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Local radio listeners who missed the front page of Saturday's Washington Post were in for a rude awakening this morning. WTGB 94.7 "The Globe," D.C.'s last classic rock station, changed formats today. The station is now called 94.7 Fresh FM, and offers contemporary pop music programming like Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson and John Mayer. The Post's story offers an appropriate lament for the demise of classic rock and further homogenization of the local radio landscape. Apart from the overall decline in radio audiences thanks to iPods and the like, it seems classic rock stations all over the country are struggling to interest advertisers due to their aging fan base. There was just no way for WTGB to end up back in black if it stuck with AC/DC.
94.7 FM Switches to Pop Format
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I missed the story but turned on 94.7 this morning and was disappointed to hear Taylor Swift. I instantly thought "programming change". What crap- DC needed another pop station like it needed more tourists this weekend. And I am in the under 30 demographic- does that count as old in the minds of radio execs?
I guess there's still 100.7 and 100.3 if I want to hear stuff like:
Begin the day with a friendly voice,
A companion unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood.
Off on your way, hit the open road,
There is magic at your fingers
For the Spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude.
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
Sorry to tell ya', Henry. The "Spirit of Radio" is spinning in its grave (although she DOES live on in our iPods).
Between this and Monkey's reference to "a Passage to Bangkok," its a Rush-themed morning in the comments section (and I, for one, like it).
radio quiet
more pop in my morning face
Crisco in my ear
Previous comment was my posting the lyrics of Rush's "La Villa Strangiato"
This is why people turned to Sirius and XM Radio in the first place: more homogenized dog's vomit, coochie begging music, and irritating pop anthems. They're just giving people more reasons to use Pandora and LastFM. Radio stations can go f**k themselves with a white hot stick. At this rate, broadcast radio will be deader than the music publishing industry and good riddance to bland, inoffensive garbage. I wouldn't pee in their faces if their heads were on fire.
Hear, hear, Monkey. I was just talking with someone the other day as to how 94.7 (I still referred to it as The Arrow!) was the only station in DC still worth listening to. And occasionally 89.3. But what the FUCK! This is just goddamned awful news. As a lover of all things classic rock, this is completely heartbreaking. Bahhh!
I stopped listening to FM radio in this area when HFS switched formats. Now I generally find myself listening to FM only when traveling back in the Midwest (where at least classic rock still clings to life).
DC101 in the '80s
WHFS in the '90s
Internet in the '00
before i eliminate my radio all together does anyone know of a listing of radio stations in DC anywhere? just some kind of table so i can try out stations that i might like? So far I've got 100.3 - but i need a backup when i hear the same song twice in an hour.
100.7 is pretty good, but they're in the Baltimore area and harder to pick up.
See, the way I sees it, there's 2 kinds of radio that ought to be on the radio.
One the one hand you got your Christian music. i don;t mean any mucially interesting and fun gospel, I mean real Christin music. Boring as heyell, uplifting, electric piano and banjo love of god music. That's what I want.
And on the other hand, you want to break it up some, give the people a little variety. For which we're gonna lay down with some rockin' and poppin' smooth jazz.Thing is, all these songs bout this and that, they'd all be better without words and with the smoothed out sound of a soprano saxophone purring in my ear like a god-loving cat. But only on AM.
dcrtv.org
I gave up on 88.5 years ago when they gutted their music programming. American Routes is one of the best shows on radio and they got rid of it, plus most of their bluegrass and country shows.
89.3 occasionally plays some good blues, but more often than not they play r&b on their blues shows (at least on weekends.)
I get XM at home through Direct TV. I would get it in my car if I drove more, but I don't have much of a commute in my car.
I don't understand the outrage. Classic Rock stations are just as homogenized as pop stations. How many effing times do you have to hear Sweet Home Alabama in a lifetime?
The answer is 13. No more.
I miss Jammin' Oldies on WGAY. There is no limit to the amount of times in your lifetime that you should hear "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by the Chairman of the Board.
94.7 used to air Little Steven's Underground Garage. Excellent show.
Here here, in all actuality there is nothing more tired and homogenized as the Classic Rock format, rehashing the same shit over and over and over, going on 40 years now. The pop format is an abomination, but at least it is not the auditory equivalent of groundhog day.
I was baffled when Jammin' Oldies didn't last. I thought that was near perfect for this area.
Although they did play the "Shaft" theme a bit much.
This really blows. 94.7 was the only station worth listening to in DC for music. It actually got better when they changed to the "Globe" and started playing more contemporary indie music mixed in with the classic stuff. Which exactly the blend lame-ass lilly white 30-somethings like me listen to.
Woah holy shit people still listen to the radio?
lol OMG J/k! oh man I'm such a young wippersnapper!
No but seriously, I stopped listening to the radio when all started finding all of my favourite bands and rappers and underwater bluegrass banjo players on this wonderful thing called "The Internet" and they all started living in this awesome recent invention called a "500 gigabyte hard drive".
But some of the best internet radio stations are also great local public radio stations, i.e. the Current, XPN, KEXP. Why hasn't DC public radio ever followed that model?
MPR's The Current is the BEST. Why don't readio producers realize that we all don't want to listen to one song over and over and over and over and over again, but might, instead, prefer some variety, and well-thought-out playlists by thoughtful DJs.
AMEN! But the ad wizards at 94.7 must have some market research that indicates this new format will make money. No one I know listens to Kelly Clarkson, but someone is buying her damn records! Public radio, on the other hand, can have the luxury of producing quality programming that isn't strictly market-driven (see above-mentioned stations, all songs considered, etc), but would probably have a large listenership here. It would be the same people that buy tickets to show after show - how can a city that is this great for seeing live music be so pathetic when it comes to radio? Ugh, don't get me started.
Seems all these 'Fresh' stations use call signs ending in FS....so I'd bet WTGB will change to WHFS soon enough.
ugh
94.7 was alright when it was the Globe. But once it switched back to the generic "classic rot" format, it became pretty much unlistenable, since like most other stations, regardless the format, they played the same 13 songs over and over again. Whereas my iPod has 18 songs, so I've got 'em beat.
Also, why is it that these NEW FRESH radio stations always play old ass music?
Maroon 5 was relevant when I was a 9th grader.
Also, classic rock stations fucking suck anyway. They only play like those 5 songs from various car commercials aimed at old white guys with a serious midlife crisis:
SLOWW RIEEEDDDDDD!!!!
DA NER NER NERNER NERR
TAKE IT EAASSAAYY!!!!
DA NER NER NERNER NERRR
Id rather listen to pandora or something where I can hear stuff like James Gang and Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mich And Tich.
Hell, at one point in the '80s I could pick up WCVT (towson state) and WMUC (UofMD) in the same house, and get my underground devil music from both directions.
Nowadays, I get my fix from WFMU's online stream. And it gets no better 'n that. DC radio is deadsville, daddyo.
as far as local terrestrial radio goes, it's a shame you just can't get wrnr well in most parts of DC. that might be one of the greatest things annapolis has going for it.
in the meantime, i'll keep my computer tuned in to woxy whilst at work...
WOXY Vintage is the bee's knees! BAAAAAMMMMM!
I have been split for a long time- on one hand I say Die Radio Die! and I have not used the dial since the availability of the web and ipodamajigs. But on the other hand, I really do wonder why DC can not support at least one good local station, with indie music both/either in the rock and hip hop formats. An even harder question is why a city with at least 6 colleges in it can not produce a single decent college radio station with a broadcast range of more than two blocks? Do DC college students lack the inherent DJ skills of every other college student in the world?
Yeah - I always wondered why WAMU didn't have more music programming. The other universities do have decent programming - WMUC is great to listen to if you can catch the signal. But their signal is so weak you can barely pick it up on campus, much less in the southern parts of DC.
You'd think that the increased bandwidth of HD radio would at least provide some opportunities for freeform or college radio. For some reason WAMU hasn't taken full advantage - their second HD radio station is all bluegrass (ALL BLUEGRASS!) and their third HD station just replays the stuff from their first station.
Man, DC radio is the pits.
"You'd think that the increased bandwidth of HD radio would at least provide some opportunities for freeform or college radio."
On whose dime?
Why not WAMU? They have the capability, just no imaginiation. Being member-supported, surely they would bring in more support with an indie format than bluegrass. I like bluegrass and all, but I wouldn't tune in to the radio for it.
Yes, I've wondered that too... DC is a big college town... what the hell? College radio is what you listen to for indie music. After HFS died there was not one station I could turn on to hear the Smiths (I realize I'm showing my age).
Will they finally drop their half-assed, never-executed, vestigial BS premise to be somehow the "environmental" radio station?
I stopped caring about FM radio a long time ago. Like a previous poster said, classic rock stations play the same songs all the time. If they playing a Jimi Hendrix song it was always Purple Haze, All Along the Watchtower or Foxey Lady. It's not like Hendrix had dozens of other great songs to choose from.
When I moved to DC I think I listened to one modern rock station for about 10 minutes and it was crap. I won't miss "Two-for-Tuesdays", "Rocktober", or "Metallica Mondays".
105.9 is aight
The last vestiges of 'old DC' have now been swept away. First it was WHFS. Now 94.7 has gone the way of the Dodo. Of course, us old-timers still know it as Arrow 94.7, not 'the Globe'.
I guess I could be a bit peeved if I still listened to FM radio for music anymore. Does anyone still listen to music on the radio?
Man, this was the only half-decent station. Guess I'll be listening to the old school R&B/funk station in the mornings now.
This is exactly why God invented the iPod FM transmitter.
You would think that DC metro area, with all its colleges, would have a decent college station with an alternative/classic rock format. Yep, the radio pretty much blows here. I find myself listening to more NPR than music on terrestrial radio.
WPFW, 89.3 will not let you down. Me loves the Hat Lady.
What is this "radio" thing that everyone keeps referring to?
I know that a lot of people think they're too cool to own a TV, but now you're really taking it old-school. That's exactly what hipsters of the 1930s were going around saying.
since no one listens to the radio anymore, can we revoke their licenses so our ipod fm transmitters won't be interfered with?
The girls don't seem to care tonight
As long as the mood is right
No static at all....
I have many radios but they are silent.
Silent because DC radio sucks.
And now it's even suckier because it's FRESH and that puts it in the MENTOS cage of suckieness.
Great - now we can listen to the American Idle station. Kelly Clarkson? John Mayer? Please. CBS says it's in the business of delivering mass audiences. More like sheep. We can only hope that CBS goes the way of GM. It has a good start.