We're curious to hear if fans of the Boulevard are pissed about the format switch, which includes the Kidd Kraddick morning show and RYAN SEACREST, EVERYBODY!!!!
How many jobs does that guy have? There are people in this country that can't find work anywhere and he's on every seventh show on cable.
| David Frese, The Star
Who the hell is Ryan Seacrest?
As for the Boulevard, I occassionally listened when 89.3, 90.1 or 90.9 didn't have anything interesting going on. I tuned in last night and it was noticably more schloky but I didn't pay it much mind.
The problem with the Boulevard is it started off in the right direction by playing some pretty deep cuts, sometimes from lesser know artists. It was refreshing to hear classics like Bertha by the Dead or Standback by ABB or Spanish Moon by Little Feat vs the usual Journey/Foriegner/Styx overkill. But I noticed that, over time, it sort of morphed into just another classic station so no great loss I guess.
Posted by: NEW | January 14, 2009 at 10:37 AM
Yes...I was basically sick to my stomach when I turned it to the BLVD the other day. I just assumed it was doing well. I guess it's just back to 96.5 and NPR.
Posted by: NCTRNL | January 14, 2009 at 10:39 AM
I agree completly with NEW's post above. The Blvd. started out pretty good and I enjoyed hearing the Grateful Dead and other bands who don't get much airplay, but the last few months they WERE starting to play REO, Styx, Bob Seger, etc. and they seemed to repeat the same songs a lot. I listened every morning getting ready for work.
The search for a good radio station...(that plays GOOD MUSIC) continues.
While I'm on the matter, I never publicly said how happy I was when Moffitt got canned from 101 the Fox. His racism and backwoods redneck manner was really starting to annoy me. Oh well, it is the station of Cheifs fans.
Posted by: Dan Fan | January 14, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I no longer live in KC, but when I travel to see family and friends there, it always seemed like the BVLD was superior to the other classic rock channels in the limited time I had to listen.
I assumed it was doing well, too... it's not like they had a talking head personality to pay.
Strange. And a little sad. Just a little.
Posted by: doubleK | January 14, 2009 at 11:03 AM
Some of the music on Blvd was OK, but usually after a couple of songs, they would play something really irritating. The DJs were lacking personality, and were far too smooth jazz mellow.
Kiss looks like something I will probably not listen to at all. I guess I'll give it a shot at least until I find another station to take it's preset button in my car.
Seacrest sure does work hard. Check out the big sweat stain around his neck!
Posted by: Granimal | January 14, 2009 at 11:04 AM
I agree with the previous posts. The Boulevard started out as a great station playing the deep cuts while combining newer music with the old. But lately they had added the Journey and Styx that was refreshingly missing previously. Will miss the old Allman Brothers cuts for sure. Story of a great station that gave up. So sad.
Posted by: six pack | January 14, 2009 at 11:26 AM
This is why I equipped the car with a stereo designed for the iPod. Any attempt by a radio station to play good music ultimately devolves into schlock. The Boulevard was already on the downslope... and now it's done. It's always odd to see the dichotomy between what people say they want and what people are apparently listening to. Must be those of us blogging in Back to Rockville are in the minority.
Posted by: Col Mustard | January 14, 2009 at 11:35 AM
I listened to the BLVD everyday at work. I really liked their format.
I was very disappointed when I realized the Boulevard was gone.
Kiss is a JOKE!
Posted by: Rob | January 14, 2009 at 11:36 AM
BLVD played a lot of music I hadn't heard before, but it was so refreshing to hear MUSIC instead of a bunch of babble and celebrity/sensationalist garbage mixed with a song now and again. If I want to hear that crap, I can get a scandal rag at the supermarket. It's back to the CDs for me, oh, and Sirius. KISS=OFF!
Posted by: Steel | January 14, 2009 at 12:04 PM
I program nearly all my music in my own car, but my daughters listen to stuff like this -- music that is one part of the larger world of pop culture and celebrity.
I thought the Blvd was a decent station on the few occasions I tuned in. But advertisers don't get excited about the demographic it attracts (which includes dudes like me). They want kids with disposable incomes who listen to Top 40. Zzz.
Posted by: Tim Finn | January 14, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Pathetic. I thought when 97.3 The Planet changed their format a couple of years ago, I thought that was a blow to local Kansas City radio. This is far worse. 99.7 The Boulevard was the only decent FM music station in Kansas City.
I will agree with some of the previous posts...BLVD was starting to morph into more a classic rock station (they stopped playing any Dave Matthews Band and Coldplay) pretty similar to 101 The Fox, though they still played some unique songs. Funny, I was actually going to email them about their gradual shift. Of course, I need not bother now.
And now it's gone...replaced by cookie-cutter crap. Well, if this is meant to drive people to XM Radio or other internet radio options...brilliant job. If this is meant to improve local FM radio here in Kansas City...you just made a rather dismal market much worse.
Posted by: Rock Chalk Jayhawker | January 14, 2009 at 12:26 PM
i never understood the whores of radio. ever since my allegiance to kwki was blown up..years and years ago,, I have never been loyal to any radio station again, and time after time after time ...BAM!!!.. in the middle of the night...gone with the wind...who cares....
As long as i have american idol to tell me what to listen to,I will be happy....
Posted by: what up | January 14, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Can't believe they are taking away the BEST station EVER! Thanks for replacing it with CRAP!!!!
Posted by: Bambi | January 14, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Those 1.2 ratings numbers (in a good book) let me know you're all in the minority. Believe me, the people (suits) who tubed KY (it could've owned this town) destroy anything they touch. BLVD included.
At least now they can't take the blame if KISS fails, it's
syndicated...
Posted by: wadkc | January 14, 2009 at 01:00 PM
Yes most of us here are in the minority but I consider that a good thing and I take a great deal of pride in that. Think about all the relatively obscure artists that each of us listens to who are restricted to player smaller venues. Would you rather see them at Knuckleheads/Daveys/Record Bar or Sprint Center/Kemper? While some of these artists most likely yearn for more notoriety, our ability to seek out great music by not so well known artist works to our advantage.
I for one am glad I don't have to deal with Sprint Center to see Lucinda Williams, James McMurtry or Dave Alvin.
Posted by: NEW | January 14, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Let me join in the "It was great when it started, slipped a bit but was still good" chorus. Except for when Cypress Avenue or Sonic Spectrum were on it was pretty much my go to station in the car.
I think I'll be back to playing cd's most of the time now.
Posted by: Scot | January 14, 2009 at 02:11 PM
I am truly disappointed that yet again, Entercom has messed up a good thing regarding KC radio. I enjoyed the "NO Repeat Work Week" -streaming online at work. Now I am streaming a station out of New York. If they truly wanted to fill a void in KC radio, give us a jazz station!
Posted by: CJ Gregory | January 14, 2009 at 02:17 PM
I was horrified when I got in my car last night and garbage was spewing out of my radio, tuned to 99.7 FM. Just what we need, another version of 93.3. I promptly removed 99.7 from my radio buttons. Sigh.
Posted by: Susan | January 14, 2009 at 02:20 PM
Just another reason to get an HD radio in your car, folks. Hint, hint, HINT.
Posted by: Letterman | January 14, 2009 at 03:57 PM
Another choice is 90.9 FM 'The Bridge' (Where the music still matters)out of CMSU, if you can get their signal. Pretty nice variety of music, and it is commercial free.
Posted by: onthemark | January 14, 2009 at 04:03 PM
I enjoyed the BLVD. maybe my taste in music is limited but i enjoyed everything they played. I enjoyed their music more than any station I had ever heard. I guess I am back to talk radio. I will check out some of the other suggestions 90.9, 96.5 and NPR.
Posted by: pizzachief | January 14, 2009 at 05:16 PM
Interesting that several of us complained and said they are going back to NPR. When I moved to Kansas City, I listened to NPR because the radio market here is terrible. A few companies monopolize the music and have really no devotion to the market. It's all about the money. Other stations claiming to be classic rock play head banging stuff. Ugh.
Guess I'll have to listen to music from the East side of the state on the Internet. Not very portable.
Posted by: Suzanne | January 14, 2009 at 06:58 PM
The Blvd., 96.5 The Buzz, KCUR and Jack-FM (105.1) have been my regular stations for a while now. I'll miss The Blvd. I'll probably just switch over to WHB's sports talk when there's nothing good on. Or maybe it's time for me to just switch to XM radio.
Posted by: Vandelay | January 14, 2009 at 07:12 PM
So THAT's what happened! I honestly assumed my radio was on the fritz - went to 101 The Fox for a day or two. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! SOME CORPORATE *SS WIPE SHOULD HANG FOR THIS!! BRING BACK KY! DON'T BE STUPID! If KYYS had - say doubled their play list, they likely could have survived. Who's WITH me on this? This PROVES more SO that Kansas City REALLY has gone downhill! How about the Chiefs 'new' head coach? They're going to do awful this next season ANYWAY. Total waste of time, money and effort.
Posted by: Bubba | January 15, 2009 at 03:21 AM
Ugh another "female oriented" radio wasteland "The Kiss." How many piles of dung are going to collect until someone cleans out the barn?
MTV started the slide and now American Idol has finished the job. The American music industry is officially dead. RIP.
Posted by: Zard | January 15, 2009 at 01:29 PM
I hope everyone knows we, the readers of this music blog, are "music snobs" and are a minority.
The majority of people like the top-40 stuff, that's why it's so popular. They don't change formats if it's making money.
But what are we to do? HD radio is fine, but that probably just means more stations to try and find some music is the morning, and how long will Sirius XM be going when the stock is down to 11 cents a share.
Posted by: Steve | January 15, 2009 at 01:55 PM
Steve's right. And as I pointed out in my previous post, we should take pride in our snobery (sp?).
Another suggestion is 90.1. They play some serious blues and rock on the morning show (6 - 8) as well as the afternoon. In fact, old GE owner Roger Nabor has a Friday afternoon show. At least he used to. Friday nights on 90.1 are really good.
Posted by: NEW | January 15, 2009 at 02:09 PM
Yeah, 90.1 was good at one time but I haven't listened to it in awhile now. They used to have a trans-gender several years ago that would stay there / show up between 12 midnight to 5 am three to maybe five nights a week what would play some 'real' out there music that I liked some of her stuff she played. Believe her name was Angelica - anyone remember her program? I chose to ignore her situation and respect her taste in music. 101 The Fox isn't too bad - upside is they do play a few usual VAN HALEN, AC/DC and DOOBIE BROTHERS songs I don't mind hearing when I'm doing other stuff. The Blvd - 2008-2009 - R.I.P. That afternoon disc jockey, Jennifer was okay.
Posted by: Bubba | January 15, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Tuned in to 99.7 at work to get some class into my day, and somebody poured smudge into my ear. Thanks not at all to the poo heads in charge there. I even had my 15 year old rockin along with me sometimes. After showing her what they'd done, she changed the station and said she {15 I Say} was sorry to see it go.
I guess I really am gonna have to get a Ipod now. Too bad I can't afford the Boulevard's library. This truly sucks!!!
Posted by: Donna Worsley | January 15, 2009 at 09:27 PM
Having just recently "discovered" The Boulevard, and liking what I heard, I was dismayed and upset to hear the format change. Yes, it got a little schlocky at times, but for the most part it played decent, unoffending music that was likeable, listenable, and sometimes edgy. The DJ talk was kept to a minimum and it relied solely on the strength of the music. Now...I'm not liking it so much. I find Kid hard to listen to in the mornings on my way to work. Guess it's time to channel surf again.
Posted by: TonyJ | January 16, 2009 at 10:03 AM
The Boulevard was the best station in KC. I definitely will not be listening to 99.7 any longer. KISS SUCKS!
Posted by: KarlaRose | January 16, 2009 at 11:11 AM
For you computer surfers at work: go to the link on the side of this blogs homepage for RadioParadise: it's truly eclectic, mixing old and new, commercial free(listener supported, paypal donations are requested), run by a guy and his wife out of their home in CA. He's a former DJ turned sour by the industry, went and did what any dignified American would do and started an online radio station. Screw You Corporate Radio.
Minorities or not, radio is like food. If you want fast and easy roll through QT and get you a log roller hot dog. If you want to nourish your soul, get an ipod and upload your collection or max out your credit card on Itunes and enjoy an unmolested moment of audio zen during your commute to work.
Satellite radio music stations do the same repititious rotations, you just have more station choices.
Posted by: lucas | January 16, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Wasn't Entercom the same outfit that, in it's infinite wisdom, stripped Kansas City of its one and only jazz/smooth jazz station and replaced it with a country station when we already had a number of country stations in place?
That's the state of affairs here in radio. If you like a number of different styles of music and live in the Kansas City area, you have to go to the internet or satellite radio to find it. You sure won't find it on the Kansas City radio dial.
It's a sad day when one of your favorite stations changes its format. It's even sadder when the new format is one you dislike. And it's even worse when Kansas City - a city whose name is practically synonymous with jazz - has not one, not even one full time jazz station.
Feh!
Posted by: Steel | January 16, 2009 at 05:25 PM
I really liked the Blvd. Even if they wanted to cann it because of ratings - KISS FM? Give me a break! Who listens to that crap! This city couldn't come up with a good radio staion if its life depended on it! Thank God for Ipods!
Posted by: Bart | January 16, 2009 at 05:37 PM
Agreed. KYYS was the gold standard. I could listen to the Blvd. But now...I don't watch Ryan Seacrest on TV, why do I want to listen to his pathetic @$$ on the radio? Entercom is just another corporate schill trying to fill their airtime with the same syndicated crap. Maybe the new FCC will break up these pathetic monopolies on stations across the country.
Posted by: Old School listener | January 16, 2009 at 09:42 PM
I got in my truck and turned on the radio to hear Nickelback. I was furious, thinking the boulevard made a miss-step. Later I tuned in to hear Linkin Park, I've spent the last few days trying to find a new preset to replace it. A sad loss indeed.
Posted by: don | January 16, 2009 at 09:52 PM
RYAN SEACREST and the rest of those corporate snobs can kiss my Aunt Fanny! And while you're down there, shave my back you nookie lickers! BRING BACK KYYS!
Posted by: Bubba | January 17, 2009 at 05:00 AM
What would it take for the public to have their own radio station? Surely there is a baby boomer with the money that can help. Anyone from the true rock era knows that these stations only played about a tenth of the music out there. The Eagles, Seager, Dylan, Stones, Petty etc. all have new albums out and no stations play them. Just the old same ol same ol we've heard a gazillion times. I thought this station was going to cater to our generation but I guess the teenies get the priority. We can tune in to 97.7 out of Sedalia for a similar format of the Blvd. I think I have a bigger library than Blvd. did anyway.
Posted by: Clint | January 17, 2009 at 09:46 AM
I can't believe that someone is so short sighted that the KC market is stuck with more radio mush. The Blvd had the format of old FM and did a great job mixing classic rock with some blues and jazz. Corporate decisions toward "the same old thing" keep pushing Boomers and like-minded folk to listen to cds instead of radio broadcast album rock. I guess mediocrity is the rule in the boardroom.
Posted by: Sherri | January 17, 2009 at 03:23 PM
www.woxy.com
BAM...the future of Rock & Roll
If only we could get it over the air here, or a station that had an equal format.
Posted by: Jason | January 17, 2009 at 06:21 PM
Sure missed that LITTLE STEVEN'S Underground Garage. First, we get Dr. Demento taken off, then Nights With Alice Cooper and now this sh**! Taft Broadcasting (or whoever owned KY), you get take your corporate greed die, mother-f***er!!
Posted by: Bubba | January 19, 2009 at 03:08 AM
Oh the horror of tuning into what I thought was The Boulevard and hearing...yikes!...Rascal Flatts. Uggghhh...we don't need another Top 40 station!
I too was dismayed when The Planet changed format several years ago, and while I love 90.9 The Bridge, can't seem to get a signal anywhere in KC. Guess I will continue to be an NPR/iPod devotee. It's really too bad, since so many other markets support terrific radio stations!
Posted by: ARobinKC | January 19, 2009 at 03:08 PM
I'm glad to see the station that killed KY get killed!
Posted by: SC | January 19, 2009 at 08:38 PM
Yeah, SC, but the Blvd was infinitely better than KY. Maybe not in KY's prime, but KY was pretty bad during it's last decade (or more). They played the same tired songs and Max, Tanna & Moffitt (or however you spell his name) were just unbearable. The Boulevard at least had a more varied rotation of music. I'm sad to see them go.....especially when they have been replaced by a station whose playlist is comparable to Dante's Ninth Circle of Hell.
Posted by: Modern Radio is rubbish | January 19, 2009 at 10:35 PM
If KYYS had JUST simply doubled their play list, they could've survived. I grew very used to Max and Tanna. Remember, Moffitt is now over at (or at least, he was) The Fox 101. Plus the Slacker was also pretty good. The Blvd DID take some getting used to. People that I know who had ignored KY for year now did like the Boulevard.
KYYS - 1974-2008 (R.I.P)
BLVD - 2008-2009
Corporate Greed - ageless
Posted by: Bubba | January 20, 2009 at 12:20 AM
why does NO ONE mention that this is rooted in laws being changed?
In the late 90s YOU, (your Congreess) changed a decades old law that limited ownership to 7 AM, 7 FM and & TV stations.. YOUR CONGRESS changed that,, and now we wonder why corporate greed ruined mucic...
Oh well as long as this paepr giving it unfettered support to garbage like A.I......ah blah blah blah BOUGHT AND PAID FOR.,..
OWNED..PAWNED
nevermind,,go back to sleep.
Posted by: what up | January 20, 2009 at 12:43 AM
Whatup, rotfl!! Seriously, you are so right....
All of you are old enough to look back at the selection available in radio formats. Oldies have typcially had 1 rep. in the market. Now that Album Rock is the new oldies, it makes perfect sense that it's going to be relegated to one station...like it or not. Like T.F. said, teeny boppers spend more money. You all already own your copies of Dark Side of the moon, Eagles Greatest Hits, etc. You're not going to be buying more. Getting old sucks, but it looks like you're screwed.
Posted by: lucas | January 20, 2009 at 10:49 AM
wtf? I am not screwed.
If you are lucky enough to ever have another year,,,ah never mind...moron,nah.. you are more off...
may you not grow old as soon as possible...DO IT..DO IT ..DO IT.
Posted by: what up | January 20, 2009 at 03:59 PM
oops..I forgot whom I was talking to, ah,,,the young and ignorant, thinking you you know it all,,,, which keeps you from knowing anything..so....
....here is your, standard, usually needed cheat code, so you can feel smart.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,970748-2,00.html
Posted by: what up | January 20, 2009 at 04:20 PM
Who you two calling ignorant and a moron? Don't you dare call it MY congress. I haven't voted in years! Didn't even watch Obama's swearing in today. I DO know several folks that ate, breathed and lived THIS day (Jan. 20) for the last month as though it was THAT huge of a deal. I'm STILL waiting for someone to PROVE to me that a single vote counts. It's INTERESTING how no one has even tried.
Posted by: Bubba | January 20, 2009 at 06:36 PM