Post by Dork Administrator on Feb 11, 2002 10:21:36 GMT -5
It may surprise you to know that most of what I listen to on the radio is found on two radio stations. The first is WNJN, the New Jersey affiliate of NPR, National Public Radio. Yes, that's right. I listen to NPR, the radio station that is made fun of by the Saturday Night Live people in their "Delicious Dish" parodies. And yes, the on-air personalities at NPR do sound like they just took a fistfull of valliums. But let me tell you something, when it comes to presenting the news on the radio, they cannot be beat. In fact, I'd rather listen to news on NPR than watch it on any of the TV stations, where they find it more important to tease a story to death. How many times do you see a news anchor say "Next, a story of death and destruction! Fire, earthquake and mayhem!" and then go to commercial, only to return and tease the story again. Finally, with 30 seconds left in the broadcast, and after 27 teases, they say "Finally tonight, a house burned down in Salem county. We'll see you tomorrow."
NPR presents the news in a way that TV cannot, because even though you cannot physically see the pictures, they paint a picture with sounds that make you see it in your minds eye. It's very meditative, the way they present their stories. And since I commute an hour each way to work, I generally spend my car time listening to NPR.
The other station I listen to is 610 AM, WIP. WIP is the Philadelphia sports talk radio station. I like to keep abreast of the sports scene in Philly, but more importantly, I like to listen to idiots spout their views on athletes, teams, and coaches. It's highly amusing to listen to, and the on-air personalities are full of piss and vinegar. Occasionally a caller will call up just to get in a pissing match with one of the radio guys, and then fireworks fly. It's a lot of fun.
Now, I started listening to 610 and, most recently, NPR because of the desparity of music on FM stations. I have become so disillusioned by the quality of FM music programming. There seems to be only two stations in Philadelphia, one playing R&B and the other playing Rock. Nevermind that there are some 27 FM stations in Philadelphia. They all sound the same. And they all play the same 20 songs over and over and over and over ad nauseum. It makes me wanna puke.
FM radio once had its place, but just like punk rock, it's become watered down and jaded over the years. Nowadays, you listen to FM radio and you hear the same songs played by different people. There's no originality any more. The music may be edgier than it was in the 80's, but the band cloning is still apparent. It's as if the music industry poured a bunch of musicians into a meat grinder and started selling the hamburger patties. You know, cows are very distinct creatures, and they all look different. But when you buy hamburger at the store, can you tell the difference between one cow or another? No. And the same can be said for the music industry.
FM Radio has as much to do with the decline in originality music is facing as the record companies. In fact, they are more to blame. Every time a song shows an ounce of popularity, the radio stations play it so often that you get sick of hearing it. And the thing is, since that song was so popular, other bands mimic the sound of the song so that they can try to capitalize on the sound as well. It's a vicious circle that we almost got away from in the early 90's, but it has come back as bands clone themselves from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. Just like hair bands in the 80's cloning themselves off of Aerosmith, this grungeclone sound is getting old.
So for originality in broadcasting, I turn to NPR and WIP. It's always something different, never repetitive, and never stale. And it doesn't all sound the same, no matter who is reporting the news or what the news is that's being reported.
Rock on!
NPR presents the news in a way that TV cannot, because even though you cannot physically see the pictures, they paint a picture with sounds that make you see it in your minds eye. It's very meditative, the way they present their stories. And since I commute an hour each way to work, I generally spend my car time listening to NPR.
The other station I listen to is 610 AM, WIP. WIP is the Philadelphia sports talk radio station. I like to keep abreast of the sports scene in Philly, but more importantly, I like to listen to idiots spout their views on athletes, teams, and coaches. It's highly amusing to listen to, and the on-air personalities are full of piss and vinegar. Occasionally a caller will call up just to get in a pissing match with one of the radio guys, and then fireworks fly. It's a lot of fun.
Now, I started listening to 610 and, most recently, NPR because of the desparity of music on FM stations. I have become so disillusioned by the quality of FM music programming. There seems to be only two stations in Philadelphia, one playing R&B and the other playing Rock. Nevermind that there are some 27 FM stations in Philadelphia. They all sound the same. And they all play the same 20 songs over and over and over and over ad nauseum. It makes me wanna puke.
FM radio once had its place, but just like punk rock, it's become watered down and jaded over the years. Nowadays, you listen to FM radio and you hear the same songs played by different people. There's no originality any more. The music may be edgier than it was in the 80's, but the band cloning is still apparent. It's as if the music industry poured a bunch of musicians into a meat grinder and started selling the hamburger patties. You know, cows are very distinct creatures, and they all look different. But when you buy hamburger at the store, can you tell the difference between one cow or another? No. And the same can be said for the music industry.
FM Radio has as much to do with the decline in originality music is facing as the record companies. In fact, they are more to blame. Every time a song shows an ounce of popularity, the radio stations play it so often that you get sick of hearing it. And the thing is, since that song was so popular, other bands mimic the sound of the song so that they can try to capitalize on the sound as well. It's a vicious circle that we almost got away from in the early 90's, but it has come back as bands clone themselves from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. Just like hair bands in the 80's cloning themselves off of Aerosmith, this grungeclone sound is getting old.
So for originality in broadcasting, I turn to NPR and WIP. It's always something different, never repetitive, and never stale. And it doesn't all sound the same, no matter who is reporting the news or what the news is that's being reported.
Rock on!