NEW MUSIC (that I like)... NOW!

Christina Milian feat. Young Jeezy - Say I

This is smooth flow R&B the way smooth flow R&B should be.  A great instrumental track, a great vocals, a catchy hook and verses that don't let the rest of the song down.  I can't say for sure it will be a huge track, but it'll definitely get some good airtime.

 

Eminem feat. Nate Dogg - Shake That Ass

I think I've mentioned it before.  Raunchy, yes, and I'd definitely look for (or do myself) some heavier editing than what WKFR has been playing before I put it on the air (were I an MD), but the beat can't be ignored.  It's just too hot to pass on.

 

Fort Minor - Remember The Name

Think Linkin Park meets pure hip-hop.  That might be because it... well, basically is.  The strings on this track are extremely catchy.  I haven't been able to get them out of my head since I first heard the song performed on The Tonight Show.

 

Goldfrapp - Ooh La La

This is interesting... I wonder if it will do well on the heels of Rihanna's S.O.S.  The beat is similar (of course this track is purely original, whereas Rihanna used the instrumental track from Soft Cell's Tainted Love... or at least reproduced it), and S.O.S. seems to have blown up.  Can Ooh La La follow it successfully?

 

Gorillaz - Dare

We used this for pre-game during this past volleyball season at the school I P.A. announce for, and it never really caught on.  No one got into it.  I like it... it's weird, but it has a cool sound to it... but I don't see this getting much airplay.

 

Kelly Clarkson - Walk Away

Wow!  Just... WOW!  Hit after hit... is she ever gonna stop?  I hope not!  This track is what I like to call an "impulse track"... minimalist to the extent that the bass guitar and bass drum drive tempo with as little involvement as possible.  And while it's very easy to screw up an attempt at an impulse track, this one hits the mark beautifully!

 

LL Cool J feat. J. Lo - Control Myself

This is totally 80's.  I can't remember for the life of me what the name of the song this track samples is.  I remember Power 96 playing it all the time on live party broadcasts... it's a 100% Miami track... and yet I can't remember it's name.  ARGH!!!

 

Sean Paul - Temperature

He's on fire with this album, isn't he?

 

Until next time, don't scratch anything you're not sure about.

 

 

Kenny and Footy: The Final Post on the Y-100 Morning Show.

I know that Google, MSN and Yahoo have all linked to my blog when people search for the topic of the breakup of the Kenny & Footy morning show at WHYI, and I've been getting a lot of traffic looking for answers to the question "What happened to Kenny & Footy?"  That's mostly because of the discussion I posted about how poorly WHYI is doing in the ratings right now.  I did touch on Kenny leaving the station (he was actually fired), but it was not in the context of that topic alone.

 

Once and for all, here's what I've been able to find from various sources.

 

Kenny was fired the morning of his final show.  He didn't have any prior warning, at least not that he had told anyone.  However, the firing was not over anything he did.  Radio stations, from time to time, find it necessary to move on and do some "housecleaning".  Radio isn't a very stable industry when it comes to individuals staying in one place for a very long period of time.  Kenny had the privelege to work at Y-100 for ten years, something that's actually pretty rare in radio.

 

Kenny is currently enjoying spending time with his family.  As of my last check on the story (which was last week), he had no plans to move out of South Florida, nor did he have plans to start work for another station.  Whether or not this is the end of the radio road for Kenny Walker... I can't speak for him, but I doubt it.  Once you get little microphones floating in your bloodstream, it's extremely hard to get them out :-)

 

So that's the story (at least for now) on Kenny Walker.

 

You all may now get lives.

 

Wait, what am I saying?  I don't have a life, I post about nothing but radio.  Disregard that last statement.

PayolaGate 2006 Just Keeps Getting Better!

Two articles up today... both coming from ABC through AllAccess.  The first was based on the Primetime broadcast, the second on additional interview material found on ABC News's web site (which was not broadcast).

 

The ABC NEW PRIMETIME payola report finally aired last night (2/16), and CKEY/BUFFALO PD DAVE UNIVERSAL, who was fired last year by crosstown ENTERCOM Top 40 WKSE for allegedly being involved in payola, defended his financial dealings with the record labels. He claimed that payments received by the station didn't constitute payola because requests for funds occurred after songs had been added to the station.

"So he says I was guilty of extortion not bribary," retorted NEW YORK STATE Attorney General ELLIOT SPITZER.

UNIVERSAL claimed that he was just doing his job. "Apparently, I'm the poster boy for payola. Little old me," said UNIVERSAL. ROSS asked, "How much money went through you from all the record companies?" UNIVERSAL responded, "I'd say usually I raised about $100,000 a year... I did really well! I was ENTERCOM's golden boy for a long time."

ROSS and UNIVERSAL had this exchange:

UNIVERSAL: "Did I go back and say, 'whattaya got on this record?' Absolutely! I did that every single time. I would take whatever I thought I could get."

ROSS:  "In your view, there's nothing wrong with that?"

UNIVERSAL: "No, because I'm reinvesting that in the product?"

ROSS: "But isn't that payola?"

UNIVERSAL: Not at all! Because you're making these decisions after the fact."

 

Oh, so just because you take the money after the music is aired doesn't make it illegal?  Pardon my language, but BULLSHIT!  Pay-for-play is still pay-for-play, no matter when you pick up the payoff!  Either this guy has absolutely no sense of right and wrong or he has some sort of mental deficiency.  I can think of no other explanation for such a stupid, stupid comment like that.

UNIVERSAL claimed that the money went to his superiors at ENTERCOM, saying, "It was good for them, because I brought them money in. I was the guy doing the work for them. As much money as I could bring in, the better I looked."

SPITZER reinforced the contention that higher-ups were involved, saying, "Based on the evidence we have seen, some of the radio conglomerates clearly are participating, and knowledge of this and orchestration of this came from the very top." ROSS stated that ENTERCOM CEO DAVID FIELD declined to be interviewed for the program.

 

I think Field declined an interview because he's calculating the best route to take in order to get out of this mess without a mark on his head.  How much do you want to bet he's neck-deep in this?  Say what you will about how people who decline to comment aren't necessarily guilty, but I beg to differ.  If you've got nothing to hide, you talk.  Simple as that.

The show featured quotes from several artists. SEMISONIC drummer JAKE SCHLICHTER talked about how payola allegedly helped the band's hit song "Closing Time" become a major hit. "We definitely benefitted from payola. There's no doubt about it. It cost something like $700-$800 thousand to get 'Closing Time' on the air... to keep it on the air long enough for public taste to really grab onto it."

 

CORRECTION FOR BS FACTOR: "It cost something like $700-$800 thousand to get 'Closing Time' on the air... to keep it on the air long enough for the listeners to figure, 'they're still playing it, so someone must like it.'  We never would have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for all the money waving in MD's faces."
 

ROSS also grabbed a couple of comments regarding PAYOLA from artists on the Red Carpet at last week's GRAMMY AWARDS. TONY BENNETT said, "It costs a lot of money to make something famous," and FOO FIGHTERS' TAYLOR HAWKINS added, "I think back in the 70s they used to pay people with, you know, like hookers and cocaine. But now they're just doing it with straight-up money... so they can go out and buy their own hookers and cocaine."

 

Watch Foo Fighters tracks be involved in this, too.  I laugh just thinking about the possible irony!

 

Here's the second article.

 

As a follow-up to last night's (2/16) ABC NEWS PRIMETIME feature on payola, an article entitled "Poster Boy For Radio Station Payola: Fired Station Employee Says Pay for Play Just Good Business" appeared on the ABC NEWS website this morning containing additional quotes from CKEY/BUFFALO (and former WKSE/BUFFALO) PD DAVE UNIVERSAL, who was interviewed by ABC NEWS reporter BRIAN ROSS.

"If I worked for a company who said 'Don't bring in any money,' I wouldn't have brought in any money. If I worked for a company who said don't go on any trips, I wouldn't have went on any trips. I did what I was doing for my company," said UNIVERSAL, who claimed that he was actually rewarded for his success and the hundreds of thousands of dollars he brought in from record companies.

 

Okay, here's what you do: you look at this from a black-and-white perspective (because this world truly is black and white with no shades of gray) and ask yourself, "is this right or is it wrong?"  If it's wrong, you find another company to work for.  There!  Problem solved!  The fact, Universal, is that what you did was wrong.  It doesn't matter whether your company told you to do it or not... ultimately you were the one who did it!  It comes down to you!  Don't try to dodge this... you're guilty!  End of story!

"I was doing my job for ENTERCOM, and I did it well," said UNIVERSAL. "I was a good negotiator. You know maybe sometimes the labels were a little upset that I was asking for money every single time. But hey, the money's out there. My job's to bring in as much money as I could and it would make me look good."

 

No, Dave, your job was to program your station according to what your listeners wanted to hear.  You instead took money to play music that the labels wanted to get out there... and again, whether they offered the money or you asked for it doesn't matter.
 

UNIVERSAL stressed that he only collected money after the decision had been made to add a song, saying that he never took the money or gifts in exchange for putting a song on the radio he didn't think would be a hit.

 

Doesn't matter.  Still illegal.  Next!

"Honestly I never once in my life ever, ever added a song based on money," said UNIVERSAL, adding, "payola doesn't exist in radio."

 

pffHA!!!  Excuse me... I need to go grab a towel and wipe up the coffee I just blew out my nose!

"The $1,500 they're spending to get us to play that record is money that's really going to go right back in their pocket. They're just investing in their product. What's wrong with that?"

 

IT'S PAY-FOR-PLAY, AND IT'S ILLEGAL YOU IDIOT!  Is Dave Universal truly this stupid?  He's not ignorant... that's not the word to be used here.  There is no doubt in my mind that there is a serious lack of mental capacity here.  If he can't see what's wrong with what he did, there really and truly is something wrong with his brain.  How anyone firing on all cylinders (and even many of those who aren't) can't see the wrong in this is beyond me.

Well whaddaya know?!

Just as I predicted three years ago...

 

(From Radio & Records)

Clear Channel CHR/Rhythmic WGBT/Greensboro will flip to the company's Spanish Oldies "La Preciosa" format tomorrow at 5pm, joining the KSJO/San Jose-based network programmed by Alex Lucas. WGBT (94.5 The Beat) has been Rhythmic since February 2003.

 

I remember saying before Clear Channel even launched WGBT that they would fail miserably.  They faced off against WJMH, a locally-operated heritage Urban CHR station that A) has a lot more street cred than WGBT ever had or ever would have had, and B) knew the market and what would fit it better than Clear Channel ever will.  And where did this little tussle get the big guys?  Nowhere.  In fact, take a look at the 12+ ratings from the past five books:

 

Station

Group Owner

Format

Fa'04

Wi'05

Sp'05

Su'05

Fa'05

WJMH-FM

Entercom

CHR/Rhythmic

6.5

6.8

7.2

6.8

7.7

WGBT-FM

Clear Channel

CHR/Rhythmic

2.1

2.8

4.0

3.7

3.4

 

The Beat never stood a chance.

 

Just like I told you.

ABC News reports on PayolaGate 2006

Click here for the full story.

 

For my commentary, read on.

 

Spitzer says record company documents obtained in the investigation of Sony BMG and Warner, both which have settled with the attorney general, reveal payments for songs that became major hits, including Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" and John Mayer's "Daughters."

With "I'm Real", that's sort of a surprise to me.  At the time it came out, Lopez was doing fairly well.  I doubt the play count would have differed much there had payola not taken place.  On the other hand, "Daughters"... well, does that really surprise anyone?  That's a terrible song... I never understood how it did so well.  Now I do.

 

Other artists whose songs are named in the documents Spitzer has obtained include Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion, Maroon 5, Good Charlotte, Franz Ferdinand, Switchfoot, Michelle Branch and R.E.M.

Jessica Simpson being named doesn't surprise me, nor does Celine Dion.  Maroon 5... that does catch me a little off guard.  Good Charlotte doesn't surprise me in the least.  I've never really payed much attention to Franz Ferdinand, and the radio stations I listen to don't either, so I don't really know what to make of that one.  As for Switchfoot... ouch.  A Christian artist, recently moved to a secular label, getting tangled up in a payola scandal.  If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.  Michelle Branch being on the list is a bit of a surprise.  R.E.M., though... I've heard the things they've put out in the past two years, and I can easily see payola being a necessity to get that stuff on the air.

 

The nine radio conglomerates that have received subpoenas from the attorney general are Clear Channel, Infinity (now CBS Radio), Entercom, Emmis, Citadel, Cumulus, Cox, Pamal and ABC.

I wonder if, in the broadcast version of this, there will be any disclosure about how the parent company of the network owned ABC Radio during the time this investigation was taking place?  They sure don't go out of their way to mention it here.  I know, I know... it's kind of obvious.  But there are those out there who wouldn't make that connection.

Interesting how all the big names (read: everyone I see fit to criticize more than others) are involved.  Why am I not just gasping in amazement here?

"I would like to see the FCC more directly involved in addressing what is very clearly a payola scandal that has run rife through the industry," Spitzer told ABC News.

Good luck with that one.  Getting the FCC to do anything that it should be doing is like trying to get my late bassett hound to obey any command.  It just won't happen.

All in all, no one is going to suffer horribly from this, although they (the record companies and the broadcasters involved) should be paying some pretty harsh penalities... and not just monetary ones.  Some pretty serious overhauls need to be made.  Unfortunately, they won't be, and that will continue to cause problems in the long run.

Quick Update... and music stuff, because I feel like it.

New Night Jock at KZL

J.J. McCain, one of my favorite radio personalities, left WKZL last month.  So who will replace him?  AllAccess reported today that Dick Broadcasting has brought in Tripper from WQZQ in Nashville.  While Tripper is leaving his music director and morning show producer positions at WQZQ, he'll be taking on imaging responsibilities for both KZL and Rock 92.  For my North Carolinian friends: send me some audio, please!

 

Songs Stuck In My Head

1) Rihanna - S.O.S.  Normally I hate it when artists take the music from one song, write new lyrics and change the song entirely, but this is just too hot to dislike!

2) Gwen Stefani - Crash.  Straight-up freestyle, yo!

3) Ashley Parker Angel - Let U Go.  He was absolutely truthful in his interview on Open House Party last Saturday night: this sounds nothing like O-Town, and while I liked O-Town (call me crazy), that's definitely not a bad thing.  This is a great sound that fits him well.

4) Pussycat Dolls - Beep.  Don't get me wrong: I still don't particularly care for the Dolls.  But this song is hot, and I think you're going to see it blow up in terms of airplay pretty soon.

5) Black Eyed Peas - Pump It.  I've been waiting for it to make an impact, and it's beginning to!

 

Songs I'm Sick Of At This Point

1) Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu.  I cannot stand it any longer.

2) Chris Brown - Run It.  I've been calling him a gimmick all along.  I still do.

3) T-Pain - I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper).  It's brand new and I'm already sick of it.  It's repetitive, it's dull... it lacks feeling.

 

More to come as I feel the need to post.

 

 

 

No news, news, and a self-praising self indulgence.

Let's start this post off with something that will come as news to nobody: I've been posting less.  Make that not at all... for some time now.  That's because this volunteer announcing job I've got right now has been taking all the spare time my job search hasn't.  So, since the school sports season, at least on my end, is slowing down, I'll be able to post more.  However, I can make only one promise: one post a week.  When that post will occur... well, you'll just have to keep visiting the site to find out.  I will post additional writings as I see fit, but that may not occur every week.  Also, I'm swearing off any weekly features.  I'm officially killing TrackBeat (since it's been dead for some time now anyway), and I ask regular readers to, should I ever announce that I'm going to start doing weekly features again, remind me that I don't have the time.  If you want a regular update on the CHR music front, Jordan's been doing a great job with "Push It or Shove It" over at Michigan Radio News + Views (where do you find the time, my friend?).  I will continue to update readers on my personal opinions of selected tracks, but it won't be in any pre-defined forum such as what I've attempted in the past.

 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's get down to the actual news in this post.

 

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Y-100 (WHYI Miami)... oh, wait, I'm sorry... Y-100.7... has been suffering for some time now.  I, of course, see fit to blame it on Clear Channel.  They've been nothing but mainstream since CC bought the station, and they've long since lost any sense of being a "Magic City" station.  Just take a look at their latest 12+ ratings.  They're in the toilet.

 

Apparently, however, Clear Channel seems to think that's a good thing.  They recently (Jan. 30th) promoted WHYI's program director, Rob Roberts, to Operations Manager for the entire South Florida cluster.  Now there's a good idea.  Put the PD of a failing station in position to control all your other stations in the market.  Brilliant.

 

On top of that, Kenny Walker, a station vet, resigned January 31st.  How much you wanna bet it was over the recent miserable ratings and terrible decisions?  I'd wager quite a bit.

 

Who does this leave them with?  Footy.  Footy is the only good thing the station has going for them right now.  Michael Yo?  Please.  Adam Bomb?  Eh.  Ryan "Dictionary Definition of Metrosexual" Seacrest?  Barf.  Footy is the real deal, and right now, he's the only deal at Y.  The question being debated on the boards right now: will he stay or will he go?

 

On one hand, it would be sad to see him go.  Footy has been there from the beginning as an intern when Bill Tanner was doing the morning show in the 70's.  He's a station mainstay and one heckuva talent.  On the other hand, there's really not much left for him there.  Sure he's doing what he loves in the city he loves doing it in, but the station is a shell of it's former self.  They don't identify with Miami at all anymore, and that's what made Y-100 the legend it... well, was.

 

There's obviously no changing the station from the inside.  Roberts' promotion made that clear.  If anything, I'd think that's the one thing that would entice Footy to stay, but since it's a no-go, I don't see what's keeping him there.  In short, I'd love to see him stay, but I wouldn't be surprised if he left.

 

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That does it for now.  In conclusion, today is my 21st birthday, so I officially say "happy birthday to me!"  No, I'm not conceited... just deprived of attention.