Acceptable registrations in the queue through March 16 at 11:00a ET have now been activated. Enjoy! -M.W.

Terms of Use have been amended effective October 6, 2019. Make sure you are aware of the new rules! Please visit this thread for details: https://www.mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/view ... 16&t=48619

We live in fame or go down in flame................

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
User avatar
Reese K Rickards
Posts: 111
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2020 5:22 pm

We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by Reese K Rickards » Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:26 pm

I remember that line from the US Air Force Anthem as a kid.

B93 is living the song. February trends fell to an time low. The Roofsit, which created it's heritage status has been kneaded into some ugly corporate loaf in order to curry favor with the DeVos and Van Andel Families. They even found a way to move half the morning show out of state.

When was the last time someone updated a personality web page?

How many heard the Birthday Bash Tree fall when it was cut down?

Some may argue the event became to big to organize. I say the B-93 became to small to organize or run it. Birthday Bash was born as a thank you to listeners. What does it's demise say?

I heard Dave Taft on the air in Tampa the other day.

B93, like the one in Tampa, used to be a local radio station. Then it was all about making money on and with the internet, Now it's Lets make a fortune with podcasts. Maybe people listen to podcasts because local radio sucks so bad and is so fragmented.

When B93 ran Bash at the racetrack, parking alone took in 600 K. How many stations are making even that much today?

ATTENTION OWNERS... There is a way to make a lot on money with a local radio station. Just become one.


If I Heart GR really wanted to save money, it would sublet two of it's three floors at 77 Monroe Center.

User avatar
TC Talks
Posts: 10100
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:41 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by TC Talks » Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:39 am

Are you turning this forum into your personal blog?

I've never heard of you, but you seem like a bit of an attention whore.


“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
― Noam Chomsky

Posting Content © 2024 TC Talks Holdings LP.

User avatar
imstudwell
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:24 pm
Location: ATL

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by imstudwell » Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:43 am

Glory Days, pass you by, Glory Days....

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk




Barry Sanders
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 8:28 pm

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by Barry Sanders » Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:41 am

Congrats Reese! You wrote an entire post without mentioning how much money you used to make.

Radio is not the same and hasn’t been for a while. We all know this. Somehow you always seem to turn the stale “dying industry” talk into a conversation about YOU. Well done.

In all seriousness, I greatly respect your career success but I genuinely wonder why you wouldn’t have moved on mentally by now. You and Neil had a very good run. VERY good! All good things come to an end. Why continue to concern yourself with it?

Go. Move On. Life’s too short to concern yourself with this nonsense at your age. Trust me. I’m your age.



User avatar
imstudwell
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:24 pm
Location: ATL

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by imstudwell » Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:49 am

Maybe its the Colt Malt Liquor 45's talking. I agree very impressive the roofsit and the Birthday Bash. Heck Artprize was awesome and Rick Devos moved on....

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk




Autoblemike
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 1:41 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by Autoblemike » Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:02 am

The song 'Time Marches On' comes to mind. I remember when B93 Started, we would listen to "what is he holding in his hand" on the way to school, for almost the entirety of the 90s. Working there part-time out of high school was like a dream come true, and getting fired was a blessing in disguise. At first, the culture still seemed local... We had a great team... Every shift was live and my favorite shift was Sunday overnight and hanging out with you in the morning... One year we had Thanksgiving together with listeners, it was a really neat station to be a part of. Along with the 'Moynin Show,' Conrad was a staple in my opinion to the on-air lineup. John the Canuck was the overnight Talent, I got to know him really well at the B93 Bowling league in Lowell. When I first started at B93, Canuck and I didn't really get along... I blame myself, I was a bit of a 'know it all'...Toward the end of my time, we had a good time together. I hope his family is doing well. Neal's son Jordan worked with me part-time there as well. Jordan was the type of person that lit up a room. His sense of humor was about as good as it gets. Jordan was very kind and always funny with a heart of gold.

Radio's demise was like a slow-flowing river... Steady, consistent, and unstoppable. In my opinion, The Telecommunications act was the beginning of the end. When one company is allowed to dominate multiple markets it slowly sucked the blood out of radio... being live and local. It reminds me of globalism today and how dangerous it is. Today, we have the same thing happing in different industries.... Sears is being crushed by Amazon, Taxi companies are being crushed by Uber, health care is being crushed by Drug Companies, and restaurants are being crushed by the government. There are countless examples of 'Time Marching On.'

Towards the end of my time there, it seemed like the only purpose of the signal was to drive traffic to the website... That is the day when radio lost its luster. New technology brings new benefits. One thing I love about the internet is that we are able to seek out content that is relevant to exactly what we are interested in. Today I listened to podcasts about real estate investing, wealth generation, daily devotionals, parenting, etc... All things that improve my life and well-being. The content that is being put out by radio today is just recycled garbage. While I miss the glory days of radio, I really like the choice of content that we have today. My biggest concern is government/corporate censorship... I fear that is also a slow-flowing river.



Frosty
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by Frosty » Wed Apr 14, 2021 4:29 pm

I was in radio in the '80s (great times) to the mid '90s (beginning of the end). What I don't understand is the benefit of radio driving its audience to the website. Sure, there's ads on the website, but is that the bigger revenue-maker of the two?

I rarely go to a radio station's website, but I do listen to radio in my car every day. OK, so I am now out of a desirable demo.

Can someone explain to this old fart? And it's OK to use, "OK, boomer." I kind of like that phrase.



User avatar
TC Talks
Posts: 10100
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:41 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by TC Talks » Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:06 pm

I remember being at the party when Wjfm flipped from musak over to classic hits prior to clear channel buying them. That was when they broadcast from the building next door to the Holiday Inn where we all went and got snookered after the format change. Them was the good old days radio in Grand Rapids.

Who remembers Red Noise or Mel and Frank. They were real talent.

Then clear channel turned it into B93 and I haven't listened since.


“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
― Noam Chomsky

Posting Content © 2024 TC Talks Holdings LP.

Realist
Posts: 979
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by Realist » Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:41 pm

TC Talks wrote:
Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:06 pm
I remember being at the party when Wjfm flipped from musak over to classic hits prior to clear channel buying them. That was when they broadcast from the building next door to the Holiday Inn where we all went and got snookered after the format change. Them was the good old days radio in Grand Rapids.

Who remembers Red Noise or Mel and Frank. They were real talent.

Then clear channel turned it into B93 and I haven't listened since.
Could easily pick up JFM in the Tri Cities (prior to Flint’s Club 93.7 going on the air). It was obvious at timed that whoever programmed it wasn’t a classic rock fan, as there were too many times where back to back song duos would just end after the first song i.e. Led Zep’s Heartbreaker would end without playing Livin’ Lovin’, Queen’s We will Rock You would stop without playing We are the Champions. Way too weird

Red Noise on LAV was funny to listen to the few times I could when I was in that area. Cancer, which he died from way too early, just sucks



User avatar
TC Talks
Posts: 10100
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:41 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by TC Talks » Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:28 pm

The classic hits was just another automated format largely. Back when they were 320,000 watts they would show up in the Chicago arbitron.

Do you remember "The Franceman"? He was my neighbor and completely psycho.


“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
― Noam Chomsky

Posting Content © 2024 TC Talks Holdings LP.

Trophyhead
Posts: 391
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:36 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by Trophyhead » Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:11 am

I do remember Mel and Frank being shipped to 1340 before they split town. Can't say what the format was that surrounded their show. My wife moved to town and was listening to Red Noise, back around 1990. She won tickets to see Howie Mandel at the Orbit Room from his show. I didn't enjoy his show as much as she did.



User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Apr 15, 2021 7:35 pm

The station still is licensed for 320,000 to this very day, TC Talks. Hard to tell, though, with the all the drop-in Class A allotments that have been granted over the past 25 years.

93.7 WKAD really f*cks with B93 in the Big Rapids and Bitely areas between M-20 and US-10; those are places where B93 used to be heard quite reliably.

Before Club 93.7 came about, B93 used to be heard without issue until the M-52 / I-69 junction in Mid-Michigan; now interference starts becoming an issue about 10 miles sooner, and in much of Shiawassee County, one receives an annoying mish-mash of WRCL and WBCT on a car radio.
Who remembers Red Noise or Mel and Frank. They were real talent.
*Raises hand.*

I barely - and I do mean barely - remember Red Noize (ex of WLAV). I know he did mornings in Atlanta at now-defunct classic rocker Z93 after leaving G.R. We visited family in the Atlanta area and was surprised to hear his voice on Z93.

I really dug Mel & Frank when I was in the 8th & 9th grade. Discovered them by accident on 1340 Underground shortly before the move to mornings at "97Rock WLAV" (an otherwise boring Mainstream Rock station aside from Mel & Frank).

Rick, Darla & Scott were also phenomenal in their prime. Not long after the move to GRD, the show became a little too sanitized. After Darla left, I lost interest completely. Was a very loyal Stern listener by that point.
Do you remember "The Franceman"? He was my neighbor and completely psycho.
I remember hearing an incessant number of promos for his morning show toward the end of JFM's existence; my dad listened to JFM all the time when it was classic rock in the early 90s. The station used the same V/O artist that Q106 used for pretty much the entire decade of the 90s and the same one heard on 95 WIIL ROCK in Kenosha, WI to this very day.

Didn't Mr. France work in radio in Toledo for many years after leaving Grand Rapids?

When Rick, Darla & Scott bolted for WGRD, I thought perhaps KLQ would hire Mel & Frank or Jeff France or go immediately with Stern. Instead, we got a really crappy morning show featuring the otherwise talented Michelle McCormick and some no-name standup comic.



BayCityJohn2337
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2020 8:36 pm

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by BayCityJohn2337 » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:16 am

Stern was so popular on KLQ people would listen in fringe signal areas and tolerate it. A perfect example would be a town like Greenville. WCEN out of Saginaw would crash into KLQ and folks would still try to listen to Stern. Nothing like Brooks and Dunn boot scoot boogie mixing with Stern. Hahah

People where hard up for good radio back then.



User avatar
TC Talks
Posts: 10100
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:41 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by TC Talks » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:15 am

Mel and Frank were actually brought in as program Consultants by Adams radio just before they sold out. I think they might have been friends with one of the owners at Adams. Mel and Frank started when they realize they hated Grand Rapids and wanted to move back to San Diego. It literally was designed to burn down 1340 which at that point was a throwaway a.m. they were testing things prior to moving over to wlav's Morning Show. Looking back I can't believe how many general managers of other stations would listen because they couldn't believe somebody would do that in Grand Rapids.


“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
― Noam Chomsky

Posting Content © 2024 TC Talks Holdings LP.

User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: We live in fame or go down in flame................

Post by MWmetalhead » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:30 pm

I think 1340 was already a throwaway A.M. for a good five years before they arrived in town!

I remember them doing afternoons at 1340 before being upgraded to mornings at 97Rock WLAV.

The Underground was a cool station for its time. My memory of it is ridiculously faint unfortunately. They and 1140 WKWM did their respective formats justice.

When Bloomington Media (or whatever it was called at the time) acquired WLAV AM & FM, flipping 1340 to WBBL was probably the right move.



Post Reply Previous topicNext topic