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Need for Metro GR Real 24-Hour FM R & B Radio


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" . . . . I can appreciate that. However, as an African American Detroit was and is a center of black culture (more than 1 million blacks in the Detroit Metro...nearly 800,000 in the city proper)...all the major black concert tours hit Detroit...they have numerous black radio stations (Gr has essentially none), all the major league sports. We were never that well off to care about the differnce between Marshall Feild and hudson...both were rather expensive. From my perspective, everything that I valued existed in Detroit...just as much as in Chicago.

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Fair comment.
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I agree totally. There was an article in the Press about how many black entertainers skipped Grand Rapids. I imagine part of this has to do with record company number crunchers not knowing too much about the GR market because they don't have much to poll from, or promote to. In the days of Satellite radio, relegating these stations to AM is pretty lame. The sound quality is awful and reception is spotty.

Then again, you are talking radio. The great evil empire. :)

They could take a country station or two and switch it to R&B :) That wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. Do we really need so many country stations?! ;)

Joe

These quotes are reflecting an undestandng of one of Metro GR's most glaring deficiencies in its current wish to attract the "creative class" of young intellectuals and artistic types that create new, lucrative, non-manufacturing jobs - THE LACK OF THE INFRASTRUCTURAL PIECE THAT THIS GROUP TAKES FOR GRANTED BUT WILL NOT GO WITHOUT - 24-HOUR FM R & B RADIO!

Think about that.  As the city and local economic development organizations bring new youmg tallent into the River City and roll out the red carpet for them, our bland leaders are ignorant to the fact that these same folk that they are trying to impress to move here / stay here have already peeped out for themselves that GR has no R & B FM station (AM in NO WAY counts).  In their minds you can believe they are saying, " . . . . GR is nice and all, but DAMN, what am I in for when Backwaterville Arkansas has several FM R & Bs and this booming GR place has ZERO.  Hmmmm, I sense a very negative vanilla situation going on here that I can easily avoid by sucking up the remainder of this VIP weekend and catching the first thing smoking out of here on Sunday straight to Atlanta . . . . ".

Though there are indeed a great many other issues that contribute to GR not being successful currently in attracting this young creative class, not having one of the quintessential symbols of being a part of the larger community of urbanely up-to-par cities (READ: cities with R & B radio) greatly hurts GR and underscores the very real issues brought for by gentleman like Freddy C.  For him, a world-class R & B station would be proof that GR is truly becoming a world-class place (albeit just one of many requisite proofs, I'm sure  ;) ).

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Yeah, how many country and lite adult contemporary music staions can one city have? So much different music is out there with no opportunity to tune in and hear it in GR. There is a need for more variety, such as R & B. I think this would be a big hit.

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It might be hard to believe, but even Flint was lacking a radio station willing to provide hip hop and current R&B full time. A few years ago a new station was created filling that need and it seems to be doing quite well. I think the local station that was providing the most hip hop and R&B ended up going all old school within a year.

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They could take a country station or two and switch it to R&B :) That wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. Do we really need so many country stations?! ;)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There used to be only one country station after 101.3 changed to classic rock...

now they have reshuffled the dial here in GR lately, and 2 new country stations were added, and one oldies station dropped.

I could go without a country music station, as long as NPR stays in Grand Rapids

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if we get one, i hope its not a clear-channel computer-room bullish, i would like to see a small independant station come in, with some variety....some house/r&b/hip hop -stuff, and not like 1680am was -GHETTO

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Click on this link ----> ( http://www.mbei.org/mbe.html ), scroll down to "WMBE - FM / XM / Satellite Radio" and email MBEI at "[email protected]" to get involved. Metro GR will be what we make it to be . . . .

-metrogrkid

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I am guessing that if there was sufficient demand, there would be a 24 hour R&B station. However, with the highly regimented and commercial atmosphere if raido these days, I would not expect it unless there were a lot of people asking.

It is also damn near impossible to get a license, or lease one from one of the few big boys. They are content with owning every single license that they can.

Don't blame Grand Rapids or the people here. As far as I know, there are only two locally owned radio stations in town left, and they will probably not be around for long. The rest are all Clear Channel or other entertainment organizations.

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I am guessing that if there was sufficient demand, there would be a 24 hour R&B station.  However, with the highly regimented and commercial atmosphere if raido these days, I would not expect it unless there were a lot of people asking.

It is also damn near impossible to get a license, or lease one from one of the few big boys.  They are content with owning every single license that they can.

Don't blame Grand Rapids or the people here.  As far as I know, there are only two locally owned radio stations in town left, and they will probably not be around for long.  The rest are all Clear Channel or other entertainment organizations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don

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Freddy,

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of independent stations anymore. The Evil Empires I referred to earlier were Clear Channel and Citadel. They own the market, and are also killing it. I personally can't stand to listen to local radio (hence the iPod). Corporate radio sucks... :)

Joe

My question is why not simply use the real thing...BLACK DJ
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Freddy,

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of independent stations anymore. The Evil Empires I referred to earlier were Clear Channel and Citadel. They own the market, and are also killing it. I personally can't stand to listen to local radio (hence the iPod). Corporate radio sucks... :)

Joe

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Thats true Joe...but that fact is a recent phenomenon that hides what was going on prior to the ologopoly. Yes....I rarely listen to radio anyway....only when I am driving to work in my car. I am more a reggae fan....thats the only music I buy. I think that I am going to get one of those satalite radio broadcasting services like XM....if I can cost justify it.

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by GHETTO , i meant the on-air people...not the music. i get deep. wu-tang/TI/common/goodie mob/az/mobb deep/jungle bros/PE/dead Pez/talib..... the music is fine, it was that on-air people swearing and carrying on that brought attention to the station and brought it down...people like robert s (who i grew up with) are doing a community a service...all be it GHETTO at times...

robert can go on about nothing for hours...

just give us 24hrs on 84.5 or soemthing so we can get some fm stereo, and i bet people will come out the wood work with show ideas and different music selections...jazz/rap/r&b/hip hop/house...

come on lets get it going

i'm blk/rican so GHETTO was used properly.... :thumbsup:

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My 24 hour FM radio wish list:

1) Blues/ Jazz

2) R&B/ Soul

3) Latin/ Carribbean

4) Classical

(Oldies is still here, they just moved it to 98.7 and dropped my Classical FM - yes, I am a classical afficiondo B) )

now they have reshuffled the dial here in GR lately, and 2 new country stations were added, and one oldies station dropped.
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Freddy C, you make some very good points and your comments made me understand a little more of the background of black music. I am surprised that there isn't a r&b or hip hop station in GR. I agree that the listeners are there we just need the station. If the station was in place I think the support would be quite large. My brother is an engineer for several radio stations in the area and knows most of the engineers downtown so I know all about the Citadel and Clear Channel empires. Unfortunately because of them the station will have to be independent and they'll probably end up buying the station out and switching formats. <_<. Oh yeah, Joe, you forgot one of the evil empires, Regent. :D

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heh it seemed only a few years ago no one knew who clearchannel was...

one thing about GR is that it doesnt let outside influences take over too quickly (we still don't have a ton of Walmarts to tangle with) It is unfortunate how the radio situation ended up here though. GR used to be almost 100% locally owned radio.

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It's hard when licensing costs rise to crazy levels, the only people that can afford a station are large corporations. Not to mention, it is almost impossible for the small guys to get any real talent.

It is a bad business. When the large corporations started spending millions for daytime licenses, people jumped at the chance to get rich. Better than than try to compete against them and eventually settle for a much lower payout when they have taken the entire market.

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It's hard when licensing costs rise to crazy levels, the only people that can afford a station are large corporations.  Not to mention, it is almost impossible for the small guys to get any real talent.

It is a bad business.  When the large corporations started spending millions for daytime licenses, people jumped at the chance to get rich.  Better than than try to compete against them and eventually settle for a much lower payout when they have taken the entire market.

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Nova!!:

MBEI does have a solution - go back to the beginning of this thread and check it out - PLEEEEASE. -_- Thank you.

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  • 11 months later...

So how many and of what style radio stations does Gr have, from what I'm reading its sounding like light rock and country dominate. In Lansing we have a rap station, a classical, a sports, a top 40 and 3 classic rock stations.

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So how many and of what style radio stations does Gr have, from what I'm reading its sounding like light rock and country dominate. In Lansing we have a rap station, a classical, a sports, a top 40 and 3 classic rock stations.

I can think of two country, two classic rock, two rock, NPR, whatever 88.1 is considered, at least one if not two christian stations, one automated light rock, one syndicated oldies station, and then WSNX.

What do you even call wsnx besides the worst station ever? It's like wanna be urban/pop, trash put on a 10 song loop.

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GR has a lot of stations that you can pick up from other cities too, if your along the lakeshore in Muskegon you can pick up a milwaukee rap staion. What I dont like recently is the amount of country stations and mix stations, I mean 101.3 and 107.3 are like the same thing now and they used to have a ditinct sound. And although I like some hip-hop, I can't stand 104.5 top 40, I would like to see a good local FM hip hop station, and I think GR is the largest city in the country with out one even with a sizable black comunity. I would also like to see a smooth jazz station

These are according to

http://www.city-data.com/city/Grand-Rapids-Michigan.html

* WFUR-FM (102.9 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: FURNITURE CITY BROADCASTING CORP.)

* WBLU-FM (88.9 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: BLUE LAKE FINE ARTS CAMP)

* WFGR (98.7 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF GRAND RAPIDS, INC.) OLDIES

* WLHT-FM (95.7 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF GRAND RAPIDS, INC.) LIGHT ROCK

* WYCE (88.1 FM; WYOMING, MI; Owner: GRAND RAPIDS CABLE ACCESS CENTER)

* WBFX (101.3 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WAS CLASSIC ROCK, NOW ALL ROCK

* WAYG (89.9 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY) CHRISTIAN ROCK

* WTRV (100.5 FM; WALKER, MI; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF GRAND RAPIDS, INC.) LIGHT ROCK

* WGRD-FM (97.9 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF GRAND RAPIDS, INC.) ALTERNATIVE ROCK

* WCSG (91.3 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY.) LIGHT LIGHT CHRISTIAN

* WLAV-FM (96.9 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) CLASSIC ROCK

* WOOD-FM (105.7 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) LIGHT ROCK

* WVGR (104.1 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN) NEWS

* WBCT (93.7 FM; GRAND RAPIDS, MI; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) COUNTRY

* W214AY (90.7 FM; WALKER, MI; Owner: CALVARY CHAPEL OF TWIN FALLS, INC.)

* WVTI (96.1 FM; HOLLAND, MI; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) COMPLETE RANDOM MIX

* WODJ (107.3 FM; GREENVILLE, MI; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) HARD ROCK, NOW PLAYS ALL ROCK

* WKLQ (94.5 FM; HOLLAND, MI; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) COUNRTY

* WZUU (92.3 FM; ALLEGAN, MI; Owner: FORUM COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) CLASSIC ROCK

* WGNB (89.3 FM; ZEELAND, MI; Owner: THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO)

Some stations that were not included 104.5-top 40 wanna be hiphop station - I think clear channel

106.5 - country

I listen to 107.7 the rocker (kalamazoo) and 92.7 the Van (Holland) and sometimes can pick up 94.1, 94.9, 96.5, and 101.7 too I think they are mostly Lansing

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I like Lansing's UHH, or whatever they call it... I love Lansing, I just love her.

Big City Saturday's or somethin, man they play constant hip hop.

Fun Fact: Even though I can't stand country, I was in Chicago last August and I picked up B93 Clear as day... I think that is the radio station with the greatest coverage in the country??

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I can think of two country, two classic rock, two rock, NPR, whatever 88.1 is considered, at least one if not two christian stations, one automated light rock, one syndicated oldies station, and then WSNX.

What do you even call wsnx besides the worst station ever? It's like wanna be urban/pop, trash put on a 10 song loop.

Grand Rapids has two NPR stations, WGVU (Grand Valley State University), and WVGR which is ran by UofM.

List of GR radio stations (not complete)

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I like Lansing's UHH, or whatever they call it... I love Lansing, I just love her.

Big City Saturday's or somethin, man they play constant hip hop.

I think your talking about Power 96.5 WQHH. They are a full time rap/hip-hop/R&B station, although I think they play jazz on Sundays. I rarely listen to radio, but when I do thats the station I listen to.

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