[PREV - KZSU] [TOP]
FIRSTIMP
October 11, 1995
Occasionally, I get to see
some listener complaints about There's a tradition of trying
what KZSU does on the air. to take any listener response
very seriously, no matter how
One of the striking things negative it may seem. But
about them is how often But then, it's often quite difficult to
they seem very clueless. it's also see a constructive way to take
striking the criticism.
how clueless
I can be...
Because I'm the kind of person
who classifies things, I'm going
to try to sort the kinds of
cluelessness into categories.
(1) Factual errors.
Complaints about the
programming that directly
contradicts what's really Someone might complain
there. "Why do you always about how there's way too much
play X?", "Why don't you ever jazz on the air,
play Y?". when a glance at the schedule
reveals very few jazz shows.
Once someone complained in
print that we never play cool
stuff like Jawbreaker when
their CD was number one on our
charts for weeks. Other
people have complained about a
preponderance of metal at
times when there was only one
or two metal shows on. And so
on.
(2) Ignorance
of the
realities of
volunteer
organizations
You should really do
more public affairs
programming. Like
interviews with
Stanford administrators
and professors.
Standard answer:
Would you like to do a show
like that? Come to the next
organizational meeting, we'll
put you to work on it.
(3) Ignorance of
the bandwidth
limit of a
single radio
transmitter...
One frequency,
one signal, but
many different kinds
of programming.
Why don't you do only what I like?
Answer: because there are a lot of
different things that different people
like.
Some stations do a good job
focusing on just one
(e.g. KCSM's light weight, There's a problem
retro-jazz), but KZSU has with specialization
chosen to try to do many in that it tends to
things. shuts out the new.
When a new musical style
comes along, it's
hard to justify
switching an entire
radio station to
a new format catering
to that.
But a place like KZSU
can easily drop in a
new 3 hour show dedicated
to whatever the DJ is
passionate about.
It's the beauty of the
non-commercial world
that this doesn't need
to be justified in terms
of audience share & ad
revenues. All it takes
is one maniac, and the
new sound is out there.
(4) Ignorance of the
political landscape that
the station exists in.
Why do you broadcast
so much of that sports
crap?
Answer: Because it's hugely
popular. Even if the station
management wanted to get rid
of it, it wouldn't take the
board of directors long to
dump any management regime
that dumped sports.
But I think all of this
cluelessness is entirely
understandable. If you
don't like a station a
lot, you're not going to
spend a lot of time
listening to it. So of
course, the people
complaining seem
unfamiliar with what
they're complaining about.
Since few people listen to
radio the way they do to TV Which reminds me:
(consulting a schedule, (5) Why don't you make it
setting aside time for their easier to know what's going
favorite show-- or setting to be on? Ever heard of
up an automatic recorder) block programming?
you get people whose
schedule just happens to Trust me, we've heard of it.
cause them to tune in during Dedicating a whole week long
the one death metal show timeslot to one format
that they can't stand. is almost as bad as
dedicating the entire station
to one format: the extreme
They may not even understand rigidity tends to shut out
how diverse KZSU is compared any possibility of new kinds
to the commercially stations of programming.
they listen to, which would
lead them to feel that a It would also create serious
couple of listens should be difficulties in matching up
adequate to evaluate what's volunteer DJs to the approved
on the air. formats.
I think advocates of
What's more, an organization block programming should
like KZSU is more volatile explain where they think
than they realize: DJs and the hip-hop block should
program directors are go. The number of hip-hop
constantly changing and an shows floats between 5 - 7
impression formed just a or so, so there's almost
year ago may be completely enough for a whole block.
out of date now. Historically, KZSU has
been a leader in getting
hip-hop on the air, and the
In this light, I find it Sunday night show "The Drum"
really amusing to read my has a huge following.
own old comments on local Moving it would not improve
radio before I got involved the predictability of
at KZSU. KZSU's sound: So, *every*
night, 6pm-9pm, should be
hip-hop?
KZSU This will typically shut
up most block programming
fanatics, who seem to be
KFJC envisioning things like
a prime-time Classic Rock
block.
Oh and:
(6) Why don't you do more
stuff like those big
commercial stations.
(a) Because the big commercial
stations are doing it already.
(b) Because it actually isn't
easy to find people to
volunteer to promote a genre
that's already heavily promoted
(it is easy to find people who
think someone else should do it).
There's an interesting
conspiracy theory that
that comes up every so
often that the current
station management of
You want to know how freaks and snobs must
to get a classic rock be *preventing* anyone
show on the air at KZSU? from doing a classic
rock show.
(1) Find someone who's
really willing to do one, The three most popular
not just complain that music shows cater to
someone should. Blues, Country/Bluegrass
and Hip-Hop. At no time
(2) Write on the show in the last ten years has
application something there been a program
like this: director that favors these
genres...
I want to explore the
music in this genre (It's possible to recognize
that's neglected by the that a DJ is doing a good
narrow playlists of show, even if you don't like
the big commerical the music they're playing.)
stations. E.g. Jimi
Hendrix recorded a
lot of great stuff
besides "All Along the
Watchtower." I'd also
like to dig up obscure
bands that have been
forgotten for no good
reason, like say "The
Thirteenth Floor
Elevators".
April 22, 2007:
In recent years the "classic rock"
fascists seem to have faded away.
Now we get "indie"-rock fascists.
Hey, here's a great new
idea: all Nirvanna all
the time! Well, maybe
with some Radiohead.
What? How dare you call
my ideas stupid! Help,
I'm being oppressed.
--------
[NEXT - WBAI]