🚀 go-pugleaf

crawford@bscr.uga.edu wrote:
: In article Russell A. Hatfield writes:
: >I've already called them and emailed them, I cant believe the new
: >owners (same as Magic 102) changed the format to classic rock
: >in a college town....  They insist it's not an April fools joke,
: >and I insist I'm switching to 99X if it's not.... Anyone else
: >have a take on this?
: 
: 	I noticed it too and called to complain. I was told, very
: politely, that they are under new owners and that "extensive 
: market research" indicated the format change was needed.


Guess what.  This has been in the works for a LONG time.  Hugh
Christenson, the former owner of the Bulldog, didn't want to use it as a
tax write-off anymore, i guess.  Still, even being as informed as I am, it
came as a HUGE shock when they changed the entire format of the Bulldog.
I was under the assumption that it would still be the same old lovable
alternative, just new owners, and maybe a new name.  I don't think 99x
could hold a candle to 103.7, only because of the extreme diversity of the
Bulldog and the flexibility and enthusiam in playing local music. 

Complaining isn't going to help (much).  Besides the new musical format,
you can expect to hear A LOT more commercials on the "new 103.7".  YUCK.
Everyone have a great quarter!  

--Jennifer, of the point patrol

In article Russell A. Hatfield writes:
>I've already called them and emailed them, I cant believe the new
>owners (same as Magic 102) changed the format to classic rock
>in a college town....  They insist it's not an April fools joke,
>and I insist I'm switching to 99X if it's not.... Anyone else
>have a take on this?

	I noticed it too and called to complain. I was told, very
politely, that they are under new owners and that "extensive 
market research" indicated the format change was needed.
	Personally I don't think a "classic rock" format will
fly. After all, if you dial any random channel in Atlanta,
two out of three times you will get "classic rock".
	Oh well. It's just another Athens product of which
I will not partake.

	
>-- Russell (wondering if it's still illegal to start a riot)

	It is.   | -)

		See ya!
		Gene

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Interested in Native American sports?  |  Gene Crawford
Check out the Choctaw Toli Site:       |  crawford@bscr.uga.edu
http://www.uga.edu/~toli/              |  Dept. of Microbiology: UGA
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In article <5hrud0$cst$1@cronkite.cc.uga.edu>
jenni@arches.uga.edu (Jennifer Cyran) writes:
 
>
>Guess what.  This has been in the works for a LONG time.  Hugh
>Christenson, the former owner of the Bulldog, didn't want to use it as a
>tax write-off anymore, i guess.  Still, even being as informed as I am, it
>came as a HUGE shock when they changed the entire format of the Bulldog.
>I was under the assumption that it would still be the same old lovable
>alternative, just new owners, and maybe a new name.  I don't think 99x
>could hold a candle to 103.7, only because of the extreme diversity of the
>Bulldog and the flexibility and enthusiam in playing local music.
>
>Complaining isn't going to help (much).  Besides the new musical format,
>you can expect to hear A LOT more commercials on the "new 103.7".  YUCK.
>Everyone have a great quarter!
>
>--Jennifer, of the point patrol
 
Oh, I think if enough students complain not only to the new management
endlessly, but as well tell the management at the places that advertise
under the new format that they will stop shopping there if they dont
pull ad spots, they'll take notice and maybe even change back...
I find it absolutly rediculous that the new owners think athens
needs a classic rock station... if people want it, let them go
listen to Magic 102, 96rock, z-93, star94.....
I'd known bulldog was sold a few months ago, but I too thought
that with the huge college listener base they wouldnt change anything.
I've heard they even fired all but Joe from the morning and
Phil from lunch... (I think they all quit! ;))
 
I think I'll go out, win the Big Game and drop 100,000 watts
of transmission power smack in downtown athens on 103.5 with the
complete old staff of bulldog :)
 
-- Russell (God 99x plays a lot of commercials!)

Hugh Christian wasn't the owner,  he was station manager for WRFC 960am,
and perhaps the Bulldog.  Southern Broadcasting bought both stations
(Bulldog and WRFC) plus RFC's sister station in Royston (I can't remember
the number or name).  That makes about 6 or 7 stations that Southern owns
across North Georgia.   

Assuming that an alternative music station will make more money, or be
more successful that a classic rock station because its located in a
college town is... well, your living in a dream land.  A minority
of the 30,000 college students want to listen to alternative music,
what maybe 20%?  Half of them probably have 96rock and z93 dialed in half
the time anyhow.  And don't forget the other 70-80,000 people that live
in the Clarke,Oconee,Madison county area...  lots of 20-45 year old
people that enjoy classic rock.  Besides, the Bulldog was losing 
money as it was.  

I'm more concerned about 960am,  they have a real local flavor that 
I've really enjoyed for the last 3 years or so.  In the morning RFC
has always carried extensive local news, and forums for local issues.
an example, before the last SPLOST (2-3 weeks ago), RFC hosted 
representatives from both sides of the issue.  I know it helped me
cast an informed voted.  And during the election last fall, RFC must
have hosted 20 different candidates running for all kinds of offices.
They had'em on for debates, and just general conversation.  Tibbetts even had
Tom T. Hall on the air for a one hour interview a while back.  That
was real treat.  It look like they've already axed the local sports
talkshow with David Johnston and Chester Alexander (I under Chester
was let go along with Hugh).  This was pretty fun little local show
where folks got to hear local high school sports talk as well as 
braves talk and hawks talk.

I just pray they keep the Papa Joe show and especially the Arnie Spanier
show (10pm-2am).   Arnie's show is one of the funniest
damn shows I've ever heard.  Not only is he funny, hes a stinkin' 
genius!!  At the sweet 16 he picked Arizona to win,,, and then,, and
then.. he picked the exact final score of the championship game
and was off by 2 points...  and he was 80% on college football picks
that fall!

Oh well.

> I've already called them and emailed them, I cant believe the new
> owners (same as Magic 102) changed the format to classic rock
> in a college town....  They insist it's not an April fools joke,
> and I insist I'm switching to 99X if it's not.... Anyone else
> have a take on this?

   99X can be a bit hard to pull in around here. But what's wrong with UGa's
own student rock station? Noncommercial college radio is as alternative as
radio gets.


> I was under the assumption that it would still be the same old lovable
> alternative, just new owners, and maybe a new name.  I don't think 99x
> could hold a candle to 103.7, only because of the extreme diversity of the
> Bulldog and the flexibility and enthusiam in playing local music. 

   Well, alternative is dead anyway and this is just another superfluous
nail in the coffin. Anyway it's always been beyond me how anyone can feel
all cozy and alternative while listening to the 110 decibel ads for
Screamin' Larry's Dodge-O-Rama, of which Bulldog had just as many as anybody
else. To paraphrase Gert Stein, commercial radio is commercial radio is
commercial radio.
   You want local music? Buy local-band CDs (or cassettes, for those bands
which haven't made it to the CD level yet) and go to local-band gigs. Or
(egad, what an idea) get a guitar or a synth or an oud or whatever and plug
into something.

 
> Oh, I think if enough students complain not only to the new management
> endlessly, but as well tell the management at the places that advertise
> under the new format that they will stop shopping there if they dont
> pull ad spots, they'll take notice and maybe even change back...

   Yeah, it WOULD happen IF. But you're talking about students who
won't even register to vote. Don't hold your breath.


> Assuming that an alternative music station will make more money, or be
> more successful that a classic rock station because its located in a
> college town is... well, your living in a dream land.  A minority
> of the 30,000 college students want to listen to alternative music,
> what maybe 20%?  Half of them probably have 96rock and z93 dialed in half
> the time anyhow.  And don't forget the other 70-80,000 people that live
> in the Clarke,Oconee,Madison county area...  lots of 20-45 year old
> people that enjoy classic rock.

   I'm sure they were telling the truth about the market survey, because
that's how businesses like this operate. If they don't have good reason
for thinking a given move will make money, they don't make the move--
mainly because they probably won't be able to line up financing. You can
protest all you want but nothing speaks to commercial radio but $$$.
Sorry, no tears for the Bulldog. Commercial stations come and go and
none of 'em are the sort of thing which merits anyone's loyalty.

   It could be worse. Imagine you were a certain Olde Farte(TM) for whom
"alternative" means Celtic folk (30 min. total airplay per week in all of
Athens) or guys such as Webern, Cage, Stockhausen, et al. (or at the other
extreme Palestrina, Ockeghem, Josquin and friends) who never ever get
*any* airplay in Athens and never ever will, not even on our toothless,
middlebrow PBS station. Karl Hass, vomit. Oh well, Mozart is still Mozart.

I happen to be very happy that they made the switch to Rock.  I  have noticed
that they don't simply play classic rock, but also play new rock as well as
some alternative.  As someone else has stated in this thread, the new owners
would not have made the switch unless it was profitable.  Let's hope they
can avoid the problems that plague 96-rock (too much gabbing).
 
 
 
 

In article <5hrj2t$a51$1@cronkite.cc.uga.edu>,  <crawford@bscr.uga.edu> wrote:

>	I noticed it too and called to complain. I was told, very
>politely, that they are under new owners and that "extensive 
>market research" indicated the format change was needed.
>	Personally I don't think a "classic rock" format will
>fly. After all, if you dial any random channel in Atlanta,
>two out of three times you will get "classic rock".

Well, we checked the new format this weekend.  (FWIW, the only pre-sets 
in my car are WUGA, WABE for when I'm in Atlanta, 99X, and WUOG, but for 
some reason I can't ever pick up WUOG very well.)

Verdict:  I knew the words to every song we heard, all the way from our 
house to T-Stand and back home again.  I *like* radio where I don't have 
to actually listen but can still sing along.  I also like new radio 
stations with no advertising because then there are no ads.  (The Bridge 
was like that.)

There are a zillion different micro-definitions of "classic rock"; the 
one that ex-Bulldog uses is okay by me.  It's pre-set now.

-kate, does this make me a geezer?

-- 
_________________________________________________________________________
Kate Wrightson          |
kate@rigel.econ.uga.edu |  "Mine is a life fairly teeming with little  
blaze.cba.uga.edu/~kate |   elves."  -  Henry Alford