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Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
Or maybe that should be these formats?
The station, WEXP-FM in Westport, N.Y., has adopted a format that consists of block programming. One minute it might be Adult Rock. The next, country oldies. You might tune in and hear the Music of Your Life, Jazz, pop hits or R&B.
Why would someone want to program such a crazy quilt of music? The answer is deceptively simple: the place is up for sale and "Experimental Radio," as they call it, is a stunt to get attention - and, they hope, a buyer.
Would You Listen To A Station With No Consistent Format?
Station website
- Radiowiz
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
Block programming is very community radio, listener supported.
- Walter
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
Yes. It reminds me of the earliest days of CFNY, when you might hear the Beatles or Beethoven. Perfect radio.
- newsguy1
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
It was just a university radio station but in the early days of UBC radio it was bloack programming, and at the time students liked it.
IE it played some top 40 music in the day, then alternative FM in the evenings, and then in the evening it did live play by play hockey, UBC Thunderbirds.
- turkeytop
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
When CKNX FM first came on in the late 70s they had a similar format. After school, two hours of rock. During the early afternoon, a program for seniors. Farm news in the morning. Late Saturday night, jazz. Sunday morning, religion. Etc They tried to have something for everyone.
Last edited by turkeytop (December 19, 2024 8:01 pm)
After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.
- paterson1
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
I find stations like this predictably unpredictable and get boring quickly. Just throwing a bunch of music or styles against the wall and seeing what sticks doesn't attract many listeners. Block programming is ok when it is well done, but jumping from the Supremes to classical to country to metal to big band is a station I wouldn't give a lot of time to. The university station at Western was like this back in the 80's, and when you walked around the campus or in buildings, the only station you would ever hear was FM 96!
- turkeytop
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
I didn't like it when CKNX was doing it. We were living up on the Bruce Peninsula then, and CKNX was our only FM station.
After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.
- darcyh
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
I don't mind block programming. Like TV shows, I will tune in to hear a certain program or style of music.
CKWR used to do it. They had a new age music program for a couple of hours once a week in the evening. I would often tune in. Alberta public radio used to have a Celtic music show on Friday nights that was fun to listen.
WMIC 660 AM from Sandusky Michigan does block programming. Classic country in the morning, swap shop from 1 - 2 pm. Dan Bongenio (talk) 2 - 5 pm. On the weekends they do a polka show then follow it with a classic country music show. Quite an eclectic selection. That 660 signal carries a long way into Ontario through the day. Give them a try. This is a pretty successful station that probably runs on a shoe string budget.
At one time many AM stations used to do this.
- Dave The OTA guy
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AM 640 was kind of like that in the mid 90s when I started listening until it went all talk in October of '95: Jesse & Jean as the morning show. Then talk from 9 until noon. An hour of music, more talk until Tarzan Dan came on and I'd listen to him on my walkman while I delivered newspapers. Then more music in the evening and more talk at night. The Sunday night sex show even aired in the evening after playing music all day.
- Paul Jeffries
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Re: Would You Listen To A Station With This Format?
paterson1 wrote:
I find stations like this predictably unpredictable and get boring quickly. Just throwing a bunch of music or styles against the wall and seeing what sticks doesn't attract many listeners. Block programming is ok when it is well done, but jumping from the Supremes to classical to country to metal to big band is a station I wouldn't give a lot of time to. The university station at Western was like this back in the 80's, and when you walked around the campus or in buildings, the only station you would ever hear was FM 96!
I remember in the late 1980s when I was enrolled in the Radio Broadcasting course at Mohawk College, the instructor, who was frustrated with not being able to gain control of the campus radio station, CHMR (which was student-run and not part of the course at the time), decided to start his own "station". The station was fed closed-circuit through the TV sets mounted on the walls in the corridors of the college, of which there were plenty. The playlist was eclectic, to say the very least: everything from "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" by The Four Preps to "Finish What Ya Started" by Van Halen.
Talk about a captive audience. I remember one of my other instructors asking me, "Are you responsible for the crap coming out of those TV sets?" 
PJ
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