Article: Why Cleveland Radio Sucks

 Not sure I see it getting any better.

Why Cleveland Radio Sucks, the True Story Behind 87.7 Cleveland Sound, and the Future of Radio Innovation | Features | Cleveland Scene

"'There's no innovation happening here [in commercial radio],' says John Gorman, who pioneered the Adult Album Alternative (AAA) format as program director for WMMS in the 1970s and 1980s, eventually turning it into one of the most popular stations in the U.S. 'The direction they're going is to more syndication, more network programming.'

And yet others argue radio retains local flavor, guided by listeners. (You can probably guess where those people are employed.)

Tom Herschel, market manager for CBS Radio Cleveland, says playlist decisions are made based on careful research into consumer behavior. 'The bottom line is that people want to hear songs they know when they tune in,' he argues. 'That's how people use radio these days.'

Local music advocates don't agree, saying Cleveland's needs more diversity on the dial. It jumps out as ironic that the city with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn't have a contemporary rock station. Larger market cities like New York and L.A. have greater radio diversity, and even Columbus has CD 102.5, an alt rock station that promotes local music. Few semi-comparable options exist in Cleveland. (We'll get to the ones that do momentarily.)

'We need more local programming happening anywhere on the dial,' says Karoline Kramer-Gould, Music Director for The Heights, voicing a familiar frustration among Cleveland music lovers. 'Not one song playing every two hours until you feel like you're banging your head against a wall.'

Welcome to FM radio: No need to reach for the dial, it's all the same anyway."

(Continued... Why Cleveland Radio Sucks, the True Story Behind 87.7 Cleveland Sound, and the Future of Radio Innovation | Features | Cleveland Scene)