Shots Across The Bow

The Living Dead

There’s one scene that’s in every zombie movie ever made. I think it’s required by law or something. It’s the scene where one of the kids running from the zombies has been caught, eaten, and now returns to chase his former friends. Though recognizable, mainly by his/her clothing, they are ghosts of their former selves, brain dead, shambling monsters whose only goal is to feed off the living.

Which pretty much sums up how I feel about 100.3 The River in its new incarnation. The life is gone, but the corpse refuses to lie down and be quiet.

I can still recognize the body of my old friend; the call letters are the same; they still call themselves “The River,” and they’ve even kept a couple of the DJ’s. But there’s no heartbeat in this new incarnation, no soul, probably because there’s no heart in corporate radio.

Morning and afternoon drives are the two peak times for a radio station. That’s when they get most of their listeners, and that’s when they establish a voice. WOKI’s drive time shows are canned, and have all the personality of a trash compacter. They’ve recycled news and traffic announcers from other Citadel stations in Knoxville, a move that saves money, but one that robs the station of the last vestiges of a unique voice.

They claim to have kept the same format, but the mix has changed. I’m hearing more pop music, and less blues, Americana, and reggae. When they let their Music and Program Directors' go, the station lost its direction, and the music lost its focus. Instead of an edgy, eclectic mix of new and old, of songs you wouldn't hear anywhere else, we’re now getting the standard Greatest Hits mix. Before long, I expect ratings will drop off, and Citadel will use that as an excuse to officially change the format to whatever they want to call what they’re playing now.

Contrary to the carefully selected sound bites they’ve been running, most of the River Rats are dismayed with the changes, and are leaving The River. As one former River Rat said, “If I have to listen to crap, I’ll listen to the original crap, not an imitation.”

The River has lost its voice, its edge, and it won’t get it back. According information in the guestbooks on Save 100 The River.com, they don’t want it back. Apparently, the new management is going after a female audience to supplement their male audience at WIVK. I guess that leaves the River Rats who liked the format before, who drove the Station from 11 to 5 in the rankings, out in the cold.

We’ve tried petitions, e-mail campaigns, talking to advertisers, and even talked to the some of the people in charge. We were told we were heard, that our voices made a difference.

We were lied to.

But revenge is sweet, and I get to do my small part to ensure that the newest Citadel venture falls flat on its face. Not by this column; 100 readers or so won’t make a difference, but guess who was chosen as a radio Arbitron family for this week? Yep, that’s right. I’ve got 5 radio logs in my house, and for the past week, not one Citadel station has appeared on any of those logs. WUTK, WETS (Johnson City), WDVX, and 93.1 all show significant time though. I imagine they will be greatful to the new management at The River.

Just my small way of showing the folks at Citadel how much I appreciate them turning my favorite station into a pale imitation of every other mediocre station out there.

You know, I'd be happier if they would go ahead, be honest for a change, and rename the station to something that more accurately reflects the new outlook, like, The Ditch, The Stagnant Pond, or The Cesspool. Let the dead corpse finally rest.

Posted by Rich at August 28, 2003 12:24 PM | TrackBack