/mourn

[Legitimate]

I don't normally rant about anything related to corporate America, but this is one that I actually do feel strongly about.

Yesterday, 12 January, at noon, Infinity Broadcasting killed one of the oldest alt rock stations in the country, Annapolis-based WHFS, and converted it to a Spanish music station.

Now, I only moved to the vortex of lost souls that is the DC-Baltimore metropolitan area two years ago, but I did come from the NY-NJ Metro area where we had all of one rock station thanks to corporations like Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel that killed the other stations and changed them to something else overnight.

That, as it turns out, was almost literally what happened to WHFS. At 6 p.m. on 11 January, the station's GM was given the news. At 10 a.m. the morning of the programming change the morning show DJs were informed after their show. And at noon the station changed without any notification at all. Some of the staff found out as little as one hour before the change.

Again, I haven't lived here that long, but the station's reputation is interesting. They say that Bruce Springstein used to stop by the station while he was still playing clubs. They were the first American station to play a number of groups including The Cure, Jet, and Good Charlotte.

Now they're "El Zol."

Anyway, any of you doom djs who find this as aggravating as I do, consider this a permanent request to play Dope - "Die" as a dedication from me to Infinity Broadcasting.

Terese

[Jairyn]

I believe I'm not the only one of the DJs around here who will admit to Clear Channel and Infinity Sucking.

[Nexeus]

I would also admit to the clear suckage of Clear/Infinity and being from the NYC area I know all about the single rock station sucktitude that there is (well there really are more than just one, there's also WNEW - the one Opie and Anthony were on I think).

Although I understand the aggrivation - I'm also the same type of person who's always a promoter for new and alternative music - particularly spanish and other music from other languages.

So it could have been worse - it could have been the Britney Spears pop.

[Tarryk]

We had similar instances in recent and long history here in Mid-Michigan.

92.1 "The Edge" was a fantastic and long-standing station with a great mix of contemporary rock; it was here up until last year, when they switched to a simulcast (a SIMULCAST!!!) of a crappy little AM band sports station.

95 FM "The Buzz" was a great radio station in this area that I followed and listened to regularly for many years. It was shut down and replaced with "Classic Rock 94-9" -- which is one of the six generic stations I now schedule and produce for, ironically enough.

Broadcast radio still has the market, but the market needs a kick in the ass.

As does Infinity, Clear Channel, and Citadel.

[Sanqq]

Noooooo....!

It's been years since I've really been around the Baltimore/DC area, but I have really fond memories of WHFS and the HFStival. *sighs* Stupid corporate America.

But, Nexeus does have a point: it could have been worse (though not much).

[Demongirl]

105.1 The Edge in Detroit was a newer rock station in the late 90s and was giving heavy competition and still gaining popularity over 88.7, 89X, when... one night many employees were laid off and the station altered formats completely due to these corporations, I don't recall which one it was but my coworker at the time was always hanging out with them at the station and she was able to verify what I had heard: most DJs received a couple hours notice of their loss. It's bad enough they're ruining the radio stations that actually play decent music, they should at least give a notice to the staff of upcoming changes. seriously since around 1990-91 89X was the top rock/alternative station and this new station nearly took that title from them just prior to the switch. It's just sad.


back street boys
boys to men
i never want to hear that crap again
there's nothing good on the radio
nothing!
matchbox 20 - once was plenty
alternajunk
giving me a headache
there's nothing good on the radio
nothing!
no bands that rock get played today
mr.
radio programmer
playing it safe
you spin you're dial looking for the clash
and all you hear is worthless trash
there's nothing good on the radio
nothing!
puff daddy sucks,
that's for sure
almost as bad as tupoc shakur
from jewel to mariah carey
it's all so horrible
all so scary
everything on the dial sounds so lame
everything on the dial sounds the same!

Nothing Good on the Radio - Down By Law

[Ashval]

Heh...those lyrics fit so well, Demongirl.

[Boinky]

The only real Alternative station in my area that was around before Alternative really existed ended up in the hands of Clear Channel. A few years back they up and fired all the DJs(including the morning show guys who were top rated in town at the time) and went to a softer & more Top 40-ish format with overnight sans DJs. It sucked. But a little over a year later they started a new station a few numbers up the dial (92.1 was old station 96.3 is new) with essentially the exact same format as the old one they tanked. Only got 1 of the old DJs back, but he was always the best one IMHO anyway so thats OK.

Have hope. Sometimes Clear Channel can be forced to make a good decision as well as all the bad ones they make.

[Legitimate]

Clear Channel owns DC101, another area rock station and one of HFS's competitors. Apparently last year there were rumors that Clear Channel was going to do this exact same thing to DC101 that Infinity did to HFS. And now those rumors are popping up again since some think that Clear Channel will try to compete with El Zol.

So, I hate them all right now. The Junkies in the Morning, HFS's morning show and the best one in town imo, were moved up the dial to another station owned by Infinity, but were also handed a disadvantage in that they were pushed to noon to 3 p.m. instead of the morning slot. Most of us are hoping that El Zol will fail (believe it or not I'm Hispanic and still hope it'll fail) and that within a year or two maybe Infinity will do what Clear Channel did in your example Boinky. I'm not too optimistic about it, but accidents do happen.

[Darth Bootay]

I don't listen to real radio often. Mostly, it's mediocre programming at best. But I had this... thing... for WHFS left over from my late highschool early college days. You know - back when they really were alternative - instead of being mildly alternative pop.

But when I got in the car with Cambion and we turned on the radio the other day... and spanish salsa music started happening inside our gothmobile -- I freaked. The owners of WHFS should suffer an eternity of capitol loss and eventual bankruptcy for putting the last nail in something that was once golden.

Curse them.

[Aameul]

105.1 The Edge in Detroit was a newer rock station in the late 90s and was giving heavy competition and still gaining popularity over 88.7, 89X, when... one night many employees were laid off and the station altered formats completely due to these corporations, I don't recall which one it was but my coworker at the time was always hanging out with them at the station and she was able to verify what I had heard: most DJs received a couple hours notice of their loss. It's bad enough they're ruining the radio stations that actually play decent music, they should at least give a notice to the staff of upcoming changes. seriously since around 1990-91 89X was the top rock/alternative station and this new station nearly took that title from them just prior to the switch. It's just sad.

89x has been around for longer than that. They've been playing alternative music/modern rock since before Nirvana and Pearl Jam made it "cool" to be alternative. I don't much remember 105.1 being alternative but that was while I was in college I think. Thankfully 89x (which isn't as good now as it was back in the day, but is still pretty decent) is probably immune Clear Channel/Infinity since it is CIMX - a canadian radio station.

The funniest ever format switch in Detroit history was 99.5. Way back when, mid to late '80s, 99.5 "The Fox" was a pop/rock station. The staff got word that they'd be going to a country format and they weren't too happy about it. They began playing the Garth Brooks song "I got friends in low places" 24/7, interspersed with features on the "99 ways to skin a fox". It was absolutely hilarious! I don't know how they got away with it for as long as they did, but it went on for a few days before they got the DJ's off the air. Eventually they went to a test pattern (i.e. a bland voice counting or some crap) before they finally switched to country.

[Gridfan]

At least you all got Gridstream

[Nexeus]

Good point Gridfan....

Although you didn't tell them that GridStream is going to be taken over by KittyStream!!!!!! A new online radio station that features 24/7 Cat Meowing!

[Maephina]

I don't normally rant about anything related to corporate America, but this is one that I actually do feel strongly about.

Yesterday, 12 January, at noon, Infinity Broadcasting killed one of the oldest alt rock stations in the country, Annapolis-based WHFS, and converted it to a Spanish music station.

Now, I only moved to the vortex of lost souls that is the DC-Baltimore metropolitan area two years ago, but I did come from the NY-NJ Metro area where we had all of one rock station thanks to corporations like Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel that killed the other stations and changed them to something else overnight.

That, as it turns out, was almost literally what happened to WHFS. At 6 p.m. on 11 January, the station's GM was given the news. At 10 a.m. the morning of the programming change the morning show DJs were informed after their show. And at noon the station changed without any notification at all. Some of the staff found out as little as one hour before the change.

Again, I haven't lived here that long, but the station's reputation is interesting. They say that Bruce Springstein used to stop by the station while he was still playing clubs. They were the first American station to play a number of groups including The Cure, Jet, and Good Charlotte.

Now they're "El Zol."

Anyway, any of you doom djs who find this as aggravating as I do, consider this a permanent request to play Dope - "Die" as a dedication from me to Infinity Broadcasting.

Terese

OMFG HFS DID WHAT?!?!?!?!
No ...nonononono....
/cries

well..on a side at least there is still 98 Rock. And that station kicks ass with the doomage.

[Legitimate]

Yeah, there's 98 Rock (who immediately on hearing the news threw an on-air celebration and started trying to gobble up all the old HFS fans) and DC101 that remain. DC101, to their credit, started running ads on their station honoring HFS and their DJs and promising to do salutes to HFS music in the coming days and weeks. Still, I miss HFS's morning show (which was the best of the three imo) and I miss having a station to turn to when the others are in commercial. I find myself switching to AM a lot more often now.

[Coltess]

OK.... I'll admit I like bubblegum pop and happy country music and know absolutely didley about music since I never listen to radio (comercials suck).
Maybe y'alls should look into getting XM Radio or Serius. They both seem to have plenty of rock stations. And you never have to change the dial no matter where you go in the continental US (I think (too lazy to read their websites ))
http://www.xmradio.com/
http://www.sirius.com/
Or if you have cable TV there are usually radio channels included, at least there is with Time Warner in Houston.
And if y'all are still sad and depressed, just remember it could be worse. It could be all organ music, all the time...

[williamohms]

Yeah I never post but figured I would

The whole thing sucks to me. I used to listen to a certain station in Michigan which would be 94.1 for Tarryk It was a country station yes I know eww but hey

Anyhow one night driving home from work at 11:59 I was listening to a song playing and right at 12:00 the station changed formats to Rock (the old crew of 95FM WVIC took over the station and made it the new 95 FM I guess)

Anyhow I listen to many different types of music depending on my fancy at the time. And i hate when I can't tune into a long time station because of these formatting changes.