"Go Country?...

It’s perfect early fall weather today in Los Angeles, sunny and warm, the weather is all good from the desert to the mountains, valleys and the beaches and I ruined my day by listening to KKGO, “Go Country”. 

KKGO is the only country station in LA, should be a huge advantage considering more country music and concert tickets are sold in SoCal than anywhere else in the good old US of A. With that advantage they are hanging around in the mid two share range. Here’s what I heard:

First off, Christine Martindale has a super voice, good presence, could the powers that be please let her open the mic more than three times an hour, oh and don’t write gibberish for her to read when she does, Thanks.

Christine, here’s a tip, rewrite that stuff they want you to read, you’re too good for this. You should escape, but after listening to Go Country, I don’t have any idea how you could get a decent aircheck out of the place.

When I turned “Go Country” on I had an immediate problem, I tuned in at the beginning of a 9 unit stop set, the damn thing was interminable. Not only did it seem to go on forever, every one of the commercials had a different level, some loud, some inaudible. Come on, this is basic stuff, there's a kid working on a piss whistle somewhere in Arkansas who can do better work than this, you guys are in the god damned show business capital of the world for chrissakes. Do your job, have some pride.

Finally, when the stop set ground to a halt, I heard a beat of dead air then electronics, zap, whistle, sonic sounds and a filtered(?) voice…it’s loud and irritating, then into a soft intro song. An audio train wreck if I ever heard one. I think maybe I heard an honest mistake, people screw up right? I keep listening.

Man was I wrong! “Go Country” is madly in love with electronic sounds, filtered voices, especially if they are hard and loud and really compressed. The sweepers and produced liners are probably, at minimum, 25% louder than the music. Does anybody in the building ever listen to the station? 

Here I am enjoying some of today’s country, a song about  "drinkin"  or was it about a pickup? Probably both. Anyway, I’m enjoying the song, it dwindles out, a bit of dead air and you guys play something that slaps me across the face so hard, my ears are ringing. Why do you do that? Try this, let Christine say what the annoying filter guy says. I know she could sell the station better and do a smooth transition to the next low audio song in the set.

Here's an idea, you guys are right next to the 405, take the person who records your library over to the window, point at the Freeway and say, “Hit it!” Then find the kid in Arkansas who can do a better job of dubbing your music, he'll be so happy to be in LA he'll work himself to death for you!

With today’s digital equipment and music systems keeping a station on an even audio keel, levels shouldn’t be a problem, somehow on Go Country they are. What’s the old line in the tech world? Oh yeah, it’s “garbage in, garbage out” you’ve got that garbage thing down pat. Good job!

 I'm saying,“What in the hell is the matter with you?” out loud in the car with the windows open. I'm in heavy traffic on the 10. People think I'm nuts. It's your fault, "Go Country"!

I got so irritated by being tossed around by your audio, I can’t even comment on your music mix. Somehow everything on Go Country has been turned into an irritant, the only exception is poor Christine, it must be terrible for her to spend her days inside the torture chamber of “Go Country”. 

I hope she doesn’t start "Country Drinking" to ease her pain. Don’t do it Christine, it won’t end well.

Do you people have any idea of the opportunity you have?  Sam Elliot lives a few miles up the 405, turn north on the 101 and you’ll find him. Get down on your knees, beg him to do your liners. I'll write them for you as a charitable donation and take it off my taxes.

If and when you get that accomplished, set poor, underutilized Christine free. She is the best talent you have.

One more time, “What in the hell is the matter with you?”