Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

[adrian]

A while ago, I stopped listening to 1043 XME and 1027 Da Bomb, because they play "local music" on a "urban hits" radio station.

If I want local music, then I tune into a station that specializes in that genre, and not listen to a urban hits station for local music. That's why companies such as Cox and New Wave have multiple stations for multiple genres of music.

I like hot 939's way of radio: stick to what your good at for 10+ years. They never changed (except with DJs of course) and they keep on playing the same genre for that long. I know that they're low on the ratings, but Hot 939 has some "old timers" still listening to them for this long.

If the others should play other genres of songs just to jump up the ratings list, then I might as well listen to my iPod for my whole life.

[IBadget]

Re: Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

I stopped listening to Krater 96 because they only play "the best mix of the 80s, 90s, and now." That's boring. I liked Krater 96 a little over a decade ago when their music variety was much greater. Back then, Krater 96 played music from the 1960s to the present, from the Supremes and Barry Manilow to Vanessa Williams and Janet Jackson. Ever since 2000, Krater 96 became limited to music from the 1980s to the present. What a waste of a good FM signal! Krater 96 is one of only 3 radio stations I can get on the Windward side. The other 2 stations I can get on the Windward side are 104.3 XME and KHPR FM 88.1. I think Krater 96 should go back to playing music from the 1960s to the present with the music variety they had a little over a decade ago. Radio stations really should play a bigger variety of music.

[slickvic]

Re: Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

I agree that stations should have a variety, but stick to the variety within one format. A few years ago Radio Free Hawaii at 102.7 came out with this idea that they would have the ULTIMATE music variety station. They let everyone who listened pick the music. The station had no format

Everybody knew about the station, but it did not last.

I think people listen to a station because they feel safe. They know what song is gonna come on and what type of music to expect.

I dont think the average radio listener likes suprise when it comes to music.

That has been my observation in my years in radio.


-vic

[mel]

Re: Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

I agree that stations should have a variety, but stick to the variety within one format. A few years ago Radio Free Hawaii at 102.7 came out with this idea that they would have the ULTIMATE music variety station. They let everyone who listened pick the music. The station had no format

Everybody knew about the station, but it did not last.

I think people listen to a station because they feel safe. They know what song is gonna come on and what type of music to expect.

I dont think the average radio listener likes suprise when it comes to music.

That has been my observation in my years in radio.

While I was a regular listener at Radio Free Hawaii many years ago, I agree with your assessment that people like to have their music "safe" within the confines of a specific format. People who like rock music will gravitate to the rock stations and don't expect to listen to jazz, Hawaiian, reggae or Big Band on that station. Ditto for all the other format types.

This of course makes it easy for corporate owners to target each station they own towards a specific demographic, which I am sure helps with the advertising efforts and cash flow.

Deviate from this and you pretty much have chaos especially in trying to lure more conservative types of businesses to advertise with your station.

[pzarquon]

Re: Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

I loved Radio Free Hawaii, but knew it wasn't commercially viable. How do you market a station that will play Vivaldi, followed by Depeche Mode, followed by Nirvana, followed by Perry Como? Narrow formats seem bad idealistically, but commercially and for convenience, they work. I have to admit, when we had Oceanic Digital Cable, we loved their many specific Music Choice stations. You could reliably get nothing but Hawaiian, techno, 80s, New Age...

Then again, get too narrow or get too predictable, and you're in trouble. My wife started tuning into an 80s show on KTUH, but after only three weeks, we counted six or so songs that they always played, as if the deejay only had maybe a dozen CDs in her collection. So much for that.

You can have a narrow format with variety. One of the things KHUI (99.5 Bob FM) has going for it is a willingness to play "B-sides," songs from the past that were good, but not neccessarily Billboard top 100 hits.

[Albert]

Re: Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

Now and then, especially when KHPR is being boring, I twirl the dial on on my little Sony portable and see what else I can listen to.

The thing that continues to amaze me about local radio (and probably mainland radio) is that they play music from THIRTY years ago!

If radio had been like that when I was a kid, I would have been listening to the greatest hits of the 20s and 30s. Elvis wouldn't have had a chance.

[bbq_sgt]

Re: Do you think that radio stations should have a variety of music?

I loved Radio Free Hawaii, but knew it wasn't commercially viable. How do you market a station that will play Vivaldi, followed by Depeche Mode, followed by Nirvana, followed by Perry Como?

Sorry to dig up this old thread, but I had to chime in here.

My politically incorrect feeling about the failure of RFH is, quite simply, Hawaiian culture (and I mean as a state, not a race) largely embraces mediocrity, and is not willing to be open to horizons other than the stuff that "local" culture and media has crammed down thier throats for years.

The fact is, commercial-free, freeform radio (which I dont consider RFH to have been a *true* example of, since they had playlists and song "rotations") *IS* a viable format in other parts of the country. The best example of this is WFMU, in New Jersey (thier signal also reaches throughout most of midtown New York), which has existed for over 40 years solely on listener support. They don't even accept underwriting or sponsorships (unlike NPR), and yet WFMU is still considered one of the best radio stations in the country (if not the world) with a huge listener base.

The answer to the question of how do you market such a station is simple. You market yourself as a station that will play Vivaldi, followed by Depeche Mode, followed by Nirvana, followed by Perry Como...and most intelligent people who *care* about the media they consume will tune in. The problem with a station like Radio Free Hawaii is that it existed in a culture that didnt give a rats ass about anything more challenging than Audy Kimura or Israel Kamakawiwoole.

Another problem may be the fact that Radio Free tried to operate as a "real", commercial radio station, which in my opinion is philosophically antithetical to the concept of freeform radio. When RFH was playing the same commercials that you couldhear on other stations, there was less urgency for its listener base to take an active role in ensuring the survival of the station. They assume the station is being paid for by all the annoying commercials, so nobody pulls out thier checkbook to write a donation to the station.

As far as I can remember, RFH didn't have strong (if any) fundraising drives...please correct me if I'm wrong, but I listened to the station exclusively back when it was on the air, and I definitely dont remember them asking for pledges or volunteers and whatnot.

But can you get rich or make a decent living by solely running a freeform radio station? Definitely not...but that's a moot question, because it completely misses the point...and thats where I think RFH went wrong in and of itself. Add that to Hawaii's inherent cultural resistance to "new" ideas and horizons, and it's a recipe for radio disaster.

But dear god, do I miss RFH...even with all its flaws