More bull, less music

When I was a kid, Twin City country music radio station K-102 used to tout itself as "More music, less bull." I often switched it on when I was at my house and first heard the likes of Johnny Cash and other country greats. Fast forward to 2003, when I was working at Office Max, where K-102 frequently played on the overhead speakers.

To my shock and dismay, I discovered that K-102 had become "More bull, less music." While it was OK after the morning rush hour, it was downright aggravating while working weekday morning shifts that started at 5 a.m. From 5 to 9 a.m. is K-102's "Wake-up Crew." During this program, music rarely if ever plays: All the DJs do is yap, yap and yap some more, with commercials interspersed in between their natterings. Hardly the stuff to get you motivated to stock shelves or unload a truck!

As the "Wake-up Crew" droned on and on (and on!) it was like enduring nails on a chalkboard. Truth be told, there were many, many times I wanted to smash the K-102 morning crew right in the face and shout "Shut up!" Only when you needed to vacuum where all the office furniture stood on display did I find it bearable; nothing like drowning out an aggravating noise with a louder one! Alas, once the vacuum was off, the "Wake-up Crew" washed out of those speakers on the ceiling and into my ears all over again. 

Why do radio stations like K-102 think commuters want to listen to bull on their morning drives? Are we that brain-dead as a society that we want to pour crud into our ears going to work instead of soothing music? And people wonder why workers are grumpy at times.   Maybe if they had listened to something decent on the way in, they would be in a sunnier mood.

Listening to the likes of K-102's "Wake-up Crew" is akin to having McDonald's for breakfast: Neither gives much satisfaction. Instead, all they do is leave an unpleasant aftertaste behind. This leads to a couple questions: Can anyone else here name a few local radio stations that have slid as far downhill as K-102 has? Do you think FM radio stations should play talk or music during the morning commute?     

Image courtesy Wikimedia.