http://www.indy.com/posts/4973 en-us agb I just moved here from West Michigan and yes people listen to the radio! So far I love it here but I haven't been able to find a radio station and its driving me crazy!! W. Mich. has Radio Station 'X 9-6-1' and it is absolutely fantastic! (It also has a couple of other really good stations.) I am a busy working mom and I use my Ipod for running - I need the radio to find out the latest and greatest music while I am chauffeuring my kids everywhere - I don't have time to download & research music constantly. You would think the media business executives here would recognize this. Indy needs to be playing what the other larger metro cities are playing - Grand Rapids wouldn't be playing good music if it wasn't making money and it is very, very conservative! Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:30:24 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_24209 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_24209 rictor Do people under 50 really listen to the radio still? Do you drink a phosphate and putter around in your Model T while you do so? Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:28:22 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_20212 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_20212 MrCircleCity.com Dave, I really appreciate that last point. You're right, in this dog-eat-dog media business these days, if local media isn't touching a consumer's life with relevency and specific targeting to their interests..They've probably lost them as a consumer/listener. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:58:14 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_20204 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_20204 BoilerGirl Great post! This is the station primer I'd been looking for since I moved here in September!! I live near radio antennas on the north side that are super strong and over power other channels. Can't get all the stations when I start my commute so I didn't know half of them existed. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:07:53 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_20188 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_20188 Dads56 David, Just curious.... what would it cost to launch or buy a fledgling radio station here? Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:43:02 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15181 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15181 Dads56 David.... I knew TTS is 92.3.. but my 93.1 reference is sort of ironic. I must admit I have listened to WIBC (93.1) since their switch to FM than I have in more than a decade. Indy is a huge commuter town with no mass transit. Because of the amount of time we spend in our cars, radio will always be a a popular medium here. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:41:13 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15180 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15180 getstumpy KEXP is a great station! It is all things an adult-alternative (Triple-A) could or should be. WXPN in Philly, KCRW in Santa Monica, WXRT in Chicago, and WOXY.com are other great examples of stations that play new, aesthetically pleasing, mostly rock music without resorting to overplayed cliches. When these stations play a "classic," it's not Mellencamp or Aerosmith (artists I can enjoy in moderation), but rather the Replacements, early R.E.M., Concrete Blonde, or the Pixies. I modeled 91.7 WEEM (Pendleton) after these great stations, including their in-studio programs such as KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and WXPN's "World Cafe." Being independently owned, TTS has the freedom and potential to replicate these stations' greatness for the Central Indiana audience. Unfortunately, they waste too much of their playlist on stale classic hits and bland adult top-40--formats that are already served by stations higher in the ratings. That leaves low-powered stations like ours to take up the slack and forces those out of range towards internet and satellite radio. All this anger toward local, corporate radio--you'd think somebody would have figured out how to make a buck off it by now. Where is the next commercial radio pioneer? Who has the guts to take a chance and try something genuinely unique and compelling? If revenues keep falling 6-7% each quarter, somebody might finally try something. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:30:46 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15164 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15164 DigitalEvolution I remember a station back when I was a younger cat, I think it was 107.1 or .3 I can't recall where exactly it was on the dial, wow what a station, they had a great dj, I would call the dude on my way home from work and come up with off the wall requests and dude would always play em. I agree with StellarSwarm, put control of the music back in the hands of the DJ. Let someone who has a love of music instead of a love of profits decide whats jammin. That is the state of our popular music and television (and pretty much everything else) maxing of the profits at the sake of the long term health of the product. I've always felt that if the product is awesome, people will pay for it. Plus doesn't like one or two companies own all the radio/tv stations nationwide? How can that be good? The only surfire way to save radio is to hire me as your next dj. You can contact me thru indy.com if interested. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:43:14 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15160 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15160 David Lindquist That's 92.3 for WTTS ... but I can understand your listing of WXRT's frequency (93.1) when referring to 'TTS. For Chuck, who was disappointed that the story had such a heavy emphasis on business, that's pretty much the point: Radio executives cater to advertisers, not listeners. Having said that, if you're a fan of country music or mainstream rap in Indianapolis, you probably love terrestrial radio here. Your stations educate and entertain you. Look at the list of country acts coming to Indianapolis this summer: Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn ... Nashville cares a lot about Indianapolis, because the city's most popular radio station (WFMS) does things like present the Country Music Expo each spring, when listeners get to mix and mingle with artists, plus the daily Free Stage at the state fair. If country's not your favorite style of music, what is? Does Indianapolis have a station that plays that music? If it does, does that station dote on you the way WFMS dotes on its listeners? If you answered "no" to question 2 or question 3, my guess is that local radio has given up on you and that you've probably given up on local radio. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:40:26 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15152 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15152 Dads56 Stellar.... what you want sounds a lot like WTTS 93.1. Didn't get a mention. It's my favorite. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:01:30 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15151 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_15151 sketchy All Indy radio sucks. That retard Smiley should be put back into kindergarten, maybe his on-air antics will get a laugh there. Go do a search for the stream for KEXP, and listen to how radio should be. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:15:14 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14985 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14985 randydaytona The only Indy radio station worth listening to is WIBC. All the FM popular music channels suck. The DJs think they are so funny yet they are so retarded. It's the same on Sirius though. It's like just shut the hell up and play music. Your Britney and Paris jokes weren't funny the first 500 times. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:31:06 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14912 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14912 Stretch $10 a month to have Sirius is worth not having to listen to Indy radio. Keep your commercials and no-talent DJs. I'll listen to what I want when I want. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:10:21 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14906 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14906 FineArtsSociety No jazz, blues or classical? The article correctly cites WICR 88.7 FM as devoting nearly its entire broadcast schedule to jazz and classical music -98 hours of classical music weekly supplied by us, the Fine Arts Society, and 70 hours a week of WICR-produced jazz programming. WFYI 90.1 FM is also cited for their locally produced "The Blues House Party" Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:44:52 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14892 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14892 Alex_B Yeah, but you would have no problem bugging these "morons" for May Day Pit Stop Party Passes and jamming the phone lines when it came to the free stuff that we used to give away. I am glad it took 10 years for you to like them. Enjoy those dinosaur tracks from Nirvanna, Pear Jam, Rage, etc etc. Nothing like living in the past. I am sure you set your watch for Mandatory Metalica too.... GO IPOD! Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:30:01 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14875 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14875 look4mission WQME 98.7 FM is also not on the list. They play Contemporary Christian music. Great station and coverage is very good - plus good mix of music new and old. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:00:51 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14820 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14820 wonderjoe If you mean sucking the life out of X 103 by getting rid of chatty children and unfunny attempts at humor then "budget ax" as many people as you need. It has taken 10 years of listening to X 103 and finally hear music without morons getting in the way of the tunes. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:53:16 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14819 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14819 chuck I was disappointed the article focused show much on the business aspect of radio but was placed in the entertainment section. Of course I realize Indianapolis radio is all about money & ratings. I recall Mr Lindquist's predecessor, Marc Allan would often write articles about how bad Q95 & Indianapolis radio was, you know completely void of anything but predictable, overplayed "classic" rock. Obviously, a lot of people in central IN prefer bland, predictable music as Q95 continues to get good ratings. Let's not even begin to discuss the pablum played on WFMS. Hank Williams is rolling in his grave! It's really sad we can't have a station that is remotely close to WXRT 93.1 FM in Chicago. WTTS 92.3 in our fair city is the closest thing to listenable commercial radio and it leaves a lot to be desired, unless you love Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow & Mellencamp in heavy rotation. Why did not the article spend more time on the up-coming non-profit community radio station to be launched later this yr? After all, the article was in the Entertainment section, not the business section. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:26:27 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14816 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14816 Alex_B Clear Channel sucked the life out of X 103 when the "budget ax" swung and cut myself & Nikki a year and half ago out of jobs and most recently Gunner at the end of last year. GO IPOD! Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:32:35 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14725 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14725 Bill500 Can't state it any more correctly than StellarSwarm in their comments. Such a large city, and such pitiful radio stations. Suggestion...tune into WCSX (via internet, if necessary) to get an example of a fairly good station/format. Good music, etc. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:52:12 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14698 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14698 getstumpy I like that last.fm uses a lot of the tracks we record in-studio! If you ever see one tagged "live in the MOKB/WEEM studio" that's us! Recorded (almost) in your back yard (Pendleton). Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:55:44 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14634 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14634 Shimmercore I prefer Last.fm. It does the same thing and even makes recommendations to you based on your music database on itunes. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:48:50 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14629 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14629 aLLENiMAGERY i detest Indiana radio... i recently found Pandora.com its cool, because you can enter in an artist name and it uses some innovative software to find similarstyles etc. creating a custom station for you... Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:02:58 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14592 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14592 David Lindquist Sorry about missing WBRI. You should now see the station in this report. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:26:17 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14529 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14529 Cthulu I quit listening to radio a few years ago. Every now & then I tune in & find out that they are still playing the same old music so I go back to my iPod. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:52:49 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14527 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14527 mozart You'll find very few (if any) stations playing the same 10 songs every hour. The ones that do repeat the same songs often do it because that's what their audience wants. That's why WHHH & WNOU have such a large share of young listeners. You'll find similar channels on satellite radio. Most people like to hear things they are familiar with. That's human nature. That's why when bands/artists play unfamiliar songs at concerts you see a lot of people headed to the concession stand. There's room for outlets that play mostly new music, just don't expect them to have large audiences. Satellite radio has channels that do this, but they don't depend on having a large listener base. The two satellite radio operations have been losing millions of dollars per year. Unless they find a way to cut their losses, expect a fair number of commercials and sponsorships on their channels soon. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:41:11 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14472 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14472 ls108 Its kinda tough to hear WXLW is they have a horrid signal. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:55:57 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14471 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14471 radio_expatriot I love the spin from the local radio execs. Yes, the number of people listening to radio may not have changed much, but they didn't mention the time spent listening data. Listeners who drop in for traffic and weather and then go back to their ipods and satellite radio have a huge impact. there are few people who spend hours listening to commercial radio anymore. Radio needs to reinvent itself, but all I'm seeing is the same old stale ideas. Emmis's Severino says the future is online. So, why won't he put any money into his interactive department? More lip service and BS from guys who just can't figure it out. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:46:01 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14470 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14470 obeythedoberman this is such an awesome article because local FM radio is a dinosaur, much like that man pictured above, Chris Wheat. it's like working at a label and thinking everything is going to be alright. face facts folks, if you work at a local FM radio station you'll be looking for a job very soon. if you don't own satellite radio get with the times and if your reasoning for not upgrading is local traffic and weather well then consider me speechless. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:06:10 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14461 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14461 Payin-the-Toll Gee--losing money and listeners?? No Jazz station, No Blues station, No Classical station?? 5 stations chasing middle-aged women with Soft Rock? And to compensate the men they're offering 3 sports-talk stations? I'm a man and I watch sports. I don't want to listen to a bunch of air-heads yak about sports on the radio. And, how come we're the 12th or 13th largest city in the country, but we're 40th in radio market population? I don't get it. These stations are killing themselves, and deserve exactly what they get. As the 1st poster mentioned, it's the same songs, over & over & over & over. Think of all the great music made since time began, and here in Indy we get crap! Sun, 17 Feb 2008 11:21:20 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14459 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14459 StellarSwarm If you want my listenership, here is my list of demands. 1.) Stop playing the same 10 songs on the hour, every hour. 2.) Replace pompous "personalities" like Smiley, who flaps his jaws all day, with personable DJ's that have a deep knowledge of music and carefully craft setlists to be relevant to their listeners. 3.) Give control of the playlist back to the DJ!!! I'm tired of hearing what the execs think is good...based on how much money it's making them. 4.) Adjust commercials so they are NOT 30 decibels louder than the rest of the programming. Also, ban all car horns, screeching tires, and sirens from radio commercials so I don't lock up the brakes in the middle of an intersection for fear of getting in an accident. 5.) Less talk, more music. 6.) Come up with some kind of online feedback system where users can give the thumbs up/down on songs, thereby either increasing or decreasing the frequency of play. See Pandora.com or RadioParadise.com for a similar kind of system. 7.) Support local music! I'm not asking for it to be all local, all the time, but an hour long show once a week would be nice. I have high hopes for WITT, and look forward to the possibility of sharing my own musical knowledge with Indy. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:13:34 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14458 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14458 mjcarter1981 No mention of WBRI, AM 1500? Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:06:25 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14456 http://www.indy.com/posts/4973#comment_14456