January 4, 2005
My introduction to radio has been eased by substantial mentoring from our program director, Tom Fricke, who is aces. Tom is our morning host; we start the day at 6 a.m. with weather, news and sports, and chat on-air periodically throughout the morning. Tom, like so many media pros, is well-travelled, and like so many radio pros, he's worked in every imaginable format. He's thought long and hard about what makes for great radio and has had opportunities to put his opinions to work at several stations, including a western Colorado station that he flipped to alternative rock, which resulted in a major ratings bump and (of course) the station being sold and (of course) flipped to another format.That story made me think about the glory days of KLZR, the cover-of-_Rolling Stone_ days, the Jeff Petterson/Bob Osborne days. Kick-ass world-class radio.This morning, as we were preparing to go on the air, Tom was scanning an online industry newsletter. "KLZR has switched to Hot AC," he said. "They're looking for a new morning show."He shook his head in disgust. "Legendary station. Legendary rock 'n' roll call letters."My first thought was, "Thank heavens for KJHK," but it got me thinking about the Lazer and the immense role it played in the Lawrence music scene of the 1990s, and what a sad day it was when Zimmer bought the station and turned it teeny-bopper.So my question is, what's everyone listening to these days? How's the Sound Alternative holding up? Is there a station attempting to maintain the cutting-edge sensibility that made KLZR great?And what the hell is Hot Adult Contemporary? Where do you go after Ray Charles?
Comments
lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy.
lazz (anonymous) says...
Quinno, I don't know that radio is a big part of the culture here anymore. Don't hear it discussed much.
I still enjoy KJHK quite a bit,, but I can't comment on what they're doing with modern tunes; I'm digging their jazz and blues in the morning a great deal, though their student newscasts are not listenable ... Outside of KJ, it's just straight NPR for me, either KANU or the KC station at 89.3 ... the biggest local radio news lately was KLWN dumping ESPN radio ... not sure what they are doing with their free air now, but I'm sure it's yet another version of the total waste that we've come to expect from local media outlets ...
January 4, 2005 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lazz (anonymous) says...
my question for you, Patrick, and perhaps your colleague there, is, What is it about Radio that makes it such a bizarre business? Why can't somebody build a good station, make money on it, don't change formats, don't sell, just let it be and let everybody be happy?
What is it that sets radio owners/management apart from operators/owners of other businesses, who are very often content to let well enough alone when everyone is making money, owners are happy, customers are happy ...
January 4, 2005 at 9:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
quinn (Patrick Quinn) says...
Dough. Moola. Geld. Cash. Benjamins. Moneymoneymoney....
Recall what happened to KLZR. The family ownership was offered a sick amount of money to sell to Zimmer; it would have been idiotic to say "no."
Zimmer is a cookie-cutter holding company that makes its money by standardizing formats (and in some markets going satellite). They're completely incapable of managing an indie station built on dynamic individual programming, which is to say they're incapable of being hip, and they would argue that hip is bad business, because they way they do things now makes them scads o' dough. It's one of those narrowly-correct-but-broadly-absurd arguments so common in American business practice now; take it to its logical extreme and every company in the country would be manufacturing Windows.
In the final analysis this, too, is a bandwidth allocation question, a popological question. Sirius and XM will either cripple b'cast radio or produce a rebirth of independent programming. My roomie has Sirius, and he loves it.
January 4, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pc (Phil Cauthon) says...
my stint at kj started a few years post-lazer collapse, but that devastating change in lawrence's airwaves was still very relevant and even still present in the kjhk staff's discussions.
under (half of) its license agreement, kj is to be an educational station... and the faculty gm (rightly) insisted the students have final say so long as it didn't draw the wrath of the fcc.
the exec staff at the station circa '97 decided to act as if the proverbial elephant had not in fact just stepped into the room. the exec staff decided then -- and evidently continues -- to operate as if the lazer were still around. or not. either way it doesn't matter bc, to them, their primary mandate was clear: play the music that doesn't get spins on stations like the lazer or otherwise (music loosely called 'radio 200' by the college music journal).
since then it seems little has changed...some semesters one might sporadically hear (gasp) radiohead, bjork and the like...other semesters 90.7 seemed to have hip-hop, dub or even experimental/noise (or worse) on heavy rotation. (i refer only to the station's mainstay 'rock rotation' programs...not the late-night/morning/weekend special programs, which are often beyond reproach)
in any case, the station's effective m.o. has had relatively little to do with the other half of its license agreement: to serve the community. the definition of 'serve' is wide open for interpretation...to kj, it evidently means having a 'community calendar', erratic on-air news/discussion forums, free access to nonprofits in the form of psa's, and weather alerts.
i would argue that 'serve' also includes consistently programming the station a little more toward the middle of the community's music tastes...not quite so far to the elitist end. granted, this is lawrence so we're not talking about anything that's on the current lazer. but it would be cool to hear tunes by national acts who come thru town (recently: dresden dolls, interpol, modest mouse, scissor sisters) and badass local bands, many of whom would appeal to even the most musically aloof if only they knew about their existence.
that's the elephant in the room that kj continues to willfully ignore. to its credit, the students play some local music outside 'plow the fields' and do help alert people of shows (if not by playing the music itself), but not consistently enough to foster any sort of allegiance or following outside the choir of kj faithful, nor to do much to help the music scene like the old lazer did. maybe now that the station's out of the j-school and operating under the student union, things will change. doubt it though. likely our only hope is (ironically) further deregulation of ownership and the purchase of the lazer by someone in the community who cares as much for lawrence as they do easy money. in that case, i would be 100% happy with kj as it is...
January 4, 2005 at 9:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lazz (anonymous) says...
Your analysis is fascinating, Phil. I'm totally amazed that bands like "dresden dolls, interpol, modest mouse, scissor sisters" are too mainstream for KJ...I'm a music ignoramus, so I have no take on the context of the music I hear there, but I'm amazed to read that so much good music that is total anti-Top 40/Pop is snubbed, too. yeah, they do have the occasional technonoise semesters, and I've never really cared for most of the rest of their musical palette (even when I was a student, and new REM was too mainstream for them), but I had no idea it swung so far toward snobbism ... even good local bands can't get on? seriously? damn shame ...
January 4, 2005 at 10:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
liz (Liz Weslander) says...
Although it can be kind of quirky, I always enjoy listening to community radio. I can only get the Kansas City station, 90.1, about a third of the time, but I like their Latino shows and it seems to be the only place you can hear blues these days. (Has anyone noticed that blues is decidedly out of fashion these days? I'll admit 40 year-old white man blues is annoying, but the real stuff is nice every once in awhile).
I also believe that 90.1 plays "Democracy Now," which is great when I'm in a pinko mood. As far as public radio goes, I like 89.3 better than KANU - which is heavy on the classic and light on the talk shows. I also do KJHK in the morning, although the way they "pre" and "back" announce an hour's worth of music at a time drives me nuts.
Other than that, I'm a dial cruiser who will listen to R&B, country, pop, and oldies all depending on my mood.
January 4, 2005 at 10:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joel (Joel Mathis) says...
The only reason I knew about Modest Mouse was because they got played, with great regularity, by KJHK a few years ago.
Then Modest Mouse got popular. BOOM! No more Modest Mouse on KJ. I kind of understand it -- I've sensed that part of KJHK's mission is to give you stuff you don't hear (over)played on other stations. That generally makes me happy.
I did flip past 96.5 "The Buzz" this morning on the way to work, Quinno, the KC station that attempts to replicate the old Lazer, right down to the "Trippin' Thursday" contests. Ended up listening all the way in because of a Snow Patrol song: a rock cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" (which was a great song to begin with, and I dare music snobs to say otherwise). They even did the Jay Z rap interlude. I'm not a big fan of the punked out covers of pop tunes -- in fact, I'd say the trend is mostly a sign that the current era of rock music has played itself out -- but Snow Patrol was delightful.
January 4, 2005 at 10:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joel (Joel Mathis) says...
I meant to say:
Radio isn't as interesting or vibrant as it was, say, 10 years ago, for trends that we've all read about and are familiar with.
But...
KC area radio still has a lot more variety than you can find in other areas of the midwest. I went home to the Wichita area a couple of weeks ago and couldn't find anything but NPR that was listenable. It was: oldies, top 40, classic rock and contemporary country. No, no, no and no.
In this area, we have:
¢ Two vibrant NPR stations, each filling different niches.
¢ As Liz points out, 90.1 the community radio station. (Which occasionally has some fantastic music programming.)
¢ KJHK, which surprises me regularly with stuff I haven't heard before.
¢ And, believe it or not, I think 96.5 and 97.3 "The Planet" are both trying to be good stations. Buzz is a little too self-consciously youth rebel for my tastes, but -- as I've said elsewhere -- the Planet has a somewhat quirky format, with fun shows like "Jam Planet" and "Little Steven's Garage."
Generally, I can find something to listen to on the radio. It's not perfect, but between about five area stations I can cobble together a decent drive around town.
January 4, 2005 at 10:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lazz (anonymous) says...
how is it that "40-year-old white men" deserve a shot across the bow in this discussion, Liz?
As a 40-year-old white man who spent a lot of years hitting all the live Southern blues shows I could find, and after a time came to be bored with much of it and horrified by some of it, I might ask you not to lay the blame for blues' problems on the shoulders of your friendly neighborhood 40-year-old white man...
all blues that is unoriginal and uninspired (most of it, these days) deserves your wrath. Perhaps there are culprits other than middle-aged white guys.
January 4, 2005 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
quinn (Patrick Quinn) says...
I'm glad there are still multiple radio options of interest available in Larryville.
Liz: Our music director, TJ Sanders, programs a mini-show called Blue Plate Special every weekday at noon. BPS includes the standard "40 year-old white man blues," but also Billie Holliday, John Lee Hooker, Etta James etc. One of the things I've learned is that it can be difficult for an indie station to actually lay hands on such music--we aren't considered a Radio and Records reporting station, which automatically knocks us off a lot of distribution lists. I find that kind of odd, given that as an indie radio station, I would think that we would be a prime target for indie/speciality labels, but there you go. Presumably the niche labels are sending their comps to mainstream stations that wouldn't play the stuff in a million years.
We went through something similar at THE NOTE in trying to get comp service from small labels. It took several years to convince everyone the paper was for-real and wasn't going anywhere.
January 4, 2005 at 11:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
quinn (Patrick Quinn) says...
Our format at Krystal is Triple-A. Here are our adds for the week:
"Let's Go" -- Kenny Wayne Shepherd
"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" -- Jack Johnson
"Sleeps with Butterflies" -- Tori Amos
"Citizen of the Planet" -- Simon & Garfunkel
"These Chains" -- Tony Furtado
"Chocolate" -- Snow Patrol
"Man With a Plan" -- Assembly of Dust
"Restless" -- Alison Krauss and Union Station
and my personal fave:
"Deal With It" -- Kelley Hunt & Delbert McClinton
January 4, 2005 at 11:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pc (Phil Cauthon) says...
for comparison, here are the artists on kj's last chart (albums not songs get charted)
1 Q AND NOT U
2 MOS DEF
3 ONLY CHILDREN
4 MATES OF STATE
5 DFA COMPILATION #2
6 BETTYE SWANN
7 HERCULES
8 MOSQUITOS
9 BEANS
10 TED LEO
11 COLLECTIONS OF COLONIES OF BEES
12 BEAKERS
13 VIOLETTES
14 CHILDREN OF MU
15 DE LA SOUL
16 VANISHING
17 SUBTLE
18 JULIAN FANE
19 HIDDEN CAMERAS
20 SLOWLY MINUTE
21 ALOHA
22 THIS IS MY CONDITION
23 SAVATH AND SAVALAS
24 MACHINE DRUM
25 LIGHTNING HOPKINS
26 HEIRUSPECS
27 ROBYN HITCHCOCK
28 FOREIGN EXCHANGE
29 DELGADOS
30 THE BLOW
January 4, 2005 at 1:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jay_holley (Jay Holley) says...
It comes with a monthly subscription cost, but Sirius channel 26, "Left Of Center", plays good "lesser-known" bands, e.g. Pavement or Interpol, without being frustratingly elitist, sporadic in quality, or 'popular'.
January 4, 2005 at 7:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
edie_ (anonymous) says...
The important thing is not what you listen to. The important thing is that you never listen to Dr. Phil.
Seriously, I've given up on FM and found the scratchy planet of shortwave radio and never looked back. You can get Texas separatist microradio, Hong Kong pop, Dutch anarchists, trucker ballads, religious cult programming and Vietnamese advice shows all in one day. It's like having an intergalactic dream tea party in your living room and you don't even have to make dip!
January 5, 2005 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )
kjhkmusicdirector (anonymous) says...
I would like to throw in my two cents regarding the music played at KJ.
As most of you have stated, some acts who have gained national recognition and airplay, are not played on the station. The name I am seeing come up most is Modest Mouse, and this is a great example. Modest Mouse is a fantastic band, and their latest release was definitely the caliber of music KJHK would usually select for rotation. However, the space the nationally recognized Modest Mouse record takes up in rotation, boots one lesser known, in need of college spins record out. Supporting amazing, forward thinking bands who fall under the radar is our main goal. From time to time you will see a "mainstream" record slip into our rotation, but this is unusual.
As far as playing local music, this is one of our biggest objectives in "serving the community", as Phil has brought up. We do announce community events through the community calendar, and support local businesses through donor spots, but we also support our community's music scene. With few exceptions, every local record we receive goes in rotation, as well as one local track an hour is required as part of rotation. If you'll look at the chart Phil has posted, The Only Children, Mates of State, and This is My Condition are all local artists, and all in the top 30.
I hear the complaint of KJ being elitist, and inaccessible quite frequently, and alot of this comes down to what the station is sent. The new music we acquire through labels, artists, and promotional companies makes up a big part of what you hear on the station. Most of this music is experimental, but in the music staff's opinion, worthy of supporting.
If you have questions or issues with what you are hearing/not hearing on KJHK, get in touch with us. You can find any of the exec staff's e-mail addresses on our website: www.kjhk.org.
-cb
January 5, 2005 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RubyVroom (Chala Roberts-Fife) says...
I stopped listening to 96.5 the Buzz 2 years ago because of the overplayed format and the horrendously abrasive/offensive d.j.s. (i.e. one morning show d.j. called a female listener a "faghag" because she said that she liked Cher and wanted to go to her concert.)
I choose to listen to KJHK and 97.3 the Planet because they both play music that appeals to me - for the most part.
January 7, 2005 at 8:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says...
Hey Patrick! First off, it's great to read your stuff; even though it's certainly not the same as having a cup of coffee and conversation @ the Pig, those of us who miss your presence in the Lawrence scene can still feel connected.
Had to weigh in on this blog (albeit, tardy by a week or so), if for no other reason than to add my voice to the chorus regarding the good old daze of the Lazer (I know we've talked about those halcyon times on many an occasion). And, while allowing that the fog of memory may have blurred some of the facts, the bottom line for me was that the music scene (we're talking concerts, club shows and recorded music sales--LPs and cassettes back then!) here benefited greatly from having a commercial radio station, based in Lawrence, that played local artists and emerging national acts.
Not to say there isn't still a good scene here, because there is, but how greatly would a local artist like Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers (whose new record is outstanding, by the by) benefit from having regular spins on 105.9, which also beams its signal to the Topuka and KC markets? Seems to me those guys (and plenty of others) might sell a few more tickets, hawk a few more CDs and garner a bit more regional (perhaps national) attention if this were the case.
Regarding KJHK, I still love the ol' student station, and at some level, yes, I do understand the need to shelve terrific groups (i.e. Modest Mouse) once they break into the big-time, but I also think this smacks of the elitist mentality that some folks have already assigned the station. There ought to be a way to keep an MM rotating and still support the newbies.
To return to the original thoughts on the old Lazer, I think many of us who loved that station loved it as much for its clever presentation of music we loved in what seemed like as close to "free-form" as it gets in commercial radio. Give me a station that will mix seemingly incongruous tunes back-to-back-to-back; give me, in other words, DJs who really give a damn about the music they play, which seem to be in ever-shortening supply.
Anyhow. Hope you're well, and keep up the good fight.
January 11, 2005 at 5:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )