RADIO HANNIBAL

Sirius/XM doesn't make it enticing to subscribe

I heard the Howard Stern interview with Steve Van Zandt a couple of weeks ago.  Someone posted it on Youtube.  It was great.  Howard does great interviews. 

There's a reason Sirius/XM pays Howard all that money.  It was that interview that had me considering signing up for the satellite service.  It'd been years since I'd done the free trial week so I signed up for the freebie which allowed me to listen on the internet as well as my iPhone.

The week spent with Sirius/XM as my go to source for music left me less than thrilled.  As much as I enjoy Stern's interviews I cannot listen to the negativism that he spews each and every day.  It is a horrible way to start your day.

I heard some good songs on the many channel choices but in the end I'm not a fan of narrowcasting.  When I listen to the radio I don't want a strict diet of 60s or of electronica or indie rock.  Variety is the spice of life.  Yes, I could just change channels when I tire of a certain genre but there's something a bit stagnating about Sirius/XM which has something to do with the fact that most of the channels that have DJs arent actually live.  The jocks do the wrap arounds and then they're inserted into the playlist.  I did hear Cousin Brucie live and Vin Scelsa does a daily live show. One station floors me though, the Underground Garage.

I love Little Steven's (Steve Van Zandt)Underground Garage and to a lesser degree his Outlaw Country station.  Great rock and roll is a narrowcast I'm ok with.  And the DJs from Cleveland's own Kid Leo (who's also program director) to Handsome Dick Manitoba to Kim Fowley are fantastic. The music on the Underground Garage inspires me, energizes me and makes me feel alive. 

I was nearly convinced to sign up.  After all I have a car equipped with an XM tuner, my new AV receiver is Sirius-ready and I have the internet audio distributed through my home.  So I sent a question to them.  Would one subscription allow me access on all of those sources.  The answer is no.  I'd have to have a separate subscription for the car and AV receiver and then an add on charge for internet access.  Now we're talking over $30 a month instead of $15 or so. 

Sorry Sirius/XM you must be joking.  Netflix allows a single account to be used on up to five devices.  Perhaps that's a model you should consider. 

Here's the good news though.  When I got my used car with the XM radio built in the subscription wasn't active.  After I discovered that, I never went to the XM band any more.  But during that week I had the trial subscription, on a whim, I punched up the XM band.  I was receiving the channels.  A quick tune to channel 21 and the Underground Garage was rocking my car.  Now I don't know if there's some sort of free promotion going on to entice old subscribers or if, for whatever reason, I simply have this subscription from the previous owner working again.  For now though, Little Steven's riding shotgun with me. 

What Direction Is WDOK Heading In? Could Nolan Be Involved?

There's more seismic shifts in the Cleveland radio scene this week.  Our holidays were spoiled when the new owners of V107.3 pulled the plug on the triple A format going back to light jazz...hardly jazz.  Now the "Lady In Red" Nancy Alden gets the boot from WDOK.  Here's the Plain Dealer story, DJ Nancy Alden dropped by WDOK, may be an end to a three-decade career in Cleveland radio.

In fact the on air staff was told to take the week off as they make changes to the station.  I'm sure it's been an odd week for Trapper Jack, Jim McIntyre and the rest. 

So what direction is WDOK heading in?  The station's been on auto-pilot all week.  The playlist sounds like it may be heading to a more upbeat top 40 rather than the station you play at work or in the dentist office.  That's called going from soft AC (adult contemporary) to hot AC. Management hasn't said what's in store but we should know by Monday. 

I'm not expecting anything great.  I'm expecting anything but great. Now with CBS Radio ramping up cost cutting mode to join their radio giant counterpart Clear Channel the average wage of on air talent is getting closer to minimum wage.  This is all in an effort to save the sinking ship which is commercial radio.  I feel bad for the players but not the owners.  They brought it on themselves through ignorance and greed. 

Here's a prediction out of left field.  WKYC's Mark Nolan is resigning of his own accord.  He says we'll probably hear him before we see him again.  Could this mean Nolan will play a big part in the new WDOK?

 

Cleveland's 107.3 Returns To Smooth Jazz, Embarrassment For The Rock Capital

Yesterday it was announced that V107.3, the adult album alternative station in Cleveland, was switching back to its previous smooth jazz format after December 16th.  Here's the story from Scene Magazine, V 107.3 to return to snooze music format. 

There's not much for me to say.  I'm not really surprised.  I'd written about the station twice.  The first was in praise, Cleveland Radio's Salvation Is Here.  The second time was in disappointment, About Cleveland Radio's Salvation, I Spoke Too Soon.  In re-reading those two stories I make a case for why they failed .  In a nutshell, a station that's going against the grain needs to be led with a bold attitude and an ability to avoid flinching. 

I suspect another problem with the station was the lack of a sales force who could evangelize properly to potential advertisers.  The ratings may not have been there but listeners of a station such as V107.3 are loyal.  They voted it the best station in a Scene Magazine poll.  Fans like that will support a station's sponsors. 

The news brought many comments on Facebook concerning where to turn now for good radio.  College radio is great for finding new music but with format shifts every two or three hours and an unpolished sound it's not the kind of station I leave on. 

Others spoke of Pandora, the cold and sterile streaming radio service without DJs where music choices are decided by algorithms.  Can you tell I'm not a fan.

That leaves the great number of streaming radio stations from around the country and the world.  You can listen to these stations in your home, on your stereo, and in your car via your smart phone.  If you don't know how to that let me know. 

Back to the dilemma at hand though, the lack of a good commercial rock station in Cleveland.  We're not alone.  There's very few good stations in any city these days.  Luckily the ones that are good stream on the net, as I mentioned. 

I'm a fraid commercial radio is going to have to all but collapse before it reinvents itself and realizes that it's strengths are localization and creativity.  It'll happen but not soon enough. 

 

 

The Sound Of 1970s Detroit Is Back On CKWW

Last week I purchased yet another new radio app for my iPhone called StreamS HiFi Radio.  It promised and delivered exceptional sound quality.  They're using better codecs to get this better sound.  The downside is that there's a limited selection of stations compared to other radio apps.

Anyway, I was browsing StreamS HiFi Radio's featured stations and came across CKWW AM580 out of Windsor, Ontario and serving the Detroit market.  CKWW seemed awfully close to the classic call letters of The Big 8, CKLW which was one of the great AM stations of the 60s and 70s.  It even had great ratings in Cleveland as the powerful signal easily made its way over the lake and to transistor and car radios throughout northeast Ohio.  It was WIXY 1260's biggest competitor. 

The relatively new CKWW is trying to mirror that vintage sound of CKLW using similar jingles, playing oldies and even broadcasting from the same studio.  Their oldies playlist is deep and it's great to hear forgotten classics.  It shows home embarrassingly shallow WMJI's library is. 

I tried tuning in the 580 signal on my car radio here in Cleveland without success.  Apparently they don't have the 50,000 watt transmitter CKLW broadcast from.  Luckily we have the internet so you can listen online or on your smart phone. 

 

Surprise, My Favorite Thing About The iPhone Are The Radio Apps

It should come as no surprise that my favorite thing about the iPhone are the radio apps.  After all, the name of the blog is Radio Hannibal. 

There's so much to love about a smart phone and in my case an iPhone.  There's the great photos I can take or the great photos I can look at because of the gorgeous screen.  Don't get me started on my new Gal Friday, Siri.  A gimmick?  Hardly. And, of course, there's Spotify and the built in MP3 player providing me with music of my choice on demand. 

So why is it I find something that doesn't give me a choice and is not on demand so much to my liking?  It goes back to lying under the covers of my bed as a child, AM transistor radio in hand, slowly moving the dial to tune in far flung radio stations from Chicago, New York or as far away as New Orleans.  It seemed magical.  Heck, it was magical.  Especially back then when radio was local and regionalism influenced top 40.  I'd hear songs I'd never heard on Cleveland radio and different DJs spinning them. 

Now, instead of a transistor radio it's my iPhone and I don't have to wait for night fall when the atmosphere allows for skywaves or skip to occur.  My listening choices aren't limited to the eastern half of the United States either.  I can "tune in" a station from the other side of the world. 

If I wake up in the wee small hours of the morning I can listen to the BBC where's it's morning drive time.  On a winter evening I can imagine being in Australia or New Zealand where it's summertime and already the next day. 

As far as the music goes, Cleveland's not alone in the fact that there's little innovation or creativity on the commercial radio dial.  Corporate greed has ruined radio all across the country.  There are those far and few between stations that are still great though, here in the United States and across the globe.  I can listen to any one of them on my iPhone.  And with 3G I'm not restricted to listen only at home but while driving as well.

Then there's sports.  It's true that the NFL, MLB, and NBA prohibit their games from being streamed on the internet so the station is forced to block their signal during the game.  It's not so for the NHL.  At least for now.  They, too, are making an effort to shut off radio streams of their games.  It makes it a bit of a challenge to find a station that is streaming a live hockey game.  They have an app now, just like major league baseball where you can listen to any game you want but according to the comments it's not too good yet. 

When I do find a hockey game on I love to fall asleep to the action.  There's something comforting to me in knowing that thousands of people are gathered together and having a good time. 

When some major news or weather story hits I'll find a station close to the action and listen live.  It's kind of like rubbernecking.  And now, my current favorite radio app, TuneIn, has added police and fire scanners.  No, I'm not one of those geeks but it could be a great way for a local news blogger to get the scoop on breaking news. 

One thing I've also noticed recently is that Clear Channel has disallowed their streams on apps like TuneIn wanting people to use their own IHeartRadio app.  The odd thing is that some of their own stations aren't on it. 

My love of radio is nearly as strong as my love of music.  There's something about connecting with another human being somewhere in the world who is interested in turning you on to some new song.  There's also something about hearing news or even commercials from a city you don't live in.  I think that has to do with my passion for travel.  Call it a virtual vacation. 

 

 

Cleveland's Local Music Radio Showcase, Inner Sanctum, Moves To V107.3

Since 1992 Jim Benson has been turning radio listeners onto local music.  Sure, there's the college stations where you can find a fair share of local music being played but you have to know the schedule.  That's the weakness of free-form college radio.  Benson has stuck with the same name for the show, Inner Sanctum, as it has bounced around the commercial dial on the whims of program directors or format changes. 

This week's move, prompted by a format change at CBS owned 92.3 FM from modern rock to sports talk "The Fan", takes the long running show to the station they belong.  V107.3 is locally owned and plays the most adventurous mix of music in the market.  It's a natural for a local music show that's as diverse musically to take up residence in their studio. 

The show still airs Sunday nights at 10pm.  It's hardly the ideal time slot, but it is still on commercial radio.  Now if only Benson and the gang can convince Rocco and Lonnie to slip some of that local music into the regular rotation.

A Return To The Sty, My Love Of KPIG

The first thing I listened to when I hooked up to the internet in the late nineties was KPIG.  I don't remember where I first heard of the station, located in central California near Santa Cruz, but I knew they were one of the first stations to stream on the web.  Here's the wiki entry.

I was also aware of their format, that being an Americana/roots based one, and style which hearkened back to the great days of FM radio in the seventies.  I was not disappointed as I listened.  The DJs had that comfortable, low key delivery that made you feel as if you were listening to a friend.  I became a fan immediately. 

Throughout the next decade plus I listened with regularity.  At one point they went to a paid subscription but I eventually found a way around the paid wall.  Then it was back to open access for all. That is until about two years ago when, once again, they decided to go to a subscription model.  They were and are affected by the same forces that are eating away at the profits of commercial, terrestrial radio around the country.  Whether the folks shelling out monthly to listen to the "purveyors of pork" is helping their bottom line I'm unsure. 

In these past two years I'd come to miss KPIG.  Last weekend, Memorial Day weekend, I decided to sign up for the free trial week. Not surprisingly I was hooked once more.  A feeling of complete comfort enveloped me as I listened on my gazebo that holiday weekend.  The music, the jocks, the homespun feel of the station is a joy. 

So now I've decided to become a subscriber.  It's $5 per month.  I'm comfortable with that.  What I had to reconcile was the fact that if I'd spend another $8 per month I could subscribe to Sirius/XM satellite radio and get 120 channels.  Why wouldn't I do that instead?

Here's my reasonings.  As much as I think Howard Stern is good at what he does I don't need that kind of constant negativity in my life.  And as far as all of those various music channels, including Americana, none of them have the personality of KPIG.  I want an announcer with my radio and not just an endless stream of music.  Espically ones that are programming the music they play and telling a bit about it.

There's also my idiosyncrasies.  I'm much more of a fan of terrestrial stations who stream on the web.  Why?  They come with a geographical feel.  Listening to KPIG I can imagine the Santa Cruz area.  The gorgeous hills along the Pacific coast, south of San Fransisco.  The beauty of the Monterey Bay region.  It all plays into my imagination when I listen to KPIG. Even though my humble attempt at radio is internet only I make it clear that I'm "broadcasting" from Cleveland.

Being three hours behind Cleveland also teases with my life.  It has an odd way of making my day seem longer, like afternoon traffic reports in the early evening.

Anyway, I'm happy with my decision and can always cancel the subscription.  If you've never heard KPIG I'd suggest you do so. 

Here's a look at their playlist this past Saturday between 1pm and 2pm (4pm Cleveland time):

Dick Dale & His Del-Tones "Let's Go Trippin'"info »2:59 PM

Band Of Heathens (The) "Medicine Man"info »2:48 PM

The Band "Up On Cripple Creek"info »2:44 PM

Neville Brothers "Rivers Of Babylon"info »2:40 PM

Johnny Cash "I Won't Back Down (Featuring"info »2:33 PM

Greg Brown "You Drive Me Crazy"info »2:28 PM

Wayne Hancock "Flat Land Boogie"info »2:24 PM

Joe Bonamassa "Dust Bowl"info »2:14 PM

Rickie Lee Jones "Up From The Skies"info »2:06 PM

Nanci Griffith "Across The Great Divide"info »2:02 PM

Hank III "Pills I Took"info »1:59 PM

String Cheese Incident "Johnny Cash"info »1:51 PM

Robert Earl Keen "Christabel"info »1:47 PM

John Cowan "Carla's Got A New Tattoo"info »1:44 PM

Robbie Fulks "Cigarette State"info »1:33 PM

Neil Young "Buffalo Springfield Again"info »1:30 PM

The Civil Wars "Falling"info »1:26 PM

John Lennon "Whatever Gets You Thru The N"info »1:16 PM

Paul Simon "Dazzling Blue"info »1:10 PM

Notorious Cherry Bombs "It's Hard To Kiss The Lips A"info »1:00 PM

A Bit More On Hawaiian Music And How To Tune In

After my story earlier this week about Hawaii and the music found there, some readers asked me what specific stations they could listen to in order to get a fix of Hawaii in these cold winter months. I'm more than happy to oblige.

As I say, I enjoy the sound of traditional Hawaiian music. Those ukulele, a very trendy instrument these days, and slack-key guitar sounds accompanied by an almost yodeling style vocal makes me feel the warm ocean breeze immediately.  In Honolulu the station to dial in is KINE, Hawaiian 105. This popular commercial station sticks to traditional and home-spun music. 

Reggae is very big on the island state as well.  On Oahu there's KDNN, Island 98.5 and for a Maui irie vibe try KNUQ, Q103.

Being that they are five hours behind us here in the eastern time zone it's a bit disconcerting but fun to, say, listen to afternoon rush hour traffic reports while settling in for a night's sleep. 

These stations are guaranteed to warm the soul and remove stress.  Perfect for your winter work day.

Cleveland Clear Channel's WMVX 106.5's New Radio Format, Meh

It had been ten years since Cleveland commercial radio saw a format change but in just over a year we've seen two significant music direction shifts on the dial.  Last year it was V107.3 which I've discussed, About Cleveland radio's Salvation, I Spoke Too Soon.  Now we have the new WMVX 106.5, they call it The Lake.  I'll refrain from using any references to that body of water to our north.

The idea of the format is that it emulates an eclectic iPod on shuffle.  Eclectic, I like.  The total randomness and laziness of programming it involves is a total turn off.  

This format is hardly new.  It's called Jack FM and was introduced in the early 2000s.  There's over 50 stations in North America playing the format.  WMVX may argue that they're different, that they have a wider variety of genres and songs.  I'll even grant them that.  And, on a song by song basis, there's alot of songs I like here.  I've just heard A-Ha's "Take On Me" and now they're playing Fleetwood Mac's "Say That You Love Me" (oh Christine the Mac isn't the same without you).  It's hard to argue with the songs, but I will.

One of their tag lines is "we play anything".  Hardly.  You will not hear anything challenging, cutting edge or truly current.  It's a mix of the tested and true, researched to death.  Totally safe radio that dulls the intellect. 

And talk about lazy programming.  Sure, deciding on what songs to throw into the hopper took some time and work.  Once that's done though, the computer simply spits out the results like lottery balls.  Here's the last 10 songs played:

Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me

A-Ha - Take On Me

ABC - Be Near Me

Matchbox 20 - 3am

John Mellencamp - Lonely Ol' Night

Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

Great White - Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Avril Lavigne - Complicated

Madonna - Like A Prayer

Journey - Wheel In The Sky

Again, some good songs there.  Songs with obvious mass appeal.  But is there a flow to it?  What happened to the segue which, at one time was so important to radio.  It was an art form and rose the medium to a better level. 

Maybe Clear Channel is using sophisticated algorithms to make the songs mix well.  It's still not the undefinable magic a human being can add to mixing music. Of course I know that DJs haven't been allowed to choose their own music on most stations for decades now but this format points it out glaringly.  It's almost telling the DJ that we don't need you anymore. 

Anyone can listen to their iPod on shuffle. And becoming increasingly more common, for a small monthly fee, even those without a large library of songs can have access to millions of songs that they can put on shuffle.  Heck, they can do it for free with Pandora. 

106.5 The Lake is hardly going to save radio here in Cleveland. Until terrestrial radio sees that, in order to thrive, an emphasis on local community and real people talking and programming on the air is what's wanted, their audience will continue to be lured away by other mediums.  In fact, Nickelback just came on.  Time to go back to the internet.

^ Ok, I lied.

A Top 30 Countdown From 1967 For Your New Year's Eve

In 1967, the summer of love, San Fransisco's top 40 radio giant was KYA.  For your New Year's Eve listening pleasure here is the countdown of the top 30 songs of 1967 on KYA. 

It's not to be confused with Billboard's year end chart.  Back then every top 40 radio station compiled their own listener survey.  Also, back then, there was a great deal of regionalism.  That is to say there were hits that may have only made it in certain areas of the country. 

Enjoy.

KYA Top 30 of 1967 12.09.67

Happy New Year to you all and may 2011 be the best year yet.