The death of Rock Radio. Why do you think this is?

Just before midnight on February 24th, Y100, the last modern-rock station in Philadelphia, played the final notes of Pearl Jam's 1992 breakthrough hit "Alive" and faded to silence. When the music resumed a few minutes later, Y100 had become the Beat -- Philly's newest hip-hop station.
In the past six months, three other major-market rock stations have folded -- Washington, D.C.'s WHFS, Miami's WZBT and Houston's KLOL. And more closings are coming: At press time, New York's K-Rock is reportedly considering a format flip after morning-show DJ Howard Stern leaves for satellite radio in 2006. Ratings for rock radio have been in decline for at least six years, with audiences shrinking by nearly twenty percent. With urban and Hispanic formats increasing nationwide, rock is getting squeezed out.

In Y100's twelve years on the air, it helped break artists such as Beck, Weezer and Good Charlotte. When the station switched formats, Interpol's scheduled interview to promote a Philadelphia gig was canceled. "It's a huge blow for fans and for bands that Y100 closed and that other stations are closing," says Interpol manager Brandon Schmidt, a Philadelphia native. "To think that the sixth-largest radio market in the country has no place to play new bands is kind of hard to believe."

Mainstream rock has been hit the hardest: Album-oriented rock stations that rely on staples like Three Doors Down have seen listenership fall seventy percent since 1998. Meanwhile, stations that play harder bands like Godsmack and Alter Bridge haven't developed a larger audience. The poor numbers have left programmers complaining about the quality of recent music. "Some good new bands are getting airplay," says Dave Wellington, program director at Boston's WBCN, a station that plays a mix of modern and classic rock. "But nothing has really emerged as the new grunge, a single style that creates a massive radio movement."

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http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/7092231/beck?pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single1&rnd=1110386562489&has-player=false

There's no need to devide it into hard and soft.

I'm a huge BCN fan by the way. I miss those mofo's.

Who are you talking about?

Was my station when I lived in Boston in the late 70's early 80's it was good

They killed thier lineup and changed thier programs. I think it was about the time they fired Opie and Anthony that I gave up on them. They used to be cutting edge but now play the same dribble as every other station on the airwaves. I listen to WAAF now mostly and I forget the call letters for it, but theres a NH station 101.1FM that plays a good songlist. Hard to get good reception here in Boston sometimes though.

Because rock is dying
Gone are skilled musicians like Pink Floyd yes and Alan Parsons And prog rock masters

Gone is metal that was fun like Twisted sister,or Alice Cooper.
Gone is the exuberance of punk,like Dead Kennedy's or Ramones
Gone is rock like the Smiths,the Cure, REM,or Depeche mode

Gone is good industrial like Front Line Assembly or Gary Neuman
Good Charlotte, are good so is Evanescence, and Cold play but there are not many bands left like them,not enough to fill a 24 hour station.


Rock now listen to the lyrics.. It is about despair. Listening to stories of abuse,sex(not relationships)murder(not even goofy violence like Gwar) and kill yourself,life is one long misery,I hate you really does nothing to get a person motivated about living life.It certainly does nothing to empower you. It speaks to depression,despair,lovelessness and insecurity.
It's all the same samples and loops, and crappy singing no one remembers how to be a virtuoso,even with samples helping.

Sometimes I think rock is dying by design, Fans never got to pick the music after a certain point. Where will rock fans go? to pay radio? To CHRISTIAN ROCK?
To making their own music locally?
To the web with file sharing and MP3's.?

Rock is dying because people have had their fill of despair.
And reality is dis empowering for alot of people with Bush fucking everything he touches up..The world is losing hope and the music is the song of dis empowering we are living through.How many angst filled dirges about suicide can one take with a technobeat without it effecting your outlook on life?
The two trends in our culture and in real life,This violence,foreboding and fear of the future with no resolutions experienced side by side with musical pain and suffering with no resolution in sight are emotionally unbearable.
The Beatles moved a generation because they were fresh,AND spoke of hope love and life and art in the midst of tragedy.They sang well wrote well and knew how to play instruments.

There are no bands that can speak to the heart of the hurting without causing more pain or a dissociative trance or appeals to violence or suicide..No bands speak a way out of this that inspires.
Everything has been done in music,and we still judge music by "novelty".Raw shock even fails to get attention and inspire now.
Everything on TV is violent,gross,crass,coarse, or syrupy to the point of ludicrousness. Radio is like TV in alot of ways.Howard Stern made his fortune on Misogyny dressed up in sexual exploitation kink and farts.He wasn't always a career asshole..

This lack of an appreciation of beauty, love and hope expressed in a way that can translate into real life found in music and art I think speaks volumes about our cultural despair.
It is despair because no one has a vision to share that can affect meaning in a way that can effect life and begin a new dream for all of us.
Pink Floyd had epic sounds,drama, mystery and weird but it was not all bad,Alice cooper was funny and playful and morbid too..Depeche mode was mysterious and artistic even depressed but they too were not suicidal.These bands were not psychologically a recipe for major depression.I think NineInchNails(Trent would sing songs like hurt where in the video he time lapsed filmed his pet dog who died, rotting away)Did damage. If you sang along,with NIN songs you'd sing negitive self-statements in first person like, " I wear this crown of shit" Negative self affirmations affect people just ask anyone who has faced alot of verbal abuse... Bands for awhile were obsessed on negativity,they sung negative self image lyrics,bands, offered endless misery ,pain with NO RESOLUTION in the song,no end,misery that never changed in the song,This I think killed rock.

It wasen't what fundies were skeered off the outrageous devil imagery..what killed rock is far more subtle and psychologically profound than anything a crusader for protecting children from obsenity ever mentioned.It wasen't violence or anger in music it was dispair without end that is so painful.

Misery and abuse with no way out being glorified in music ,in a way that made sure the issues were not resolved psychologically had shock novelty at first,after a few years of this it wears your heart down,and I think alot of people maybe feel this way about certain music..And I think that was the beginning of the end for rock.
Rock became like one way Therapy,for troubled musicians to dump the poisons of their own lives into the lives of millions of fans who in turn were dealing with their own issues,sometimes brought up by the existential crisis in music they listen to alot. When I listen to bands like NIN,for too long I feel depressed.I feel morbid and my heart is heavier,because like it or not music creates a psychological,emotional atmosphere for the listener,that is one reason music is worth listening to at all..I have no NIN CD's anymore because I found they were not helping me cope with this fucked up world NIN just made me hate it and feel I could do nothing to make it better..When I stopped listening,I felt better,more often.

Just some thoughts.








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Bands form, create material, and hone their images in the interest of becoming BAND, INCORPORATED.
Not that this is new. Some great bands of the past may have started out full of hunger and passion, but then realized they had to continue turning out Product in order to keep the $$ coming...
Sadly, it's more the exception than the rule of my many favorite bands. Most started out great, then they went on to SUCK, mostly due to profit motives.
But now, NOTHING is done for art's sake. It's all about Product, and it shows. That's why mediocrity prevails. But, it's coming back to bite the music industry in the ass, as evidenced by sagging CD sales, lower turnout for concerts - and the fading away of rock radio.

Of course, there are a few rockers I like that emerged after that (Sheryl Crow is an example) but to be truthful, I think rock reached a crescendo about that time, as the radio station in Phily saw it that way too.

I have ceased watching the Grammy Awards. Except for a few pop artists that I occasionally recognize, such as Nora Jones, most of the artists' are connecting with a newer generation. In my view, it's too bad they don't show awards for blues, jazz, classical, or folk, as personally, I think those areas are still kickin' compared to the "pop" or "rock" scenes. When someone on the DU says "Hail to Buddy Guy", my heart smiles. He and the true bluesmen are better than A LOT of music that makes the Grammy awards, or occasionally, the late night talk shows, or SNL. I was glad to read Ray Charles won more awards this year (bless him and sorry he is gone), but by the by, the Grammies ought to be renamed the Rap or bad music awards.

I suppose each generation to its own. I don't listen to regular radio anymore as I switched to XM a year ago, and I listen to the standards, 60-80's, jazz, folks, blend (a new station that emerged), or sports. I'm not putting the new rock down, but to me, there is nothing new, and rap doesn't appeal to me either. Most of rock today is DOA by the time it hits the freeper controlled stations anyway.

Thanks for the article. It expressed a lot of my own feelings, and I guess I'm just getting crotchity in my middle age. :-)

That was when Rock really started to die.

All The Darkness Sure Gets Old..I'm Tired Of It..

in my opinion and I think most real rock critics. Alice Cooper (minus maybe like 1 song) and Twisted Sister are as bad and lame as anything else. And Good Charlotte and Evanasence define pseudo-music.

Sorry dude I can't read the rest of your speech.

And most of those rock stations started playing more heavy meatal. At least the ones I've listened to. Linkin Park is not an acceptable replacement for alternative bands like Weezer and Beck.

Many of those stations have also been slow to play new rock that is any good. It seems like they get stuck in a heavy metal rut so they're slow to play something like the Hives or White Stripes. Q101 in Chicago is pretty good, but sometimes I don't feel like listening to three screaming, boring songs to hear one good new one.

A local rock station out here in Baltimore Maryland on 99.1 called WHFS The Station was suddely changed to a hispanic format.The owners gave no heads up to klisteners they just changed it one day.There was a HUGE outcry..and folks got some money together and bought the station's CD collection,format and and call letters.They rehired some of the old DJ's. Again, HFS lives,on 105.7 only at night tho. Because they are not at the mercy of the same lame ass corporate types and are now owned by rock fans for rock fans HFS ROCKS my ass off everynight.It's better than ever.And they play the GOOD shit too!

talentless and disposable crap like Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson down our throats than to spend the money and time to nurture real musical artists. Corporate control of play lists at radio stations across the country make it almost impossible for new acts to break through locally and for new music to be heard. Regardless of the style or format, all music these days seems to sound the same. Listen to a rap station, all the rap songs sound the same. The same goes with rock, pop, and country. It's a corporate formula that has to be adhered to to get play time, and this is on a nationwide basis. This process just sucks the life out of any creativity that might rear it's head.

Because they have none themselves.

I've given up on local radio. I listen exclusively to Satellite radio via Sirius. Plenty of good rock there. Corporate shills=talentless face people with a voice. No musical talent, nuthin'.

in "The Last DJ":

"Well you can't turn him into a company man
You can't turn him into a whore
And the boys upstairs just don't understand anymore
Well the top brass don't like him talking so much,
And he won't play what they say to play
And he don't want to change what don't need to change."

Partly by too many songs about depression and by formulaic music courtesy of our corporate shills.

It's being killed, I believe, as a part of the campaign to stamp out dissent in the country I love.

Give my love to the mountains, wouldja? I spent one of the best years of my life there.

but MSM rock radio wont take the chance to play it.

You have to hunt, but it's out there.

Radio is pretty much a wasteland.

Although I did read about one station that was breaking the mold, so to speak, and had a playlist made up of thousands of songs. Not sure how they did at playing new / mostly unknown artists, but at least the listeners were happy not being bombarded with the same 20 songs over and over (and over and over).

iPod

Whose stations play the same old tired rock songs over and over again because their MBA corporate executives do market tests to determine which five songs people want to hear. And that's all they play.

Same shit,different day on their oldies station here in Wichita. Same 50 songs over and over,same old tired Eagles songs,same Motown songs. Its a fucking joke,I'm about to move to satellite radio for good.

Quit listening a couple of years ago and went to livestream instead. I have paid for it in the past but not anymore. I listen to our fellow DUer's on their shows, otherwise I listen to Egg Radio (no commercials, free).I enjoy the idea of supporting people whom I chat w/ and the other-it's a new station and I can make suggestions via call-in or on the message boards. For people who miss what radio used to be they need to turn to the internet.
BTW-the clips are great. (just played the "More Cowbells " clip). If interested, I can put up a link for you.

But I'm certainly not gonna say that people won't, or shouldn't, listen to music that's all about despair. We always have-- from all those '50s Teen Angel death songs to Black Sabbath to Nine Inch Nails-- and I don't see where we have any less reason to do so now. As the old cliche goes, "I paint what I see."

The people whose job it is to market rock'n'roll to us listeners have perfected their tools to a fare-thee-well over the last 30 years. They know how to package and promote a facade of energetic, galvanizing, but completely safe and non-threatening pseudo-rebellion and ersatz empowerment. And that's all most of us want anyway, a chance to kick off the dust and connect with the Woodstock of our imaginations.

I haven't liked a new band or new artist, it occurs to me, since Frank Zappa died.

Modern rock and 'punk' (I use this term very loosely) rock both make my ears bleed. The only good rock out there is indie rock, but 90% of that is shite as well. Oh well in San Diego there are three different rock stations, none of which I listen too, so if you want rock move here :P

And kids seem to be loving that stuff, and a station that would play Tool would never play anything from the Bravery.

Usher and 50 Cent are the new rock stars.

Hip Hop and R&B cannot be pinpointed to the demise of quality modern rock as it has been popular for a very long time now, coexisting during the heyday of grunge when both genres were in full force.

I think hip hop is just the rage right now.

Nothing against the music but I mean, 3 could pretty much cover the area and provide variety.

BTW, one of the other stations that was originally grunge/alternative that switched to hip-hop is now gospel

and in the car.We got free tix to Steve Earle at the Electric Factory in October for being Members!:yourock: :loveya: :yourock:

That has a very powerful signal across the river in Council Bluffs, IA. It plays a wide variety of rock including local bands and since it's purpose is not to make money I don't expect it will ever switch formats. Mainstream rock has been pretty bad since the mid 90's with only flashes of hope here and there. I have been encouraged though lately as it seems the quality of music has been going up in the last year. Still not anything to get real excited about, but you never know when something huge is just around the corner.

I will say I was disappointed that the Strokes/Hives/White Stripes/Vines style didn't get any farther than it did. I thought that was what would save rock for a while.

http://www.petitiononline.com/zetazeta/petition.html

Miami's great and only alt rock/classic rock station 94.9 ZETA went dark about a month ago and was replaced by a Spanish hip hop station.

The Petition says:

To: Clear Channel Communications
We, the undersigned, herein having duly sworn our belief and faith in this petition, do solemnly state that:

1) We believe the removal of Zeta, 94.9 WZTA will be detrimental to Clear Channel in the Miami area;

2) We firmly believe that Clear Channel Broadcasting is removing a beloved and frequented station from out dials;

3) We feel that there are more than enough Spanish rock, and hip-hop stations in the Miami metro region:

a) There currently exist, ## Spanish rock stations in the Miami metro region.
b) There currently exist, ## hip-hop stations in the Miami metro region.
c) With the removal of Zeta, 94.9 WZTA there currently exist ZERO (0) alternative rock stations in the Miami metro region;

4) To express our displeasure, we affirm that we, the undersigned, will boycott all Clear Channel stations and Clear Channel-sponsored events until such time at Zeta, 94.9 WZTA is returned to the air, with original DJs and format (returning this station to the air on a different FM frequency is acceptable).

This petition will be circulated and routinely forwarded to both Clear Channel corporate headquarters AND Clear Channel Miami headquarters, until such time as Zeta, 94.9 WZTA is returned to the air in its original format.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

called it quits in 2000. Just old Hardcore and goth/wave now.