KCUR---Wth?

KCUR, buddy, we had a great thing going.

Every Friday, we could count on you for either restaurant reviews and criticism, one week, and movie reviews the next.

It's been great. Week in and week out, you were there.

Sure, we had Walt Bodine for years--decades, actually--and at 90, he finally retired but we still had this every-other-week date and arrangement.

Now, this week, you had what?

Actually, who cares?

You didn't have Charles Ferruzza and his crew for local foodie input.

Additionally, this happens to be a HUGE weekend for movies coming up, what with another big Tom Hanks film coming out and so on.

Yet you covered neither?

What, you don't love us any more?

On KCUR and Jabulani Leffall

You have to hand it to KCUR.

They had a huge opening in their daily program lineup, what with the retirement of "Mr. Kansas City," Walt Bodine.

They needed someone to come in and build a program around, someone to talk about Kansas City and they selected one Jabulani Leffall.

In the first place, I don't believe anyone knew of Mr. Leffall. Not many, locally, knew his name, really, I don't think, so that's tough.

And let's be honest, he's a black man and that, with a white audience, could still, even today, be a gamble, sadly, unfortunately.

But KCUR took it.

Good for them.

It's odd about radio, isn't it?

You can't see the person but the color of the person somehow, strangely can be a consideration for why the audience listens. Or doesn't listen.

The only other radio station in town to have any programs more specifically for blacks--programs that cover minority issues, other than KMXV (93.3 FM), which is more purely music, is KKFI ((90.1 FM) and that just isn't much coverage in this city for African-American and other's issues. Let me make clear, too, I'm certainly not saying that Mr. Leffall covers black or minority issues singularly, far from it. It's just that he covers some of these issues, along with others, and not a lot of other radio stations or programs do locally.

So KCUR chose this unknown but award-winning young man and ran with it. (If you're still not that familiar with him and his work, you might go to the links below at KCUR. He's written and worked for some very big, renowned organizations, for sure).

It would be good to know the ratings of his program now, especially compared to what it was with The Walt Bodine Show.

Hopefully the ratings are about the same, at minimum. It would be terrific if those ratings were even higher.

Hopefully people are listening. He has, I think, gotten more comfortable and relaxed with the show and his own delivery, it seems. At least it seems that way to me. I can't imagine what others think.

Radioman? Others? Thoughts? Input?

Links: http://kcur.org/programs/central-standard

http://kcur.org/people/jabulani-leffall

Entertainment overnight

Wonderful new performer, made aware to me by NPR and their music site.

KCUR's new GM

NPR radio station KCUR 89.3 FM announced that it has found and hired their new General Manager. He is Nico Leone, formerly of KDHX of St. Louis.

Just one question: They couldn't find anyone from here in Kansas City for the job?

It always surprises me when a company selects a person or a company--especially architects and the like--from outside the city.

Maybe a radio station GM for an NPR station is tough to get from here in town. It just seems there ought to maybe be enough people from some organization which they could choose.

He'll know radio.

He just doesn't know Kansas City or the people here.

Link: http://kcur.org/post/kcur-names-new-general-manager

Another dinosaur: FM Music Radio

I've come to the conclusion that FM music radio stations are, like the US Postal Service and paper catalogs and so many other things, just one more dinosaur of the last age.

Think about it, we have our MP3 players or our iPods or iPhones or Shuffles or Android phone or Sirius XM radio or whatever. They play all our own music already, without all the talk time and commericials. Or if it isn't that, we're listening to Pandora or Spotify. It's a much better solution to our music choices, too, since we don't have to listen to some irrelevant babble from people we either don't know or don't care for and advertisements we REALLY don't want to hear.

It even, finally, applies to our cars, too, the last bastion of need for the FM music radio station. This is one more benefit of computers, too, since we get more of either our own music or new things we wouldn't otherwise hear because the radio only plays mind-numbing familiar top-40 songs. Some stations have tried to play different things over the years but it never works. It's not as though it's not some of their faults but most radio music is pretty stale if not out-and-out dreadful. No catalogs and no mail? Great. Less trees cut down. No FM music radio? Good riddance. Sorry, guys. You're outta' here. Eventually, anyway. Find new jobs now, while you can.

Happier news coverage: NPR also went to Gates BBQ

Yes, fortunately, Scott Simon, reporter and voice for NPR not only covered our dreadful KCMO School District yesterday but also went to our very own Gates Barbecue restaurant, thank goodness, and reported on them, too: At Gates Bar-B-Q, The Ultimate Flavor Lies in Burnt Ends Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/18/147062213/at-gates-bar-b-q-the-ultimate-flavor-lies-in-burnt-ends

On creativity

Ira Glass, from NPR's "This American Life": Links: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Glass

The dismal state of FM radio in Kansas City (updated)

Yes, I know, it's been said many times before but I have to say, it's really pathetic.  It seems like no one has said it lately.  There are so many copiers of one another.


I wonder if there is another city in this nation with as many stations, per capita, that play "oldies" in one metropolitan area as there are here in Kansas City.  I have to doubt it, but I certainly hope there isn't, for all the rest of those people's sake.


93.3 KMXV "The Mix" 93 FM?  I think it's new stuff.  Pop/disco type but at least it was newer stuff.  


94.9  KCMO Greatest Hits.  Unfair.  Oldies is all this station has ever been.


96.5 The Buzz  I have to say, it seems like this one station comes closest to what I'm talking of here.  When I flipped them on just now, not only was the song not familiar but it was The Decembrist singing "This is why" and Young the Giant and Kings of Leon were next up.  (This may be that one station.  Maybe.  If so, nice).


98.1 KUDL?  Oldies


98.9  KQRC "The Rock"?  Newer (I think) but all really hard rock, for those who are into it.  Coming up was ZZ Top and Guns and Roses were playing when I just checked.  Motley Crue and Metallica were coming up.


99.7 Gen-X Radio?  Maybe some new stuff.  Not unique but newer, anyway.  When I just went to their site and started listening for this entry, they were playing old Green Day (who I love, admittedly) with Backstreet Boys and Madonna coming up next.  That sums it up right there.


101.1 The Fox, "Kansas City's Only Classic Rock Station"?  You got it--major oldies


102.1 The newly-renamed and revamped "Alice".  Not only is this another of many oldies stations but when they went to re-do the station, the playlist and the name, it seems like they sat around, decided that "Jack FM" was cool or that it worked or both so they decided they'd also rip off their name style.  I can hear the conversation now:  "I know!  Since we can't just call it Jill"  (get it, Jack and Jill), "let's call it 'Alice'!"  Pitiful.


103.3 Hot 103 Jamz?  Soul, R & B, etc.  At least there's one original one, eh?


105.1 Jack "Playing what we want" FM?  Oldies.  All oldies, all the time, just with a wiseguy attitude.


107.3 Magic 107.3?  They're description also gives this one away, too:  "Classic Soul & Today's R&B!"  Right. You got it.  Oldies.


Sure, there's XM/Sirius radio and MP3's and iPods and everything else personal everyone's turning to but couldn't there be at least ONE radio station in the metropolitan area that plays things by new, upcoming, fresh artists?  


Wouldn't you think?  


To hear anything new or different on radio in the area, you have to turn on NPR on the likes of 90.9 The Bridge out of Warrensburg and CMU and hope you get lucky.


If I worked for a local FM rock station in this town, I'd be embarrassed.  I don't think I could tell people where I worked, at least, not when the economy recovers.


Trying to make a living selling advertising for them must be murder, don't you imagine.  Your sales line:  "We're different!  Really!"


Yeah, right.

In fairness, then: great job today, Jabulani

A few days ago, I wrote my second note here, expressing disappointment in the new "Central Standard" show on KCUR 89.3 FM radio (10 am M,T,W, Th).

After listening today as I crossed town for work, I have to say, this interview with The Kansas City Star's cartoonist Lee Judge was so much of an improvement, it was great to listen to.  (Good on ya', Mr. Leffall).

Now, that said, that's it--I'm not giving any further "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on this show.  I don't pretend I'm any arbiter of taste, good or bad, for the city, area or the world.  I just mentioned, in passing, how I didn't think the show was working or was off to a good start.

That said, I consider the issue closed.  It's not like Mr. Leffall or KCUR, for that matter, need me or my input.  (Just my annual contributions).

Link:  http://www.kcur.org/centralstandard.html#Wednesday

If you didn't hear the show today but still want to, hopefully you know you can go online at KCUR and listen to their archives.

Enjoy that great, late Autumn weather y'all.

Merry Christmas? Now?

Seriously.  The day after Hallowe'en and somebody starts playing Christmas music?  Way to suck all the meaning out of the day.  Thanks very much for that.  Four or five weeks, between Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't enough?

Thanksgiving may well be the coolest holiday of the entire year because a) it's fairly non-commercial, other than buying the food since there are no gifts allowed and b) WE GET A FOUR DAY WEEKEND.

Ease up on the Christmas overdoing it, folks.  Let's enjoy what is.  "All we have is now."

Links:  http://www.1051jackfm.com/BIGBREAKFAST/SaveThanksgiving.aspx
http://www.savethanksgiving.org/