Thursday, August 6, 2009
Crickets / Music The Future of Radio Is in Puns
Posted by Miles Raymer on 08.06.09 at 04:11 PM
Maura Johnston at Idolator reports that Denver radio station KTNI, which spent the past year as the "classic alternative" station Indie 101.5, has rebranded itself as "The Pole" and started broadcasting "Classic Non Stop Stripper Hits." Woof. Because one wouldn't want one's stripper hits to be anything less than "classic," nor would one want those classic stripper hits to stop, ever. Their definition of a classic is somewhat suspect, as it includes Theory of a Deadman's "Bad Girlfriend" and Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch." But I'm willing to agree that, as young as it is, "I'm n Luv (Wit a Stripper)" is already a permanent part of the featured-dance canon.
Of course the stripper hits will eventually stop, and sooner rather than later, because "The Pole" is just a publicity stunt to grab some attention for 101.5's shift from classic alternative to whatever it's going to actually end up. Probably some horrible buzzword format like "active rock."
But I agree with Maura's assessment that "stripper hits" sounds like a "depressingly plausible" radio format.* Radio is right behind the record industry in terms of flailing around wildly for a way to stay relevant, and excepting the many Jack FMs, individual stations' stylistic and demographic ranges seem to be getting narrower all the time. Seeing a terrestrial station go for the kind of niche that satellite radio does so well wouldn't be a surprise. Neither would seeing a broadcaster dedicating itself full-time to misogyny rock.
* Not that I'm opposed to stripping in general. But though some dancers I know find their jobs empowering (and I do make occasional visits to gentleman's clubs), I'd have to be pretty oblivious not to notice that misogyny is sometimes specifically used as a selling point by some of the more despicable elements in the stripping business. Same goes for the adult-entertainment industry in general. And the record industry too, for that matter.
Comments (1)
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It's actually just a stunt. Switching to talk radio after dumping the "indie" format. It was great fun as indie while it lasted, but that project has moved online only at indie303.com
B Dennehey (Denver)
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