SCott308 said:
This is what I sent:
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I would appreciate it if you would play "Safe Home" by Anthrax. I realize
this record may not have much support from the label, but you do have the
ability to play something without the labels telling you what to play, don't
you? As program director, you do have the ability to decide what songs will
get airtime, correct? Seeing as how you are the number one station in
eastern Iowa, playing an occasional Anthrax song shouldn't hurt your
ratings. Unless, of course, you are afraid that the people listening to
Puddle of Mudd, Staind, and Korn will switch to a different station if they
hear a band that can actually spell correctly. But if they do, they would
stop listening to your station anyway if someone were to tell them that jazz
was The Next Big Thing. If you are afraid your station is weak enough that
they would lose listeners just because Anthrax is played occasionally, I
understand. If not, I am glad to hear you will be playing Anthrax.
This is what I got in response:
Scott,
I don't know what you do for a career, but I am pretty sure I would not be
able to tell you how to do your job. Because I have never been in your shoes
nor in your career of choice, I wouldn't begin to tell you what to do or how
to do it. That being said, I have my reasons for not playing Anthrax and
they are not personal. I have played Anthrax many times in my career thank
you, and I know John Bush, their lead singer. I was playing John's old band
before Anthrax, Armoured Saint. For the record, we don't play any Armoured
Saint either.
As the Program Director for KFMW, I have a responsibility and a job to do
and to hopefully do it well. Radio is a business not unlike the business
your probably in. The goal of any radio station is to make money. Radio
makes money by getting great ratings and then convincing area businesses to
advertise with us because we are ranked #1 in the target demo they are
looking to attract. Getting great ratings means playing the right music and
targeting a demo. Our target demo is Men 25-34 years old.
Now, let's look at Anthrax's career. Anthrax was a new band in the mid to
late 80's. The band's peak year was probably 1988. Even if you were say, 21
years old in 1988, you are now 36. If you were 25 or 26, you are now in your
40's. The majority of my listeners are wanting Korn, Linkin Park, Puddle Of
Mudd, Disturbed or Godsmack - not Anthrax. Most of my listeners have never
even heard of Anthrax and if they have, it's because of the 2001 Anthrax
scare along the East Coast. They really don't even fit the "Bad Hair Friday"
show.
They got airplay in some markets. But, they never really happened. They
never had a smash hit at radio, they never had a Platinum selling album.
They have now been around for close to 20 years, all without mainstream
radio airplay, but also without a big selling album. That's a lot of years
and a lot of albums. That's also a lot of years when you compare them to
many other 'metal' acts that have sold millions of records during that same
time frame.
If I were to take 20 artists that we currently play and include Anthrax as
one of the 20 bands, and I were to ask 100 people to pick their top 10 bands
out of the 20 listed, how many out of those 100 would actually choose
Anthrax? I'd be surprised if 1 person did. In the 6+ years I have worked
here, I have never received a request to play any Anthrax until now. Where
have all of these fans been for the previous 6 years?
I am programming a format called Active Rock on KFMW. It's the same format
being programmed on Lazer 103.3/Des Moines, 93X/Minneapolis, and 93
Rock/Quad Cities, just to name three. None of those stations - in much
larger markets - are playing Anthrax. Why aren't you contacting EVERY rock
station in the United States? Because no one is playing Anthrax, new or old.
It seems I'm being unfairly singled out. The band is playing in Clear Lake,
Iowa. How many stations in Mason City or Clear Lake are currently or have
ever played Anthrax? Zero. I would hope that you have been in contact with
the "rock" station there in Mason City.
Sure, I could play Anthrax. I could play also play King Diamond, TNT, Slave
Raider, Helloween, WASP, Armored Saint, Slayer, Helix, Warlock and a
thousand other metal bands from 1988. The problem is - it's almost 2004, not
1988. I've already played those bands on radio. None of them went anywhere -
except for Slayer's strange appeal. Anthrax's time has long come and gone.
They are not what the majority of listeners are wanting to hear when they
turn on Rock 108. My station is the top ranked station in eastern Iowa which
tells me we're doing the right things and playing the right music. It can't
possibly please each and ever person that tunes in, but it obviously pleases
most of them.
Curious about the national picture? Check out the Industry website:
www.radioandrecords.com and look at the charts for Active Rock.
Michael Cross
Program Director
KFMW-FM
Waterloo/Cedar Rapids
You just noticed that??
