Richard's column for this week:
Radio: July 6, 2018
The timing was perfect.
I
had been thinking about the fact that it is hard to find “good” new
music on the radio. Or anywhere else, it seems. What brought it to a
head, ironically, was an ad on SiriusXM’s PopRock channel in which
someone said it was their favorite channel because “I know every song.”
I’m
not sure why but that struck a nerve in me. As much as I spend my time
living in the past -- my wife Jean will attest to that -- sometimes it
is not by choice. Perhaps by ignorance, but not always choice. I just
have a hard time finding new music I like, and it is easier to go with
the tried and true.
Problem
is, I don’t want to be “one of those guys” who no longer evolves
musically. That guy -- like my Dad -- who only listens to music of my
youth. I don’t want to know every song!
So
it was akin to the aligning of the planets when I recently attended a
reunion of local radio personalities at Fuddruckers. I happened to meet
Lee Wade, writer and editor of BoomerMusicUpdate.Com,
an internet site dedicated to finding new music that may be of interest
to the Baby Boom generation. “We find current songs that are similar on
style to songs Boomers grew up with,” Wade explained.
My
interest was piqued. Especially when I found out that the curator
behind the songs is none other than Dave “The Duke” Sholin, a former
personality and programmer of the legendary KFRC/San Francisco. Sholin
is considered by many to be a top programmer and music director, able to
pick out hits ... and he picked many of the hits played on KFRC, the
influential Bay Area version of KHJ (930 AM) here in Los Angeles.
Boomer
Music Update is much like a blog -- Wade has been a writer and editor
for online blogs as well as newspapers including the Riverside Press
Enterprise and the Pasadena Star News -- that also features the songs
being compared. Categories include Pop, Top-40, County, Alternative, and
“Everything Goes,” which can include, well, anything.
Can
a blog get you up to speed on new music? It’s certainly worth a try.
Check it out for yourself and let me know your thoughts.
The Chucker Speaks
The
interview Michael Stark and I did with Chuck Martin --one of KHJ’s best
program directors ever -- was scheduled to hit the netwaves on July
4th. You can hear it at tinyurl.com/RadioChucker.
Martin
was the last programmer of KHJ before they went Country in November,
1980. He is the man responsible for bringing Rick Dees to Los Angeles,
putting together an amazing staff, and super-serving the KHJ audience by
making the station energetic and rhythmic. The result was the fastest
increase in ratings the station ever saw and the highest ratings the
station had seen in years ... or since.
The
passion Martin has for radio is infectious, and he still has the
knowledge and enthusiasm of radio programming, marketing and promotions
that is unfortunately missing from so many stations today.
While
Martin spends much of the time talking about KHJ, the interview spans
his entire career from his earliest days to his time at K-WEST (now
KPWR, 105.9 FM) and beyond. It’s long but if you are a fan or top-40,
KHJ or radio in general, I think you will like it.
Curtain Call
The
interview with Martin was the last we were able to do before the “final
broadcast” of the LA Radio Studio, which is located in part of the
Ports O Call Village in San Pedro slated for demolition.
The
studio itself is a public service of Jayme Wilson, located a short walk
from the Ports O Call Restaurant that he owns. Live and recorded
podcasts have originated from the studio for the past eight years;
popular shows include Phil Hulett and Friends as well as Radio Waves,
hosted by me and Stark among others.
June 29th was the last scheduled podcast, and it was an all-day event. Stark described the day:
“Friday
was a great celebration of our eight-year history on the waterfront. I
was blown away by the friends, supporters and fellow broadcasters who
stopped by for our ‘last broadcast’ from this current location. There
are many video clips of the event available on the LA Radio Studio
YouTube channel (YouTube.Com/LARadioStudio).
“I
can't thank Phil Hulett enough for anchoring the seven-hour event, with
Ted ‘Thrashpie’ Prichard and ‘Gonzo’ Greg Spillane co-hosting.
“There
is a saying that you are only as good as your last gig ... and I'm
proud of this studio's ‘last gig.’ We WILL be back soon.”
The
last Hulett show and the remaining hours of the “final broadcast” are
streaming continually until further notice. Access via LARadioStudio.Com.
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