[saintsebastien1]

I have noticed in the last month just over, that KMFM is now boring and not very good variety any more.

I keep on just hearing these now and all other songs are ditched:

Jordin Sparks - SOS (Let The Music Play)
Esmee Denters - Outta Here (My god, let this die!)
Shakira - She Wolf
Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo

There are other new songs which they DO NOT play like these:

Sugababes - About A Girl
Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway


And these are always played:

Bryan Adams - Run To You/Summer Of 69 but these are not ever played:

Bryan Adams - The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
Bryan Adams - Cloud Number Nine


KMFM is very boring now, and it is always the same songs and I think they are trying to copy Heart.

This is because, for example KMFM used to play these:

Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground
Girls Aloud - No Good Advice
Girls Aloud - The Show

Now, they only play Girls Aloud - The Promise like Heart do.

It is such a shame, KMFM have ruined what was a fantastic local radio station and now it is just repititive and boring.

Any one else agree with me?

P.S. You will all be very shocked to learn I have now moved to Heart Kent.

[RED KITE]

Originally Posted by saintsebastien1

I have noticed in the last month just over, that KMFM is now boring and not very good variety any more.

I keep on just hearing these now and all other songs are ditched:

Jordin Sparks - SOS (Let The Music Play)
Esmee Denters - Outta Here (My god, let this die!)
Shakira - She Wolf
Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo

There are other new songs which they DO NOT play like these:

Sugababes - About A Girl
Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway


And these are always played:

Bryan Adams - Run To You/Summer Of 69 but these are not ever played:

Bryan Adams - The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
Bryan Adams - Cloud Number Nine


KMFM is very boring now, and it is always the same songs and I think they are trying to copy Heart.

This is because, for example KMFM used to play these:

Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground
Girls Aloud - No Good Advice
Girls Aloud - The Show

Now, they only play Girls Aloud - The Promise like Heart do.

It is such a shame, KMFM have ruined what was a fantastic local radio station and now it is just repititive and boring.

Any one else agree with me?

P.S. You will all be very shocked to learn I have now moved to Heart Kent.

Last weekend my Dad turned off all the electrics in the house, so I was forced to listen to what was available on my personal stereo which is Heart and not a lot else. I have to be honest since Ofcom intervened Heart sounds a lot better than it did 3 months ago - they play a lot more fresh, new music and seem to be experimenting with the older stuff too. For those 4 hours it actually sounded quite good, but remember I haven't listened for 3 months. However when they played a couple of songs that burned on me months ago, I groaned.

I'm waving the white flag and accept that it is the will of the Supreme Master Mr Tabor that all people in the UK must listen to Heart - there is nothing better to listen to on the personal stereo to and from work after all. If there was I'd listen to that instead. As for Reading 107 it's a shadow of its former self, the audio processing and reception is terrible (they still haven't fixed that tx since last year) and the latest Rajar figures are their worst ever.

I have insulated my home however from Mr Tabor's evil radiowaves and in my house Spotify continues to rule

[saintsebastien1]

Yes, well it seems to me that KMFM is an awful radio station now.

They have destroyed all of the good things about it.

Another example I forgot to mention, is that they have got rid of the Requests on the Friday Feeling now, and you just can vote for them now, which is a shame.

It was also recorded on Friday and not even live.

KMFM, please sort it out and change the music playlists back to what they used to be, or you will continue to lose your listeners.

Heart is actually better now and more feel-good.

[overline]

Excellent, yet another KMFM thread.

[Les Wires]

Tony Blackburn has an excellent Sunday show from 4-7pm.

What's the KMFM-Digital station like?

[FM_Bandit]

Originally Posted by Les Wires

What's the KMFM-Digital station like?

Non-stop CHR and ads. No DJs.

[mugs]

Originally Posted by saintsebastien1

Yes, well it seems to me that KMFM is an awful radio station now.

They have destroyed all of the good things about it.

Another example I forgot to mention, is that they have got rid of the Requests on the Friday Feeling now, and you just can vote for them now, which is a shame.

It was also recorded on Friday and not even live.

KMFM, please sort it out and change the music playlists back to what they used to be, or you will continue to lose your listeners.

Heart is actually better now and more feel-good.

You soon change your mind.A couple of weeks ago you kept saying how wonderful KMFM was.I've listened to KMFM,Heart and Radio Kent and regrettably have to say that with a few exceptions there is now not much to recommend about any of them!.I wouldn't care if i didn't hear any of them again with what they are currently churning out.A shame as local radio in Kent used to be rather good.

[Les Wires]

Originally Posted by FM_Bandit

Non-stop CHR and ads. No DJs.

Oh dear, well at least it will make a refreshing contrast at breakfast.

Just been listening to Johnny Lewis not bad at all. Sunday 4-10pm is a good line-up whatever is on throughout the rest of the week.

[Swift DX]

Switching from Girls Aloud - Some Generic Horseshit to Girls Aloud - Some Other Generic Horseshit makes KMFM 'boring'? What?

I highly doubt bringing back timeless classics such as 'The Promise' and 'Black Eyed Peas feat. Lloyd Daniels - Gay Fish' will change the output from 'boring' to 'an epic education in music'. KM are pretty bland music-wise during the week but still manage to get through more than Heart do, for sure. They still have their specialist shows like Blackburn and those 'vinyl years' shows which seem to add some difference.

There are other new songs which they DO NOT play like these:

Sugababes - About A Girl

Thank the lord. There are thousands of 'new songs' from dozens of other genres they don't play either - playing the latest chart tripe will put me to sleep.

KMFM - ignore this thread.

[rickymallory]

KMFM is a horrid Radio Station now... they do not deserve to be on the air (in their current form)... KMFM is only there to promote KM itself... almost everything is networked now and their music could fit onto a single CD.

It was not too bad a couple of years ago, but now it is going down the pan so fast.

I prefered it when each area had it's own station run by them... Dover's Neptune still existed but had a KM logo. then it moved everything to Folkestone and become KMFM.

They now say KMFM Shepway and leave out 'white cliffs country' it is rare they and the jingles ever mention Dover.

KMFM - Always cutting corners 'making cutbacks' to save cash IMO.

Now I listen to Absolute on DAB... their music is much better.

KMFM get rid of the majority of your networked shows and improve your music and I and many other listeners may come back. You have ripped the guts out of 'local radio' here.

I was in Brighton the other week and listened to Juice 107.2 and they know how to run a station - they are independent. Their music selection wasn't on a loop either.

One thing KMFM should do is play Local music from Local bands. Juice has a whole show dedicated to that. It helps local bands get their music out there.

[Martin Phillp]

I think it's time for KMFM to stop this facade of being 7 local stations even during the 20 hours a day of networked shows and at long last give Kent the countywide service it deserves since Invicta rebranded as part of a national network.

I've mentioned in previous Kent related threads that the SE lost out on gaining a regional licence and instead got 7 licences which while super serving the towns, were never going to make money.

Hopefully with the changes to the rules, we'll see KMFM become a true countywide station, while leaving Heart and the BBC to do their own thing. Community stations such as CSR in Canterbury and BRFM in Sheppey along with the upcoming stations due to launch in Ramsgate, Ashford and Folkestone can fill the void left by the KM going countywide full time.

[AreYouSure?]

I travel around Kent so get to hear quite a bit of their output, so here's my critique.
Breakfast in Dover is OK, Thanet's is good and local but seems, at times, to be more about promoting Johnny Lewis (and why the constant references to his wife?), I can't listen to the Canterbury station anymore, it's lost most of its localness and it's fairly obvious that the dj is not from the area, Ashford's is OK, it does the job but I wouldn't want to listen to it for long. I don't get to hear much of the Maidstone. Tonbridge or Medway stations but what I have heard sounds reasonably OK without being sparkling. Daytimes is pleasant enough but lacks personality, afternoons is OK but doesn't sound quite right to me, maybe it's too "up" for the rest of the output. I don't get to listen much at night but what I've heard seems quite entertaining.
Musically though . . . . it's a mess.
Come on KM you really must do better. You had the opportunity to hammer Heart and blew it

[radiobloke2004]

Originally Posted by saintsebastien1

I have noticed in the last month just over, that KMFM is now boring and not very good variety any more.

I keep on just hearing these now and all other songs are ditched:

Jordin Sparks - SOS (Let The Music Play)
Esmee Denters - Outta Here (My god, let this die!)
Shakira - She Wolf
Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo

There are other new songs which they DO NOT play like these:

Sugababes - About A Girl
Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway


And these are always played:

Bryan Adams - Run To You/Summer Of 69 but these are not ever played:

Bryan Adams - The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
Bryan Adams - Cloud Number Nine


KMFM is very boring now, and it is always the same songs and I think they are trying to copy Heart.

This is because, for example KMFM used to play these:

Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground
Girls Aloud - No Good Advice
Girls Aloud - The Show

Now, they only play Girls Aloud - The Promise like Heart do.

It is such a shame, KMFM have ruined what was a fantastic local radio station and now it is just repititive and boring.

Any one else agree with me?

P.S. You will all be very shocked to learn I have now moved to Heart Kent.

Surely thought, that is their playlist. If you listen to it all the time you will hear the same songs coming up. If the average listener only tunes in for, say, the drive to and from work, they would not hear these songs all the time.

Also, I think I have heard the new Black Eyed Peas song, and the Sugababes song on kmfm in the past few days.

Apart from the music, what is it you don't like?

[latet8]

Originally Posted by AreYouSure?

I travel around Kent so get to hear quite a bit of their output, so here's my critique.
Breakfast in Dover is OK, Thanet's is good and local but seems, at times, to be more about promoting Johnny Lewis (and why the constant references to his wife?), I can't listen to the Canterbury station anymore, it's lost most of its localness and it's fairly obvious that the dj is not from the area, Ashford's is OK, it does the job but I wouldn't want to listen to it for long. I don't get to hear much of the Maidstone. Tonbridge or Medway stations but what I have heard sounds reasonably OK without being sparkling. Daytimes is pleasant enough but lacks personality, afternoons is OK but doesn't sound quite right to me, maybe it's too "up" for the rest of the output. I don't get to listen much at night but what I've heard seems quite entertaining.
Musically though . . . . it's a mess.
Come on KM you really must do better. You had the opportunity to hammer Heart and blew it

dont like it dont listen simple stop complaining

[AreYouSure?]

Originally Posted by latet8

dont like it dont listen simple stop complaining

Why should I stop complaining? It used to be my favourite station and they have gone out of their way to cock it up. Plainly, somebody's losing the plot. Incidentally, I have stopped listening. Mr Mead are YOU listening?

[AreYouSure?]

double

[sussex]

Originally Posted by AreYouSure?

Why should I stop complaining? It used to be my favourite station and they have gone out of their way to cock it up. Plainly, somebody's losing the plot. Incidentally, I have stopped listening. Mr Mead are YOU listening?

Totally agree.And(as an aside re the previous poster) before i switched off The Black Eyed Peas were coming up very regularily.The music is programmed by the person who only did West Kent before(in his twenties i believe-nothing wrong with that if you're going for the younger audience) and the station is presumably aimed at a younger audience now in the East. In the past the East Kent stations had a seperate playlist done by a different person.The current set-up may be fine for some but i was deeply disappointed when my favourite station was suddenly(in effect) taken away from me and replaced by a much younger version-even if most the presenters have been retained to me the music now sounds awful.Canterbury's show, as you know.has for sometime come from Ashford as does Dover's.Medway provides daytime output now except for breakfast.

[radiobloke2004]

Originally Posted by sussex

... and the station is presumably aimed at a younger audience now in the East...

Surely the station is still being targeted at female 30 - 35 year olds, the same as it has always been.

Maybe they have just refreshed the sound, to bring in people coming into that age range rather than let the station sound stale and old.

[rickymallory]

To be honest, they should cater for everybody... different shows playing different types 'genres' of music rather than the same tacky playlist of about 15 songs day in day out.

The DJ's should choose the music for their shows not one person making a network wide playlist... I cannot see that saving them money because they would have to pay money for each song played in each license area anyway?

[radiobloke2004]

Originally Posted by rickymallory

To be honest, they should cater for everybody... different shows playing different types 'genres' of music rather than the same tacky playlist of about 15 songs day in day out.

The DJ's should choose the music for their shows not one person making a network wide playlist... I cannot see that saving them money because they would have to pay money for each song played in each license area anyway?

Ricky, sorry, but you obviously do not understand how professional commercial radio works.

It would sound awful, with no structure and also music lurching from one artist to another, or if the jock was not that experienced, playing just the same artists over and over again.

All the music chosen has been researched to hit the target audience (female 35 year olds). Is anyone who has posted here in that target area, then feel free to comment. If you are wondering whay that age, it is down to commercial reasons. Females around 35 year old are the biggest spenders in general. So it is understandable for a commercial station, that relies on selling it's airtime, to go for the most effective audience.

[rickymallory]

My point is, KMFM has changed a lot in the last year, the music does just repeat itself over and over throughout the day... I would loose count if I was to even try and count how many times a song is played.

At the moment I would say KMFM are loosing listeners as KMFM tighten their belts and keep making cutbacks. It's just not listenable anymore. especially since the east/west divide 'playlist' was scrapped.

[mugs]

Originally Posted by radiobloke2004

Surely the station is still being targeted at female 30 - 35 year olds, the same as it has always been.

Maybe they have just refreshed the sound, to bring in people coming into that age range rather than let the station sound stale and old.

I disagree.In the East of the county,at least, the music output had much more variety and not just the Heart type fodder.It sounds boring and stale now IMO-it didn't before.No point in two or more stations targetting the same audience it won't work and the winner will be Heart.

[AreYouSure?]

Originally Posted by radiobloke2004

Ricky, sorry, but you obviously do not understand how professional commercial radio works.

It would sound awful, with no structure and also music lurching from one artist to another, or if the jock was not that experienced, playing just the same artists over and over again.

All the music chosen has been researched to hit the target audience (female 35 year olds). Is anyone who has posted here in that target area, then feel free to comment. If you are wondering whay that age, it is down to commercial reasons. Females around 35 year old are the biggest spenders in general. So it is understandable for a commercial station, that relies on selling it's airtime, to go for the most effective audience.

And in there lies that magic word "research." What happened to "gut feeling", "being adventurous", "daring to be different" etc etc. If they're only targeting the 35 year female then its hardly surpring the latest RAJAR is showing their share's at an all time low.

[radiobloke2004]

Originally Posted by AreYouSure?

And in there lies that magic word "research." What happened to "gut feeling", "being adventurous", "daring to be different" etc etc. If they're only targeting the 35 year female then its hardly surpring the latest RAJAR is showing their share's at an all time low.

Sadly, Gut Feeling, Being Adventurous and Daring to be different, whilst it may sound good, can loose money. Loosing money is not the point of commercial radio.

The industry is having a really tough time, and so stations across the country are battening the hatches and sticking with what is known, and reading what the audience want from the research.

Research is showing this is what the audience want, and from what the RAJAR is showing, there has been no decline in audience in the past year. If that changes in the next few quarters then I am sure that things will change.

[AreYouSure?]

Originally Posted by radiobloke2004

Sadly, Gut Feeling, Being Adventurous and Daring to be different, whilst it may sound good, can loose money. Loosing money is not the point of commercial radio.

It is because virtually everybody's doing it which suggests to me that there a some major wrongs that need righting, music being just one of them.

The industry is having a really tough time, and so stations across the country are battening the hatches and sticking with what is known, and reading what the audience want from the research.

Is that the same "research" that tells the head of music that he must play the same songs endlessly until the last listener has finally had enough and switched off just because they happen to "research well."

Research is showing this is what the audience want, and from what the RAJAR is showing, there has been no decline in audience in the past year. If that changes in the next few quarters then I am sure that things will change.

You sure you've got the up to date book?