WHFS no more

[DZTUBAGIRL]

For all of you HFS listeners in MD and VA. Our beloved station is no more. My dad heard on Howard Stern yesterday that they have changed it to a latino station. He turned it on and just like he heard....couldn't understand a word. I'm sad! I guess there will be no more HFStival. Does anyone know why they did this? I wonder if they went out of business or moved to another station. Just thought I would let you all know if you didn't already.

[Lil' Hannah]

I've been up in arms about this since yesterday. As much as I dislike the radio these days I'm still sad to see it go. Infinity radio owns WHFS, WARW (94.7), WPGC (95.5) and WJFK (106.7) and out of those stations WHFS had the weakest ratings in the area. Apparently they've had low ratings for several years and there had been talk of them changing over for a while. DC101's head was on the chopping block a few years ago, but I guess they managed to save themselves. These huge media congomerates are horrible for radio because they're playing whatever record labels pay them to play, not what they think is good. I'm seriously looking into getting myself satellite radio.

Here's an article from the Washington Post...you need a login but you can get one from www.bugmenot.com.

[sigmagrrl]

I'm shocked as well....The HFS-tival was one of the more well-known summer rock concerts in the country, sort of on par with the KROQ concert in L.A.! I AM SO ANGRY! I don't want anymore of this crappy music on the air!!! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ROCK THESE DAYS!!

It sooooooo doesn't sound right to turn to 99.1 in the car and hear Oy Ye Como VA!!! ICK!!!

[DZTUBAGIRL]

I got satelite radio for christmas and it is worth it. I go to school in Kentucky and we have like 3 radio stations and they are all bluegrass and stuff like that. The only radio station I listen to at home is WJFK. Other than that I listen to a cd. I love my satelite radio but I wish I got Sirius because Howard is going to be on there... oh well.

[Lil' Hannah]

http://www.hfstival.com has some links on there and a little bit more info (not much though).

Here's the last minute of WHFS broadcasting...http://www.hfstival.com/whfs.mp3

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by Lil' Hannah
These huge media congomerates are horrible for radio because they're playing whatever record labels pay them to play, not what they think is good.

If you can prove that, you can cause some big trouble. That's illegal. Unless they announce that they've been paid and log the music as a commercial.

There were "payola" scandals during the 50's and 60's because DJ's were being paid to "hype" certain records.

What is true is that some media conglomerates like Clear Channel and Infinity own other types of entertainment entities and may try to influence their owned stations to feature them.

That's a subtle, but distinct, difference -- but probably not illegal. It's kind of like ABC playing a lot of Disney product or UPN playing a lot of Paramount movies and shows because of their ownership.

Please don't misunderstand -- centralization of media control is not something I'm defending. I don't like it much. But to claim that record companies are paying stations (if they don't own them) is a pretty serious accusation.

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
If you can prove that, you can cause some big trouble. That's illegal. Unless they announce that they've been paid and log the music as a commercial.
...
Please don't misunderstand -- centralization of media control is not something I'm defending. I don't like it much. But to claim that record companies are paying stations (if they don't own them) is a pretty serious accusation.

Well, while this isn't speaking for ALL stations by any means, this was the first thing that came to mind:

Limp Bizkit's first single. Since the band was unknown, radio stations had no interest in playing this. To get this heard, their record company paid KUFO, a radio station in Portland, Oregon, $5000 to play this 50 times. The deal was legal because the station ran a disclaimer before the song saying that it was paid for by Flip/Interscope Records. The airplay on KUFO helped launch the career of Limp Bizkit.

Source

VH1 has something on it too

That may be an isolated incident and yes they ran a disclaimer...I'll look around later on.

[Lil' Hannah]

For decades, the major labels have controlled what's on the radio by paying radio stations to play their songs. Pay-for-play radio (aka "payola") means that independent labels can't get their music on mainstream radio and mediocre major label music gets on the radio just because somebody's paying.

Legislative efforts to end the practice have failed consistently. Payola is illegal, but labels simply skirt the law by paying third-party "independent promoters" to pay radio stations. As long as the major labels continue to have huge amounts of money to throw into radio promotion, we'll always have pay-for-play. But we can take the money out of the system. If we stop paying for major label music, we can stop payola.

From downhillbattle.org

A new investigation into the issue of payola in the music industry has been launched by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. In September, each of the four global record labels -- EMI, Warner Music Group, Universal and Sony-BMG -- received subpoenas seeking e-mails, contracts and other correspondence between the labels and independent promoters, the middlemen who labels pay to push singles to radio stations.

From Rolling Stone

[Lil' Hannah]

Some artists that have played the HFStival in the past...

1993
INXS, Iggy Pop, Ned's Automic Dustbin, Stereo MCs, Matthew Sweet, Velocity Girl

1994
Cracker, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Meat Puppets, Counting Crows, James, Pavement, Rollins Band, Violent Femmes, Afghan Whigs, Greenberry Woods

1995
Courtney Love, Tony Bennett, Primus, Ramones, Juliana Hatfield, Better Than Ezra, Mike Watt, Bush, PJ Harvey, Soul Asylum, Archers of Loaf

1996
Garbage, Cracker, Goldfinger, Foo Fighters, Afghan Whigs, Presidents Of The United States Of America, Everclear, No Doubt, Gin Blossoms, Fred Schneider, Girls Against Boys, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Dishwalla, Guided By Voices

1997
Beck, Prodigy, Third Eye Blind, Echo & The Bunnymen, Luscious Jackson, The Verve Pipe, Blondie, Jamiroquai, Cardigans, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jimmies Chicken Shack, Ben Folds Five

1998
Crystal Method, Green Day, Scott Weiland, Foo Fighters, B-52's, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Everclear, Barenaked Ladies, Wyclef Jean, Marcy Playgound, Soul Coughing, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Agents Of Good Roots, Grant Lee Buffalo

1999 Spring
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Offspring, Sugar Ray, Goo Goo Dolls, Silverchair, Blink 182, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Orgy, Lit, 2 Skinnee J's, Citizen King, Fountains Of Wayne, Buckcherry, Ozomatli, Beth Orton, Live, Moby

1999 Fall
311, Limp Bizkit, Bush, Buckcherry, Chemical Brothers, Everclear, Filter, Fuel, Jimmies Chicken Shack, Powerman 5000, Run DMC, Staind, Long Beach Dub All Stars

2000
Rage Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Third Eye Blind, Cypress Hill, Godsmack, Filter, Deftones, Staind, Bloodhound Gang, Vertical Horizon, Eve 6, Nine Days, SR-71, Good Charlotte, Blue Man Group, Lake Trout, Mary Prankster, Laughing Colors, Rebel Amish Radio

2001
Day 1: Live, Green Day, Incubus, Tenacious D, 3 Doors Down, The Cult, Fuel, Lifehouse, Coldplay, SR-71, Good Charlotte, Nothingface, Alien Ant Farm, Dust For Life, Saliva, American Hi-Fi
Day 2: Staind, Live, Fatboy Slim, 3 Doors Down, Fuel, Linkin Park, Stabbing Westward, Coldplay, Lifehouse, Good Charlotte, American Hi-Fi, SR-71, Saliva, Cold, Sum 41, Mike D & Mix Master Mike

2002
Day 1: The Strokes, Eminem, Hoobastank, Our Lady Peace, Sum 41, The Lloyd Dobler Effect, N.E.R.D., New Found Glory, Citizen Cope, The Vines, Jah Works, Fidel, Cactus Patch, Margaret Heater, Imbue Day 2: Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm, Our Lady Peace, X-ecutioners, Good Charlotte, P.O.D., Hoobastank, Trik Turner, Unwritten Law, Sum 41, Dashboard Confessional, GOB, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Citizen Cope, The Vines, Phantom Planet, Abandoned Pools, Loudermilk, The Lloyd Dobler Effect, Green Machine, Rotoglow, Phaser

2003
Finch, The Donnas, The Used, The Roots, Jack Johnson, AFI, Chevelle, Good Charlotte, Jane's Addiction, Audioslave, Godsmack, Vendetta Red, Getaway Car, Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, Northern State, Smile Empty Soul, Switchfoot

2004
VooDoo Blue, Papa Roach, Cypress Hill, Violent Femmes, The Offspring, The Cure, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse

[Peaches-n-Cream]

We had a few radio station in the NY area that I loved, but they either disappeared or changed their format. Now when I turn on the radio, I have no idea what type of music they will play.

I miss WLIR. They played music like U2, Depeche Mode, Smiths, and Cure before anyone. "Dare to be Different."

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

You know what kind of surprised me is that the DJs, etc. didn't get any notification. The morning show guys ended their show at 10:00 am, apparently, and were notified that it was their LAST show at around 10:30.

I know they're a business and they can do what they want -- it just surprised me.

[DeltAlum]

"their record company paid KUFO, a radio station in Portland, Oregon, $5000 to play this 50 times. The deal was legal because the station ran a disclaimer before the song saying that it was paid for by Flip/Interscope Records."

That's the important part right there. At that point, it basically becomes a commercial message. I'm sure they listed it on their official program log as a commercial as well.

It's the under-the-table type of payola that is illegal.

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
"their record company paid KUFO, a radio station in Portland, Oregon, $5000 to play this 50 times. The deal was legal because the station ran a disclaimer before the song saying that it was paid for by Flip/Interscope Records."

That's the important part right there. At that point, it basically becomes a commercial message. I'm sure they listed it on their official program log as a commercial as well.

It's the under-the-table type of payola that is illegal.

Yes, I acknowledged that and quoted 2 other sources that discuss using "middlemen" to pay the stations. These stations are getting paid.

[Rudey]

Did they carry Howard Stern? Because I swear I will go ape shit if anyone is knocking Stern off the air.

-Rudey

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by Rudey
Did they carry Howard Stern? Because I swear I will go ape shit if anyone is knocking Stern off the air.

-Rudey

No. WJFK carries him.