From: cos@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Ofer Inbar)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.noncomm
Subject: Re: reporting to CMJ
Date: 7 Oct 92 00:50:05 GMT
Organization: Brandeis University

At WBRS, we have a very deep philosophical objection to the mere
concept of a "Top X list" (where X is 36, 40, 50, 100, 900,000, etc.)
due to our policy of not judging music.  And if things are running
well, it's unlikely that any individual piece of music has been played
more than 2 or 3 times in a single week.  After all, with over 50,000
records, 5000-6000 CDs and about 2000 cassettes, there's no excuse for
repeating the same thing over and over while denying something else
the air time it has as much claim to.

Our CMJ lists are tailored to look acceptable, attract service from
record companies, introduce the names of unknown bands into the minds
of close-minded readers by force of association, butter up bands who
play live at WBRS, and have fun, in roughly that order.  Our CMJ lists
have no relation to what got played how often, because in a station
where repetition is minimal, it would make very little sense to do
things that way.

  To make a playlist look acceptable, we have to include at least a
few of the current 'in' college bands and perhaps some major labels.
This gets people to think we're not making a joke of the playlist, so
they will read it.
  To attract service from record companies, we do what other posters
here have mentioned - list indies, include labels whose reps have been
pestering us, etc.
  To introduce closed minds to unknown bands, we include their names
alongside the names of well known and accepted bands.  We may put Nine
Inch Nails at #2, and Poverty Jet Set at #1.  Nobody reading CMJ in a
faraway city will know that Poverty Jet Set is a group of Brandeis
students with no released recordings yet.  Seeing their name next to
NIN will imprint that name in certain people's minds so that if they
see it again, they will think, "I know that band, they're an
acceptable band."  For example, when their "progressive" radio station
receives a copy of Poverty Jet Set's first tape.
  To have fun, we frequently scatter in the list a few of the bands
that have played at WBRS recently, add in artists from other genres
(such as new age or Africa) next to the well known rock/industrial
groups, arrange the lists to form hidden messages, and so on.  I think
The Best Wieners will be on our next CMJ playlist, and I wish them
luck! :-)

A note for readers in the Boston area or western/northern suburbs:
  Tune in WBRS 100.1 FM Wednesday, October 7th (tomorrow), or
Thursday, October 8th between 2-4pm for Mindscapes, our newage/
folk/classical/jazz/instrumental show.  We'll be giving away several
copies of Tangerine Dream's new CD, Rockoon, and we'll also be giving
away pairs of tickets to the TD concert at Berklee on Thursday night
and the Shadowfax show at Nightstage on October 27th.

  --  Cos (Ofer Inbar)  --  cos@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu
All genre ethnic diversity...
24 hours/day, 365 days/year programming...
FREE live music four times weekly...
WBRS in Waltham, FM 100 in stereo, your FM connection with the world.
  --  WBRS (BRiS)  --  WBRS@binah.cc.brandeis.edu  WBRS@brandeis.bitnet