Transcripts

CHRIS: When it came on the air a year ago, it was pretty revolutionary just in terms of their so-called anti-format format, where they play good music is basically the barometer of what they play. And they've done a pretty good job sticking to that, keeping it interesting. I think personally, I love the diversity on it. Just in terms of genres--

SPEAKER: It is pretty eclectic.

CHRIS: Yes, very eclectic. Let's face it, the corporate FM stations in town had gotten down to they play the same 30 songs in one day for the most part, which their test marketing and everything showed that that's, I guess, showed that that's what people wanted. Well, I think The Current's shown that that's not exactly accurate because it's doing pretty well. And for my job, my job is to stay on top of new music and it's made my job easier.

SPEAKER: Well, but there are other stations in the market that are like, I have an iPod-like format, but there's something else about The Current. Now, what is that?

CHRIS: Well, there's--

SPEAKER: Not commercials, does that play into it?

CHRIS: Well, it seems like more and more underwriting is on there and the spiels get longer and longer. So I don't think the commercials has anything to do with it. Although, it is nice to not hear those annoying OnStar commercials where people are like, I'm in my car and my limb is falling off and help me. That's nice. But no, it isn't the commercials. There are other eclectic stations in town. A lot of them don't have as good a signal which is important. And the staff at The Current are pretty well up on what's new and hip and current.

Sometimes they delve a little too far, which some people don't like. Someone will say, well, I don't like when they play this. I don't like when they play that. But that's the trade-off for not hearing the same 30 songs. If you don't like something, chances are you're gonna like something that they're playing right after it or pretty quick. And then chances are, somewhere within the hour, you're going to hear a song that'll probably blow you away, which has happened to me many times. I hear something new that I'm just floored by.

SPEAKER: Well, folks like Mary Lucia and Mark Wheat and Thorn do pick their own music.

CHRIS: Yeah, and that, in and of itself, is somewhat revolutionary. It doesn't seem revolutionary, a DJ picking the music, but at the corporate stations, it's from a computerized playlist. And I know a lot of the people that work at those stations and they're really up on music. They're really hip people and have great taste in music. You wouldn't know it by listening to their stations.

SPEAKER: How important is it to have a commitment to local music?

CHRIS: That's the other huge thing that The Current really has accomplished. Some of the other stations have a little one hour music show on late on Sunday nights, which actually, The Current has a great local music show on Sunday nights, too. That's all local. But the point is, throughout the day, throughout the week, you'll hear something just intermingled. You'll hear the great local band like the Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs and--

SPEAKER: The Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs?

CHRIS: Yeah, which you'd never hear on the radio. And you'll hear them with The Killers or something, or some other national modern band that that's hip. And I know it's turned a lot of people on to local music. And I've heard from bands, local bands, that if they're getting the airplay on here, it's really helping.

SPEAKER: Is this being tried in other cities?

CHRIS: Yeah. Yeah, in fact, if anything, we were, in terms of how hip of a music market we are, I'd say we were a little bit behind the curve on getting a station like this. There's one, KEXP in Seattle, that's done very well. And actually, I think some of the current staff knows some of the people there. There's KCRW in LA, Chicago has one, there's quite a few other markets.

SPEAKER: And these are all non-commercial, public stations?

CHRIS: Yes, exactly, non-commercial. And the music they play is somewhat unique from those stations. But for the most part, the wide mix is similar.

SPEAKER: And it's clear you're a fan of The Current here, Chris. But there must be something that you want changed.

CHRIS: Oh, yeah, there's some in terms of the music that they play that I definitely-- I'd like to hear a little more rootsy, twangy stuff. They play a lot of the European dance, chill out music, which is just so boring on the radio. It's like background music for shopping you hear in some swanky shop. It's not something I want to listen to while I'm driving down the road. But that said, like I was saying, you're going to hear stuff you don't like.

Almost the fact that you're going to hear something you don't like is somewhat revolutionary because the stuff at the other stations is so test marketed. Nobody really hates Sheryl Crow, but nobody really likes her either.

SPEAKER: OK, so professor, give it a grade.

CHRIS: I would give it a B plus, A minus. Just the idea of it, kudos to NPR for putting it on the air. It's an old story with NPR and it's a big giant, almost like a corporation and not a public station. I had some people complaining about that in my story Sunday. But for now, the station is doing a pretty good job of serving the public. It's turning people on to new music. It has that artistic value. And it serves the local music community by just putting those acts on the air, period.

And then in terms of just of my musical taste matching up with that, yeah, it's just so across the board that I love that. And I think a lot of people love that. People aren't just into rock anymore. A lot of the younger people are into rock and hip-hop and you would never hear that on another station, rock and hip hop together. So in terms of the future of rock, I think they match up pretty well there too.