Righteous Babe Radio!

Well this is interesting.  Ani DiFranco is starting up a new online radio format!  As big of a fan as I am, I’m not sure I see myself logging on to never-ending Righteous stream often - but I can imagine popping in here and there!  I’ll let them provide the explanation...

"Righteous babe radio will feature some previously unreleased live ani shows from the archives. Many of these will come straight off the board tapes and have not been edited/mixed at all. They are simply, As Is! These shows will air Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights at 9pm CDT and a new show will be added every week. Some live singles from these shows will be mixed into the daily broadcast too, including new and unreleased songs, so you never know when you’re going to hear something brand new. Before these live shows, at 8pm CDT, to really set the mood, we will feature an hour of music from the many wonderful artists whom I’ve had the privilege of sharing the stage with. We will also be featuring an interview series airing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Noon and again at 5pm CDT."

(Via Radio – righteousbabe.)

Article: The Love Of Listening To Music And The Radio While Driving Is Not Dead

The list of top driving songs is the best part of this article.

"radio" by iluvgadgets is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

"Althoug new in-car entertainment features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Bluetooth streaming, many drivers still like to play the good old radio.

More than half of the study participants indicated that the radio is their preferred source of music in the car. It might be the question of being too lazy or not having enough time to tap into the touchscreen of a smartphone. Over 1/3 never change the station and 44.2% constantly look for the best music by changing radio stations.

Best and worst tunes to play in the car

Among the top best driving songs are: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ by Queen, ‘Shape of You‘ by Ed Sheeran, ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)‘ by the Proclaimers, ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis, ‘Highway to Hell’ by AC/DC, ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ‘Mamma Mia’ by ABBA."

(Via The Love Of Listening To Music And The Radio While Driving Is Not Dead - MTT - Music Think Tank.)

Article: Does traditional radio have a future? Bankruptcies, digital disruption cast doubt

Wow.  

"Radio, more specifically terrestrial radio, has survived, but questions of its long-term viability were amplified this month when iHeartMedia, the largest radio conglomerate in the U.S. with more than 850 stations, filed for bankruptcy. IHeart joins one of its competitors, Cumulus, owners of nearly 450 stations, in Chapter 11.

IHeart alone owns 12 radio stations in the Cleveland and Akron markets including Majic 105.7-FM, 106.5-FM The Lake and 96.5 KISS FM. Do their stations survive the company's current financial situation?"

(Via Does traditional radio have a future? Bankruptcies, digital disruption cast doubt | cleveland.com.)

Fromt the same article:

"'The reality is those radio stations are not going away,' he said. 'iHeart's bankruptcy has nothing to do with WTAM, WGAR or WMMS and everything to do with the fact they paid 20 or 30 times what those stations were worth to get them. Now, they can't pay the interest on them. That has nothing to do with the radio stations themselves.'"

(Via Does traditional radio have a future? Bankruptcies, digital disruption cast doubt | cleveland.com.)

Article: Cleveland internet radio station oWOW channels WMMS' past with a twist

"Gorman went online in 2014 with oWOW Cleveland, an internet station billing itself as the 'sweet spot between classic rock and indie rock.' Making the story more interesting is that oWOW is one of a handful of stations bucking conventional wisdom and aiming to make internet radio local."

(Via Cleveland internet radio station oWOW channels WMMS' past with a twist | cleveland.com.)

I’ve been a big fan of oWOW Radio (despite the name) since they started streaming.  Hard to believe it’s been going since 2014!  This is quite an extensive write-up, and I’m glad to hear they’re still doing well!

I also like seeing how they’re partnering up with local companies, like this series with Music Box!

Cleveland's Newest Online-only Radio Station - oWOW!

I’ve been really pleased with what I’ve been hearing on Cleveland’s newest online-only radio station:  oWOWnow.com

It’s a nice mix if indie pop/rock, with some great live, deep cuts as well.  And of course I love their hyper-local approach and I think they’re representing Cleveland well.  Here’s some other local coverage:

"The station will feature several on-air personalities and will offer special programming such as Friday Night Live, seven hours of pre-recorded live concert music.

‘It will be a combination of live music from albums that anyone can buy plus some unreleased live material,’ Gorman says. ‘It’s a mix of everything. We are slowly building our own archives. At ’MMS, we had an incredible archive that went back to the ’70s.’ "

(Via. New Internet Radio Station From John Gorman Aspires to be Catalyst on the Local Scene | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog | Cleveland Scene)

"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two Northeast Ohio radio veterans, John Gorman and Jim Marchyshyn, announced the launch of a new Internet rock radio station called oWOW that will be housed in the 78th Street Studios in Cleveland's Gordon Square Arts District. It is set to go live Friday at owownow.com.

A press release issued Thursday described oWOW, with an Adult Album Alternative format, as a 'regionally based, hyperlocal, online radio station, presenting 'timeless' rock music, featuring the best of new, current, recent, and classics. oWow will serve Cleveland/Akron/Canton and Youngstown ... creating the United States' 18th largest advertising market.'"

(Via. Former WMMS program director John Gorman announces launch of new Internet rock radio station | cleveland.com)

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)