Name: terrestrial radio
Age: 99
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the public
Last Seen: San Antonio, TX
Bee-otched For: keep polishing that turd
-Age: 99
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the public
Last Seen: San Antonio, TX
Bee-otched For: keep polishing that turd
Wheels has just run over Alt.
Not even a year on the air, Detroit's Alt 106.7 has just had its last Panic! At the Disco and flipped to the relaunch of WLLZ Wheels 106.7 on Friday.
Wheels was originally on 98.7 (now soft AC 98.7 The Breeze) from 1980 to 1995. The new station focuses on classic rock from the 70s to the 90s. In other words, their playlist includes KoRn, Queen, Green Day and Billy Squier. Just imagine having to sit through butt rock like .38 Special to get to Weezer. Weird.
What sets the new WLLZ apart from all the other stations that once took up 106.7 is that at least they have a local airstaff and most of the jocks are local legends. Bill McAllister, formerly of 97.1 The Ticket is on mornings. Trudi Daniels, best known as Drew and Mike's sidekick for years on WRIF is on midday duty while Doug Podell, another Riff legend is on afternoons. Night jock Casey is the sole holdout from the Alt format.
Alt 106.7 only lasted about a year and a half and only got around a 1.5 share. With Alt's demise, Detroit - for the first time in 30 years or so - no longer has a true alternative station. 89X, which had been alternative flipped to active rock about a year or two ago and 93.9 The River does play some not-so-alternative artists (we caught John Legend and Justin Timberfake on their playlist earlier).
The question is that how long will the new WLLZ last? 106.7 has been a revolving door of formats since Cheap Channel dumped W4 Country for "rock AC" Alice 106.7 in 1999. In the past 20 years, 106.7 has flipped format seven times, three as a classic rocker. Oddly enough, one of those formats was country as The Fox, but it got its ass kicked by WYCD 99.5.
Ya know, iHeartMedia - fka Clear Channel - will find ways to polish a turd. In the case of the new WLLZ, their playlist is exactly the same as many of their other classic rockers. It's all corporate bullshit. And why is SiriusXM raking in billions? Same with other streamers like Pandora and Slacker?
But sadly, iHeart's not the only radio group fucking up.
Up in northern Michigan, there's Midwestern Broadcasting, owners of WTCM-FM (country) and AM (news/talk), WCCW-FM (classic hits) and AM (oldies) and Z93 (CHR). The company has been run by the Biederman family since it started 80 years ago. But since Ross Biederman is almost as old as the company his father Les co-founded, he's slowing down quite a bit. With no immediate family to take over the company, he's given the reigns over to his son-in-law, Chris Warren. Warren has zero broadcasting experience; he's more of a bean counter. Word is that most employees at Midwestern haven't seen a raise in a decade and the company isn't as profitable as they once were.
Wanna know what's upsetting? Their lowest-rated FM, Z93 has a mere three share, which is about 1/2 of the ratings the market's other CHR, 106 KHQ has. The station sounds low-budget and doesn't even have a night jock or even a syndicated night show, which makes them even more lifeless. They do have a weekly talk show Thursday nights at 7 called "Lifelines" which is hosted by an old yenta named Annie Clark. It's a show that belongs early on Sunday morning, not at night on a music station! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!?! Meanwhile, KHQ has a night jock, Tyler Woods who has a nightly countdown show.
What's more depressing is that their PD and morning host, Ron Pritchard is definitely out of place. He's a royal asskisser to Drumpf and the Repukes. Hell, I've even heard a bumper on Z93 featuring (thank God he's the) ex-Michigan governor pRick Snyder telling listeners that they're listening to the station. With all that he did to Michigan, Z93 might as well get Hitler to do a bumper for the station.
Pritchard is definitely out of place for a CHR, especially with his politics. Hell, I remembered when he was at the helm at KHQ, the old 106.7 The Peak was kicking their ass in the ratings! Plus, I've heard that he called the survivors of the Parkland school shooting last year (get ready for this) "LIBTARDS"! REALLY?!?
Well, get this: he drives all the way from the Boyne City area to work and back daily. So when the TC area was pummeled with mass amounts of snow recently, Chris apparently put Pritchard in a $120 per night hotel, the Cambria Suites. Now, I know people who worked at Midwestern years ago and when it snowed hard, it was the lumpy couch in the lobby or stay home.
You see, there's no excuse to reward failure. This is what's killing radio: beancounters. Matt Hanlon was a beancounter and killed every radio station he ran in Grand Rapids minus WLAV. They don't know what the listener wants. They think that teens will listen to a CHR whose morning jock is probably older than their parents. This is why milennials and younger are abandoning radio in droves and going digital.
Look at Grand Rapids. WLAV has a format similar to WLLZ's. Do I listen to them? No. How about WGRD? Only when my alarm goes off in the morning. I have SiriusXM in my car and I can't be more happier. Why? I love the selection of stations and music. Plus, I often find new stations to listen to as well. Even here in Grand Rapids, a new AAA launched recently, 94.5 The Q and I really don't care for them.
Radio needs to listen to the listener and adapt to their needs. If they can't, they won't have any.
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Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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