And the beat goes on...

**NickNack** · January 17th, 2003, 05:15 PM

Did anyone hear about the dj being suspended from KTUN radio (I don't know from what state the station originates) for playing a 4-track tribute to Maurice Gibb? The reason for the suspension? KTUN is a "Classic Rock" station and 'DISCO' is not welcome.

The station owner/manager was on TV stating very clearly that disco is not the type of music they want here. The dj, who was well aware what type radio station employed him, just figured that since the man had died, it might be nice to give him some recognition.

So far, the majority of the station's listeners are calling in asking for him to be reinstated. The manager is holding his ground.

**discosavvy** · January 17th, 2003, 11:07 PM

Reference:
"The day the disco died" by Wren Wertin (Vail Daily, January 16, 2003)
http://www.vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs.d...1160601&Ref=AR

Back in the early 1980s when I started listening to the radio, it was '60s rock followed by a country song followed by a disco song followed by funk. Nowadays it's often within narrowly-interpreted genres. That's fine if people REALLY want to limit themselves so much, but I agree with DJ Dennis Mac when he says: "I think a little variety is OK."

So we have rock stations that can't tolerate a one-time relatively quick tribute to the Bee Gees, and we have dance music conferences that can't tolerate the presence of companies like Disco Step-By-Step, and when "The Disco Ball" aired on ABC some people (guess what kind of people) were complaining even though last time I checked there were an abundance of other channel choices. Some rockers in Detroit had an organization in 1979 D.R.E.A.D. whose goal was to "abolish disco". MTV wouldn't play disco. Last week I heard an ugly 1980 song called "Disco's Dead" by The Critics; just who let them decide? I heard about a guy who played electronic dance music on his college radio station and he got angry callers asking why he played so-called "gay" music. This is all sick. The word that always comes to mind is Fascism.

Notice that when Dennis said "...classic disco...it's music that people like... I asked the listeners what they wanted, they said it was ok!", Steve Wodlinger pretended that "You asked all your plants". See, Steve can't believe that any rational person can like disco and rock at the same time.

**K-Bee** · January 18th, 2003, 01:21 AM

Obviously, I don't know the case in question, but I do know that the US radio formats are very strict when it comes to musical genres. But this is ridicolous.
Letting a dj go because of a 4 song tribute is almost an attack on the freedom of speech.

I say: F**K stations like that. They ain't worth bothering about. Is this the beginning og D.R.E.A.D. part II? I hope not - let's hope that Steve Dahl never gets involved in this.

**QUINNY** · January 18th, 2003, 06:25 AM

So, hands up who'd suspend a jock for playing disco records from 1980 onwards if they owned a Disco radio station?
I hope those same people didn't vote no in the poll.
See how these things work?

**jim** · January 18th, 2003, 12:16 PM

Originally Written by NickNack

Did anyone hear about the dj being suspended from KTUN radio (I don't know from what state the station originates) for playing a 4-track tribute to Maurice Gibb? The reason for the suspension? KTUN is a "Classic Rock" station and 'DISCO' is not welcome.

That really sucks.

The station owner/manager was on TV stating very clearly that disco is not the type of music they want here. The dj, who was well aware what type radio station employed him, just figured that since the man had died, it might be nice to give him some recognition.

So far, the majority of the station's listeners are calling in asking for him to be reinstated. The manager is holding his ground.

This was a one shot deal paying a tribute to some good music that dosen't necessarily fit the normal format. If he had picked some older tunes more pop like it may had been more accessable. OTOH I want a station that plays a mix of DISCO AND Classic Rock.

I want the Gibson Brothers WITH my Led Zeppelin.

**NickNack** · January 18th, 2003, 01:35 PM

Discosavvy,

Thanks for providing the article and sharing the full story. Sounds like there's been some previous hostility and this was another 'straw', so to speak. I've never dj'd radio so I don't know how strict they are about following formats. I mean, is it 'gestapo' strict or can you bend the rules now and then? The so-called "smooth jazz" station around here that comes out of Philly seems to play more soft rock than anything else. Maybe I should call and see if I can get them suspended.

In any case, I have to think that (the dj) Dennis knew he might be pushing his bosses buttons and was willing to take the consequences. Still doesn't change my "No" vote. I don't see a cause for suspension.

Quinny: Would you mind running that first sentence by me again. I'm confused: Suspend a jock for playing disco after 1980 on a disco radio station? My brain's doing cartwheels. :-?

**markydefad** · January 18th, 2003, 01:55 PM

Obviously, I voted NO, but I guess the DJ was a button-pusher, always in trouble with the station. Neverthless, American radio exists on STRICT PLAYLISTS in every format. Even the oldies stations ONLY play several hundred pre-approved , survey safe titles that listeners have verified they wouldn't turn off. Hence, you hear the same damn records over and over....causing me to turn the station.

BUT, I guess someone likes it!!!! :roll:

Oh, how the times have changed, as someone mentioned from when Aretha, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Paul Mauriat's Orchestra, The Archies and a country artist with a hit like Jeannie C. Riley or a Bobbie Gentry were played back-to-back on the same station!!!!! IF they HAD hits, their HITS were played.

Now, we have NARROW playlists for every format.

Well, I have tapes & CD's to listen to, thank you Clear Channel (corporate radio conglomerate). :evil:

**NickNack** · January 18th, 2003, 02:00 PM

Originally Written by markydefad

Well, I have tapes & CD's to listen to, thank you Clear Channel (corporate radio conglomerate). :evil:

I've heard you guys mention Clear Channel before. What are they, like the "Microsoft" of radio?

**markydefad** · January 18th, 2003, 02:08 PM

Nicky,

They seem to own most of the stations in the U.S. I really became aware of them, when after 9/11, they posted a lengthy list of songs their stations SHOULD NOT play. Stuff like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and John Lennon's "Imagine"!!!!!

That's when I realized what we were dealing with!!!! IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

Uh, so "Imagine" is sympathetic to Arab terrorists???

Quadruple DUH!!!!!??????? :roll:

**NickNack** · January 18th, 2003, 02:27 PM

Originally Written by markydefad

Nicky,

They seem to own most of the stations in the U.S. I really became aware of them, when after 9/11, they posted a lengthy list of songs their stations SHOULD NOT play. Stuff like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and John Lennon's "Imagine"!!!!!

That's when I realized what we were dealing with!!!! IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

Uh, so "Imagine" is sympathetic to Arab terrorists???

Quadruple DUH!!!!!??????? :roll:

See, I am truly NOT a corporate person because they would have had to fire me. Rules like that don't sit well, especially when you're making decisions on what I should play and what I should listen to. It's like Blockbuster deciding they won't carry the unrated version of Caligula because it's what... Dirty? Obscene? Depraved? Yet you can find EACH AND EVERY teen slasher flick ever made on the shelf in full glory. Now whether Blockbuster has had the scenes edited they won't tell you. Spare me the hypocrisy.

Sorry, slight rant over. You know, when I got hired to work "The Eagles' Nest", one of NYC's westside leather bars, I was told by management not to play anything with the word 'DANCE' in it. They don't allow dancing, this is a "butch" bar (yeah, right

). Do you know what one of my first requests was from one of these leather guys: "Let Me Take You Dancing" by Bryan Adams. Butch? Hello!! :lol: :lol: I think management found out people can make their own decisions on what they want to hear.

**discosavvy** · January 18th, 2003, 07:28 PM

Say, what shall we do about the following situation - tonight is the weekly Saturday night dance party show on WEBE 108 FM where they play mostly disco and funk. But the second song was a tribute to Maurice Gibb in the form of "Tragedy". Now, that's not really a "disco" song but more rock and pop. Should the manager suspend the DJ for not keeping the guy strictly on R&B and disco? Of course not. It's fine with me if rock follows disco from time to time. There are plenty of examples of rock-disco and metal-disco hybrids too, as you know. One of them even became a hit in Britain this month ("Danger! High Voltage").

**Outsider** · January 19th, 2003, 02:52 AM

That sucks about that DJ who was suspended for the Maurice Gibb tribute. What more can I say about it? That was just stupid. And yeah, I agree that radio progamming pretty much sucks these days. I want a station that plays a wide variety of music regardless of genre. But I doubt that will happen in this day and age. :evil: