 
Goldensunshine
Member
Username: Goldensunshine
Post Number: 97
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 12:37 pm: |    |
What happened to all the local radio talent in Detroit?
I still listen to my favorite Detroit stations online out here in the
Pacific Northwest, and even before I moved away, I was a little peeved about
all the nationally syndicated shows that are taking over the prime time slots on my favorite stations. Remember when you didn’t have to call a 1-800 number to win a prize on the radio?
Don’t get me wrong, there are some good ones, I find Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Michael Baisden, and Russ Parr very funny & informative at times.
But now they are pushing it . . .everyone and their Mama is trying to get onto the radio, and every-damn-body is not cut out for it!
In addition, some of these shows, come with slight changes in the airplay format – and they play the same stuff over and over every day like clock work!••••
I am mad that comedian Mo’Nique is taking over the afternoon drive on KISS Detroit 105.9 next week. And I am STILL mad R&B singer Keith Sweat has taken over Kyle Lamont’s 6-10 slot on Mix 92.3. :o(
I miss my LOCAL Morning & Afternoon drive shows!••
The only thing local these days is midday slot.
I miss my local morning crews talking about DETROIT, and things that go on the city. . .
An experience they had visiting a local restaurant, joking about which high school was better, or what club they will be at tonight giving things away. . .
The only way you hear that nowadays is by way of commercials, and occasional interjections by the local DJs who now produce a lot of these national shows, and do traffic & weather instead of hosting their own show.
Meanwhile the national hosts give plugs for things going on in NYC, LA, DC or whatever city they are broadcasting out of while the Detroit commercials are patched in sporadically among the national PSA's & radio spots . . .it gets on my nerves . . .that’s my rant for today. |
Viziondetroit
Member
Username: Viziondetroit
Post Number: 1778
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 12:38 pm: | |
$$$ makes the local radio stations go 'round. It's one of the pitfalls of having chain radio stations. |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 2511
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 12:45 pm: | |
Eh, i didn't care for Kyle LaMont.
Although , I listen to Kiela Karson on WDMK for that time slot now.
Michael Baisden & Steve Harvey usually gives Detroit it's ups. Steve Harvey always brags that were his favorite city. Michael Baisden was here just recently broadcasting out of the GM building (OnStar sponsors his show).
I also like Mo'Nique and I'm sure she'll do well in our market like the rest of them.
Seriously, it is all about the money. The only stations that has all local stuff is WJLB and Channel 9.55 and 9.55 lays the same old sorry songs over and over again.
What will probably happen is WDMK will have their "free ride" for lunch with Tune-Up.
(Message edited by DetroitRise on June 19, 2008) |
Goldensunshine
Member
Username: Goldensunshine
Post Number: 98
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 1:34 pm: | |
I know . . .nothing speaks louder than the all mighty dollar - I just miss the old days.
Tom Joyner does his sky show, Steve Harvey gives Detroit props, and Michael Baisden makes his visits.
If it works, it works. People have taken well to it. I just miss old times that's all. |
Firstandten
Member
Username: Firstandten
Post Number: 219
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 1:49 pm: | |
unfortunately, Goldensunshine the days of local radio shows are going along the lines of cheap gas and 50% market shares for the big three automakers
Its all about the dollars. My advice, sit back listen to the company that will come out of the Sirius,XM merger pay and enjoy. |
Lo_to_d
Member
Username: Lo_to_d
Post Number: 85
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 2:22 pm: | |
mason in the morning, 107.5 |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 2519
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 2:23 pm: | |
Ah yes, I forgot about 107.5.
I love their Old Skool Saturdays.  |
Goldensunshine
Member
Username: Goldensunshine
Post Number: 100
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 2:24 pm: | |
^ :o)
I know, right?
I tend to get caught up in nostalgia, and b*tch about it in the process.
I say all this as I get bored and scroll through the iPod - LOL
As long as Classic R&B is on Music Choice, and I have Soul Town on Sirius & Suite 62 on XM, I'm good. |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 2521
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 2:25 pm: | |
Yeah, imeen, Project Playlist & YouTube works too if you know the name of your favorite songs. |
Mallory
Member
Username: Mallory
Post Number: 259
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 8:34 am: | |
After 24 years in the biz, I retired from radio 2 years ago for this very reason. Either you get downsized and they bring in a syndicated show that costs them next to nothing, or you see the writing on the wall and figure that sooner or later they'll get to you too. That was enough for me.
Radio thinks that the only way to fight against satellite is to cut costs as much as possible and roll the dice I guess. Too bad the FCC doesn't reinstate the stricter guidelines that they had when I first got in the biz. Then you'd see lots more localism. Until then, I listen to XM in my car and internet at my desktop. I haven't listened to local radio in several months. They don't care so why should I? |
Westsiiiide
Member
Username: Westsiiiide
Post Number: 56
Registered: 05-2008
| | Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 9:40 am: | |
Now Mallory, you probably can answer this:
what ever happened to ButterBall Jr., from WJLB and whats the other DJ, the one who loved to play mostly Prince, can't think of his name right now, he was mysterious, never saw his face.
The archives of my brain now remembers the name of the DJ, It was the "Electrifying Mojo."
(Message edited by Westsiiiide on June 23, 2008) |
Larryinflorida
Member
Username: Larryinflorida
Post Number: 1709
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 12:12 pm: | |
As Mallory sez, the one thing local terrestrial radio has over XM and Sirius is the local talent. Talking about things in the local area can't be done well from far away.
Yet, stations often reserve their live bodies only for the morning drive and afternoon drive periods, if that.
The rest of the "dayparts" are either a sat feed or voice-tracking, which is a form of cheating, where the DJ just listens to the front of the song, talks into it and jumps to the end and talks over that. It is possible to do a 4-5 hour show in an hour that way. Overnight and weekend shows that haven't succumbed to satellite, are often done that way due to the new tight budgets. It reduces the staff you need.
Thank Clearchannel for buying up everything that was taller than it was wide in the 90's and setting the new business model for all the rest by gutting those stations to operate at the bare-bones margins. With their giant size, CC could do that, akin to Wal-Mart's small but greatly multiplied margins. Others who could not keep up due to being smaller either sold out or went low-rent.
That's where the air talent you mention got caught. |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 352
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 5:11 pm: | |
The whole irony in this is all of the actions radio is taking to "compete" with satellite, are what is driving its users to switch. I got sick of the same ol songs, at the same ol times, with the same ol commercials, and the same ol non-local programs for weeks at a time, so I switched to Sirius. Sure satellite doesn't play local content much if ever, but at least I can hear a variety of music. And heck, Howard Stern is the bastard step child of Detroit Radio, so he kind of counts as home grown, right (generally switch over to Sirius 100 during the 5+ minute WRIF morning commercial break)?
I used to enjoy listening to the radio. I used to listen to radio more than I watched TV. Then, after the FCC caved, and conglomerates bought up all the stations, I noticed the formats rapidly changing and the product quality going down. Now on my drive home, it is not uncommon for 11 of the 12 preset radio stations on my stereo to all be in commercial at the same time. Instead of waking up to Mike in the Morning on WRIF, more often than not, I'm waking up to commercials in the morning on WRIF (thank God Rock Financial commercials finally stopped! now if we can just get rid of the ComputerTraining.com commercials, life would be slightly better again.)
Back when just about every radio station was owned by a different company, you had competition for market share. Stations would work hard at perfecting their product. Now with a handful of companies owning all of the stations, you're competing more with fellow conglomerate stations than with your neighboring competition. As a result, stations change formats on a whim to better fill out a company's portfolio and to go after different advertisers, rather than trying to perfect their product to steal market share and advertising dollars from their competing broadcast companies.
All this consolidation, I imagine, is also going to raise havoc in an already hard to break into industry. You have one syndicated morning host broadcasting across 40 markets. That's at least 40 morning DJ's that no longer have a job, and at least 40 positions that will never become available to newer talent.
The industry is starting to bottom out. I just wonder how much further it can go... |
Larryinflorida
Member
Username: Larryinflorida
Post Number: 1720
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 9:14 pm: | |
Another insidious tactic among the Conglomerate company's ad sales departments is to "cross-sell" an ad across all of the company's cluster in that market. For instance, the sales lizard will tell the client, "For the same price as W*** across town, I can put this ad on 5 stations. If independently-owned W*** across town pulls a 6 share in the Arbitrons, and the Conglomerate has 3-4 stations, each pulling a 2 share, technically, you are reaching more ears with the latter.
But it causes independently-owned W*** to have to slash their ad rates. This leads to longer stop sets (ads) and more listener burnout.
Deregegulation killed radio.
RIP Radio.
(Message edited by Larryinflorida on June 23, 2008) |
Mallory
Member
Username: Mallory
Post Number: 261
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 8:44 am: | |
Can't help you, Westsiiide, Butterball was gone before I got there (but often spoken about in the highest regard).
Larry, it's even worse. There are jocks that will voice track several markets every day. Some of them are good, most are prostitutes. They'll do your 4-5 hour shift in 30 minutes, 5-6 days a week, for $300-$500 per month. A GM looks at it and says, "I can get someone to do my nights for $500 a month instead of a week? Sign me up!" and that's the end of local radio. Some can do an excellent job at making it sound local, but if terrestrial radio thinks it is going to do battle with satellite radio by cutting costs like this, it will be a long, drawn out decline, and one that several have predicted over the years.
I predict that the next generation of satellite radio will find a way to "localize" its sound (delivery) and that will be another nail in the terrestrial radio coffin. I can get Detroit traffic reports on XM now. Why should I wait for "traffic and weather together on the 8's" when I can get it now? |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 354
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 12:55 pm: | |
Mallory: That's another good point. Aside from WWJ, traffic and weather reports come on arbitrarily (if at all) on most radio stations. With Sirius, I can trun on channel 155, and I'm never more than 4 minutes from the next traffic and weather report. If I turn it on when I get in my truck, by the time I drive the 2 miles to the freeway ramp, I already know what to expect on my drive home, and what the weather is going to be like tomorrow. no matter what time I leave work. |
Vetalalumni
Member
Username: Vetalalumni
Post Number: 1033
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 4:55 pm: | |
ButterBall Jr. was my former neighbor in South Rosedale Park in the late 80s before I left the Motor. He kept an immaculate lawn. |
Westsiiiide
Member
Username: Westsiiiide
Post Number: 57
Registered: 05-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 6:45 pm: | |
ButterBall Jr. has seemed to disappeared from the face of the earth. He was a DJ on WCHB I believe. |
Mallory
Member
Username: Mallory
Post Number: 262
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - 8:29 am: | |
^^Can't say for certain, but when I was at WQBH (the old 'JLB AM) Jay Butler used to talk fondly of Butterball. Not sure what happened to Jay either. I think he was last at Love AM. Like I said in my earlier post, as a young, radio wannabe, I learned so much from folks like him. If radio went back to the old rules (you can only own one AM and one FM in a town), radio would get interesting again. I doubt it will ever happen, but it would be a way to re-localize radio. <sigh> Those were the days. |
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