So I was listening to the Playhouse this morning and they had Ebro on, who was a former member and now a Pd at one of the biggest hip hop stations in the country Hot 97 in New york. I caught the tail end of the coversation but PK was talking about how he has been hearing people complaining about the music on 1075. Than Ebro was rolling off titles of songs that Jammin SHOULD be playing. Sometimes I think you really have to live the lifestyle to pull off the jammin format. I've been listening to Jammin the last few days and I still think the music is pretty poor. Its not even close to what 95.5 was playing and they are getting the new music really late! They finally started playing the latest Kanye West song this past weekend, this is the same song that small market stations have been playing for over 4 months!!! It really makes you wonder if CBS really has the knowledge to take on a station like jammin, and do it correctly. How hard would it be for them to keep in contact with Someome like Ebro Who lives and breathes the hip hop format?? How hard would it be to make him the music director of Jammin, even though he is living in New york?
Here is the problem I have with the music on Jammin!
THey play very little new music.
They are playing the top 5 songs way way too often. Ray J and Mariah Carey are played almost every hour. They need to expand the playlist and keep on top of the new music.
AND whats up with the voice Tracking????? the night guy on Jammin has got to be voice tracked, he says about 2 words on every couple of songs. There is NO way this will work for musch longer. They need to get some Live personalities on that station, tbat are LIVE and having fun with listeners.
A hip hop radio station ran by 5o year old white men is not the way to go. Plus shouldn't they have someone who was ties with Record labels so they can be playing the new music sooner?

Way to go Ebro!! E has come a long way...especially from those early days at 102.5 with Dr. Dave Ferguson...but to those who know Ebro..have known all along that he has always had an "Ear" for the format.

Than maybe he should help out with the music decisions on Jammin! I think thats cool that he was on the show today, hopefully he will be making more appearences on the show!

Since Jammin is voicetracking the mid-days I hope they can make it up by hiring a LIVE jock or an afternoon team that is "STRONG" on the air. Meaning someone who is more of a personality than just a liner card reader!

Didn't he say himself what is working in New York doesn't necessarily work in Oregon? Not that new music isn't needed but what is considered 'hip-hop' in New York maybe different than what you want?

Jammin' 107-5's music variety is absolutely horrible! It doesn't sound anything like the old Jammin' 95.5...

Jammin' 107-5's music variety is absolutely horrible! It doesn't sound anything like the old Jammin' 95.5, which is really unfortunate.

C'mon kids. It's CBS radio. What else did you expect?

RCR wasn't making any money with Jamin' or else they wouldn't have dumped it. Their staffing was out of control as far as budgets go. So if CBS plans to make a go of it, they'll have no choice but to voicetrack.

Bad idea? I agree. But welcome to corporate radio of the early 21st century.

I'm trying to pin down this concept of "living the lifestyle" in order to be able to successfully execute a music format. Is this exclusive to the "Jammin'" format? Did "Tiger" Tom Murphy and Dave "Records" Stone "live the lifestyle" when they were Top-40 DJs at KISN?

If Jammin 1075 doesn't put some live air talents in the important dayparts than they are idiots! This format won't work VOICETRACKED! Ive already been hearing LOTS of complaints about the music. People are saying the music is not as good as the old Jammin 95.5, Which its not, its not even Close! The station sounds DEAD! There is no excitement to the station, this sounds like a half assed version of 95.5. Except 1075 is ran by people who don't understand the music, don't live the lifestyle and are clueless about the format. I'll give this station a year and it will be gone, unless they seriously put some effort into the station. What a joke! The small market stations sound better than 1075 and they are playing the new music right away, jammin is way late on the new music. CBS didn't know what they were getting into, Its apparent that they are clueless on how to execute the station. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THE MUSIC, IT IS AWFUL AND COMPLETELY UNLISTENABLE!

Reminds me of the auto industry, sometimes they'll introduce a new model which is actually just an older model with a new body and some cosmetic changes.

Same here, Movin' is now Jammin'!

Same model, but just a new music library and new drops and promos and a syndicated morning show.

Otherwise, still the same ole Movin' machine! IF you know what I mean.

I think this is absolutely hilarious. Watching CBS trying to execute this station is damn funny.
Its even more funny that they think they can voice track the entire station. When will they learn? When will they ever learn? I've noticed that they still don't have an afternoon jock in the afternoon. I'm wondering if they are actually going to hire a live air talent that is actually good. Im curious what kind of talent will be on in the afternoon. If they get a mediocre talent in the afternoon than that will put the nail on the coffin. The only thing that will save the station is the playhouse. THAT IS IT! People are correct, the music is awful. This station sounds like a diluted version of 95.5. A more friendly soccer mom version of 95.5. Didn't they learn the first time that the soccer mom music Doesn't work? This isn't rocket science, this is radio, but apparently its been tough for CBS.

..Is this exclusive to the "Jammin'" format? Did "Tiger" Tom Murphy and Dave "Records" Stone "live the lifestyle" when they were Top-40 DJs at KISN?

That's just it. The KISN Goodguys such as my Father, Tiger Tom Murphy, & Pat Patee weren't living the "Lifestyle" but creating it, and the kids were adopting it! It was something new! Today it doesn't exist. Jammin' doesn't create a "New" lifestyle, it's just a bad xerox copy that's been regenerated again and again.

Alex, you hit the nail right on the head...As a young listener, to me KISN was bigger than life. The music, the personalities, the promotions, and the connection to our community: it was SHOW BIZ! And it played well in your imagination. I loved the theatre-of-the-mind...and still do!

And that encouraged me to take the career path I did. I got the privilege of being on the air visiting with and serving my listeners for 32 years, and I fully enjoyed it almost every bit of the way!

In today's broadcasting, creativity is nearly totally out the window...Apparently, it costs too much. Those stations that do "get it" are fewer and farther between. And that's the real shame of it all...

IPOD radio. The lifestyle emulation is IPOD and MP3 recorder. And it is easy to see all this, just go to the mall or watch what people do at work and at play.

As such , corporate management can emulate this lifestyle without or despite human beings. It is easy to do all this totally automated and voice tracked. Why should they use a 60s - 70s paradigm, when it is easier and much cheaper to do it the 21st century way? Corporate has to have a reason to change, the force of social trend is the only way it is going to happen. And who ever is riding the next crest of that wave happens to be the winner. That is the way it happened before and it will be the same in the future.

I think everyones thinking a little bit to hard? Isn't all the VT'ing a monetary thing?

I think it is.

Might also be just a logistics thing too.

Personally, I think VT has little to no impact on the perception of "live" radio, and with that, the ability for people to connect and relate to it.

That's being impacted by trying to automate creative energy. That really only comes from people. Machines can store it, deliver it, move it, etc... but not author it.

Really, machines and networks should be employed to make it easier and cheaper for people to do their thing, not eliminate them.

The way I see it, if radio plays to the lowest common denominator, "shuffle" radio, then it does not compete well with the pod. Why bother entertaining somebody elses machine, when you can just carry around your own?

That's the lifestyle we are seeing.

On the other hand, if there is some daily relevance to be had on the radio, both mediums can be used and content can easily be moved to both. Hear it on the radio first, pay for it quick on the pod after that, get it for free if you don't mind living a bit behind.

I've been playing with the pods and radio and have been driving more lately. I've discovered that a pod, loaded regularly with new content, is an OK substitute to the radio. If I just want some music, the pod is it, no question.

On the other hand, if I want some entertainment outside of music, the pod is good, but not the be all end all. It takes time, energy and money to keep it filled with relevant entertainment.

The radio just does this, when I turn it on.

Also, if I miss something on the radio, I can snag it and use the pod to catch up / fill in on whatever it was I didn't have the chance to listen to when it was aired.

Some programming is on delay anyway. Does not really matter much, unless I want to contribute, like one would on a talk show. Of course, there is e-mail too. That buffers the delay both ways, making a connection possible.

For news / opinion programming, this works nicely, meaning calling in is now a waste of time for most people, yet some conversation can still take place.

Based on these observations and my experiences over the last few months, VT content, that has daily relevance is going to punch above shuffle content that really doesn't. That's true pods or not.

I think it will always be true, unless radio succeeds in resetting expectations such that nobody will even bother...

IMHO, outside of talk type programs, or niche show type programs, telling stories of some kind appears to be the number one way to achieve daily relevance.

Doesn't have to be old school radio serial programs either. Could be other things woven in with music / talk programming too.

I think those daily relevance expectations are still largely set and the dissatisfaction people are expressing are directly related to radio, in general, not meeting them.

On that note, expectations wise, just watched a recent movie filmed in PDX Oregon. It was a cyber crime film, involving a nut bag killing people and streaming their deaths. (you just know that's gonna happen some day too.)

Anyway, the intro to the movie featured a main character listening to the local NEWS on a local FM to jump start their day. There was gonna be music too, the lead in audio was there, just faded as the movie content became front and center.

Hmmm....

Its all about money. VTing and the digitized programming. It was all about money in 1965 as well. Social expectation coupled with the technology at the time is what drove concepts like ' Boss Radio " and the like.

Without getting too far off of the original subject, "It's all about the money" sums up all the decisions quite well. In these discussions, the radio that existed before Top-40 rarely gets brought up. That was radio that featured live performances of music and drama, required a lot of manpower, and cost a lot of money to put on the air.

The DJ-based radio that came into vogue in the 1950s and evolved into Top-40 was a huge cost savings. Now, one guy ran all the controls, performed the announcing, and played pre-recorded material, using the then-new recording technologies of microgroove vinyl records and magnetic tape.

Today, the air talent, if used at all, doesn't even have to sit through the entire shift. Even more $aving$ are thus made possible. Does getting rid of or voice-tracking the talent damage the entertainment value of the programming? My opinion is that it does, but I'm just one person, and my tastes might not be representative of the radio audience, as a whole.

Well CBS radio is "Not getting it." They think they can voice track the whole station and make it work. NOTE TO CBS- This won't work! This is not K-lite!
Afternoon is a very important daypart, and if you listen to the Fm radio stations, Pretty much every station on the dial has a LIVE afternoon team, or a live jock, infact I can't think of one station that voice tracks in the afternoon in portland. So If CBS does voice track their afternoon show, this will be a new LOW for radio and a new LOW for CBS radio who are clearly unprepared and have no idea how to execute the Jammin format. If they didn't have it in the budget to hire some live air talent, than why the hell did they take the format?? If jammin wants to get ratings, they HAVE to have live talent, that are out in the clubs, broadcasting live, and having fun with listeners, YOU CAN'T DO THAT WITH VOICETRACKING! Jammin 95.5 would have never lasted as long as it did without having the live air talent. Plus part of the draw is shout outs, requests ect live on air. Jammin 95.5 did a lot of that in the afternoon.

This won't work! This is not K-lite!
K-Lite was replaced by K-Hits over two years ago in January of 2006, after lasting almost four years (I almost want to say that the KKJZ/K-Lite flip was Feb. 2, 2002, not 100% sure though). So it could be cross-argued that K-Lite didn't work.

Oh, BTW, I'm currently listening to a radio station with a live DJ that just played a phoner with a listener request... the station is C89.5 in Seattle. Kinda funny that the station that probably understands its format/listeners the best is owned by a public school district.

K-Lite "worked" because of it's Christmas programming. Jammin' won't be able to survive on K-Lite's budget.

There are huge CHR/Rhythmic stations in CBS' portfolio! I don't think you can say they don't know what they're doing.

Isn't CBS pulling out all stops for the new format?

Nope! They bought over the playhouse, which pretty much took care of their budget, which means the rest of the station will be a voice tracked mess!

And Smoochie most CBS stations around the country That are doing the Jammin type format do have live talent in the important dayparts, thats why I can't understand why CBS radio in Portland is being so damn cheap with the station. I can't think of one hip hop station in the country that voice tracks their afternoon show, NOT ONE! Hopefully CBS is smart enough to ge some good LIVE air talent in the afternoon.

Lat month when I was down in San francisco I was listening to Wild 94.9- the Hip Hop station. Talk about a great, fun station to listen to. The midday woman( Who was LIVE) was giving out prizes almost every hour, The energy was so high on that station. People were calling up. laughing, having fun. The woman on the air was making fun of Brittney Spears! It just sounded REALLY GOOD! Lots of high energy, the station sounded alive and fun! Thats what a hip-hop station SHOULD sound like. NOT a voicetracked person who drops in a few liners every couple of songs. That may work on a k-lite type station but not on a hip hop station, that should be common sense.
I also listened to Saint John in the afternoon, and Im convinced that he is one of the best hip hop jock in the country, talk about a spaz! High energy, great calls on the air, and his sarcasm is hilarious. 1075 should take note!

Wild IS a great radio station....though not what it used to be when the Doghouse was the morning show.

St. John must be VT'd.....isn't he doing afternoons at KBIG in L.A.?? I dunno.

St john is live in San Fran!

But Yes, I agree Scott, Its not as good as it used to be. Partially because they got that awful T- man! That show is the worst.

The Playhouse was a MUCH MUCH MUCH better show back in the day when it was PK, Ebro, Scooter, and Sony. The show was fun and entertaining... now it is bland and boring. Ratings prove that.

Proof on the ratings Ness, please provide!
But I will agree that the show is not as good. Its not as smart of a show. When Ebro was on the show, they discussed issues in the news ect. Now its revolved around making fun of Duryan, I wich I think gets old really quick. But, that being said, its still one of the most entertaining morning shows in Portland. Portland radio is pretty bland when it comes to morning shows.
Im still confused what happend to Sonnie. She brought the "smarts" to the show, the voice of reason. It sounded like she was fired from the show, but I don't know that for sure.

"I think you really have to live the lifestyle to pull off the jammin format."

I agree. I've always thought that the Rhythmic CHR on-air attitude can't be learned because the hip hop lifestyle is such a strong sub-culture. You should be able to execute any other format if you're an on-air pro, but Rhythmic CHR is different.

I still think the music on Jammin 1075 is weak!
The variety on that station is awful! They play the same 3 artists non stop, it makes the station impossible to listen to. 1075 also sounds like a "Lighter" version of 95.5.

its seems jammin is taking there time add music but question should be will they have mixing on station

Hey, that's a good one for "Wheel of Fortune" in the category of "before and after": Mix Master Blaster!

You really need to speak english Radiohustla because I can't understand what the hell you are trying to say.

yeah jammin need get there act together.

djfressssshhh... is that you? Damn... where ya' been hiding lately, pal?!

Where have you been FRESH??
We have been worried sick.

He's been hanging out at Radio Info.

Seriously. Start up a new tab in your browser and go to http://radio-info.org/smf if you want to find out what Fresh has been, well, *trying* to write there.

Beano--
It seems Jammin' is taking [their] time add[ing] [content,] but [the] question should be: will they have [any] mixing on the station?