Radio Show Reviews (2-3 min.)

worth 10% of course grade

Working in pairs, choose one current show on KXLU (see schedule: http://www.kxlu.com/schedule.htm) and listen to and record at least one hour of it. Each collaborator will write their own review of that show: identifying the name of the show and the on air DJ, and analyzing and critiquing their overall show, including air-breaks and music selections. Things to consider: Was the DJ professional or amateur, and why? What mistakes did they make (if any) and what would you recommend they do differently? What was the most engaging, entertaining and/or informative part of the show? Have you heard this show before and would you listen to it again and recommend it to friends?

Then draft a script or outline that combines your reviews (it is ok if you don't agree on everything). This will be read (or used to improvise a conversation) and recorded by you and your collaborator, then edited together into a 2-3 min review (like an album, TV or Movie review) using editing software of your choice (Garage Band, Amadeus, or SoundTrack Pro, etc.), exported as an MP3 and posted to OSpace.

Here are some examples of A projects from previous semesters:

Sebatian Tovar & Irfram Zamani, Spring 2013

Jillian Frederick & Machelle Choi, Spring 2013

Wing Sze Lee & Yvonne Lee, Fall 2011

Individual Written Review Due: Sept. 8
Post below in a new rich text module - one module for each collaborative pair including a separate written review from each collaborator.

Bring audio file of Radio Show excerpt (1 hour = too big to post to Ospace)

Collaborative Edited Audio Review Due: Sept. 29

Post mp3 file, using insert media tool, below your written reviews. Label clearly with your names.

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Group: Hakob and Zhikan

Show:Co-Wave 

Timeslot:9-10am

Hakob Minasian

I absolutlely hated this show. I thought that most of the music was pretty awful and the DJ had terrible taste aside from mabe two songs within the hour slot. I had no idea who the DJ even was until 20 minutes in. She didn't really make any mistakes because she rarely ever talked within the hour slot. My only recommendation is for this DJ to stop being a DJ because of her awful taste. The only redeeming factor this excuse for a radio show was when she dedicated it to her grandparents sixty year anniversary. This is my firs time listening to my show and it will definately be my last. I wouldnt wish this radio stream even upon my worst enemies. Im pretty uspet that I had to listen to this for an hour when I could have been listening to good music. I would have rather listen to her talk about her grandparents for an hour rather listen to this garbage.

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Zhikan's Review

I did not like the show that I listened to. I am not very into American music. I normaly do now listen to American radio channel. Although sometimes I listen to radio pnmy car, I will listen to the AM Chinese Channel which plays Chinese pop music. The DJ from co-wave show's playlist sounds pretty bad to me. Most songs that she play was American vintage music which I hate the most. The DJ did not talk for most of the show. She kept playing music overand over for an hour long. To my opinion, she better talk about the artist of the song or gavemore details about the song so that audians can able to know more about what she was playing. She also can tell stories about herself or things that happened recently to make the show more interesting.

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Group: Shane and Jackelyn 

Show: Groove Time w/ Big Red

Timeslot: 6-8pm

Jackelyn Bautista



The DJ was a terrible host; he is indeed quite the amateur. First of all he spoke in a very low voice that was hard to hear and made some wet noises with his mouth, which gave me impression he had a bad drooling problem. So that was already a problem of its own but also he didn’t really seem to know his music well. Now I could be wrong or maybe I heard wrong but there was a section where he said (again he was very hard to understand due to the low wet voice of his) that he was going to play more African music and I was expecting it but instead I heard full out salsa music. That was something that was completely out of place and was very strange and weird. Not to mention the random Spanish music play in between the African and Haitian music. I don’t see how salsa music fits into the theme of Groove Time at all, when I head groove time I was actually expecting music from back in the 60’s or 70’s but heard something completely something different. That was very strange. The steel drums did add some of that Groove Time but it was very minimal. First of all, it’s super important to keep your voice nice and clear for the audience, if not you’ll have a very irritated crowd that will not want to listen to your block. In my opinion there was nothing informative about or good about this show; it was confusing and misleading with a bad DJ.  I’m pretty sure I would not listen to it again, much less recommend it to anyone.

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Shane Parton

My partner and I chose to listen to Groove Time which airs on Saturdays from 6-8pm, and is hosted by Big Red. We made our selection strictly based on title (I mean, who doesn’t love to groove?). 

As the listening hour drew near, I waited in excited anticipation for the score of loungy numbers that my ears and mood were certain to be delighted by. I just knew that within the first couple of songs, I’d be hankering to slip on my most charming smile and shake up a martini. 

The clock struck 6, and Big Red hit the airwaves without missing a beat. His voice low and soft, and although it was kind of a whisper, I hesitate to say that it was. I’d liken his technique to that of Karen Sharp who hosts Love Songs on the KOST 103.5. Nothing more than a soothing hush as if it was coming at you straight from a sleepy Dilaudid daydream. Although Big Red had a tendency to mumble, and make wet noises, which at times prevented me from getting sleepy along with him.  

As the first song played I was surprised by the upbeat, undeniably Latin flavor. “Perhaps the next song will have me feeling loungy and loose”, I thought, but as one Latin infused song followed the next I saw my martini slipping further and further away. The songs weren’t bad, they just weren’t what I had dreamed of hearing on a show called “Groove Time”, but I suppose we all have different ideas about of what a groove should be. This moment reminded me of a saying I head once about expectations. I don’t remember exactly how it goes, but the moral is not to have them. But I digress.

I found the mix of music odd. It was largely Latin, and at one point Big Red mentioned playing some African music which I don’t recall actually hearing. I do remember some R+B/Soul mixed in there, but I don’t think that falls under the African category (does it?). I also noted there were no ads, no song repeats, and most of the selection was nothing I had previous heard. 

My friend, Big Red, was really respectful of the music he played. He didn’t talk over the intros or outros, and he announced everything that came across the airwaves. There were several moments though where his show suffered from dead air, a result of his not speaking over the songs. They weren’t huge gaps, but very noticeable, and something I’m not accustomed to hearing on the radio. 

The grooves laid down for Groove Time were not my vodka martini, and I don’t know that I’ll listen to the show again. If I do, my groove (or at least my expectations) shall be certainly be aligned.

"Groove Time" reviewed by Jackelyn Bautista and Shane Parton

Group: Andrea & Kaidi

Show: Stray Pop w/ Stella

Timeslot: 11pm - 12 am

 STRAY POP: IN REVIEW // Andrea & Kaidi

Andrea's review: 

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     I tuned in on September 5th as opposed to the week before due to forgetfulness, but I expected the show would have the same feel regardless of which week I listened. I was in the company of friends, so it was a new experience for all of us. The show started a few minutes late, and I was confused for a while whether it had started at all for a while, as the transition from one show to another was so smooth I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. As I continued listening I found Stray Pop to be a clever title. A lot of the music was very grunge and mange-y sounding, very unlike pop and more akin to a stray dog. I began thinking of the music selections as the stray mutts of the radio, and this is why the title clicked for me. Speaking of the selections, the overall feel was very cohesive; all of the songs sounded like they corresponded to one another and flowed together very well. That being said, it's also possible the genre doesn't allow for much variety and that's why the songs went together so well, but I digress. 

     As far as the DJ herself, Stella had a nice rhythm going with the music, but didn't talk much. However it should be noted that she said on-air that there were no guests lined up for that week's show, so I would venture to say that she would have been more talkative otherwise. All that I have to go off of for her radio persona were the breif interludes where she stated what was playing. Based off of these she seems very laid back and improvisational, but again this is really only a first impression fuelled by minimal substance. 

     Overall I thought the show had a nice laid-back vibe, and although the music was a bit too experimental for my tastes, it provided a fun atmosphere and worked really well in terms of flow. I'm not sure whether I'll be tuning in again, but if I ever want to embrace my inner grunge goddess I'll know exactly where to start.

Kaidi's review

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I had been listening to the radio show on a Friday night from 11pm to midnight, and the show is called Stray Pop. My first feeling about the name is that it might be a very artful, majestic show. But after I heard it, I just simply don't like it.

Maybe it just me, because I am student from China, maybe I have the different taste on chill and relax music, but overall, the music on this show just feel kind of boring to me. Personally, I would not listen to this kind of music by any chance, but maybe if I just woke up in the moring, I heard this show and I would not hate it.

I know people in America like to party on Friday night, but this show maybe just played on the wrong time, because if I heard this show on a Friday night, I won't be happy. I like to hear some song on the radio I can sing along, but not one song on this show that I had ever heard before.

About the host on the show, she is a very sweet girl I can tell. Actually, I think she is doing a great job. Her tone and the sentense she use is very appropriate, and her voice is soft and gentle. She is definitely the plus point for the show.

Group: Alaïa, Aziza, & Fran

The Reggae Show :: hosted by Junor Francis (8-10 pm)

GROUP REVIEW: 

Fran's Review:

So my group decided to go with the Reggae show that plays every Saturday from 8-9pm and it's hosted by Junor Francis. When I tuned in around 7:56 pm, reggae music started playing. The show had started a little early but I didn't mind that, I think it's great because it gives time for the intro to play and show to start on time. After that Junor comes on to warmly greet all of his listeners. My first impression of him was that I thought he seemed like a very friendly, fun kind of guy. I noticed the way he was speaking to his audience, it clearly showed me that he was very confident in what he was doing. There were never moments of awkward silence when he spoke and he knew how to get us (the audience) in a nice little "reggae mood". Even though he took on this friendly, easy going vibe he made sure to keep it professional throughout the show. The only thing I want to call him out on was when he was doing the interview with Belizean artist Michael Wagner, the background music was a little too loud that it was hard to focus on what was being said. Besides that, I really enjoyed listening to the whole show and all of the music was so great that I wrote down each one I loved (which was probably all of them). It was my first time listening to it and I would definitely listen to it again. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys reggae music already or is new to the genre and wants to find good songs. 

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Aziza's Review: 

My experience with Reggae for the most part starts and ends with Bob Marely. It’s not a genre I listen to very much, so I wasn’t very sure what to expect of Junor Francis’ reggae show. 

Tuning in, the show began announcement-less and instead opting to play a complete song. This was something I liked as it created a nice transition from the previous show. The selection of music for the beginning of the show I thought was a good choice as well. It was an upbeat, but mellow song and as someone who doesn’t really listen to reggae, I found myself really looking forward to the show just off this song. It wasn’t until the end of the song did Junor came on for the introductions. Speaking very casually and carefree, it was clear that this was something he is comfortable and enjoyed doing which I think makes listeners more likely to tune in. His music selection was also something I thought was great. Playing a very wide variety of different types of reggae, there was a little bit for a large audience to be able to enjoy. He also provided brief information between some of the songs, just enough not to bore the listeners.

Yet while the show was mostly enjoyable, there were a couple of problems. All the speaking was done over the music with only a lower shift in volume occurring in the music for Junor to speak over. As his voice cut in and out of the music, this made it hard to catch certain words and created too much competition between the music and talking. This method was used throughout the rest of the radio show, including the interview later in the hour, which was something I found very annoying. The interview segment of the show was not only difficult to listen to due to the background music, but the musician being interviewed was somewhat lackluster and uninteresting. On the upside, the interruptions only occurred a couple of times through the broadcast as many songs just faded into one another as they played. This I thought was great, as it allowed the music to really be the focus for the larger part of the show and for Junor to simply support it as needed. 

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Alaia's Review:

Final Audio Review

Group: Cara and Vanessa

Cara's Review:

Show: Part Time Punks, Thursday 3pm-6pm.
DJ: David

To me, this wasn’t I expected the show to be at all! I thought that by the title it would be punk music, but that didn’t seem to be the case at all. The music was very electronic and had an 80s vibe with an electronic drum beat. I thought punk might have been more hardcore rock’n’roll. Either the DJ plays very long songs or doesn’t have a pause or fade transition between songs. I can’t tell which but there isn’t a way to distinguish when one song ends and another beings. I would like a mix up in the music, most of the songs at beginning sounded the same. I finally heard the DJ talk about 35 minutes into the show, otherwise there was just music and no word from him until then. When he did talk, the DJ said what all the songs were after we listened to them for 40 minutes. It takes too long to say it all at once and I don’t know which song he is talking about because I just listened to about 10 and can’t remember the exact sound that far back. He also coughed over the swear words, seems a little unprofessional. Why couldn’t they just fade them out? There wasn’t any one bit that stood out at me. I guess this show just wasn’t the one for me. I don’t see myself listening to it again, but I would like to try a different one.

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Vanessa's Review:

When I heard the first song that I turned on to, I was thrown off. The title of the show was Part Time punks, I thought it would play punk music, but I was wrong. The first song was dark, gothic, electronic type of music, the next couple of songs still threw me off. The playlist went on and on and I was thrown off that there was no break for the dj to talk. It wasn't until 30/40 minutes until I heard the dj. He himself was casual and comfortable with talking on air. I wouldn't say he was completely professional, but he wasn't horrible, very casual and would talk about the songs he played and he talked about where he actually got the songs, from a record store in Nebraska. After he talked he want on another playlist of songs, those actually lightened up, they weren't dark and gothic. There was till music playing, but none of it really caught my attention, it was all right anything that I've heard or hooked me in. I believe he did finish the hour with The Smiths which was all right, and he comfortably ended the show, by talking about the upcoming show that is held at the Echo, and proceeded to end the show. 

Group: Chelsea McCarthy, Josh Wallace

The Bennett Show, Wednesdays 9-12

RECORDED SEGMENT HOUR 10-11

 reviewed by Josh Wallace and Chelsea McCarthy 

Chelsea's Review:

 The Bennett Show ran from 9AM-12PM and I recorded the segment from 10-11. Given I missed the beginning and the end of the show my perception of this radio show is one of confusion. During the hour I listened and recorded, there was no sign of a DJ other than the changing songs. There was no introduction, no recap of who the musicians were, just pure music. This method of Djing is interesting because the viewer is left very much in the dark. The choice of music I assume reflected the DJ's music preference, but again I know nothing of the host or the premise of the show. To be frank, the music covered a good section of the abstract music spectrum...if that makes sense. 

The music that played was eclectic to say the least. There were fits of screams about wanting to burn and die that transitioned into a song about lost love. I was confused about the playlist and the order in which the music was chosen. It is very clear the Dj is not interested in easy listening, however, some kind of thematic crutch was missing. 

Also, given most of the songs were noise music or art music or jam band, it would have been thoughtful if the names of the various artists were mentioned. I am assuming majority of the musicians played during the three hour time slot are not big name musicians, let alone musicians viewers can research based on lyrics etc. 

This lack of information made me come to the conclusion that the host was not amateur, they clearly have a taste for music within in a broad range; but perhaps the DJ was not present at all and this playlist was made in advance and played on air without the DJ being present at the station. If this is the case, I am deeply disappointed. I would really hope that there was a person on the other end playing these insane songs. I was completely entertained for the hour I listened to the Bennett show. 

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Josh's Review:

     So the show we listened too was called the Bennett show. It went from 9 am to 12 on Tuesday morning. Apart from that, no other information was given. The DJ didn't ever break to speak to us the listeners, or to tell us what kind of music we would be listening too. 

     It was a bit out of my KCRW conceived norm, but in someways, I quite enjoyed it. Just uninterrupted music flow. It would have been great if the music made a coherent flowing sense.

     From the first song to the last one I heard for that hour, I was led on a winding, and very eclectic music selection. I think I really need to impress the extreme eclectic-ness of this radio set. Like nothing I have ever heard. At first it came off as very amateurish, and almost abrasive. At times there were glimmers of songs leading and playing in audibly agreeable orders, but then, our dear Mr. Bennett, would throw a wrench in the works, with what could agreeably be the most far field music varieties. 

     So jarring were these musical derailments, I started to question weather our DJ was really an amateur as I had believed. So direct and purposed were these songs, that I began to think Mr. Bennett was in fact a genius. He would play a few songs that I truly enjoyed, then a bizarre one. But I listened to it none the less. Knowing that soon after this song was over maybe another one I would like would come up next. He kept me on edge. And I started listening more to these weird outsider pieces. Listening more intently. Because hey, I was already there, and I wasn't going to switch the channel anyways. 

    And nothing got boring. It was in fact a good mix of music. Not overtly repetitive, and not so consistently different that I couldn't play along. I think might listen again to Mr. Bennett's little radio show. To see what little gemstone songs I can find in mix of dirt and grit. 

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Group: Phoenix and Gabriel 

Toe Tappin' Music :: hosted by Cowboy Nick

Recorded Hour 10-11 PM

FINAL REVIEW

Phoenix's Review:

When I saw the name of the show I thought it was going to be something that would be something to listen to while I was working or cleaning. I guess I was expecting something that you would listen at a night club. I was quite surprised to country music. I am not a big fan of country music but the show was pretty up beat and entertaining. I didn't know a lot of the songs so if someone were to ask me I would definietly be clueless. While listening to the lyrics of the music they were descriptive and told a story. A lot of times they were humorious. This is quite different from the music I listen to which is mostly electronic. DJ Cowboy Nick was really into his show and you can tell by the tone of his voice. I really liked his tranitions between songs and the DJ really played an array of different types of themes. I liked the choice in music selection because it kept me engaged. I guess since this music is different from I usually listen to at night. I was able to tell how the music was by the quality in recording.

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Gabriel's Review 

As the first songs played, I was able to notice some of the songs were from different decades/eras in music. The record quality of the songs and the simple jolly lyrics were helpful tips. Alongside with lyrics, some songs talked about town life. The ones that stuck out were about Bakersfield, California and various towns in Texas. The lyrics described these places and the only place to live.

Between songs, short second audio would play to enhance that “country feeling”. For example, the sound of a horse riding with a person yelling “yee-ha”. Even the DJ’s voice had this personality that reminded me of what I know about country based on what I have seen on television or heard country music before. Cowboy Nick’s personality is a perfect touch for this country show. His voice keeps you going and the music is quite upbeat with a good rhythm.  

As the show progressed, I noticed some songs were in line with Mexican country music. Some songs had accordion and trumpet instruments, and were played in the style of Country and Mariachi music from Mexico. Overall, his playlist can be a great soundtrack to a relaxing day at the beach or barbeque.

I have been planning to visit Marfa, Texas to visit Donald Judd sculptures and the Prada Marfa art piece and I think the playlist would go nice with the road trip.