Thursday This And That

Got this the other day from Howard Kaylan ... an exclusive excerpt published in Rolling Stone from his brand new book coming out April 16th ... and it sounds like a winner! (Kaylan talks about his career in The Turtles, life as one half of Flo And Eddie, working with the genius of Frank Zappa, and much, much more.  In this installment, he talks about the time The Turtles were invited to perform at The White House ... not your average gig ... especially if your pre-show activities consist of snorting cocaine off Abe Lincoln's desk!)  Check it out!  (kk)  

Click here: Rolling Stone Mobile - News - Music: Howard Kaylan Storms the White House in 'Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turt    

Hi Kent,
Regarding the changes to the way Billboard compiles their charts: 
Does not Billboard publish their charts primarily to appeal to the record industry and to induce them to place advertisements? 
Think back to December, 1962, when Christmas titles appeared on the Hot 100 for the last time. Such titles were relegated to some sort of separate Christmas only chart commencing the following year. Billboard’s purpose was to allow more current product to be listed in the Hot 100 – regardless of whether or not it got more radio plays or sold more copies than a Christmas 45. 
A similar thing with the album chart some years later. “Catalog” albums were transferred from the Top 200 to a separate “Catalog” only chart, thus freeing up slots for new industry product on the main chart. 
Certainly we record fans use the Billboard charts for “statistical” analysis of the past. I’m just not sure that Billboard holds those charts in the same high regard. 
Mike Edwards   

Kent,  
I agree with you 100% about WLS. I don't listen anymore unless I'm still awake at 11 PM and Biondi is on. But even then, it doesn't sound like he is allowed to play the music he'd like to play. A real shame!  
It was great to see comments from two of my favorite DJs, Jim Shea and Jeff James, from the "glory days" of Y103.9. I loved listening to that station -- those guys connected with the listeners, and it was fun!

Dan Crabtree

Wheaton, IL   

Hey Kent,
Through half the night, a song by Frankie Avalon, "I'll Wait For You", was going through my head. Why, I don't know. Even though I've always liked Frankie, I've never bought any of his albums. My older brother had a few of them, and played them a lot, in the old days. When I turned my computer on this morning, I had to go to Youtube, to listen to the song. What really stood out to me, was the backup vocals. They were perfectly balanced. Do you know if anyone has written a book about all those unheralded singers, who sang backup on hit records? I sure would like to know who they were. You can find some of them, on album liner notes, but most of the time, they are left out.
- John LaPuzza

Even Frankie Avalon's two #1 Hits seem to have disappeared from the airwaves lately, now that radio acknowledges the dawn of the music era as "anything after The Beatles". 

As for you background singers inquiry, maybe it's just a coincidence but we just ran a blurb about a brand new documentary saluting some of the background singers that have made this music so priceless over the years. I don't know if it ventures back QUITE this far ... I kinda doubt it ... but, much like the studio musicians we've saluted so many times over the years, these folks were often the unsung heroes in the recording studio ... which is REALLY an oxy-moron when singing is exactly what they did!  

Here again is some info on this upcoming special, supplied to us by FH Reader Tom Cuddy:     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGu_n05S5YM  
Backup Singer Documentary 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' Set for Summer Release  
After Sundance premiere, film is picked up by the Weinstein Company's label Radius    
Several years ago, former A&M Records head Gil Friesen was stoned at a Leonard Cohen concert when he became fixated on Cohen's backup singers. 

The result of Friesen's musings is Twenty Feet From Stardom, a documentary that explores the culture of such supporting singers. Friesen once quipped to its director, Morgan Neville, that the movie was "the most expensive joint I ever smoked," and the final product premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival.  
"This is a story about people whose fingerprints are all over the music we know but we have no idea who they are," Neville, a self-described "hardcore music geek," tells Rolling Stone. His other credits include Troubadours, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story and Johnny Cash's America. He is currently at work on a film about the rivalry between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. 
Friesen, who passed away from cancer in December, saw the final film before his death and knew it would premiere at Sundance. It was purchased last week by the Weinstein Company's label Radius-TWC and, according to Neville, is set for a summer release.  
"You could have talked about Nashville, you could have talked about girl groups. . . To me, the interesting story was the rise of these black voices from the church into the studios and onto vinyl," says the director. "What was Lou Reed singing about [in "A Walk on the Wild Side"]? This is what he was singing about." 
The film includes interviews with artists who are notable for their use of backup singers, including Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Sting. Many well-known supporting vocalists are also interviewed, including Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Judith Hill, Claudia Lennear, Gloria Jones and Dr. Mable John. 
These performers – who Neville says "can often sing circles around lead singers" – have produced a soulful, harmonic blend for decades, one derived from the Motown, rock and R&B of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. 

"There was really kind of a heyday in the late 1960s and 1970s," Neville explains. "The Brits were coming and they were pale white guys and they thought, 'Hey, if I am really into R&B and soul, why don't I just invite black singers to come onstage with me?'" 
In Twenty Feet, Neville also explores the psychology of standing in the shadows of super-stardom and the lack of individual identity – which, depending on the singer, can feel like bliss or purgatory. He also looks at how relatively recent changes in the recording business – including lead singers recording their own backing tracks – caused the backup singer scene to dry up. 

"I asked them, 'When do you think it changed?' And one singer said, 'In 1993,'" Neville says. "Hip-hop, grunge in the 1990s – all those things were going on as well as changes in taste, business and technology." What hasn't changed is the talent of these artists – and soon, their story will be told.

Just a side note for a topic that you might want to cover someday: How some songs really lost their 'sound' when they were transferred to CD. I know ALL did to some degree but certain songs became totally different in feel, as well as sound! Johnny Nash's "Hold Me Tight" is one in particular, as it seems to have lost it's drum. I remember hearing the song on a Jukebox in '68 and it shook the whole building but when radio stations began switching over to CD's , it was like a totally different song! I actually bought the 45 of it on ebay to make sure I was remembering correctly and it was the song as I recalled it. Bob Shannon (CBS-101FM) used to do 'Turntable Tuesday'- play a few actual vinyl records during the show. It was pretty interesting to hear some sounds that due to CD's, have disappeared.

John Evanich III  
Stratford, CT

Our readers could probably provide a never-ending series on this topic ... so we'll open the door to discussion ... and then reel it in down the road.  (kk)     

Record Store Day, now in its 6^th year as an event in support of the independent record community worldwide, named Jack White as its official ambassador last week. Now the event has also announced the unveiling of its Official Poster for 2013.  
The poster was made from a photo of Jimi Hendrix that was shot in a small record store in New England by Ira Rosen right before the release of Are You Experienced. Jimi was a fan of record stores and spent the morning shopping for some of the latest releases at the time.

Of Record Store Day’s usage of the image for their official poster, Jimi’s sister, Janie Hendrix says, "It's entirely appropriate that an image of Jimi Hendrix is on the official Record Store Day poster. He was an avid music fan and record collector himself and, of course, his recordings are among the most enduring and cherished of all time. Jimi's musical legacy and influence grow with every passing year so, in a sense, he makes Record Store Day last much, much longer than 24 hours." 
Only 5,000 copies of the poster will be made. The image is a 24” x 36” poster printed on heavy paper and will be gratis to Hendrix fans at fully participating record stores in the United States. Fans should contact their local store the week of Record Store Day for details. 
Also, exclusively for Record Store Day 2013, Experience Hendrix will issue a limited edition individually numbered 7" vinyl single featuring the original mono mixes of "Hey Joe" b/w "Stone Free" which have been unavailable since their original 1966 release.  
People, Hell and Angels, an essential new album premiering twelve previously unreleased studio recordings ('68 - '70) completed by Hendrix will be available at independent record stores starting on March 5, 2013. 
Record Store Day is managed by the Department of Record Stores and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale. 

Record Store Day takes place annually on the third Saturday of April. 
Record Store Day Sponsors: ADA, Beck's, CALIF, Clarks Originals, Crosley Turntables, Disk Union, ERA, Furnace MFG, InGrooves/Fontana, NARM, RED, Redeye Distribution, Sony Music, Universal Music Distribution, Warner Bros. Records, WEA    

From Spinner ... and all over the news these past few days:
Here we go again. Over five years after their one-off reunion concert and a few months removed from releasing that show in theaters and on DVD, Led Zeppelin might make yet another comeback, if Robert Plant is to be believed.
The singer hinted at the possibility of a reunion next year in an interview with Australia's "60 Minutes," as Rolling Stone reports. Recently, guitarist Jimmy Page said that a reunion tour never happened because Plant "was busy," and now the frontman is leaving the door wide open for more shows.
"[Jimmy and bassist John Paul Jones] are Capricorns. They don't say a word. They're quite contained in their own worlds and they leave it to me. I'm not the bad guy," Plant said in the interview. "You need to see the Capricorns -- I've got nothing to do in 2014."
The one-off reunion show took place in December, 2007, at London's O2 arena and the recording of it was released in multiple formats in 2012. At the time, Page and Jones -- who also performed with late drummer John Bonham's son at the concert -- were up for a tour but it never materialized. They explored replacing plant with Steven Tyler or Myles Kennedy but ultimately abandoned the idea.
Plant, for his part, has been making folkier music, first with Alison Krauss and then with his Band of Joy. In 2011, he said he was so focused on his new sound that he "almost can't relate" to Zeppelin anymore. Whether or not this change of heart leads to something or just came about from frustration of years of answering the question, we'll just have to wait and see.

Here's another hot new release.  (You just can't have too many Motown repackages now can you???)  kk

Here's a great Motown track you don't hear much anymore ... Marvin Gaye's Pop Chart debut "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" from 1962.
  

The Revamped Billboard Chart ... And Some Of YOUR Radio Comments

re: THE BILLBOARD CHART:

>>> Gone! The Billboard Hot 100 as we have known it! 

It's not as if I have been following the Hot 100 much lately. In fact I have not, for the past maybe 20 years or so. But this news is unbelievable, at least to me.
My personal view is that if wants to use YouTube then they should consider doing a chart based purely on YouTube views, if that's possible. But I do not think that YouTube should be part of the Hot 100. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not EVER!  In the back of my mind I can envision a hotshot computer programmer (not ME, LOL!) who will figure out a way to create software to artificially make YouTube videos increase to astronomical levels. If this is done (and I don't believe it's at all beyond the realm of possibility), then record charts in the future could become more fraudulent than ever before.  If this were happening around April 1st, I would think it might be an April Fool's joke. But that is not the case. Please forgive any typos on my part. They may occur because I feel somewhat emotional about this.
To put it concisely: I think this is a lousy idea and that's putting it mildly.   Do you agree or disagree?
Either way, here's the info, for what it's worth.
(And by the way, if you don't recognize any of the titles mentioned within the article below, don't feel bad. I am sure that you are not alone!)  The importance of this to me is this decision on the part of Billboard to do make what I consider to be this absurd move rather than the specific hits mentioned below. (Ronnie)  

>>>This week the Billboard Hot 100, the magazine’s 55-year-old singles chart, takes an evolutionary step by incorporating YouTube plays into its formula. The move comes just in time for Baauer’s song "Harlem Shake," the latest viral video phenomenon, which will make its debut at No. 1 this week thanks to the change.  "Harlem Shake," a bass-heavy hip-hop track with no lyrics beyond a few samples, got little mainstream attention when it was released in May as a free download. But this month its popularity exploded on YouTube, as thousands of fans uploaded videos of themselves dancing — some might say simply flailing — along to the song. By last week more than 4,000 videos were going up each day.  Download sales and Spotify streams of the track also skyrocketed. But the remarkable trajectory of "Harlem Shake" led Billboard to move forward right away on its methodology update, something it had been in discussions with YouTube about for nearly two years, Bill Werde, the magazine’s editorial director, said on Wednesday.  "The notion that a song has to sell in order to be a hit feels a little two or three years ago to me," Mr. Werde said. "The music business today — much to its credit — has started to learn that there are lots of different ways a song can be a hit, and lots of different ways that the business can benefit from it being a hit."
The move is Billboard’s latest step in modernizing the Hot 100, which besides sales and airplay now also incorporates data from streaming services like Spotify. YouTube has taken on an essential role in propelling songs to the cultural forefront, often long before they are picked up by radio programmers. Psy’s "Gangnam Style" and Carly Rae Jepsen’s "Call Me Maybe" are the most prominent examples of this trend, but plenty of other recent hits — like Gotye's Grammy-winning "Somebody That I Used To Know" — also owe much of their success to video virality.  The rise of "Harlem Shake" is all the more remarkable because of its speed. With only 18,000 downloads, the song did not make the last Hot 100 chart at all. But last week it caught fire online, and across the tens of thousands of its scattered YouTube dance videos the song had 103 million views in the United States, according to YouTube, and sold 262,000 downloads, making it the third-most downloaded track of the week. (Even without the YouTube data, "Harlem Shake" would have charted in the Top 15 this week, Mr. Werde said.)  Billboard's charts are based on data collected by Nielsen SoundScan, which has also been modernizing its data. When the service started in 1991, it gave the music industry its first reliable, third-party sales data, transforming the way record labels, retailers and others did business. Now Nielsen also tracks radio plays and most major streaming services.  "We want to measure how much consumption is going on, in whatever form a consumer chooses to consume something," said David Bakula, a senior analyst at Nielsen.  Also on the charts this week a number of acts benefited from their exposure at the Grammy Awards. Mumford & Sons rose three spots to return to No. 1 with "Babel" (Glassnote), the album of the year, which sold 185,000 copies last week. And a compilation of this year’s Grammy nominees is No. 2 with 88,000 sales.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s track "Thrift Shop" was once again the most-downloaded track of the week, with 412,000 sales. But with the arrival of "Harlem Shake," it falls to No. 2 on the Hot 100.  

>>>I read the same thing and was a bit surprised. I kind of get it ... remember in the old days when their chart (pre-Hot 100) used to include jukebox plays ... heck, at one point they even included sheet music sales. So if they're trying to fully encompass the scope of just how popular a given piece of music is, then this makes sense ... more people listen to music on youTube these days than through any other source. (I like the fact that Werde acknowledges that without including youTube views "Harlem Shake" would have placed at #15 on this week's chart ... that's a pretty amazing percentage factor to propel it all the way to #1 ... especially after not being on the chart at all a week ago!!!) But I also see the point to where a label with a big budget to spend could simply have THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people click "play" on any given track to help distort its actual amount of viewership. (Then again, some of the more popular videos on youTube have upwards of 40 million views already ... so there's no denying the impact.) What this does (and has continued to do for some time now) is to greatly distort any kind of comparison regarding how popular a piece of music is today vs. a hit from 30, 40 or 50 years ago. It's not a level playing ground. Music comes and goes much more quickly now. (I think I heard that on the next episode of "Glee", they'll be performing their 500th song!!!! In the first 18 months of the series, 130 titles by the "Glee" cast charted on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart. Did any of them really matter? No ... but because downloading music is the way we purchase today, the charts HAVE to reflect the current buying trends of any given era. Look at the music department in any of your big chain stores ... assuming they even still HAVE a music department ... and you'll see that this is NOT the way most people buy music today. How many stand alone, "new" record stores are you aware of? Where they sell nothing else but the latest releases? Like it or not, the times have changed ... and I believe Billboard simply wants to reflect those trends on their chart. How accurate will they be? That's a tough call. Like I said, the points seem pretty weighted if youTube views can propel a record from #15 to #1! (kk) 

 

I asked chart guru Joel Whitburn what HE thought about the change ...  

 

Hi Kent,

The news should not shock anyone that Billboard is including YouTube views in its Hot 100 chart methodology. It’s simply a company keeping up with digital formats of all types: downloading, streaming and internet viewing. Those are now combined with radio airplay and sales data.

As we move further into the digital era, changes must be made to reflect consumers preferences, otherwise the current charts would become irrelevant in today’s fast-paced music industry. We’ve seen how immediate music as seen and heard on TV shows, be they a series or an award show, can be instantly reflected on the “Hot 100” chart.  

As usual, there will probably be an uproar from many in the industry, however, it has always been that way when Billboard changes its chart methodology to stay relevant.

Joel Whitburn  

 

I agree that it's an accurate way of keeping tabs on what people are listening to ... but I can also see the means for some serious "ballot box stuffing", too. Watching and rewatching the same videos ... and getting hundreds or thousands or more of your friends to do the same thing (especially if encouraged or in some way financially compensated for doing so) could greatly distort chart reality ... whereas actual sales is a far more accurate measure. If by "sales" that means downloading by today's standards, so be it ... but let's face it, most people (if not ALL people) are not going to pay to download the same song more than once. With YouTube being free, there's really no limit to how many times you can listen back to the same song. By the same token, I object to it being as "weighted" as it appears to be ... if by previous chart standards "Harlem Shake" would have come in at #15, then I think YouTube plays being able to propel it to #1 is a bit extreme ... and greatly distorts the proper perspective. (Forget the fact that, according to the Billboard article above, the song is already ten months old when it's appearing on the chart for the very first time. And besides that, I feel really bad for the "Pants On The Ground" guy from American Idol a few years ago who now got cheated out of the same opportunity!!!) 

Quite honestly, I haven't agreed with much of Billboard's revamping of their chart history lately. We recently discussed them starting their chart research with the very first Hot 100 Chart now, issued in August of 1958, thus eliminating Elvis' first 30+ chart singles ... yet by today's standards the cast of "Glee" can chart upwards of 150 times and, on paper, appear to have had more hits than Elvis did. But NONE of those hits stayed on the charts for any length of time or had any significant impact ... they were only there long enough to fill time until next week's new material could be downloaded ... yet YEARS from now the trivia question is going to read something like "Who had more chart hits than Elvis, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined?" ... and the answer will be The Cast of "Glee" ... and that's just WRONG!!! But it's a statistic ... not a good one ... certainly not an accurate one ... but when all of us are gone, THAT'S the way the impact of their music is going to be viewed. And I have a REAL problem with that ... and I'm saying this knowing full well that we own virtually every "Glee" soundtrack CD ever released! 

Comparing the impact of today's hits to those of yesterday has become a complete impossibility. We recently discussed how back in the prolific '60's, the most creative time EVER in the history of rock and roll, artists were hitting the charts every three months with new material ... you HAD to in order to compete and stay relevant. As such, a HUGE hit record might only stay on the charts for 8-10 weeks before it was replaced by that same artists' next big smash. Yet today it's not at all uncommon for songs to chart for upwards of a YEAR ... and I believe YouTube will only distort this even further. 

I get it ... I'm just not sure I like it ... or, at the very least, I go back to what I said earlier ... these measurements should be fairly weighted for what they truly represent. (kk)   

 

re: SOME OF YOUR RADIO COMMENTS:  

You are right on target with your assessment of WLS-FM -- I, too, am a former listener who just can't take the repetition and limited play list anymore. WLS had a glowing reputation -- and some of the most well-known call letters in all of radio. It's a shame to see them tarnish it this way. Like you, I don't know anybody who's still listening. Apparently the ratings are starting to reflect this. 

Alan  

I commented a while back that I could have gotten Brody on "Homeland" to crack in less than a week ... just make him listen to WLS-FM 24/7 and he'd tell you ANYTHING, just to get you to change the station! There may not be a better form of torture out there right now. (kk)   

 

Kent,
Three things came to my mind while reading today's comments.  

First, I am like one of your readers in that on Sundays on my way to church and before, I tune
in and listen to Casey Kasem's AT40, the 70's. I guarantee you that each week I hear at least one song I haven't heard on the radio in many years.
When I read from one of your readers that stations don't do dedications anymore, I immediately thought of Freddy Cannon's 1966 song THE DEDICATION SONG. I still remember those famous last words,"Uh uh uh! Don't touch that dial"
And finally, you mention that you heard on more than one occasion where a listener would phone in for a request or dedication and the DJ would say on the air that they didn't have the record. I was always told not to say that to the listener, much less play it back over the air, but to tell them that you would try to get it on, or words to that effect.
Larry 

That would make the most sense ... let's face it, every dedication doesn't make it on the air. Or, it today's age, you could record and save that request for next week's show and then play it back with the record they were looking for. (I've also heard them say "We don't have that one ... but how about THIS one". Of course then they always play something that they most likely overplay anyway ... but at least you're keeping your listeners tuned in and feeling part of your show.) kk 

 

We got another comment about the incomparable Freddy Cannon ...   

 

Good morning Kent.

Reading as I do so often about all the stations in the US closing their oldies section I would like to just remind the readership of the following stations available in the UK. The first three are live each Saturday night but can be listened to any time afterwards for up to a week. 

First is Bernie Keith on http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcessex/programmes/schedules. Log in and find last Saturday’s date, click on it and find his programme, Bernie Keith, and click on it to bring up the listen to box. 

Then there is Geoff Barker ... go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/programmes/schedules ... log in and find Saturday’s date, click on it and find his programme, Rock “n” Roll Party and click on it to bring up the listen to box.  Lastly is Dave Cash and he can be heard on http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/programmes/schedules  

Log in and find last Saturday’s date, click on it and find his programme Dave Cash and click on it to bring up the listen to box. 

Then there are three from the US that I am aware of: http://tunein.com/tuner/?StationId=32242&, 

http://www.RockandRollHeaven.net/ and 

http://www.thebelmonts.net/Radio/default.asp   

Lastly, if I can have a moan about the choice of people put forward to the organization who jokingly calls themselves The Rock “n” Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Have they never heard of Freddy the great Boom, Boom Cannon????? May I remind those in the UK Freddy is topping the bill at this years Hemsby festival held over the weekend of May the 10^th till 13^th! 

Take care, 

Rockin’ Lord Geoff  

No question about it ... if you want GOOD oldies with any hint of variety, you've got to go to the Internet these days to find 'em. And I'm fine with that ... if terrestrial radio has abandoned us, then so be it ... we'll take our business elsewhere. (But until I have a way to listen to all of these great programs in the car, I really won't be satisfied. But that day, too, will come.) 

Freddy is still rockin' the house ... great to hear that he's headlining a few shows up your way. Be sure to get him on your programme. (If you need any assistance with that, just let me know ... Freddy is a regular Forgotten Hits reader and contributor!) kk   

 

There's a little radio station in Vineland, NJ, called Cruisin 92.1 WVLT and they play the REAL oldies! They play the 50s and 60s, hits and B sides. The disc jockeys are wonderful, and a personal friend of mine hosts a show on Sundays at 7 pm. He takes requests, and they seem to have every song imaginable. You can listen online at http://www.wvlt.com/listenlive. Who needs stations in Chicago? The music selections here are from heaven!!  

Eileen 

LOTS of great oldies stations to choose from on the Internet ... happy to pass this along! (kk) 

 

I know I've read ... probably on your website ... about DJs who just play whatever songs they like from whatever era and genre they want. That would appeal to me. I went somewhere with a friend of mine and she was tuned into a local station playing a lot of 70s & 80s rock that I enjoy ... songs it seems I haven't heard in ages and some I'd forgotten. I believe you could have a station that never ever played any song twice and they wouldn't run out. I still listen to some Mae West and Lena Horne from the 30s and Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith and Sophie Tucker from the 20s. Good music is good music ... and I appreciate your efforts to keep it alive. 

Pttibg  

 

Hey Kent,
I agree with all you say in your radio raves, about the demise of good, honest, and creative radio of today. I predicted this would happen, when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was signed into law.
Here's something you might find amusing. Shortly after I received my degree in broadcasting, back in the 70s, I was looking for a job in radio, and saw that a small market station, about 75 miles from here, was looking for an announcer. I first listened to the station, and liked what I heard. They played a soft rock / pop format, with "soothing" sounding announcers, not the high-energy, yelling, announcers of the time. I made an appointment for an interview, and drove out there. It was a new station, but not very large. The station manager was very nice and seemed interested in my talents. The position was for the graveyard shift on weekends. Well, you have to start somewhere, right? At the close of the interview, he asked me if I had any questions. I told him that I wanted to see the announcer, who was on at that moment, doing his thing. The manager had a smirk on his face and said, "Sure!" He led me down the hall to the studio, opened the door, and there was a huge, reel-to-reel tape machine doing all the announcing! You could see my jaw hit the floor! The position was for a person to change the music and announcing tapes, and give the weather on the hour, all night long. I was disgusted and my dreams were shattered. Needless to say, I didn't think the drive, hours, and minimum wage, were worth it, to do something like that.
What I'm trying to do here is compare the radio scene today with what that station (and stations like it) did, back in those days. Not much difference, right? They may as well bring back the "robot announcer" today. It might save the big companies some money for salaries.
- John LaPuzza   

Unfortunately, we have more and more "robot broadcasting" now than ever ... and it's all a cost-saving move. But it also removes any connection with radio and the listener if they can't interact in some fashion. To use the example from yesterday, most of these pre-programmed stations didn't even break in to announce that Michael Jackson had died a couple of years ago ... those listeners heard it somewhere else ... or the next day!!! (And that's just wrong.) Radio USED to be the primary form of communication ... we got all of our information there. Now it's impossible not to "tune out" when we listen ... it's just background noise ... the ONLY time we perk up is when we hear something different ... THEN we take notice and say "Wow! I can't believe they played THAT one!" or "Man, I haven't heard THAT song in twenty years!" Otherwise you'd do just as well to buy a white noise machine ... it'll be every bit as entertaining. (kk)   

 

kk,
Scott's flagship station out of Connecticut was the only station that gave me direct access to the True Oldies Channel here in Taiwan. Now I have to go indirectly through Tunein.com to hear Scott. 

Dann Isbell  

I know he often gave out that address as the one to listen to ... which just tells me he brought thousands and thousands of listeners nationwide to their website. Too bad things didn't work out. But even Scott Shannon has people he has to answer to ... and those people want more '80's music. (kk) 

 

Kent: 

Sadly, WAXB (B-103), as you mention, has decided to leave the TOC family. It was through their station that I became hooked on Scott and the TOC. It was Scott Shannon that would bring the Danbury, CT. station back to good ratings. Unless they were beginning to lose ratings (which I doubt), it's too bad, as there is really nothing now over the airwaves for 'oldies' listeners plus there is NO way to replace a HOF air personality like Scott Shannan. I will listen to the TOC online but I will miss it from my radio. I'm 57 yrs-old, so I just caught the end of the great AM radio days in the N.Y. - CT. area - WABC, WMCA in N.Y. and some of the great CT. stations; WNHC (where Dan Ingram worked in the late '50's) and WAVZ (both New Haven). 

John Evanich III 

Stratford, CT.  

I know it's tough sometimes (and that there's a lot of pressure to do otherwise) but Scott Shannon HAS to remain focused and realize that he fills a need and a void in radio programming. The folks that love the oldies REALLY love the oldies ... they don't want anything else ... and a pro like Shannon presents them in such a way that makes you want to keep listening. I know "research" today says most people only listen to the radio for 20 minutes ... but they're leaving out all of the people who program a station to play at work for 8-10 straight hours. Frannie's workplace switched from WLS-FM to K-Hits after a week, simply because of the pure, constant repetition ... they literally couldn't stand it anymore. And radio doesn't care. They no longer program radio to RETAIN listeners ... they just figure that if they play one of those Steve Miller songs or "Jack And Diane" every 20 minutes at least whenever somebody tunes in, they'll hear something familiar ... again insulting their entire TRUE base of listeners in the process. 

I'm like you ... I can listen if I'm at the computer ... but I want my music to go where I go ... and I enjoyed listening to it in the car to and from work. (We actually have a "no radios" policy at work so I'm locked out anyway. Imagine what THAT'S like for a guy like me!!!) 

Hopefully Scott will pick up a new station not only in your area but ours as well ... because we are SORELY lacking for variety here on the Chicago Radio Dial these days. (kk)  

 

Hi Kent,
There has been talk for quite some time about doing something with that station (WWYW 103.9).
And it's not that Tom Kent does not do a fine job of being the standard bearer of the oldies brand at a national level. I just think that they realized that whatever money was saved by having him on 24/7 was negligible compared to the general erosion of interest in the station as a local entity, and the inevitable decline in revenue.
I talked to Jack Taddeo a couple of times since he took over in Crystal Lake and I found him to be a knowledgeable radio guy. I knew something would happen there, and now we know that this is it. It may not be what oldies fans want to hear, but I certainly applaud the attempt at making it live and local, like back when Jeff and Sean and Danny and Ken and Marci and me were on there. That was when it was most successful.
I'm wishing them all the best with this.
Jim Shea 

 

Hi Kent --

Yeah, you already heard about the change. Still reading the newsletter a couple times a week and appreciate all the support you gave me and the music I played. Still in the vault playing the records but this time around with no audience. If something comes along as in regards to another station, I will let you know!!! 

Jeff James 

 

Reading today's piece was like reading an obituary ... how sad. 

Phil 

You may be spot on with that assessment, Phil ... and you're right ... it IS sad. (kk) 

 

But THIS one ought to cheer you up! 

 

Got a GREAT email from our FH Buddy Chet Coppock who shared some of his random thoughts with our readers ... it's going to be tough to top THIS one as Email of the Week! Thanks, Chet ... made me smile! (kk) 

 

If an artist as lackluster as Tommy Roe had 23 singles that found their way to the Billboard Top 100, maybe the 60's weren't so great after all.
The greatest song Aretha Franklin ever knocked out was "I Never Loved a Man".
I have given up on Chicago grabbing a ticket to the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. Its criminal. Blame Jann Wenner.  Rolling Stone maqazine is about as engaging as watching dry wall.
If I hear Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle" one more time I may leap off the Hancock Building.
Do Fagen and Becker ever speak to each other?
"Scarecrow", bar none, is the best song ever recorded by John Mellencamp. Meanwhile, hearing "Jack and Diane" is like doing 30 days in Cook County Jail.
Hands down, "I Only Have Eyes for You" is the greatest doo-wop song ever recorded. Ethereal, brilliantly produced, with an unmatched lead vocal by Nate Clay.
Is is time to declare 3 Door Downs and oldies act?
Can we start a petition to have Journey banned from any and all classic rock radio stations?
If Don Henley's "Heart of the Matter" were released tomorrow, tell me the station that would play it?
Chet Coppock
Host: "Heritage Series", Chicago Blackhawks
'Host: Notre Damwe Football, WLS Radio  

NAILED IT!!! (lol) kk

We Haven't Done A Radio Rave-Out For Awhile ... And Today Just Seemed Like A Good Day To Do One!

re: ON THE RADIO:  
No more Y103.9 - "Greatest Hits Of All-Time" ... the local station that gave us Jim Shea and Jeff James is now "The Fox", a "rebrand" as of 2 pm yesterday, giving Chicago yet another Classic Rock Station. (The Drive, The River, The Loop, The Fox ... thank GOD we now have another place to hear Steve Miller, Led Zeppelin, Bob Seger and John Mellencamp every time we push a button!!! Factor in the incredible volume of music played on WLS-FM by these same artists ... and the seemingly once an hour broadcast of these same tunes on K-Hits ... and you've now got about an 80% chance of hitting one of these grossly over-played artists every time you turn on the radio.) Yep, it just keeps getting better and better.  
This most recent change pretty much eliminates the bulk of the '60's for good now on the Chicago airwaves ... the '50's have already been gone for ages ... the writing is on the wall, people ... despite all of our efforts (and research to the contrary) ... the oldies are dead. (On the plus side the reign of the Tom Kent Take-Over has now officially passed!)

The trend is nationwide ... Scott Shannon just lost of one his True Oldies flagship stations when WAXB - B-107.3FM / 850 AM (in the Danbury, CT area) dropped the station because they were playing too much '60's and '70's music. (That's funny ... we didn't think they played ENOUGH '60's and '70's music!!!) In fact, if you tune into The True Oldies Channel, you'll hear more '80's music than ever ... because that's what the affiliate programmers want us to hear ... and the pressure is on for Shannon to "update" his playlist.   Hopefully Scott will be able to stand his ground on the Internet and still be able to give us a nice mixture of ALL of this music (including some of the late-'50's / early-'60's stuff he plays on Sunday nights.) Here's a man who is not ashamed to declare his love for the oldies.  In this day and age, most radio stations won't even utter the word! (kk)

The "Tom Kent Take-Over" as you like to call it is finally over!  I'm just not so sure the new alternative is any better.  The format that worked best for them was personalities like Jim Shea and Jeff James -- and a mixture of 60s and 70s music, some of which you didn't hear anywhere else.  That's what kept me tuning in.  Like you, I found myself listening less and less.  Now I may not listen at all.
Alan   
It looks like the powers that be finally realized the Tom Kent Take-Over wasn't working.  Nice job, guys ... I've only been telling you that for over a year now ... and all of our readers have echoed that sentiment.  As long as radio continues to program with blinders on, things can't get any better.  We're doomed to the same old, same old, all day long ... on every station we switch to.  On the plus side, I was VERY happy to hear that they're going back to "live" deejays on The Fox ... that alone may breath some new life into the station.  With four Classic Rock stations to choose from in Chicago, somebody's got to bring SOMETHING different to the table to snag listeners.  Right now, that distinction belongs to The Drive ... they go out of their way to present creative programming and specials ... and they do it very well.  They LOVE the music they play ... and they've been tops with the listeners in this category for some time now.  Another rocker with a weak suburban signal may not have much of a chance capturing a share of this audience.  And, based on what Jim Shea often told us of Y103.9's listening audience, they've kissed the "soccer moms" goodbye forever with THIS format change!  (kk)

More on the changes at Y103.9 here:

Click here: WWYW-FM Drops Oldies/Classic Hits, Rebrands As Classic Rocker '103.9 The Fox' | Chicagoland Radio and Media

  

Hi Kent,

In conjunction with the release of my book "WHN: When New York City Went Country" (Archer Books) on Tuesday February 26, there will be a on air reunion of the WHN staff from the glory days.

Lee Arnold, Larry Kenney, Dan Taylor, Mike Fitzgerald and Jessie (with Gene Ladd doing news) from 9:00 am until 3:45 pm on 89.1 WFDU, which covers the New York market. The broadcast will also be available via streaming audio at http://player.warpradio.com/php/WFDU-FM/

Lots of "forgotten hits", country style, will be played.

WHN switched to country music on February 26, 1973, and remiained in the country format for fifteen years, during that time they became the most listened country station of all time.  

Ed Salamon   

>>>It's not working ... Fans have been leaving WLS-FM in droves since their recent format change. I still don't get it ... they've hired back some of the biggest names from their old roster ... and then they don't let them talk and display any personality during their program ... which consists of the same 200-300 songs by the same 20-30 artists over and over and over again. Gee, I wonder why people got bored listening.   In the latest Arbitron ratings released this week, WLS-FM has fallen to 16th place in overall listeners. In the most desirable demographic (listeners aged 25 - 54), they don't place in the Top 15 at all ... although WJMK-FM / K-Hits HAS creeped in now at #15. Most of us don't even stop by the station anymore to see what they're playing ... because we already KNOW what they're playing ... which is EXACTLY the same thing they played earlier today, yesterday and will play again tonight and tomorrow ... there is no entertainment value or reason to come back. And the ratings really only show a small segment of a specific group of listeners ... a "target group" if you will ... my guess is the REAL numbers are far more dramatic. I don't know of ANYONE who used to listen to WLS-FM that still does. It's really too bad ... "historic" WLS is now just a boring wasteland of wasted on-air talent and an embarrassment to their broadcast legacy. (kk)  
Regarding your post dated 10-01-2012 on WLS-FM, the big shake up:  

I couldn’t agree with your comments and suggestions more. To echo the lyrics of a very popular song done by “Meatloaf”, you took the words right out of my mouth. 

Bill 

The proof is in the ratings ... in fact, their mid-day show has dropped from 5th place to 15th place since they got rid of Scott Shannon ... proving once again what a great, genius move THAT was. Congratulations for a FINE job well done by Jan Jeffries, who has lead the station down the ranks with his "different and unique" formula of broadcasting. Yeah, right. (kk)   

You called it -- I don't know a soul who still listens to WLS-FM anymore. They insulted and then destroyed their most faithful audience -- there's nobody left listening.  
Rick   
Jeffries promised a station unlike anything else in town ... and instead delivered a station EXACTLY like everything else in town ... a complete clone of what he thought was working (without any consideration of what their established audience really wanted to hear.) He insulted his audience ... and disrespected his most knowledgeable and beloved staff by removing Scott Shannon (who, in my opinion helped SAVE the station) and then delegating Dick Biondi to a shift where his greatest audience can no longer listen. And then, instead of an industry leader, he delivered a clone ... and a very WEAK clone at that, being the "new" guy in town. (Didn't he learn ANYTHING from that movie "Multiplicity"?!?!? You make a copy of a copy of a copy and each generation just gets weaker and weaker and weaker.) Yep, that's what we've got here ... Multiplicity-syndrome!!! On what USED to be the most powerful call letters in Chicago. What a shame! (kk)  

In case you missed it, here's our exclusive Forgotten Hits Interview with Scott Shannon from a few months ago when he was first let go from the station he helped to save:  
Click here: Forgotten Hits: EXCLUSIVE: Forgotten Hits Interviews Scott Shannon   

Kent,

Unfortunately, you once again hit the nail squarely on the head regarding WLS-FM. The frustrating thing to me is, here you have a substantial amount of people who WANT to buy their product. We WANT to listen, but we want a reason to listen. Having only lived in the Chicago market (in northwest Indiana) my whole life, and nowhere else, I can tell you, as I'm sure you know, people are loyal here. Whether it be TV, radio, sports, people here are loyal listeners or viewers. But, they are NOT stupid. They will stick with you, but you have to give them a reason to do so. I do exactly as you do. In my car, I have XM. But I drive a truck all day that has AM/FM. And like you, I really don't even punch the WLS button anymore, I would actually prefer to sit through the ads on another station, or even just turn the volume down for a few minutes rather than see which Bruce Springsteen or Journey song they are playing, AGAIN. 
And it's frustrating to think that I, or you, or any number of non radio people, could make that station hum along in a minute. They sit on probably the best known set of call letters in the country, which right away puts them 10 points ahead of anyone else, and they have no clue what to do with it. On top of that, some of the best known DJs in the country, and again, no clue what to do with them.
And what is their idea of original programming? 60s at 6, 70s at 7, 80s at 8. Gee, what visionaries! While you're at it, why not Two For Tuesday, Get the Led Out, Breakfast With The Beatles? Good Lord! 
I have actually found myself enjoying the Sunday morning AT 40 repeats with Casey Kasem, if for no other reason, that show always highlights the sheer number of songs that made it into the top 40 but are ignored today. Sure, some of those songs should be ignored, but listen to AT 40 on Sunday, and there usually is at least one song every Sunday that will give you the Wow factor, one you forgot all about. It's the only time I will turn on WLS-FM anymore. Then promptly at 10:00, back to the same old thing, and I flip away. 
Oh, and I think you're being kind when you say they play the same 200-300 songs over and over. I would have guessed half that number. But again, I don't listen anymore, so you may be right.

Ken Durkel   

From Billboard:  
There was a time radio warranted critics; people who evaluated and analyzed what happened at our stations. Newspapers in most major cities generally had a person tasked with covering the ins and outs of local radio and TV. But today, that position has all but disappeared.
In some cases that’s likely due to struggles in the newspaper industry that have led to less local content and personnel. But in many instances, the radio critic was an easy cut to make because the medium just isn’t as captivating as it used to be. At least, that’s what three remaining local media critics seem to indicate.
“Everyone listens to radio. Even now listener penetration is over 90%, but no one writes about it,” New York Daily News radio and TV writer David Hinckley says. “It may be cliché to say this, but radio’s not glamorous and sexy. TV has its visual thing, while people think of radio as background.”
Time Out Chicago media blogger Robert Feder, who covered radio and TV for the Chicago Sun Times for many years, says the problem is that there isn’t enough local news about the media to cover; a fact that played a big role in his leaving the paper. “There was no longer enough content to sustain a daily column about local radio and TV. Because of the cutbacks and consolidation in radio there was not enough going on.”
That led to Feder reinventing himself with his new blog at Time Out Chicago, covering a wider variety of local media than radio and TV. “I defined media much more broadly to include newspapers, Internet, print and magazines. If I had to depend solely on radio and TV it would be impossible.”
One topic that used to fill many columns for radio critics was the comings, goings and attention getting antics of radio hosts. But as the industry moved further toward national syndication there’s been less about that subject to cover. Atlanta Journal Constitution TV / radio writer Rodney Ho says, “There’s not as many local personalities and a lot more syndicated hosts. I’m not as interested in [Premiere syndicated morning host] Elvis Duran. I prefer covering local folks.” Feder agrees, calling Ryan Seacrest “the embodiment of
corporate radio. He’s a pro, but he’s not Howard Stern.”
Feder adds that great hosts once drove the medium’s appeal to listeners. “Radio, particularly radio in Chicago, used to be defined by personalities, and that was a large part of what made radio such an attractive and vibrant part of people’s lives. But those personalities are gone.” And the remaining hosts are muzzled by PDs, whom he says have more control of what goes over the air than ever before. “Program directors are now calling all the shots. They control, to a dangerous degree, what a personality can do on the air. It’s no longer a performance the way it was.”
That leaves both Feder and Hinckley wondering about the future of radio hosts. “[Arbitron’s Portable People Meter] seems to be driving or at least reinforcing the pre-disposition that broadcasters already had toward less talking and more music on the radio. So you wonder if there will be another generation of radio personalities or if there is no market for them,” Hinckley says.
He also sees the movement away from local, high-profile hosts having implications on radio’s relationship with the audience. “The cutback in personalities and homogenous sounds of voice-tracking put some distance between the listener and what’s on the radio. It probably makes sense for the corporate bottom line, but I don’t think it has served the listener.”
As an example he points to Cumulus’ recently launched country station WNSH (Nash-FM) New York, which he tuned in to when he learned of singer Mindy McCready’s death. While he realizes the station is currently running without hosts, he was surprised to not even find a produced drop-in talking about the artist. “They just stayed with their pre-programmed format. That’s a real disappointment.”
Feder says the bottom-line focus of many broadcast companies is what’s really behind the changes in radio. “It’s not about how can we capture the imagination of our audience or how can we serve them anymore. It’s about how can we monetize it and create a new revenue source.” He believes that attitude is fueling a lack of innovation in the product, resulting in less interesting items to write about. 

OK, so what exactly are we saying here? We ALL know and acknowledge what's wrong with radio ... and yet we're just choosing not to address it and fix it?!?! How is THAT best serving the public??? What's the deal?!?!? (kk)  

"They don't do dedications anymore, do they?"

It was Thursday, my wife's birthday, and she was musing about what people do to send their greetings. She'd gotten the requisite Facebook messages from friends and family, but she's an old radio hand, too, and for some reason it occurred to her that she doesn't hear song dedications on the radio the way she used to. "They don't do dedications," she repeated. "They don't really say anything."

Yep. Music stations follow the research; they shut up and play the music. When they talk, there's practically no interaction with the audience. That's all moved to social media, but there's no interaction there, either; It's mostly blandishments to enter contests or tune in for the next segment. Birthday dedications? Are you a Kardashian? No? Sorry, then.

Oh, I'm sure some stations still do dedications. (Art Laboe's still on the air, right?) But the old connection is missing. And maybe there's nothing radio can do about that, because there are other ways now to publicly proclaim whatever greetings you want to proclaim. Twitter, Facebook, Vine, YouTube -- you can get an international audience for your message, for free. Can't stop that train.

But you can still engage listeners more than you do, just by doing what radio used to do all the time. You don't necessarily have to take dedications, but you -- music or talk stations, especially talk -- CAN put listeners on the air, as callers, as clips submitted online, or by calling out their names for whatever reason. It's funny: People can make their own podcasts, their own videos, they can stream, but there's still a thrill to hear your name on the air on a real radio station, and to hear your voice there. Maybe that'll go away, too, but you should take advantage of that while it's still a thing. In a way, there's something special about radio that arises from how easy it is to do all the other stuff -- anyone can do a social media post or a YouTube video, but talking on the radio, even as a caller or as a name read out over the air, isn't as ubiquitous.

And you can use your station website for that, too. Your listeners are making YouTube videos and podcasts and posting Instagram photos? Why not make room for them on your site? You can have them submit their work and you can post it there -- embed codes make that extremely easy. Again, anyone can post stuff at YouTube, but to get the added exposure from their favorite radio station and the association with that brand is what you can add that someone else can't.

This is all to say that radio may be losing the exclusivity it had, and that might be permanent, but there's still value in the brands and personalities that still rattle around the old boneyard. And if there's any hope of retaining that value, stations and shows need to get more of that personal connection to the consumer. Look at it as if radio is the local Main Street shop and new media are the big box stores at the edge of town, moving in to eat up market share. (Funny how that works, considering consolidation left most of radio in the hands of companies who are definitely not Mom and Pop and not local, but hang with the analogy anyway, because it's not about ownership, it's about market position) If you're the Main Street shop, you can't compete on price or selection, but you CAN compete on service and relationships. Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, etc. have a wide selection of music and customization, but your friends won't ever say "hey, I heard you on Spotify," not even if they download your playlist. A computer can program and serve up music, but it takes a human to offer human interaction. For now, at least. Artificial intelligence is getting pretty good.

It isn't quite there yet, though. (Hello, Siri.) So, use the tools you have at your disposal to get that personal connection going again with your listeners. It's not just all social media, although that's important. It can be as simple as putting people on the air to answer a topic question, or talk up a song, or ... well, dedications are so 1972, I suppose, but you can do that, too.

Perry Simon 

Radio dedications were a big part of programming way back when ... and we still have a few here in Chicago (although some of the best ones have been tampered with.)

Of course to do a dedication show you have to have a "live" deejay ... and let's face it, there are less and less of those around. Checking the Billboard article from above, a country station couldn't even be bothered to break in with a live update on the death of Mindy McCready ... yet here in Chicago, we heard that on virtually every station, non-stop, country or not. (The same thing happened when breaking news hit about the death of Michael Jackson a few years ago ... all these pre-programmed, syndicated shows COMPLETELY missed the boat on that one ... probably the biggest music news story of the decade!)

We used to have two excellent all-request shows here in Chicago ... Dick Biondi's Friday Night Request Show conjured up music you haven't heard in 40-50 years ... some of which even I'D never heard on the radio before!!! Jeff James used to do a great "Saturday Night At The '70's" show, too, filling in with listener requests along with some obscure, long-forgotten '70's hits. (Y103.9 used to do the "live drive at five" on weekdays, too ... a full hour of requests that ALWAYS brought one or two surprises to our delighted ears.) Over at WLS-FM, Danny Lake did a similar all request show on Saturday Nights ... I'm honestly not sure if he still does that anymore or not with all of the changes going on over there ... I rarely even stop by the station anymore while button-pushing in the car because of what they've done with their play list!

Tom Kent does several request shows ... nationally syndicated ... but I've been disappointed more than a few times. While Kent tries to engage the callers in friendly, clever banter, I've also heard him not have the song requested by the listener on more than one occasion ... the most disappointing time being when a listener requested "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean ... this record was #1 for five weeks in 1961 ... how does an oldies station playing "the greatest hits of all-time" not have a copy of THIS one?!?!? Worse yet, I've heard listeners call in and ask him to play something that the station probably would have played within the next hour anyway ... what a waste of a phone call! The whole idea of an all-request show is to hear something DIFFERENT!!! (Unfortunately, this way of thinking plays perfectly into the hands of the consultants who insist they're giving the listeners exactly what they want ... or else why would they keep asking for it?)

Honestly, a nationally syndicated show is a GREAT idea ... now you'll get more variety than ever (as long as you've got a well-stocked play list of material to draw from). Somebody in Oklahoma will probably want to hear something different than the next caller in New Jersey ... and so on ... maybe even a few regional and obscure hits might find their way to the airwaves again. (Does Dick Bartley still do this??? He was a master at it) ... and, truth be told, there probably isn't anybody better poised in the country to do it now than Scott Shannon ... think of the all-request show HE could do! Go on the air LIVE for six hours on Saturday Nights and take nationwide requests from your True Oldies listeners ... if nothing else, it'll give you a clearer picture of what they REALLY want to hear. (I could be wrong ... but my guess is it won't be "more '80's"!!!)

Casey Kasem used to do his "long-distance dedication" as part of his American Top 40 Countdown every week ... but honestly an entire show running Saturday or Sunday Night playing nothing but requests would STILL be a big listener success. (Mason Ramsey does this on RockAndRollHeaven.net, too.)

But in order to do this right, you've GOT to have the resources and play list to fill these requests. If Biondi didn't have a record, he made it a point to bring it and feature it the following week! (Jeff James used to go out and BUY the record if he had to to fill a request!) Now that's dedicated programming ... and a commitment to doing it right and putting the listener first. (I remember ages ago when John "Records" Landecker was doing mornings on WJMK and he took listener requests ... most via email ... for a half hour every morning. Unfortunately, it was at 5:30 AM ... so you had to get up REALLY early to hear it ... but he played some GREAT, long-forgotten stuff on that program!)

Interaction with the readers is ALWAYS a good idea ... plus it gives the radio station valuable feedback as well. And in this day and age, quick editing to make sure the best phone calls go out on the air is a breeze. Give the people what they want and they'll continue to tune in and listen.  (Plus who doesn't like to hear their own voice on the radio?!?!)  With Internet Radio playing anything and everything, the listener request show shouldn't be dead ... it should be THRIVING!!! (kk)