was no way that I could cope each week ... I was going to make a fool of myself.

The next morning in the shop I told Geoff all about it and said that I'd have to phone Steve at Forest FM and decline his kind offer of a slot for my FAB 50's Show. Geoff flew at me, "NO WAY, you're doing it, even if I have to come along and help you."  "You know less than me about radio, how on earth can you help me?" "I'll learn", was his reply.

Well, Geoff did come along, and within a few weeks he was choosing most, and then all, of the records that I played, and slowly he slipped into becoming the co-host of the show, too. The show has been on the air for almost six years now, and we both got asked to work on Pirate BBC Essex, the BBC's re-creation of an offshore pirate radio station, in 2009.

Geoff had always been interested in old motor cars, and I was mad about radio and still, so much, wanted to visit those real American radio stations that I'd seen in the films. Somehow we got this idea of 'doing' Route 66. I told him, "You can see all the old cars that you want, and I'll call into every radio station that we pass, and make a nuisance of myself, asking to have a look around." And so we started to talk about, and plan, our trip along Route 66. By this time our FAB 50's radio show was being aired on several stations in the U.S., the Falkland Islands, and New Zealand, including WRLR in Chicago, where I just happened to mention our intended trip to Bish, the President of the radio station. He thought that the idea was great, and said that WRLR would very much like to help us to fulfill our lifelong dream. Over the months this grew into a full road trip ... the 'Route 66 Mother Road Radio Tour 2013'.

We intend leaving downtown Chicago at 6 am on June 6th, 2013.  We are hoping (diary permitting) that Governor Quinn of Illinois will be there to send us off, as he's a big fan of Route 66. Our intention is to try and find, and meet up with, radio people from the past and present, who can tell us some interesting stories of their time in radio. The musicians and radio people that they have met, how their station was started, and by whom. We'd like to find some of the early founders of stations, those people that had the vision to put their hard earned money into this business. We have been offered the free loan, by the American manufacturer, the sat-alight equipment that we shall need, so that we can send back our daily reports to WRLR in Chicago area, and Forest FM in the U.K. We shall also be presenting the FAB 50's, my 60's show, and WRLR's morning 'Drive Time Show' from wherever we may be, and we shall certainly need the help of friendly radio stations for this part of the trip. CAN YOU HELP????

From the 1920's onward, before the days of television, the small towns of America, depended on their local station to keep them informed, and entertained. Many, if not most, of the big stars of the music world started on their local station. We know that many of these small family run stations no longer exist, but we'd like to find those that still do, and also the local community stations that have now, in many places, taken their place on the dial.

If you feel that you can help us in any way, to fulfill our dream, please email me, Paul Peters, at paul.peters@live.com or Bish, President of WRLR, at rondaradio@hotmail.com

Even if you are way off Route 66, we'd so much like to hear from you if you have a story to tell. You never know, we might one day come radio 'tripping' down a highway close to you.

Paul Peters

(AKA Paul Freeman - Pirate BBC Essex 2009)

This is a TOTALLY unique concept (and shows some of the "outside the box" thinking we speak so often of here in Forgotten Hits) ... which is why we're so proud to be attached to this project.

We're looking for radio stations located along Historic Route 66 as well as deejays who broadcast in the areas along the way that this trip will take us ... I'm hoping we can get at least two dozen current and former deejays right here in Chicago to participate as well.  They hope to stop by many of these stations to visit and broadcast live on the air (or simply have these jocks join them in their double-decker bus, from which they'll also be broadcasting along the way!)  All-in-all, a whole lotta fun that listeners all over the world will be tuning in to hear.  (There's even been some talk about filming some of this for a special radio documentary!)

Please contact either of the parties listed above if you would like to participate.  And deejays, please pass this information along to your fellow jocks and former sidekicks ... let's turn this into something the radio world hasn't seen before.  (Leave it to The Brits to come up with a concept like this, honoring and paying homage to the great American Radio Stations of the '50's, '60's and '70's ... with a tour of Historic Route 66 throw in for good measure to boot!!!)  

This could be THE vintage radio event of the year ... so please contact Paul or Bish ... tell them that you read about their plans in Forgotten Hits ... and want to be part of the celebration.

kk

Kent Kotal

Forgotten Hits 

Kent - 
I do so want to say thank you for ALL that you are doing to make my dream of more than 50 years come true. As that 16 year old kid, that climbed that rusty ladder up to the fort, with such great hopes of becoming a radio star, all those years ago, I never ever dreamed that I'd meet up with so many lovely people in radio, as I have over the past six  years. Just wish that it'd happened for me back then. I still get 'tickled pink' with every email or letter that comes into my shows from listeners each week.
Paul

 

Stay tuned to Forgotten Hits for updates ... we appreciate your support.  Please take part in this landmark broadcast.  (And, for those of you NOT in radio, we'll soon provide links for T-Shirts, Mugs, Caps, etc.  And, of course, ALL of you are welcome to come out and greet the bus as it passes through your area.  Hope to see you there!)  kk