I'd have to disagree with it being alternative completely. It's a heavily playlisted commercial station owned ultimately by canwest (tv3, 4 etc). The playlist has only recently begun exploring outside of mostly commercially successful artists and even then restricts that to one track per non mainstream artist.

Yes there is a real vacuum for an alternative station - if by alternative you mean something along the lines of a less commercial and playlisted bfm for example - however that will only ever exist propped up by grants or a backer as realistically it will never be able to make money, unless it is on a limited range frequency (such as Fleet FM).

Kiwi would have had completely commercial direction unfortunately.

// Unless I'm missing something...?

Have you tried tuning into fleet (either FM, or via the web)?

Cheese on Toast on Tuesday afternoon, and Soap Box Derby on Wednesday afternoon are a couple of good shows for picking up some new indie/alt goodness.

107.3FM in Welly.

[ external link ]

// and pick from their schedule a little more selectively...

indeed. they're very much a DJ-driven outfit, as opposed to having a strict playlist, so what you get is totally dependent on who happens to be on at the time. Like I say, try out those two shows I mentioned above, and let me know if you stumble across any other goodies.

They podcast their shows too, for on-demand listening...

[ http://fleetfm.co.nz/fleetcasts.php ]

Excellent point. Thanks Joanna. Imagine it, though! What a scandal!

Plus Emma is really hot, in a southern way.

Well thats putting me on the spot but i totally asked for it. I think that an ideal station would be a mix of indepth editorial that people were interested in (Like National but less stuffy and more 'youth' orientated) and then really on the money programming.

Obviously you need good hosts who can garner a little celebrity status without being cheeseballs. The host must also have good tatse in music that compliments the playlist as opposed to jarring with it.

Variety is a complicated issue on radio. Too much and you up with the Shihad followed by Shona Laing followed by Concord Dawn followed by The Bleeders followed by The Brunettes mess that is Kiwi and not enough and things can get really dull. A thing which used to piss me off so much was the afternoon DJ's on radioactive playing lots of breaks/d'n'b when there was already (in my opinion) far to much of that boring shite on the playlist. It turned the afternoons on that station into a ketamine nightmare.

Playlisting I think must reflect whats happening "NOW" in terms of NME bullshit, latest hyped DJ sub genre shit etc. But this must be a part of the bigger picture of music as a whole in terms of history, and what we must allways remember that hype does not make histiry(often). Pop music is obviously the realm of evil stations that don't even need to be assesed here (the only reason i get pissed off with Bnet/Kiwi is because they are almost good...with Bnet sometimes they are almost great) but pop music is often awesome and PD's shouldn't be afraid of putting Damian Marley next to some new Four Tet or even Sugar Babes or whatever.

.....BUT! in my ideal world we would see a vital mix of the greatest music on offer in the world today so a half hour of radio by me for Feb 06 would be something like this...

Cat Power-Love and Comunication
The Strokes-You Only Live Once
The Cars-Heartbeat City
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-Tidal Wave
Joanna Newsom-Bridges and Balloons
Belle and Sebastian-Dress Up In You
Bonnie Prince Billy/Tortoise-Thunder Road
Dungeon Family-Follow The Light(from Roots Manuva Back To Mine)
Ole Dirty Bastard-Brooklyn Zoo
(oh gosh no nz music....cut my bloody head off)

....well i am sure that all the above music would get played on most bnet stations so its a pretty irrelevant list. But I don't know, its just that every time I listen to the radio I have to sit through track after track of tiresome crap before I hear anything i like. And after DJing at actice for about 4 years I just feel grossed out by 'radio speak'. All the sychophantic carry on you have to go through to not offend anyone...then the lame atempts to seem contoversial by being extremely offensive but only about people who would never listen to whatever sort station your hosting.

Argh i must stop this long and mental post

//Emma from Radio 1
Agreed. Nice girl...

//inappropriately timed playings of Drum and Bass (which quite frankly does not make any sense outside of a darkened club)

Isn't this what they play throughout the day as well?

I listen to Classic Hits or George FM in the morning drive to work in the car, and BFM in the arvo. Not to be contrary, but I do like Mikey Havoc. Always have done. I'm quite partial to them on Saturday and Sunday mornings too. I love that their playlists seem to be reasonably eclectic. Concert FM does it for me sometimes, too, and I do enjoy Hugh Sundae on Saturdays. Did I read somewhere that that's finished now? Shame, he suits radio.

// and I do enjoy Hugh Sundae on Saturdays.
// Did I read somewhere that that's finished now?

yeah, he was just hosting the 3D Radio Show - one of National Radio's summer series things. All over now, although some podcasts are kicking around, if you know where to look.

//Not to be contrary, but I do like Mikey Havoc//

Sorry but you ARE being contrary, there's nothing wrong with disagreeing but don't try to pretend you're not! Jeez Louise, gotta love being angsty from lack of sleep!

// you are indeed my source, and preferred port of call, for great podcasts

ah, cheers mate. pleased to know that someone is listening to them.

..stopped clock...twice a day...etc

apparently also applies to stuck records.

I thought erotic necrosis was a gay band. i looked at the website and found a bunch of photos of boys holding candles. how romantic, kinda made me think bubblegum-death metal. xo

[ external link ]

Whats wrong with people thinking your band is gay? Surely there are some great gay Black Death Metal bands out? I mean people always think my band is gay and I am COOL WIT DAT! 'Bring on the Pink Dollar' as the essecs at Ikea say. After I would rather be thought of as sexually inclined towards men (hey some men are hot) than be known as an out right homophobic dick who threatens people with violence. Not that I am not implying anything by that last sentence I am sure, Grim, that you are a well balanced soy milk drinking, Grey Lynn living, green party voting all round good dude who likes to rock a bit of LA era Fleetwood Mac when Dieciniostophy Child Blood just get a bit samey.

[ http://www.ggreg.com/page.asp?s=102&p=11 ]

// Personally I would LOVE to see erotic narcotic take on manamana & his ice-hockey mates.

Haha, how about me and my ice hockey team mates? Infact I probably know you but cant put a name to the face... small world... Now, you can fuck off with the emergensy ward bullshit, my simple point is... Dont say on the internet what you wouldn't say to my face, otherwise you are just a faggot bich hiding behind a computer screen and your words are not worth shit...

// Grim I really didn't want to say this on a public forum but i know one of y our band members and he IS gay. You had better find out which one it is and then kill him in a burning church.

Devil Rider, I really didnt want to say this, but your mum is really a man... Seriusly, how long did it take you to think up something so clever? Have nothing better to do then to make up storeys about people? Maybe go get laid or something, take a break from that computer...

//Black Metallers are like Goths, right?

Haha, I bet you got that from the "101 ways to annoy a metal head list" :D - Cheesy

//Personally I would LOVE to see erotic narcotic take on manamana

Personally, I'd love to see manamana on grim.