Radio Waves Podcast #281

 Radio: January 15, 2021

Have you ever binge-watched one of those home shows such as “Love It or Leave It,” and noticed that every episode has some major problem show up at the same time in every episode? That’s because, like all “reality” shows, they are all scripted. There are no surprises, just scripts that the producers feel will be good television.

 

And while it may make for some interesting home improvement ideas, once you know that the shows are far from reality, you are left feeling a little bit cheated; a little hollow.

 

That’s the feeling I get when listening to The Morning Mess on Amp Radio (97.1 FM). Scripted. Cheated. Hollow.

 

The Mess has been heard on Amp since August of last year, though it has been heard on Phoenix, Arizona’s Live 105 FM since 2013. The show features Joey Boy (aka Nachoo), Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepard and Karla Hernandez talking, calling, and playing a lot of music. 

 

It’s a show I really wanted to like. The team exudes friendliness and fun, something that I think the world could use more of. But it also exudes an artificial feeling that is just too hard to shake. Everything just seems to be too contrived, too convenient.

 

One of the staples of the show is a variation of the old Candid Phones done by Rick Dees years ago on KIIS-FM (102.7) and that guy who replaced Dees — Ryan Seacrest — who does a segment called Ryan’s Roses. The Mess does Nachoo’s Revenge… The idea is that someone sets up a story, the station calls an unsuspecting person to be pranked, and hilarity ensues.

 

The problem is - like all such calls, they are fake. They have to be: it is absolutely illegal to do them. According to Section 73.1206 of the FCC’s rules, it is prohibited to broadcast, or record for purposes of broadcast, telephone calls without first getting the consent of the person on the other end of the phone. That means that anyone “pranked” is in on the prank. If they are not, the station risks a huge fine for airing the call. 

 

There are actually actors and writers who can provide the content needed for a morning show to air such calls, and that is exactly how they are done. Consider it reality television on the radio.

But that’s not the only problem with the Mess. Regular listening indicates other calls and segments seem to be rehearsed as well. Last week there was a supposed live caller talking about something when a vulgar word was uttered. To my ears the caller seemed just a little too “polished” to be a typical listener, and I don’t mean that as an insult. Audio quality was just too pristine and the inflections and reactions seemed rehearsed. But when the word was used, instead of the call being “dumped,” in which the station’s delay system causes a noticeable jump in the audio, the word was simply “beeped.” This can’t happen in a live call system and was therefore either rehearsed or was previously recorded and edited.

 

The same day, references to “downtown” were not clear to listeners since the show is based in Phoenix, that the downtown was not Los Angeles. And it continues: it also seems that the hosts are just too conveniently stereotyped for their reactions to issues and events. 

 

Now, it’s certainly not a bad show. But it would be so much better if it were more “real.” If I were station management, I’d be working to let these kids fly. But then, I wouldn’t be relying on a show from out of town.

 

Problems at Entercom

 

It seems that KROQ (106.7 FM) is not the only alternative station having ratings issues in the Entercom-owned chain of stations. Jerry Del Colliano reported this week on his InsideMusicMedia.com  that outside of San Francisco, Seattle and Boston, Entercom’s alternative stations are underperforming both in ratings and revenue.

 

What’s causing the problem? Lack of events and concerts due to the COVID shutdown is certainly an issue, says Del Colliano, but a major problem is self-inflicted: The alternative format was among the first to go with regional and national DJs in an effort to cut costs, and listeners have responded by moving on to other stations.

 

KROQ fares better than most when it comes to local talent, but there are problems. Stryker and Klein (5 a.m. to 10 a.m.) are local, but syndicated to four other stations so they lose the local flavor. Same with Nicole Alvarez (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)  and Megan Holiday (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.); Kevan Kenney (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.) is syndicated from New York, as is overnighter Bryce Segall. So in total, none of KROQ’s broadcast day is dedicated to truly local programming.

Imagine the stations in which the talent isn’t even in the same city … ever. 

 

Radio thrives when it’s live, local and a true part of the community. You can’t do that when you rely on syndication and cost-cutting. But you already know that.