In attempts at starting conversation, here...tackle this.

Ever wonder why radio stations across the country think it's a good idea to play 80s music during the lunch hour, and ALL DAY on Fridays? What possesses these people? Love it? Or hate it?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

Answers

Or, what possesses Atlanta radio executives to create a half dozen new radio stations during the past year - and give them all the exact same format - when there's not one good Americana / alt.country / call-it-what-you-will-station in the whole damn city?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

Under the heading of "It would be a good listenable song if it wasn't played to death" falls most 80s music for me. "Always There to Remind Me" and "If You Leave" are good songs. I just can't to stand to hear them anymore.

My question about Atlanta radio is why is it necessary for all the stations to go to a ten minute commercial break on my drive home at THE SAME TIME! Is it a conspriracy? Did every radio programmer in the city get together and decide that every station should not play music from 4:39 to 4:49 every damn day?

The only station that doesn't go to commercial during that time frame is the Christian station, and you KNOW I am not listening to that. Not because I'm all against The Savior or anything like that, but, I mean, have you listened to that stuff? It would make the staunchest Catholic convert to Judaism before the first chorus.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

I don't speak for all Catholics, by any means, but as Catholics can be seen as the intellectual and cultural snobs of Christianity, it's safe to say that we'd snub our noses at the over-synthesized Christian station. (I do, at least. Not that I don't enjoy sacred music - that's not the case, at all - anyway.)

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

I've noticed all the SF Bay area stations seem to do traffic reports at the same time too.

I'm dying to try out satellite radio, but I don't think it's available in this area yet. Don't care if it costs, it's worth it if I don't have to listen to another Clear Channel radio station.

I like the 80's stuff - at first. It was cool for a while, when that one 80's station started up. Nobody was playing 80's and it was wonderful to hear the old songs again. Now everybody's jumped on the bandwagon and the 80's station plays more pop than new wave. *Sigh*

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

I think I've written about this too many times already, but...

I'm so fucking sick of the 80s nostalgia wave. We didn't get a chance to forget the 80s before they were being shoved in our faces as 'the memories of our lives'. Crap. And the 80s music that I hear on the radio is hardly representative of the real music of the 80s. I don't hear any Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam. I hear no Samantha Fox. Fat Boys. Doug E. Fresh (my love). Bel Biv Devoe (late 80s, right?). Lionel Ritchie. Debbie Gibson.

The Sanitized 80s. When everyone was evidently only listening to the music that was deemed cool in the 90s.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

Speaking of the disgusting 80s, did you know that Fox is doing a "That 80s Show" modeled after "That 70s Show?" So not only can you hear that awful music every Friday night, but now you can relive the terrible clothes and trends.

Can you tell I'm a fellow 80s-hater?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

This is what we get for the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which opened the way for 5 companies to buy up 90% of the radio stations in the country: homogenization!

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2002

I think the whole thing with the radio stations playing commercials and/or traffic reports is related to the conspiracy behind the major television broadcasters! Ever notice how commercials are always run at about the same time on NBC, CBS and ABC? Yup. It's so you won't switch anywhere, since "there'll just be commercials" on everywhere anyway. Mmmm. evil.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Why, Lord, Why?...

...does alison have more e-mail addresses and noms de net than a cyber-pedophile?

;-)

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

This should work...

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Hopefully that closed it....

There was an all '80s station here, but it didn't last long. Thankfully. But the pop stations still has 80s lunch.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

The local hella cool station does a flashback lunch but I don't think it's exclusively 80's and it's usually really great songs. It's just a great station all around (check out their list of the top 50 songs of 2001 at http://www.5theriver.com/frames/bestof2001/bestof2001.html ). I only listen to them and NPR for news now, I can't stand the other stations.

The best thing? No wacky morning crew. Just a DJ, occassionally her producer, and the news/traffic guy and they don't really talk much. No stupid "show up naked to win" contests. They have live in-studio performances quite often (upcoming - Chris Issak - and they are doing a contest that might be considered wacky but cracks me up; the afternoon host has a HUGE thing for Issak and they are giving tickets to hear him play and see the secret wedding he doesn't know he's in). If you like listening to stations over the internet I highly recommend them.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

At one point, there was an all-Beatles station in Dallas.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

I want to see "That 80s show", but if they don't stop playing the preview where the guy says "No, it's not a pay phone, it's a PORTABLE PHONE!" I'm going to kill someone.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Here is my Why Lord, Why? question. Not on the top of His list, I am sure, but baffling to me nonetheless.

Why does Crane send me an email telling me about this special sale they are having on their personalized stationary only for me to find that they have like, one piece of it on sale and the rest, the ones that I really like, are still up there, close to $200. Fair? I think not!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2002