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Yeah, yeah, we know. It's an iPod/choose-your-own-adventure/satellite radio world. Old-school terrestrial radio is dead. Who wants to mess around with presets on a car dial when you can run 7,000 songs through your iPod-infused cassette deck or DVD player, or tune in to the satellite radio station microprogrammed for your microniche?

Especially given the state of old-fashioned radio here in Houston. Tune in there, and expect to be treated to shit and shittier. Whether it's the Buzz, the Arrow, KILT, the Mix, Sunny or (especially) the Point, Houston radio, at least on the commercial FM dial, is a complete and utter abomination. Anyone with any taste at all abandoned the whole medium and its attendant death-stench long ago, and yet still it rolls on here, spinning the same tired old artists playing the same old songs. It's hard to believe this is America's fourth-largest city when our radio is pumping out “Under the Bridge” and “Picture” ten times an hour; stuff like that makes Houston seem more like Waco.

It's time for something new. If music is going to survive on the radio, if the medium is to survive as something other than a vehicle for talk stations, it must be open to experimentation. They've gotten that memo in Dallas, where a couple of weeks ago, Clear Channel Radio dismantled a flagging classic rock station and turned it into Lone Star 92.5 FM, which boasts a new Southern rock/outlaw country hybrid format tailor-made for Texas. I randomly clicked on the station's Web site Monday, and the last ten songs played included selections by David Allen Coe, the Drive By Truckers, Rhett Miller, ZZ Top, Kevin Fowler, the Allman Brothers, the Eagles and Steve Miller.

Cool as that format is, there's even better news. The station does not play traditional commercials. Instead, companies buy hour-long sponsorships, and the DJs work in a mere two minutes per hour of casual plugs for the products between songs. So far, sponsors include Coors, Guitar Center and Southwest Airlines, and each of those companies will be the sole sponsor in their product category. (In other words, you won't be hearing any Shiner or Continental ads on there.)

I truly believe such drastic measures are not just desirable, but mandatory. People are sick of the same old songs and long-ass commercial breaks, and now they have a billion alternatives. There should be something of an element of surprise to music radio, and today, my own iPod is far more likely to amaze me with a cool segue than any of Houston's commercial stations.

On a Thursday afternoon last week, I sat down at a table in front of Sig's Lagoon on Main with local rock radio luminary David Sadof and talked over these matters. I also played him a burned CD of “KMAX,” my own proposed format — a mix of underground and old-school rap and alternative rock new and old.

First, about that word “alternative.” When guys like Sadof and I were younger, it meant something. In regards to music, it meant something very much like this dictionary.com definition: “Employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment.” “Today, the word ‘alternative' is pretty much meaningless,” Sadof says. (And if you listen to the Buzz — Houston's self-proclaimed “New Music Alternative” — you have to wonder: alternative to what?”)

But here's what I mean on the rock end: I would spin new acts like Lily Allen, the Arcade Fire, the Shins, Drive By Truckers, Amy Winehouse and Scott Miller alongside neglected oldies by bands like the Clash, the Smiths, the Jam, XTC, the Cure, and the Ramones. To that, I would add a rap mix of stuff by Public Enemy, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, the Wu-Tang Clan, OutKast, Eric B. and Rakim and Cypress Hill. (Since this is, after all, Houston, you would also hear Scarface/Geto Boys, Devin the Dude, Z-Ro, Big Moe, UGK and Lil' Keke too.)

So you see, it's not that different from one of those “we-play-anything” Jack formats, only it's not as hung up on the past. Nevertheless, Sadof is not so sure it would work. “You have a big group of people who are into the classic alternative bands, and that group might not like the newer rock,” he says. “And then you have the rap crowd. They might not like any of the rock.”

In his view, an experiment like that should take place on college radio. “What you are describing sounds to me [like] what college radio should sound like,” he says. He thinks that it's unfortunate that it doesn't, at least not in Houston. Sadof's exasperation with KTRU is unrelenting. “When I was on the radio, I always tried to educate my listeners,” he says. “I would play a couple of songs, and then come on and tell people what I just played, who played it, what album it was on and so on. KTRU will play 30 minutes of music and then the DJ will come on and mumble a bunch of stuff. Maybe he will tell you what he just played, maybe he won't. You're supposed to know, or something, and if you don't, well, you're just not very cool. Radio should be more welcoming than that.”

Write Your Comment show comments (5)

  1. I totally agree.
    I always said if I ever won the lottery (if I ever start playing the lottery) I would buy a radio station and give true music lovers what they want to hear.
    I only wish my stereo could pick up KLBJ (93.7) in Austin. Sure they may play mainstream artist, but the songs are "b-sides" or rarities. How often do you hear "Fools" by Van Halen (that's off Van Halen's 1980 release "Women and Children First" for all of you who are looking on the back of your "1984" album)?
    But, I have discovered somewhat of a savior here locally. 105.3 KTWL - in The Woodlands. KBOB has they are calling it.
    It's more of the variety they are offering.
    Yesterday it went from "Devil Went Down to Georgia" (Charlie Daniels Band), "Pretty Woman" (Van Halen), "Steal my Sunshine" (Len), "Runnin Down a Dream" (Tom Petty).

    Hopefully this is the start of something good in radio, because this town needs it bad.

    Comment by Jay — May 10, 2007 @ 06:33AM

  2. Ya know, I gotta call bullshit on Mr. Sadof's KTRU bashing. It's a college radio station, dude. During the day it is staffed by college students. They are not professional djs. They don't mumble to be cool; it's just that it can be kind of intimidating to be on the air. They're kids...cut 'em some slack.

    The specialty shows that KTRU airs during the evenings are hosted by volunteer members of the community. Shows like Genetic Memory (experimental music), The Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour (punk in all it's flavors), From The Depths (death & black metal), The Blues Show and The Sixties Show have been on the air for decades. If you want your radio shows to be informative, check these out.

    Hey, nothing wrong with The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Jam, The Ramones, et.al. I like 'em and, apparently, so does Madison Avenue. I hear their music all the time on television commercials. KTRU's mission statement is to play music that is not offered through more commercial channels. They succeed admirably and Houston is very fortunate to have them.

    And John, you don't need to convince us that commercial radio sucks. We know that. It's why we don't listen to it. It's Clear Channel you need to convince! Let's organize a protest outside of Clear Channel HQ!!

    Comment by kurt brennan — May 10, 2007 @ 02:17PM

  3. Hmm. Houston commerical radio sucks, old guys complaing about community volunteer radio not sounding like commercial announcers, yadda yadda gets how many paragraphs while Etta's not having Sunday Night music gets a mere mention. John, guess which one I wanted to hear more about. Ugh, yr killing me!!!!!

    Comment by Ramon "Lp4" Medina — May 10, 2007 @ 02:57PM

  4. I respect Kurt Brennan's comments and would like to elaborate a little. John and I talked for about an hour and a half for what would become this column and unfortunately, not everything I said ended up in his article.

    I started out in college radio myself and I agree with Kurt Brennan that there are some wonderful specialty shows on KTRU. I also recognize the mission statement of the station as Kurt mentions in his comment. The point I was making when I spoke with John was that there is a vast amount of great music that isn't being heard on radio whether it's commercial or non-commercial. Commercial radio is so far off in one direction and KTRU so much further in the opposite direction that the space between is massive. While I would NOT want to see the specialty shows in the evening go away, I see this as a huge opportunity for KTRU to reach a wider audience during the daytime while remaining true to their mission statement and maintaining their specialty shows at night. Artists that include The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, The Replacements, The Flaming Lips, The Velvet Underground, The Clash and others could make up the core of the station while they continue to expose newer and lesser known artists. The familiarity of the core artists surrounding music by Arcade Fire, Bonnie Prince Billy, Ted Leo and Black Math Experiment would not only serve the existing audience, but would also broaden the stations appeal without playing any songs that are readily heard elsewhere. I just think it would be great for a college station to show the commercial stations how it should be done. While it may seem like I'm bashing KTRU, I actually would like to help them become better at what they already do.

    And I will cut the kids some slack. It's not that I expect them to sound like professional dj's, but it would be nice if they could write down what they're playing so they don't forget 30 minutes later when they're back-selling it.

    Comment by David Sadof — May 19, 2007 @ 12:47AM

  5. I am a DJ at both KTRU and KPFT, and listen to both stations quite a bit. I have very, very rarely heard a set at KTRU where the DJ does not announce all the songs s/he played (except when Robo KTRU is on, which has already been explained. Robo is on a lot more often right now, because not many students are at the school). All the bands Sadof mentioned are actually played quite a bit at KTRU (I played the Clash last week, and I heard them played twice more that same day; the new Modest Mouse is actually on the playlist right now), although not near as much as more obscure artists and bands.
    Furthermore, Houston has some of the best radio shows of any city I've been to. Of course the mainstream stations suck- that pretty much goes without saying; but if you dig a little, you can find gold (and I'm not talking about Country Gold). I started a community at myspace awhile back called Houston Radio That Doesn't Suck (http://groups.myspace.com/houstonradiothatdoesntsuck), which is aimed at more extreme music (punk, industrial, experimental, goth, metal, electronic, post punk, etc.- the kind of stuff I generally do on my shows), but if you look you can find a show that plays just about any kind of music you can name.
    Go to www.kpft.org and www.ktru.org and look at their schedules and playlists- they aren't the only stations playing good music, but they're probably the most diverse. And no commercials on either. Unless you start a station yourself and program it yourself, you probably aren't going to find one taylor- made to your tastes, but that's actually a good thing. It helps you experiment and learn. -JasonB/ deadthyem radio show...

    Comment by Jason Beck — May 27, 2007 @ 01:27AM

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