Ann Arbor, Michigan has 107.One - last 100 songs played - http://www.annarbors107one.com/index.php?fuseaction=home.playlist
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Best AAA station
- Thread starter WBIMDJ
- Start date
staticradio said:
WYEP? Really? I live in Pittsburgh and while the music itself is interesting, over all they're not very good radio station. Personally I think they sound like college radio.
Maybe that's what the AAA audience wants, but given the fact that 'YEP now shows up in the ratings thanks to PPM, I can't help but think that a professional presentation with that music might do really well here.
Parttimer said:
To me, what makes WYEP sound like a college station is the songs they play. And that's a good thing. I don't get to pass through the Burgh to listen much lately, but what I remember of that station was that it mostly played really good music. The filler between the songs isn't nearly as important as the songs. Pick good songs and play them with minimal interruption and any station can be a winner.
Parttimer said:
I agree about the iPod comparison. That's why I listen to my own recordings more and more and to radio less and less. So, I guess that we agree. A radio station that sounds more like an iPod can be a winner.
After all, radio stations that attempt to compete with other radio stations for a share of a declining total market will all eventually fail. But radio stations that can attract listeners away from iPods and other user-selected music delivery systems won't be feeding out of the shrinking trough. And one of the best markets for that are fans of the kind of music that makes up the AAA playlist.
The weakness of the iPod's strength is the listener has to pay 99¢ a song to fill it with new songs. The radio station that counters that weakness with good songs that the listener will like for only 0¢ a song has a better chance of succeeding than a station that clutters its broadcasts with aural filler. The station has to include commercials, it has no choice. But there's little to be gained with anything more than minimal time checks and title and artist information.
Radio can't just be a mock I-Pod if the station is playing new music. Oldies / Classic Rock, etc., works ("Jack") in some markets, but new music and rare cuts, nah. Keep it short, keep in interesting, keep it relevant to the music and it will work. Part of the talent's job is to keep the listeners listening past a song that they may not be crazy about, and through a commercial break. TSL is what buyers want...
S
Space
Guest
Since I'd be listening to these stations via the internet, do any of them stand out for the quality of their streaming bit rate? Ideally, I'd like something that sounds good and won't wear me out after listening to it for a while. I typically stream internet radio through my stereo when I'm listening. Something like 192 bps for mp3 works pretty well for me, for example, but alot of these flash player listening options seem to be streaming around 124 bps, at best.
Rich said:
So how does a DJ keep a listener from hitting a station change button if the listener tunes out in the middle of a clunker song? I've yet to hear any DJ who is so compelling that I'll sit all the way through a song that really sucks just to hear what he's going to say next. But then, I've only been listening to radio since 1959.
Been listening since '59... Then you must remember how Hy Lit, Barney Pip, Dick Biondi and etc managed to hold listeners through clunkers. Murray the K started every show with a Sinatra tune. You surely remember that ALL progressive rock stations originally were eclectic AAAs. Early '70s guys like WCCC, WAAF, WCOZ discovered kids related to Deep Purple rather than the Incredible String Band. AOR radio was born. Fragmentation continued through the '80s to Classic Rock (KGB, KLOS), Active Rock (WCCC, WAAF), AAA (WXRT, WMMR) and, finally, Alt (WBRU, WEBN). Having said all that, AAA has proven itself a viable format, with a very loyal and virtual total P1 audience. My idea of the quintessential AAA (well... musically at least...) is "Freeform BCN", an on air (100.7 HD 3 Boston) / on line (WBCN.com). This station is programmed by the original PD of WBCN (42+years ago)! This gentleman has been a pioneer of AAA radio from day one! A telephone conversation with him may prove to be most enlightening!
Radical348
Frequent Participant
I am surprised to see so many nods to KSWD. I will concur that that is NOT an AAA station. It was when it was first out, but IIRC around midyear 08 they went all classic. Though the first page of replies was from mid to late 08 so perhaps people were still remembering it from the first half the year. IMO still wasn't that great of an AAA station then, but I had to give them credit for trying in LA.
Anyway, of the ones I am most familiar with, my top picks are currently:
1. KINK/Portland
2. KFOG/San Francisco (Has improved drastically the past few months)
3. WXRT/Chicago
4. KMTT/Seattle
5. WNCS/Burlington VT (Very reliable 'til 03, then it seemed every year it went back and forth between very good and blah. Not sure where it currently is now, but I'll stick it up here.)
I have not been in a position to listen to WRLT/Nashville, WQKL/Ann Arbor, or KGSR/Austin but from what I have seen of their playlists, they are very good. Love KGSR's annual Live Broadcasts CDs, though & WQKL has even started releasing some pretty good ones. (This could have another topic!) Cities 97 is a bit too mainstream/Hot ACish IMO. KPRI/San Diego in general I find a bit bland, but they have their moments too. WMMM/Madison is ok.
Anyway, of the ones I am most familiar with, my top picks are currently:
1. KINK/Portland
2. KFOG/San Francisco (Has improved drastically the past few months)
3. WXRT/Chicago
4. KMTT/Seattle
5. WNCS/Burlington VT (Very reliable 'til 03, then it seemed every year it went back and forth between very good and blah. Not sure where it currently is now, but I'll stick it up here.)
I have not been in a position to listen to WRLT/Nashville, WQKL/Ann Arbor, or KGSR/Austin but from what I have seen of their playlists, they are very good. Love KGSR's annual Live Broadcasts CDs, though & WQKL has even started releasing some pretty good ones. (This could have another topic!) Cities 97 is a bit too mainstream/Hot ACish IMO. KPRI/San Diego in general I find a bit bland, but they have their moments too. WMMM/Madison is ok.
xyz said:
Nope, I don't remember. Back in 1959, we weren't able to listen to out-of-town stations streaming on the internet. I was only able to listen to stations I could pick up on my regular, ordinary radio. Therefore, I'm not familiar with disc jockeys from other markets.
However, I do recall the days when there was one Top 40 station in town, and you either listened to it or you didn't, regardless of what they slapped on the turntable.
SuperRadioFan
Star Participant
Talk_Dude said:
Guess you didn't live near a big city.... WABC, WINS, WMCA, and even WMGM were all top 40 in the arly 60s
One station I have not seen mentioned but would like to mention is Emerson College's 88.9 WERS/Boston. Their daytime "eclectic" program is pretty good and varied from the Pixies, the Cure, Avett Brothers, MGMT, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Led Zeppelin, among others. They do change formats at night and on the weekends (great a-cappella show on the weekends), but I thought I'd give WERS a mention.
Jacko
Jacko
Radical348 said:
I guess it depends on what your ideal AAA is, but I found them very blah the last time I heard them last year. Very little new music, and lots of ACish 80's and 90's stuff (Sting, Sarah McLachlan, etc.).
However, I tend to like the more aggressive AAA's like WRNR, so I'm obviously biased against WNCS's approach.
Radical348
Frequent Participant
S said:
Very little new music? That's a shame to hear. I guess they're in one of their "blah" phases then.
They are usually a bit lighter/Americana ish but their mix can be very good. In their glory days, they played so much new music from bands and artists no other stations would dare touch. (Louise Goffin, Randall Bramblett, Josh Rouse) as well as "other" songs by one-hit wonders (i.e. The Eels other than Novocaine For the Soul, Dandy Warhols other than Bohemian Like You, & others.).Time Traveler
Leading Participant
The former 105.3-WEBK Killington, Vt was an outstanding AAA station and had a 15 year run from 1993-2008. I still miss it....
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