We Don't Want Your Stinking Opinion

There is a radio stataion in my area called JackFM that I think has made a grave error in marketing strategy. Their slogan is "we play what we want" and I happen to find this very offensive. I realize the meaning behind this is that they have more variety than a station who sticks with a typical playlist because they will play any song they feel like whenever they feel like it, but basing an entire station around the whole 'no requests ever' premise seems to me like a big F you to the listener. Every time I hear their ads saying "we play what we want" I hear a silent 'regardless of what you want to hear' on the end of that sentence, and it makes me not want to listen to their station. They may call it Jack, but I call it bull.

Sounds of the Season

A Denver radio station has been advertising that from now until the New Year they will be playing only seasonal music, and I have to say this is a great marketing strategy if you are looking to have people boycott your station. Seriuosly, who wants to listen to Christmas music for 2 months straight? Not me! And before you label me a grinch, let me assure you that I enjoy the classic Christmas carols: Little Drummer Boy, Carol Of The Bells, Deck The Halls, etc. However, there are only so many variations of these that are tolerable - I am reminded of a CD we had at my last job that featured a version of O'Tannenbaum, sung by very operatic voices who not only weren't following the standard tune, they didn't even seem to be singing related notes. I actually only know what song it is supposed to be because I looked at the liner notes. Absolutely unbearable. My daughter plays better music with her plastic piano, which only has four keys and she plays with her fists. Of course, if you stick to the classics only, it is bound to get more than a little repetitive, which of course is why people are continually trying to write new Christmas songs. I can pretty much say that as a group these all blow. With the exception of Santa Baby and All I Need For Christmas Is You, there are no good modern Christmas songs* - and I think that's fine. I want to hear and sing the carols I grew up listening to - the classics are classics because they are good. There is absolutely no need for any new Christmas songs, except to fill the hours and hours of air time needed by idiot radio statoins that want to drive everyone crazy by playing nothing else.

*I would like to add Jingle Bell Rock and Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer to my list of acceptable modern Christmas songs.

The Signs of Stupid

I recently heard a commercial on the radio that had a character continuing to work despite having his hair on fire. It stated “you wouldn’t ignore this, why ignore the signs of a stroke?” I don't know, maybe because the signs of a stroke are just a wee bit subtler? I mean, I get it, strokes are very serious and shouldn’t be ignored, but this is a stupid way of framing it. Tell us the signs of stroke are just as important as having your head a flame – don’t just assume we know that. Other wise the comparison of numbness and slurred speech to a burning coif seems a little exaggerated.