What exactly DOES Atlanta need in radio?

[Surfer]

...and that's the million dollar question!  What format would work here.  Oh, and by "working" I mean making money, entertaining listeners and making advertisers happy.  If it doesn't have ALL THREE ELEMENTS, don't bother answering because, chances are, we've all heard it before and we DO know how it will affect Q100.

As for me, I would say we need a station that is willing to take a risk and do something no other station will do in this market...create a station that appeals to as many folks as possible.  Now I understand you can't please everybody but, not so many years ago, stations would take the best of whatever was hot and play it as their format.  That was the beginnings of popular music (Elvis, Herb Alpert, The Beatles, Frankie Laine, Ray Stevens, etc.)

Music was collected from all formats and commercial time was limited.  Listeners were considered to be gold and to be treated as such.  Advertisers were also.  Unfortunately, we all have the need for greed and so good business gave way to making more money.  So, maybe we can return to a format that mixes some of the best of pop, rap, R & B, Jazz, Classical, Oldies or whatever.  If done with the listener in mind, maybe...

[AMiable]

My ideas ...

1. "Classic FM" --- just play the hits, baby.  Since public radio dumped classical music - there's an upscale market for this format. 

2.  Tom Hughes back on morning radio somewhere in this town.

3.  Shakeup Mayhem at 790.

[Neil Millman]

My ideas ...

1. "Classic FM" --- just play the hits, baby.  Since public radio dumped classical music - there's an upscale market for this format. 

2.  Tom Hughes back on morning radio somewhere in this town.

3.  Shakeup Mayhem at 790.

ICAM on point three. Steven "Brisket" Shapiro has no business being on the air. Mike Bell, while talented, gets in the way too. I have been a huge fan of Domino and Cellini for about seven years. They were great on middays, excellent in PM drive and now re-united they sound as good as ever together. Let the Bottom Line have that show to themselves and move Bell to middays with Chernoff or make him a "comic contributor." Brisket needs to stay in sales with Steve Saltzman. BTW, Brisket Bits may be the worst show on the radio ever! All he does is shill for his restaurant buddies who most likely repay him with free meals. Enough!

[DashRiprock]

With all the hills and trees, Atlanta needs better coverage for XM's terrestrial signal.

[gravelgertie]

A station that has more than a handful of tunes on their playlist.  I know - I know, research tells management
that too many songs are a tune out but has any operation ever had an expanded playlist?  On an oldies station for istance, go back an grab songs that barely cracked the Top 40 list instead of playing only those that made the top 10 over and over and over again.  Honestly, weren't those tunes run-into-the-ground first
time around?  Country music radio does it too --- George Jones DID have more than two or three hits so
why not play them instead of wearing out the same old songs day in and day out!

[Twitch]

With all the hills and trees, Atlanta needs better coverage for XM's terrestrial signal.

I'll second that!

[Neil Millman]

A station that has more than a handful of tunes on their playlist.  I know - I know, research tells management
that too many songs are a tune out but has any operation ever had an expanded playlist?  On an oldies station for istance, go back an grab songs that barely cracked the Top 40 list instead of playing only those that made the top 10 over and over and over again.  Honestly, weren't those tunes run-into-the-ground first
time around?  Country music radio does it too --- George Jones DID have more than two or three hits so
why not play them instead of wearing out the same old songs day in and day out!

Sadly, that's what iPods/mp3 players are for (BTW, I just bought one, welcome to the end of the 20th Century. Can anyone help me get my eight tracks on it?). The "research" shows that people who listen to radio only want to hear "Satisfaction"from the Stones because that's the only one they know. That's the only one they know because radio only plays that one song. Yossarian lives! Your complaint is shared by many who listen to radio.

At work I listen to stations that don't play the same 30 songs into the ground (WOXY, KGSR, WXRT, Virgin Radio or my station at Launchcast) it's great hearing songs that I forgot about every once in a while. Too bad the PD's around the country just don't get that.

Would it kill Kicks to play "Stranger in the House" or "You Never Even Call Me by My Name"?

[wooder]

[/quote]

 BTW, Brisket Bits may be the worst show on the radio ever! All he does is shill for his restaurant buddies who most likely repay him with free meals. Enough!
[/quote]

Another ignorant quote showing any lack of real knowledge about the industry from Neil Millman. Has it ever occured to you that Steak Tips is a sponsor-driven show by those restaurants? That is, those restaurants actually pay to be on the show. It's a revenue source for the station and one that is very common throughout the industry. Again, I know you're not aware of this, Neil, but radio stations exist to make money, not to please the .00000001% of the population who wants to hear deep cuts from Radiohead.

[Slider7]

I agree with you wooder.....

But "Sulk" is a good friggin' song!!!!

[Neil Millman]

. Again, I know you're not aware of this, Neil, but radio stations exist to make money, not to please the .00000001% of the population who wants to hear deep cuts from Radiohead.

When I'm PD of DAVE-FM, we will have an all-deep cuts from Radiohead weekend. I can't wait to play "Sulk" and "A Punch-Up at a Wedding." Now we are talking.