Radio Ranting

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE SECOND EDITION OF "THE BEAU ZONE" ON THE HARD ROCK HEROES WEBSITE FROM JUNE TO SEPTEMBER 2004.

Talk about self-serving and arrogant!

Twice in a day on Power 97 on the weekend of the Grand Rock festival, announcers tell us that "The Studio 97 with I Mother Earth is postponed because of a death in the family." Okay.....so, uh, what about I Mother Earth's actual performance at Grand Rock? Is THAT still on? I mean, that IS what I Mother Earth is coming to town to do, right? All media stuff is just on the side, while they're in town, right?

I finally read that yes, their Grand Rock performance is cancelled, in the Free Press. So why can't Power 97 tell us that? Is their stupid little Studio 97 piece that important that anything having nothing directly to do with Power 97, like I Mother Earth's actual performance at Grand Rock, doesn't exist? I don't care if that's what the announcers were given to read, if it was me I would add in that their performance is cancelled, too. Actually, I would tell the fans the performance is cancelled, and, oh yeah, by the way, that means our little Studio 97 is cancelled, too.

Perhaps was it someone else other than Power 97 presenting the show? (I didn't check.) That asinine situation used to happen - if you have two radio stations playing Helix and Helix comes to town, if one of the stations is presenting it, the other station pretends it doesn't exist. Oh, but they'll still play Helix's music. If an announcer is cornered on the air about it by a caller, or an on-air guest, he'll just casually say, "Yeah, I hear they're coming to town." BULLSHIT!!!

Rock radio should exist as a be-all-end-all Winnipeg clearing house for rock and roll and all rock bands in Winnipeg and in rock magazines and on Muchmusic and MTV FOR THE FANS. News, bands, gigs, interactive stuff - TELL US ALL. KEEP US IN THE LOOP AND PART OF THE MACHINE. After all, it's the fans who listen to the commercials and pay the bills, right? So why WOULD a radio station treat them like shit like that?

Someone in Winnipeg print media needs to write about this crap. And I don't mean me, because newspapers reach a wider audience than this does. (This may reach appropriate individuals outside of Winnipeg.) Someone needs to expose some hidden attitudes among stations like Power 97 here. Why does this uppity exist? Why can't rock radio stations strive to constantly do whatever it takes to please the fans? Actually, Power 97 playing those Winnipeg bands is a positive step - now, if they could just play some exciting stuff, like The Unband, The Donnas, Nashville Pussy, and Maximum R & R, and forget all the boring warmed-over grunge bands Chad Kroeger discovers. But I guess they need their CanCon. But I digress.