My sympathies.  I’m confused why anyone goes along with this:  those who work there for nada, principally.  If you’re going to do radio here for free, isn’t there still WRFU?
I also don’t get the point of that afternoon show where you’re supposed to call in and vote on a ten-year-old song by someone famous.

Yep.  The new PGU format sucks.  Big Time.  Every time I turn it on now I have to wonder whether the new crop of college kids were even alive when some of these songs were popular.  It’s really unfortunate that there’s a bean counter in the current PD spot.  Tom and his crew really went above and beyond in their jobs, and it’s a shame that this year’s plays will be dominated by music that sucked ten years ago.

#ohwowayeetfoshotompauly

This explains so much. I wondered why Blink 182 was being played every 5th song in the mornings.
 
Besides turning our radios off, what else can we do to change this?

I have completely stopped listening to WPGU.  It sucks so bad and it makes me sad that there is not a decent radio station in a college town like C-U. 
Elle’s question is a good one.  Is there anything we can do?

I think I can speak to Jeff’s discussion of playing familiar artists and creating revenue by pointing to the fact that those who are paying Illini Media for ads for the most part ARE local businesses, if we’re catering to their desires, revenue should not be an issue.
And though Q101 was bought out, the ratings for the station had been steadily declining - if it was a successful venture, the company who purchased the station would not have felt the need to give it the ax…

We’re so lucky to have another “alternative”, WPCD 88.7.

And by Jeff, I meant Jason. Apologies.

Plastic Factory was the best show on that station. Ain’t gonna hear Captain Beefheart in the new format, thats for damn sure.

I have a handful of solutions:  Spotify, Pandora, or Google Music.  Be your own music director.  To me radio is dead and this is like arguing over the color of the drapes on the Titanic.  However, I realize there are still people that listen to radio, and I am sorry to hear that the format changes are displeasing to so many of you. I haven’t listened to WPGU with any regularity since it was “The Planet.” Thank you for an interesting article. 

B’s right, WPCD 88.7 is pretty much the bomb when it comes to new/cutting edge music 24-7 (I think) on the local airwaves. And I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure WPCD is also *commercial free*, which is truly the best of all possible radio worlds.

THANK YOU for this article.
When I noticed the obvious (yet unannounced) format change I felt betrayed. Thanks for the warning about all the crap I was about to hear… dicks! I’m open to change, and not a music snob by any means, but betrayal is hard to forgive.
This is the only explanation I’ve been able to find. And I SEARCHED. Thanks for all you put into the station Tom, you’re amazing and I never knew how much went into that difficult job of yours!

I’m with B and Jim:
I have been a bit disappointed with WPGU lately; however, that has given me to opportunity to take a closer listen to 88.7—Parkland’s radio station. I’ve discovered quite a bit of new music from that station and am often pleasantly surprised at what I hear there throughout the day.

Tom, you wasted that year of your life. No offense, but it’s true.
 
No one gives a crap about WPGU and probably not that many people care about WPCD. Also, if WPCD went commercial-free, that would be (1) a fairly recent development; (2) sort of a narrow distinction, as there were public-service ads running occasionally not too long ago. An ad’s an ad.
 
Also, you’re not going to change the “parasitic” attitude or the attempts to represent the suburbs or Chicago. Sad but true. And you’re not going to have people rallying behind your cause, either. See paragraph 2 for the reason.
 
So this attempt is largely epic fail. It’s good that you found a number of places to name-drop some bands and businesses, though. I’m sure that thinly transparent ploy will help you in your current endeavor, which I don’t believe you mention here.

I know you said you don’t want to sound like sour grapes, but obviously you are. The nature of Illini Media is that it is student run, meaning you get your year in charge, then you graduate and move on. If you don’t have anything else to be concerned with  nearly 6 months post graduation then the college radio station you worked at, that is kind of sad.

I started typing something, but it’s probably better that I don’t. I’ll just express the fact that we need an actual college radio station that cares about music as opposed to resumes.

Let’s be honest, the radio business sucks. It has for a while. It’s because it’s formatted in a way to target those people that listen for 20 minutes at a time when behind the wheel. Which is why you have to hear the pretentious ****ing kings of leon every 40 minutes when you turn on the radio. It’s about making numbers and selling advertising. I’m sure at some point it was about the music, just like MTV was once about the music, but in a time when marketing budgets have been slashed, you have to do everything you can to stay afloat.
I still try to stay supportive of WPGU, but the first time I hear Nickleback on there, I’m out.

Q-Tips:
1. PSAs are not commercials. Learn yo terms boiiiiiiii. 
2. Representing Chicago in the suburbs is the worst thing a radio station that tries to cater to CU can do, especially if WPGU tries so hard to cater to its target audience, who the station claims is a local as opposed to a student.
3. People are pissed about this. Ask anyone who cares about the music scene in CU, and they’ll have something to say about the program change.
4. I don’t think this was an attempt to rally anyone. It was an attempt to expose what happened to WPGU from an insider’s perspective, and in that sense, it was completely fucking effective. I’m sure you learned something, lulllllz.
Love,
Adam!
 

Internet killed the radio star.
 
No one wants to read about your far-away college glory days at WPUKE. What’s next? The chick you are now banging is not as hot as the one you did on the station consule?

Jason, I totally understand everywhere you’re coming from.  But the management you point to has trickled down, and the “consultant” that was hired, as I’m sure you know, has marginal radio experience post-WPGU and should not be in that spot.  Not only that, but most of the managers who worked with him found him to be a bit more ignorant and unpleasant in the way he went about his business.
 
And Q-tip, Wow, and Oh Dear, I don’t want to get into some pissing match about my current endeavors, but if you’d like to follow me on Twitter @ThomPauly, I’ll post a prett great view from my 22nd floor office in the Chicago Tribune.
Obviously, this has to do with a product and a place that I care about, if you want to point to it as “get a life bro” that’s fine, like I said, 6 months post grad I was lucky enough to find an extremely well paying job in downtown Chicago not many people can say that.

i would really like the current program director to respond to this.  he can’t just pretend that no one has noticed this change.  if e tiger wants to change wpgu’s format, then so be it.  but i think it was really rude of him to not acknowledge it at all.  people clearly care.
can we rally for this?

Bush 24/7.  I remember this music back when I first heard it in 1993.  Do I really want to hear it again? I was around for the hey-day of Q101 but that was then.
I remember reading about college radio back in the 90’s and it always had this great underground vibe, can’t believe this is what passes for college radio now.  But I think a few people are right on this, 88.7 has really picked up the slack.  And true, I think the way people consume music has changed as well, making radio not as viable a platform as it once was.
And honestly, who the fuck wants to hear Chevelle.

Well- Change happens.
IMC doesn’t really give students any power just the illusion that they have influence. The real decision makers are at the top. They smile and nod at all your ideas but at the end of the day do what they think was best.

Adam/sockpuppet, it’s good to see you added some extra snark to your comments. That shows me you were afraid they didn’t work on their face.
 
Let’s take your failed replies one by one. If I switch to a station, and it’s running a PSA that’s practically commercial length, then the station is not commercial-free. I also was clear on that being a narrow distinction. The fact you chose to ignore all of that and respond with a definition shows me you didn’t bother to try to comprehend what was said.
 
On your second point: I’m glad you chose to spell this out for us again. But whether it’s the worst thing you can do (I tend to think long periods of dead air would be the worst thing, but you probably exaggerate quite a bit) is not relevant to my point. Pretty much anything on campus tries to cater to suburbs/Chicago.
 
Your misstatement #3: No. Many people could not give two shits. See other posts in this thread. Those people simply bail and go to another source. Don’t confuse that with giving a shit and wanting WPGU to return to “glory.”
 
4. Again, not many people give a shit about the “insider’s perspective.” That’s been covered here, too, with other posts. It is sour grapes. As someone else said, this is the way student media is. Anyone who thinks his changes are going to last long past the day he leaves is a sad fool.
 
Tom, it’s really thrilling that you have the office you claim. But the Tribune isn’t what it used to be, so color me unimpressed. The point remains that you wasted a year of your life being immersed in crap that not many people care about. (Darts on a Wednesday on a regular basis? Seriously?) And they care even less about your sour grapes and bitterness now that you’re gone.
 
You’re gone. Shut up and move on. The station is what it is. Most of us could not possibly care less. Again, epic fail on your part here.

I guess I don’t need to point out that being emphatic about apathy is telling?
Obviously, I don’t give a shit if you’re impressed. I work for an iconic company and one that is hardly on its last legs.  My time at WPGU and Illini Media gave me the knowledge and connections to do so.
Again, you’re emphatic apathy says  something…

And yes, I misused You’re.

Tom, seriously. No one cares, guy. I respond in mocking fashion to you. Don’t confuse that with being emphatic. The few here who back you could storm the WPGU office this afternoon, and I would not care as long as you did not block my path through Campustown.
 
Adam/sockpuppet, hate to break this, bud, but the Ad Council considers PSAs to be ads.I don’t know if WPCD still runs these, nor do I care, but I know they did use them on occasion not that long ago.
 
Also, I should clarify that (sadly) you and I seem to be in agreement about the ploy of catering to the suburbs/Chicago. However, I shrug and live with it. You choose to do something else, however greatly useless it might be.
 
Finally, back to Tom—the company you claim is “iconic” has been iconic with its dipshittery in the last few years. Hang your hat on that, former WPGU program director.

One more thing, Thom—dedicating an hour to a block of programming can be very effective, despite your claim, based on your limited experience at a college station that you now disparage.
 
This way, people who want to hear that genre know they can tune in at that time. And it can be marketed for—brace yourself—advertising. Using your approach, listeners might or might not keep coming back through the day, but that doesn’t mean jackshit to advertisers.
 
Aren’t there a bunch of radio geniuses at your current employer? Oh, wait—they were forced to leave in disgrace. My bad. Carry on.
 
One more question: What exactly do you do on the 22nd floor? Talk to Luka’s foster brother? Again, don’t confuse this question for caring. I’m just curious as to what those mighty connections and that programming experience did for you.

Jason, to me, that’s not commercial-free. But I also said that might be a narrow distinction.
 
I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a paid ad on WPCD, but that doesn’t mean the station has never had them. This part, too, is largely irrelevant. Like it or not, ads pay the bills, and most stations run them. Don’t like it? Change the station, like the rest of us.

As someone that works at WPCD, I can say that we’ve been talking about this change since before it was even made public. Most people would think that we’re elated that WPGU has drastically changed their format. For the most part, it’s really sad.
Before I even knew WPCD existed, I listened to WPGU. I was lucky enough (if I remember correctly) to tune in when it was The Planet, and I’ve discovered a lot of great artists while listening. 
What makes this whole thing so disapointing, is the fact that something that was once part of the community, something that had a part in providing music for a scene that’s been growing with each year with things like Pygmalion, is now more or less gone.
And while I understand the difficulties associated with being a college station, once you give up the one thing that people most liked about you, the music, you’ve pretty much screwed yourself. Listeners are clearly upset, and it seems like nobody at WPGU is listening. You can’t just change the format of the station every time a new Music Director comes in. Doing that is downright alienating to long-time listeners.

“Tom, seriously. No one cares, guy.”
38 comments in 12 hours, and Q-Tips is trying to convince the author no one cares.  Yuh-huh.

Dear Q-Tips,
You can consider yourself a noncommercial radio station if you run PSAs. LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Also, lighten up. It’s a shitty situation to some people, clearly not to you. People are expressing why they think this sucks.
Also, I have a sock puppet. It’s a police man, and he tells the best jokes.
I love you,
Lulz
—Adam

Someone explain to Phife Dawg, about the specialty shows that I either created or was a part of that catered to specific audiences… I’m sick of handling this hack.

@Q-Tips: We do run PSAs, and we do promote shows, ticket giveaways, events, etc. No station is 100% “commercial” but we’re not selling air-time to corporations like <insert any commercial you’ve ever heard on any other station>.

@Tom: This entire situation is pretty upsetting, and I can imagine even more so to people who helped build PGU up to what it was before this mess. I’m glad you wrote this piece, because it puts into words what a lot of us were already thinking.

There you go again, Adam. Anyone who has to add a bunch of LOLs or snark after a point clearly knows the point isn’t worth much of a shit.
 
Again, I have said repeatedly that is a narrow distinction. What part of that do you not understand? Try to grasp things (other than yourself) a little better.
 
Thom, you aren’t too full of yourself, are you? I have no idea who the f you are, so I checked out your PGU profile. Wow.
 
johnny, it’s good that you have mastered counting. Maybe someday you’ll be ready for something more. Until then, let the adults talk and spare us the post counts, mk? Thanks a bunch, junior.
 
While we’re on the numbers game, let’s assume there are 50,000 potential listeners at any given time. Even assuming we have no sockpuppets here, we have maybe 30 people here who post that they give a shit and want PGU to “change back.” Dividing 30 into 50,000 or even 10,000 gives us a small percentage of people who want change.
 
Looks like you have an uphill battle here. Good luck with that. Even if you “win,” you’re dealing with a  college station that, by definition, changes approaches from time to time. What part of this do you not understand? Way to pick those fights!

I’m pretty full. I just got back from lunch at Morton’s.

What I don’t get Q-Tips, is if you don’t really care about the music, the station, and the people who are clearly upset about the ridiculous changes, why are you even commenting on this thread? 

Anyone who had money on Tom responding in the tack of: “I live in the city/make money, so I must be right AND better than you” should redeem their cards at the window.
 
Place your bets now for the next round.

Patrick: Interesting ploy. Of course, by responding, I am posting in the thread, so you can claim you are “right” about something. But what the hell.
 
I have noticed some changes with PGU’s programming. I actually welcomed them because (no offense, Thom) the previous approach applied to such a minuscule section of people that it was destined to fail. Thom might think he’s a visionary, but generally even non-profit companies want to see some revenue.
 
I could not give a shit about WPGU, WPCD, or a few of the other stations I never listen to. But I would rather have them as potential options than to not have them at all. Dimwits like Adam will have a difficult time grasping that point, but it is the actual point.
 
You guys are exceptionally entertaining with your indignation, though. It’s a college station, after all. By definition, it is ALWAYS going to suck. Always. At times, it sucks worse than others. But you will not change it, and your opinion is meaningless, no matter how many tabs you have at Morton’s. In fact, I’d venture that Thom’s departure represents addition by subtraction.

Q-tips!
I add LOLOLOLOLs because I’m an asshole! LOLOLOL And I love to grasp myself!
In the case of radio, commercial isn’t just your “commercial free hour on B96,” it has to do with the way business in the station works. If you aren’t advertising for businesses and making money off of those ads, then you’re not a commercial radio station. ROFLBBQIMSOFUNI
Also, I think you’re missing a general point, at least in the way I think and probably others. It’s not a “we want WPGU back to the glory days!” For me, I just want a radio station with some good t000ns.
I also think you’re a great person, and I would love to give you a smooch because it will distract you from my faulty logic and acronyms OMGLOL
 

<span>
<div>
“I could not give a shit about WPGU, WPCD, or a few of the other stations I never listen to. But I would rather have them as potential options than to not have them at all. Dimwits like Adam will have a difficult time grasping that point, but it is the actual point.”
Wait, I don’t get your point.
Also, to say that the music WPGU was playing hits a miniscule part of the population is probably one of the dumbest fucking things you could’ve said. Do you know how relevent the indie scene is, especially now that countless records from indie labels have done super well on the Billboard Charts? You’re an idiot. But then again, I’m a dimwit, so I’m sorry! Please ignore my comment :((((((
I love you. Don’t be mad!
</div>
</span>

Q-Tips: I’m not going to “claim I am right” about anything. I’m not trying to be right or wrong, I’m trying to understand your investment in the discussion, or by now, argument. 
 
Not saying that you appreciate music any less than any other person out there, but noticing “some changes” with PGU’s programming is like saying gas prices have went up “a little” in the last few years. People that actually put hard work into PGU, and people that were avid listeners know that this is a big deal. 
 
That “miniscule section” of people you refer to makes up a good majority of Pygmalion attendees, as well as local venue attendees. So if you call that minuscule, you’re clearly not anywhere close to in-touch with the CU music scene. And it sounds as if you don’t care anyway.
 
For someone that doesn’t care though, you have a lot of insults to hurl at Tom. And a lot to hurl at college stations. They suck and you wouldlike to have them as potential options? That’s your justification for leaving comments?
 
Here’s something for you, being the commenting guru that you are, to mull over: WPGU is now based largely off of the style of Q101. Listened to Q101 lately? No, of course not, silly question. 
 
Q101 is now an FM all-news station. Don’t comment on something you don’t care about and think those comments will hold much validity. 

Ever since Steve Plock left WPGU, I’ve barely wanted to make out with any member of their staff.  Good riddance!

Wait! WPGU? I thought we were talking about WPUG, the alternative to puppy radio!
I get Q-Tip’s points! I get them! I get them!

Wow, the indignant people here are really off and running.
 
First, Patrick, nice straw men about Q101. I was aware of the format change, but I’m glad you chose to decide I wasn’t aware of it and then proceeded to make a judgment on said straw man. In other words, you decided to do what you accused me of. As our resident prick Adam might say: LOL!
 
Speaking of prickboy Adam, sorry, son, but basing your programming solely on local, indie rock probably wouldn’t even work well in a really large metro area, outside of a handful of places. It’s an approach destined to fail, and now it is being dismantled. Deal with it.
 
Don’t bother with citing some random college town and then insisting that because it works there, then it should work everywhere. That’s just stupid, but we’re putting our odds at the betting window on you doing just that.
 
Andrew, your post is silliest of all, sorry to say. Maybe someone did listen as a freshman. And maybe I hold the winning lottery ticket, and then I could buy WPGU and make it an all-Bangles station. Did you ever think of that?
 
Finally, back to prickboy: I’m glad you feel the need to keep defining for all of us what commercial-free means. If you want to hate any station that accepts commercials, then go ahead. But you’ll be hating an awful lot, and I’d venture to say that no stations are really going to give much of a shit about your opinion. In fact, I’d venture to say that WPGU doesn’t really give much of a shit what any of the indignant crowd here has to say. As I said before, PGU always has sucked and always will suck. And it always does what the current programmers want, regardless of the shrieks from the peanut gallery.
 
I will try to help out you on my “options” point, though: Because PGU always has sucked and always will suck, despite the contributions of media giants like Thommy Boy, I don’t turn to it that often. But sometimes I do want the option of saying as I’m driving or even on the computer: “Hey, I wonder if PGU is playing anything worth hearing right now.” That’s pretty much it, and I think a number of radio listeners are similar.
 
It’s called identifying listener habits and then doing a little bit to deliver to them. Your approach, sadly for you, is to whine about changes and then hope that will work. Like I said before, uphill battle. Good luck with that, especially as you and your group seem incapable of organizing a sock drawer.

Q-Tips is going to troll. That’s what he is.
If you don’t care about the situation, there would seem to be no reason for you to continuously post or bad talk a guy who worked hard to create a station that the community enjoyed listening to. 
I just graduated from U of I and I know for a fact my friends and I would always listen to PGU in the car, while studying, and during any down points in our days in the apartments. 
Claiming no one cares is obviously a ridiculous comment as seen by the number of people commenting back at you. If you hate WPGU and other college radio stations, great. But were you personally attacked by some college station in your youth that has caused a personal agenda against not only a radio station, but a guy that devoted a lot of time to make something he loved and was proud of?
And mocking Tom for wasting a year of his life at the station and mocking his current position at the Tribune? Who are you? What makes anything you say worth anything to anyone? For all we know, you are some bum in a basement that has his fun degrading others to forget how pathetic his own life has become

Tim, no one gives a shit what you and your friends used to do. No one gives a shit what me and my friends used to do, either. Get over yourself already.
 
Wow, there are some self-important weenies on here today. And of course, anyone who dares to point this out MUST be a troll.
 
Hate to break this, “Tim,” but again, no one gives a shit about much of this. You and your friends will have to play with each other inside the car to different tunes. It’s called life—adjust.
 
I assume “down points” pretty much describe the lives of you and anyone else who are this charged up about a college radio station. As you’ve already said, Parkland caters to your needs. So what’s the problem?

As someone who moved to CU a little over a year ago, I remember being impressed with WPGU when I moved here. Not only did the station play the music locals wanted to hear, it also focused on local bands and promoting the music scene in our town. As a college student who goes to local shows nearly every weekend and proudly wore a Pygmalion wristband for 5 straight days, I think that the negative posts in response to this article are completely ignorant to the fact that the dollars college students spend in this town DO have a palpable and beneficial impact on our community. With all of our great local bands (Hathaways, Withershins, Take Care, Elsinore, Santah, the Dirty Feathers, I can go on), a major music festival and an indepent lable, there is a demand for how WPGU used to be and the integrity it represented. It isn’t pathetic that Tom wrote this article or still cares about a job he held 6 months ago. If anything, it undercuts the above arguments that college students don’t care or matter. This is a college town. Deal with it. Students do matter, at least in CU. And hey, even is Q-tip’s  assertion that “Thom” is an bitter writer with a meaningless job is true, I wonder how he can say the WPGU format change doesn’t matter to him when he written several long-winded posts about the issue. If you don’t care, stop writing. Get back to the job you have that is so much more meaningful than writing for a major newspaper in one of our nation’s largest cities.

Every single person who has spent a decent amount of time and energy at WPGU has a moment post-PGU where they listen to 107.1 and think “What the hell have those kids done to my baby?!?!?!”
Every single one. It’s the Circle of Life.

@Kelly: Exactly. CU has Polyvinyl, Parasol, a ton of great, local bands, Elnora, Pygmalion, etc, etc. You lose a significant piece of that community, like PGU, that music community (that apparently doesn’t exist in some peoples’ eyes) is then dealt a major blow.

Avoid the question much? What is your major beef with WPGU and college stations in general, and why should we care about your opinion, one that no one seems to be agreeing with?

It’s all about rating and revenue for WPGU, like any other commercial radio station in the country. To get the most ratings, you need a product a decent-sized population will listen to. The college-radio-too-cool-for-the-room approach was too niche, and therefore, not a ratings winner (and definitely not a revenue winner either). Their desire to become more mainstream is a great idea, especially since their main rock competition is gone. In radio, you seek to fill the gaps… right now, there is a HUGE gap in the 18-34 demo, and they have decided they actually want to get serious in that space. It’s about time they realized that college kids can in fact create a quality product that the townies will like (which is much more important than appealing to the students).... we did it back in the 90s, there’s no reason they can’t do it now. More power to them, and I’m glad they finally got themselves back on track. Now let’s see how they execute…. 
JJ Prieve
Music Director, WPGU 107.1 The Planet 1999-2000

“No one gives a shit what me and my friends used to do, either.”
Even a broken clock…
This could be a productive discussion if people ignored the self-contradicting troll and actually talked about what to do.  There’s WRFU, WPCD, WEFT, etc.  They weren’t playing Fuel and Rob Zombie, last I checked.

<span>
<div>
“Speaking of prickboy Adam, sorry, son, but basing your programming solely on local, indie rock probably wouldn’t even work well in a really large metro area, outside of a handful of places. It’s an approach destined to fail, and now it is being dismantled. Deal with it.”
LOL again. I am going to bring in a random college town called Philadelphia! I was the asst. Music Director at WKDU in Philadelphia (Drexel’s radio station), and it competed with every station in the area. It was free-format, non-commercial. We played everything from folk, to shoegaze, and we had a huge reggae scene. I had a show from 11 pm to 1 am on Monday nights and got at least 10 calls a show. It gets tons of donations, and sponsors a buttload of shows. It’s successful; it was CMJ’s best station of the year, and champion of the local scene. 
I’m not saying the same thing would be completely successful here. I am telling you that you’re wrong and clearly have a very narrow definition of what “the masses” tend to listen to. Even Top 40 tweens are branching out to maintain individualized music tastes; that’s what things Pandora, Spotify, and torrenting have done for the world of music, and you still seem to be in the “All my neighbors listen to only Lady Gaga and Katy Perry! They’d never listen to anything on an indie label, or even worse, something self-released!”
That said, I will use you in my ears because they’re full of wax!
</div>
</span>

*has written

“This could be a productive discussion if people ignored the self-contradicting troll and actually talked about what to do.  There’s WRFU, WPCD, WEFT, etc.  They weren’t playing Fuel and Rob Zombie, last I checked.”
Time for some shameless self-promotion?
We’re starting a free-format, non commercial, internet radio station on campus. We’re an RSO, and we just had our first meeting, but this is going to happen. Like the page if you’re interested, and if you want to contribute in any way, or donate equipment, a space or money, e-mail pizzafm@gmail.com.
https://www.facebook.com/pizzafm

Q-Tip is just pumped he gets to hear Blink 182 - Adam’s Song 4x a morning followed up with Linkin Park, let him be.

Tim, Alex Quigley already answered the question.
 
The difference, though, is previous people weren’t silly enough to write about how pissed off they are and then to add justifications like: “I work at the Tribune!’
 
Hate to break this, but others have gone the same route. They just didn’t feel the need to trumpet their self-importance.
 
Adam, last I checked Philly was much larger than C-U, even if you add in Savoy, Sadorus, and any other nearby towns. So not much about that example is going to matter. Sorry, but thanks for playing. Again, those who wagered on “cite random example as irrefutable fact” should collect at the betting window.
 
10 calls a show? At midnight? Wow, you certainly saved radio! Lol! What a fool you are for posting that and thinking it proved something.
 

I guess the question I have is not what station I can turn to instead, but, rather, if there is a way for WPGU to turn back to the station it was. PGU is right on Green St. and is involved in many of the events on campus; concerts, sporting events, university news. Taking pride in a student run radio station in the heart of campus town was part of the joy in listening to WPGU.

First, thanks to JJ for explaining that part of the issue. People here will still choose not to get it or accept it, but it is the reality.
 
Tim, how often does this have to be said? You are not going to change it back. I’ll share a story with you—before WPCD became the paragon of excellence you claim it is, it had a different format. When it switched, people there worked to change it back. They failed, as will you. You are not going to change it back. Accept it and move on.
 
DK, nice try, but wrong. I do remember when Linkin Park was held up as a big deal, though. Sort of like people here trying to claim PGU’s “focus on a tiny niche” approach was a big deal. Maybe with about 40 people.

Guys, I have a theory that Q-tips is really a puppy! Thoughts?

First off, Q-Tips, I have not once mentioned WPCD in any of my comments. I guess you are too busy fighting so many people on here you can’t keep the names straight.
 
The question I asked was not toward you anyway. I’ve read enough “give up” “it’s over” pessimistic comments from you anyway. I guess it must really be tough for you that people just don’t want to give up, but my question was towards other people on here that have constructive comments about WPGU.

I am actually a huge fan of Alex Quigley’s. And he’s probably right.
 
BUT, what people like JJ are missing out on is the point I tried to make that explains that what 18-34’s want now, is not what they were lukewarm about in the early 2000’s.  This is what was upsetting.  “Indie” is now mainstream, and the bands that I described are major headliners at major music festivals.  How they are trumped by Chevelle, and the like is mindblowing.  The crusty “alt and active” radio-ers need to catch up with the times and realize that the active rock and hard rock approach is now more niche than “indie” bands.  Arcade Fire won a Grammy for gosh sakes.  Sure it means nothing, but the fact that they’re recognized in that capacity is striking.
 
This isn’t a glory days post, or what are these kids doing today.  I get it, fine.  It’s more along the lines of hey, look, the 18-34 demo is appreciating much more than some faux-Vedder growl that perpetuated popular radio throughout the mid-90’s-early00’s.  It’s changing and it’s malleable, like the way people find the music that they listen to.  And in a market like Champaign, it’s an entirely different ballgame than that of a major market.

Seriously Q-Tips, who the hell are you? Who references Sadorus and Savoy when talking about the community? And have you any idea the listening radius for PGU? 
 
Better question, as someone who is constantly trying to refute everything anybody says on here, what do you even know about college radio, commercial radio, or the local listeners? 
 
Other than a very tactful vocabulary, what do you have that makes you worth listening to? An unsubstantiated hatred for all radio stations/Tom Pauly/people who don’t agree with you? 

Q-Tips, it’s not your fault

Way to miss the point, Tim. The point was even at WPCD, there was resistance to changing the format.
 
If you don’t want to give up, then keep entertaining me. But you’re going to lose, out of sheer apathy more than anything else.
 
As shown here, you and your group are incapable of understanding anything other than what you want to hear. The previous niche being pursued was too small to be a sustainable approach. Anyone with objectivity is going to tell you that. It’s already been explained to you here by someone who used to be at PGU, but of course, your group just wants to put its hands over its ears and chant. Very ignorant, but also very amusing and very telling about the maturity level of the self-importants here.

I suppose there is a maturity level to mocking someone and telling them they wasted a year of their life.
 
It’s not your fault man

Thoms, Arcade Fire winning a Grammy is irrelevant to a discussion about C-U college radio for gosh sakes. Try to keep up, OK?
 
The point again, for Patrick and others, is the previous approach was a loser technique destined to fail. Now it’s being dismantled. Live with it. Stop trying to shout about how much smarter you were for having that approach. You weren’t.

Q-Tips there was not nearly the resistance at PCD that is being seen here with PGU. 88.7 played classic rock and R&B, a format that a) doesn’t fit college format at all and b) wasn’t missed all that much seeing as there were (at the time) a pretty good number of other stations to choose from that played the same music.
 
Again, I ask who you are to think these are valid points you’re making. PGU was one of two stations in the community that played an indie-alternative genre of music. So dumping it for active rock is a pretty big deal.
 
Dropping classic rock and R&B from WPCD was a GOOD DECISION, and wasn’t met with this giant resistance you hint at. PGU dropping the indie college format was NOT A GOOD DECSION. The massive resistance proves it, among many other valid points in this thread.
 
 

Q-tips, I agree. Do you know anything about radio, music, or…anything? I bet you’re a higher-up at WPGU who just likes tearing people down who don’t agree with you.

The secret to making WPGU work is to appeal to the 150,000+ people that live in Champaign County - the people who Arbitron will randomly choose from to get ratings diaries, not transient UIUC students - and to sell itself as “the link” to those 30,000 UIUC students for local Champaign County businesses.
Straddling the line between mass appeal and credibility is the most difficult thing to do in music radio, and there are hundreds of approaches to that task.

Agree 100% with Tom’s #79 post. Indie has been mainstream for years now, and it’s hilarious to think that anyone I know in this town would care about some Puddle of Mudd “active rock” crap that was lame the first time around in the 90’s. I’m sure it would work for suburban Chicago, but not here. Champaign is both a college town market and a sort of “micro-urban” area with the interest in culture/arts that implies. Speaking as a so-called townie, WPGU is more or less committing suicide with this overhaul.

@Johnny
I’m super stoked for that show tonight.

If the 18-34 demo is all about the indie music, why isn’t WPGU a ratings winner? dramatic changes don’t come to stations that are winning….

That’s the huge question facing radio programmers aiming for under-30 formats these days, Johnny.

Patrick, you are back to refuting claims that were never made. No one ever said the resistance at PCD was the same—just that there was resistance. Try to read things and think about them first. Then you can jump to conclusions.
 
Also, I don’t see “massive resistance” here. I see a handful of ignorant younger people who can’t make points, so they try to discredit and make wild statements that have no basis in fact.
 
It’s already been explained to you why PGU’s previous approach was a failing one. If you still don’t get it, then it’s your problem. But if the basis of your argument is to say; “Well, he’s old” or some other stupid crap, then you suck. I would believe someone who has experienced a couple of format changes before I would listen to self-important assholes like you or Thommy Boy here. Even if I didn’t know Thommy to be a total prick from statements he’s made here, his hypocritical approach to music programming would prove he’s a know-nothing douche. Music is somehow more inclusive if there are fewer choices of songs? Riiiiiiiiiight, that makes a ton of sense. I’m amazed PGU even survived that waste’s reign.

What happened to my baby?  Remember when I lived there for 2 months. i lived out of a coleman cooler.  that sucked.    im going to go put on the long version of champagne supernova so i can take a dump.

You stole refute/refuting from me….
 
But in all seriousness, for the third time, who are you? Half of the “ignorant younger people” commenting on here have worked in/for/around radio stations or the music industry. And since I can “jump to the conclusion” that you are in fact older than everyone, something you brought up and pointed out, you’re now going to hide behind the blanket statement that you’ve seen this happen before, therefor this time will be no different?
 
I’d believe people who work in the radio industry, or aspire to work in the industry and actually stay in tune with what the hell is going on, even going so far as to get directly involved, before arrogant, opinionated assholes like yourself. 
 
Tom has had experience in music programming. I’ve had experience in music programming. You’ve experienced format changes as a listener who “couldn’t give a shit” about radio. 
 
For a third time, what do you have backing you? Age? Experience? Knowledge? The only thing I seem to be picking up on now is an extreme hatred for Tom Pauly. For someone who doesn’t give as shit, you sure sound like you have a bone to pick with someone.

If Adam or Patrick ever made a good point (and that’s a huge if), you could say: “Circle jerk wins the square.”
 
I’d include Thommy Boy there, but his unique combination of suburban-bred arrogance, long-windedness, and rectal sweat will always win him some followers. The weak-mined are easy to sway.

I saw Long-Winded Rectal Sweat open up for Poster Children at the Canopy back in 1998

There you go again. I give a large shit about radio—just not shitty college radio that will always suck.
 
Working in college radio does not have the clout you think it does. Try to give in and realize that.
 
I don’t dislike Thommy, although he’s working on accomplishing that. I do dislike arrogant music pricks like him and you, though, who concoct these losing formats and then try to argue about how great they are.
 
Also, I blocked John Steinbacher from 100—yes.

Patrick did make a good point just now: Who the fuck are you?

@ Q-tips Do yourself a favor and google: “Arbitron ratings Champaign, IL”
To call people on here “self-important asshole(s)” along with all the other petty insults while in the same breath arguing that what was the old format for a radio station wasn’t successful is pretty tough.  Check out the numbers. Where did you get your information to back up your point? I would love to know, plus your experience in anything related to this discussion.  No experience is neccessary but to crticize someone’s point of view, insult them, and argue some of these points without any experience, I don’t know, just seems to be a little outside the lines.  An honest I don’t agree, fact-backed, adult, non-abrasive discussion would be great and I bet even appreciated. 
—-
It is unsettling to see a lack of response from anyone at PGU though, not surprising but unsettling.  I’ve seen multiple people complain and not a single reasoning has even been given.  That’s what happens at a company that has that kind of turnover, unfortunately.

Well now we’re just name-calling. 
 
I’m sorry I didn’t take an anonymous gentleman(?) named after an orifice-cleaning instrument seriously. Clearly, your points, whatever they were, or contributed to this discussion, are valid. Thank you for enlightening me. If only you worked for WPGU, things would surely be hunky dory…. 
 
 

Alex Quigley wins.

Well, the fact that I was born in a city might take away from the suburban-bred ignorance. And I think most of the folks that know me in CU would tell you that I consider CU my home.  It’s where I grew up.

Hey guys!

I work at Illini Media! As an IM employe, I’m PSYCHED to see people so passionate about my place of work! However, I think I can provide some necessary context. Keep in mind that IM is run by students, so we have a VERY FAST turn over rate—people usually only have their jobs for 9 months at a time, tops.
In short: this is how PGU is RIGHT NOW; what Pauly described is PGU a year ago. What will it be like when the current Program Director graduates? Who knows?!
Also keep in mind, since PGU (and all of IM) is student run, the people who in charge are still learning how to do their jobs. I understand your indignation at the puzzling change from contemporary indie to 90s jock-rock—but that change can be reversed come March 2012! The current programing director who made the decision to do that has been working in radio for ABSOLUTELY NO MORE THAN THREE YEARS! So is he going to make mistakes? Oh definitely! Just like everyone at Illini Media has! Myself especially!
So, if you don’t like PGU right now, check back in a few months. I GAURENTEE it will change! Also, remember, the people you’re criticizing are real people just learning how to work in a constantly changing and complicated industry—cut them slack, because I bet you’d want slack if you were in their position.
And finally, woooooo boy Q-Tips! Objectively speaking, you sound like a total insufferable meanie! Why are you so invested in this? Why are you posting anonmously? Why don’t you take ownership of your ideas? I’m glad to see your interest in rhetoric (i.e. your strawman identification), so consider this rhetoric tip! When you call names during arguments, it’s called ad homin: it gaurentees that everyone will think you’re hotheaded, inarticulate, and wrong. Next time, try to avoid all the “prickboy” stuff (not to mention prickboy is a ridiclious swear no one has ever said ever before and it made you sound like a…prickboy?).
P.S. Ask me questions and replys if you like, but I won’t be checking this until tomorrow!

i lost my pants at the urge show in 1998.  true story.   

im weird.

MISH MASH BOOSH MASHED POTATOES!

I lived in Champaign-Urbana for 6 years. I always listened to WPGU. I discovered so many fantastic artists that I would have never otherwise knew about.
Eventually I left the CU to go to grad school in Kentucky. Down here, all we have is country and Jesus stations. One day it hit me that I could still listen to WPGU online. So I did. Every single day. It was such a wonderful reminder of the city I missed.
Suddenly a change started occurring. I thought it maybe it was just a DJ playing bad music as a guilty pleasure. I assumed it would pass. It didn’t. Crap become more and more frequent.
 I tried, WPGU. I really did. I was such a fan, that moving to another state wouldn’t keep me from listening. In the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. Guess I’d better learn to like those Bible Belt tunes.

wow this has a lot of comments
I was just gonna say thanks to tom pauly for letting me live out that one scene in That Thing You Do where they hear themselves on the radio for the first time.  You’re the man.

Tom,
-I hope you feel like a weight has lifted off of your chest by writing this article.  The rest of the radio community is laughing at you for so insensitively ‘outting’ your former employer.  Radio, and media, for that matter, is a very small business; those who are fortunate enough to get their foot in the door, are very connected to others throughout the country.  Good luck trying to make a career in this business.  Because no employer, in their right minds (media or not) wants to higher someone who is so quick to ‘out’ them and their policies. 
 In any case, you should be ashamed of yourself for attacking your former coworkers, and people you claim to be friends.  Isn’t it possible, they are doing the best they can with what they have?  Isn’t that what we are all trying to do?
Best of luck in your radio career.  You certainly have lost any cheerleaders from the town that listened to you grow.

Tom, I hope you go far in whatever you venture into. You walking away from what you foresaw as a bad situation for you personally and making it into something most only strive for, is inspiring. Maybe you didnt have to write this article, maybe it didnt have to get published. But I also know the guy that runs “the smile politely show” didnt get to where he is by listening to the naysayers. Everyone naysaying you and calling you names in this thread are simply haters, jealous, and will only be happy when they see others unhappy as they. And most others seem to want to flash knowledge about a bunch of shit that really doesnt matter.
I don’t think you need it, but Im a gambler so Ill say it… Good luck buddy. Call me, and get me a coffee mug from where you work.

You are in college.  Stop being a prick and enjoy your life.  The amout of ass you get for being on The Planet makes up for your lack in pay.  If I met you in person I would punch you in the face.  If you smell what the Lanuti is cookin’!
Oh, and fuck you.  Seriously.

I can’t believe that the SP comment threads don’t separate into pages, someone should really work on that.
(Felt like this was much more interesting, and meaningful than the actual content of this butt-hurt article.)

So glad to see this article. I used to listen all the time, but the decline has been too painful. Parkland’s station is much better now.

I was On Air at PGU under Hanson, Becky, Lamberson and some other fantastic managers. I never thought that PGU would turn it’s back on the local music that set it apart from the Chicago and big city radio stations that tend to steer away from local acts.
It would break my heart to turn on 107.1 and hear Paramore being played in a non-joking way. I hope your article smacks some sense into whoever is running the show these days.
 

Hey lady. who’s going to HIRE you when you spell it “higher”  ?   public education at it’s finest.  everyone in this thread is retarded.   thats it.  take the 100 odd comments and just condense them down to one comment.  everyone is retarded.  that is all.  hallelujah holy shit where’s the tylenol.

<span>http://www.notquitewrong.com/rosscottinc/2011/08/03/so-youre-mad-about-something-on-the-internet </span>

“And in a shocking twist, it was revealed that Q-Tip’s real identity was none other than Pauly’s longtime on-air partner, Pat Singer.”

Yea, the new PD, kicked out beats and rhymes. The show has been on the air for a decade, and just because it doesn’t fit in his vision for the station, he just trashes it. For no reason, but we really had no say in the situation.

I’m not sure if anyone other than Control brought up Beats and Rhymes. I was really said to see one of the last hip-hop institutions in the CU gone due to the new PDs plans for the station.

Great weekend, especially knowing the self-important a-holes here would still be stewing.
 
I did try Googling the suggested phrase, but obviously the person who suggested it hadn’t done it himself. Several choices came up, and after some searching, I did find some numbers. They looked low.
 
Even if they had not been low, Arbitron ratings are not the sole determinant of whether a format is working. If they were, the stations at the top end would avoid changing. That is simply not possible in radio; there always has to be adjustment.
 
As others have pointed out, revenue is another factor. I don’t think people here understand that because they want the station to be commercial-free.
 
I like the new format because on the rare times I go to PGU, there might be something I’ll stick with. On the infrequent instance I stuck with the old format, the DJs almost never gave information about the music, so even if I heard something I liked, I had to guess who the group was.
 
Finally, it’s still amusing that so many people here don’t seem to have the first damn clue how student-run media groups work.

[c], you should really be mad at WPCD then. After all, that station used to be close to half R&B/hip-hop, and then it changed to the current format.
 
But 105.5 still has the rhythmic format, or at least it did this summer. So I’m not sure how the last of the format has disappeared. Sounds like more of what we’ve seen here—people shifting to melodrama because they don’t have a solid point.

Sad to see* [fuck why do i keep misspelling that word”]

Let me qualify my statement for Q-Tips.

I was said to see one of the last institution for UNDERGROUND, INDEPENDENT AND OLD SCHOOL HIP-HOP in the CU and Illinois [the only other program I know still holding this segment of music down is The Hip-Hop Project on WLUW in Chicago and one of the hosts there is an Alum of Beats and Rhymes].

Several stations claim the play “hip-hop” but really they are playing pop with a hip-hop flavor. Beats and Rhymes kept it real for people in the culture. And that is precisely what hip-hop is first and foremost; A CULTURE.

So for the PD to make the decision to cancel a show that has been running for over a decade that provides the only outlet for underground/independent/old school hip hop because they dont like it or doesn’t feel it fits within the program is to implicitly say, “You’re culture and what you like is not as important as ratings/money/‘our’ music.”

This I feel is complete bullshit.

Beats and Rhymes was something bigger than itself. It was a legacy left by a few ambitious kids that wanted nothing more than to have the voices of their community to heard by masses and have it be known that this genre and this culture is important.

Feel free to call me melodramatic.

Hey Tom,
I worked at Q101. Everything you said about it was wrong with the exception of that it doesn’t exist anymore. We were sold to a dude that does newstalk. It wouldn’t have mattered if we would have had a 20 share. We made money, we made a profit. In this economy. The reason we flipped was because of parent company was in need of money, and the new owner did newstalk. NOTHING TO DO WITH US. Doesn’t that suck? Yes, but it’s the way it goes. You know what sucks more? Hearing some fresh out of college dude who thinks he knows what he’s talking about compare a successful rock station to a one share college hippie playground. But reading these comments has made it okay. Lanuti and JB make me laugh. Thanks guys.

Q-Tips—
I’m just gonna say it.  His name is TOM.  His name is Tom and you know it.

Thanks for writing this, Tom. At first, I thought it was just my imagination that the format had changed. I’m truly disappointed, because I was a die-hard listener. I appreciate the work you and the staff did during your tenure. I discovered a lot of new bands—and more than a few older ones—through WPGU.

Thanks, Clar.
 
Back to the adult discussion: Dana Lucas just nailed it. Until Thom’s whine, I’d never heard anyone from WPGU trying to talk like an expert about the entire radio market. It’s pretty amusing.
 
That’s not to say the PGU people—who are generally douchebags, and the douchebaggiest generally rise to the top—don’t mouth off about their station a lot while they’re there. We had the misfortune of having one of these d-bags in our office a few years ago. Worse, he “knew someone” at the place, so even though he’d either flunked out or been tossed out for lack of progress toward a degree (he was always vague on the cause), he was given a measure of responsibility.
 
His idea of using it was to screw up a lot of things and then blame everyone else. For example, once he put an outgoing item literally right in front of a door, so it had to be moved to the side. Then, when it wasn’t picked up, he blamed the person who moved it.
 
But back to PGU—we “had” to listen to it when he was there. Back then, the station had about 10-12 songs in its playlist and would “rotate” them from hour to hour. It sucked donkey sweat. A couple of the groups on that narrow playlist might be OK, but we learned to hate them with fury during that time. (I was going to name the groups, but GB probably reads this and might figure out the specifics.)
 
When Genius Boy would leave for class (he appealed to get back in), the station would get changed. Then GB would return, and back it would go. At one point, I think GB pushed for a block on EVER changing the station, with the claim that it was “his” radio, but that must have failed.
 
The one-share station—I like that.
 
[c], you should move on. Even Centric cut back on the Retro Centric show. The interest in what you want just doesn’t seem to be there—sad but true.

I’m Q-Tips and I’m a puppy! Ruff Ruff!

Look, it’s a clone! No one is going to see through that.
 
I wonder who it could be?
 
The flashback show starts in 20 min. I remember a few years ago when that was a fun listen. Now it just sucks 99 percent of the time.

Patrick, you keep working in those insults, but you don’t say much that makes sense. So the format change in 2004 wasn’t drastic? Going from The Planet to mostly independent stuff? There’s a saying—if you don’t know what you’re talking about, then say nothing. Clearly you don’t know what you’re talking about, nor do many of the people here. They know about one format change—this one—and they think they are qualified to address it.
 
There have been other format changes. Look them up.
 
Nick Martin needs to learn how to spell, type, and to lay off the Caps Lock.
 
Back to you, Patrick—the Arbitron share looks to be 1.5 at its absolute peak. Just who were these listeners that made the format “fit”? Martians getting the signal beamed to their planet?
 
Finally, my reason to “throw insults” is fools like you. More and more, I think this format change has to be a good thing if it upsets your crowd. Face it—you had your chance and failed.

Patrick, you sort of answered your own question. You are at a local college radio station. You don’t have that much clout. Hate to break it, but it’s true.
No. One. Cares. I’ve heard PCD—it’s basically a handful of people who might be halfway decent in small doses, a lot of insignificants, a few people who have no business being on the radio, and some loudmouths who are just too painful to listen to.
 
I like how someone raised the Arbitron point, apparently without bothering to research it, and now you and the other bitter pills here are trying to run away from it. Sweet.
Again, you are at the Parkland station. No one realy cares what you have to say. You know less than nothing. See, two can play the discrediting game. But I have numbers and facts. You have your opinions.

TRAVIS WAYNE HURT FOR PRESIDENT!

Your experience is at a junior college radio station. You’re as irrelevant as they come. No one really cares about your opinion, although I think a future employer should be concerned about someone defending a 1.5 share (at best) this strongly. It’d make me think the person doesn’t understand what the listeners want.

As far as my experience goes, I’m Senor Love Daddy from Do The Right Thing. It’s gonna be another hot day outside!
I was also a janitor at a college radio station. I hate people who like independent music because they keep people from buying real music from major record store chains. Ruff ruff!

Patrick,
You work at the Syndicate? They do some crazy good distribution work. Good job.

Patrick, again, sport—no one cares. Clive Davis himself could be in here arguing about how the last format worked, and he would still be wrong.
 
You have been destroyed so much in here that we should count the ways:
 
(1) Previous people from WPGU have come in to say the format didn’t work and why it didn’t work.
(2) At least one person has discredited Thom’s entire body of work about Q101.
(3) You work at a junior college radio station that doesn’t have to sell any ads.
(4) Even though you work at a student-run media outlet, you don’t seem to understand that student-run media is always changing.
Actually, I’m wondering why Illini Media let this clearly failing idea run as long as it did. The roots likely go back to the format change of 2004, which doesn’t seem to have been thought out very well. The Planet had probably run its course, but even keeping that going would have made way more sense than what we’ve experienced the last few years.
 
So, Patty—quick response to your future points:
 
“I work at WPCD.” No one cares.
“I’m affiliated with The Syndicate.” No one cares.
“BUT, but but =-=- I have EXPERIENCE! At PARKLAND!” No one cares.
That should about cover it.
 
 

I’d be pissed if I was at a college radio station and was trying to claim I was relevant.
Speaking of which, I talked with someone this weekend who hooks different businesses up with things like advertising packages. When I mentioned this discussion, he laughed. As far as he and his group are concerned, PGU is non-existent and has been for some time. He said the Arbitron ratings could triple, and the lack of a coherent identity would still mean the station would not even be on the list to be considered.

Here’s the issue:
Some people in this argument are looking at radio as a business, some are looking at radio as way to experience and discover new music. That’s why nobody can really come to an agreement on either end.
You can’t be successful in both. The majority of people who listen to the radio and advertise for it like to work with stations that play familiar music - music from the 90s, oldies, whatever. That’s up to the format. WPGU is trying to appeal to its target audience by playing familiar alt. rock songs, and if it’s working, great.
From the argument of college radio, if it’s backed by the school like a bunch of college stations are, free format, or an indie format can be successful, and commercial-free can also work as well. But because WPGU is a business, it can’t run that way; it has to run like its contemporaries in the radio business. 
LOL

The joy of working at WPGU is that it simulates a commerical radio experience withoutthe needing to adhere to all the properties of a commercial radio station. It offers college students the chance to get a feel for what it is like ot work for a major radio station, yet still relish in the freedom and creativity that college radio allows. 
As Tom Pauly said, you don’t work for WPGU because you want to make money, you work there because you love music and you want to share that passion behind the microphone. The changes made at WPGU have moved it too far into the realm of true commercial radio and have taken away from the personality the radio station had. It should be a station about the music, nothing else. It is unlikely it will ever become immensly profitable our garner a massive audience outside of Champaign-Urbana (or even within). With that said, WPGU should not care so much about what people want to listen to, but rather be the impetus for why people care. The beauty the station had was that it was familiar, yet the listener’s musical horizon was expanded by local, new and unfamilar music. 
WPGU has the ability to form its own identiy. It should ingrain itself in the local music scene and not be afraid to play music that other stations don’t play. There is a fear that it must conform to what the “bigger” stations do or else the listeners won’t be there. That is just foolish. 

Dana Lucas is a joke. She’s been a joke for as long as I’ve known her and unless she does something about both her mind and her personality she always will be. Poor miserable Ms. Lucas, very petty of you to call yourself a professional and leave a comment like that on a thread.

Dana,
 
We met before.  I like you.  I respect your work, you actually gave me great feedback when you visited us in the spring. And maybe I might be wrong about whether or not Q101 made money, but I was not wrong when I suggested that Q101’s ratings were poor. You call out me as some fresh out of college know-it-all (maybe guilty) that can’t differentiate a successful station with a “college hippie playground” - which gave you your start btw.  That’s fine, I’d hope you’d think a bit more highly of WPGU, but whatever.
 
Now, what I do know, is that Q101’s ratings were declining, and it was being sold when or before it had finally reached a 1.9 share. In May it was the 22nd highest rated station via PPM in Chicago.  On par with smooth jazz and below regional Mexican.  Obviously, it’s no secret that Emmis needed money, but I feel like it might be safe to say that their opportunity to sell this station as a successful and big time moneymaking venture if it was a 20 share would be higher is reasonable, no? If not, then Emmis was clearly in even more dire financial straits than I had heard/read about.
 
Obviously, I don’t know everything there is to know in radio, and some folks (yourself being one of them) are able to steer me towards the light, but to me, as a young music fan and someone who at least has an idea of how radio works can tell you that the pairing of Skillet, Papa Roach, and Mumford and Sons is not a highly successful format.  A 1.9 share says so.
 
That type of playlist screams of a lack of identity.  For the most part, Mumford and Sons would turn off the Skillet fan, and vice versa.  This is the inherent problem I have with both WPGU and the late Q101’s programming.  Alternative is different today than it was in 2002.  That Alt and the Alt of 2011 don’t allow for much crossover, and at some point there might need to be some sort of new way to categorize the two, but for right now, they don’t mesh.
While Q101 and the folks that worked there busted their asses, it seemed to me that the chance to be on the cutting edge of where music was/is headed collided with the active rock-edgy scene that Q101 was synonymous with in the late 90’s early 00’s.  It prevented Q101 from being as successful as an alt station could be.
 
So forgive the fact that I insinuated that Q101 wasn’t making money, but it sure as hell wasn’t as successful as it could have been, and I think you’d agree that a 1.9 isn’t exactly tops (for reference XRT was a 3.2, B96 was a 3.7, and WLIT was a 3.3).
 
Listen, I get it, this article might make me sound like a dick.  Fine.  Will it prevent me from future employment? I hope not, I bust my ass when I work and feel I’m talented enough to be a difference maker- but maybe it will.  Maybe this will be seen as ripping my former employer (for the record, I’m not - I loved that place and most of the folks that worked there). That’s fine too - someone will hire me and realize they made the right choice.  But I won’t apologize for answering a collective question on why there seems to be a musical regression at station that was great before I got there.  I’d like to think that the chance to give C-U a unique voice through a radio station that represents the tastes and sounds that are created in this town should trump an outdated playlist from 2002 that was proven to be marginal at best in Chicago in 2011.
 
Anyway, that’s it from me on this thread.  I’ve enjoyed the controversy and discussions that this has spawned - despite the commenter who seems to have lost his/or her civility in El Segundo.  It really is cool to see such a conversation amongst community members.
 
Cheers,
TP
 

Q-Tips has spent all day arguing about something that he repeatedly professes to care nothing about.  Hmm..
 
Also, glad to hear things are going well for you up north, Mr Tom Pauly.  We should get together and “relive our glory days” soon.

I also just want to comment on what appears to be the base of the heated arguments on both sides:  it is apparent that the identity of the community backing WPGU is shifting.  It is changing in a way larger than the “routine shift of management” excuse is thrown around.  By targetting the lowest common denominator rather than the local student culture, a shift towards a monetary focus is apparent.
The people in charge of music, events, and community outreach the past few years have gathered a huge following from the students in Champaign-Urbana.  WPGU was more than a station that people flipped on while driving 20 minutes around town, it was a base of the local culture.  The management did a great job of being in touch with the local student populace.
Purely economically thinking?  The decision made by the new management might be a good choice.  They may alienate a sizable part of the student population but they may have done a great job of catering to the lowest common denominator.
However, this is almost definitely a crushing blow to the cultural identity and student respect of an estalishment that was recently very in touch with local culture and a good representation of what the students considered “cool.”  It will almost definitely bring huge losses to its established following and respected musical tastes.  From this perspective, it seems like the death of an organization that so many of us respected and wanted to see thrive.
 

Posts 162 and 163 were somewhat reasonable, so we were destined to get the jackasses back after that.
 
Dana, you should listen to Thom—he’s an expert on low ratings. I like how he blasts on a 1.9 rating when PGU was getting a 1.5 at its best. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
 
The rest of Thommy’s post is more beating the dead horse. We get it—alt-music has changed during the last 10 years; blahblah. Do you ever get tired of going on about the same useless stuff?
 
THAT is why it’s great to see PGU making some changes. Let’s see—my choices would be listening to a playlist composed by douchebags like Thom and others here, who still somehow think they are being more inclusive with a narrower selection, or listening to a playlist made up by people who might not have sticks up their asses.
 
I think I’d choose the second option. I bet those people would be more fun and far less annoying. Like a popular singer (some of you don’t know what that is) once said: I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.

Stephan, anyone who has to talk about how cool they are is, by definition, uncool. I guess you haven’t figured that out yet.
But I don’t think that peak rating of 1.5 was as cool as you think, either.

The ratings and facts back my point, though. So do the objective people who have posted facts here, as opposed to the whining of the music snobs.
If there were a running scoreboard, the mercy rule for the snobs would be in effect. It’s been a solid assbeating so far.
What’s really funny is this—as much as people insist they were giving C-U “what it wants,” the reality is they weren’t. The effort seemed a lot like catering to the Chicago/suburb/transplant/hippie mentality. The station and its parent company probably erred years ago by starting down that path and by not reversing course at least a couple of years ago.
I wouldn’t mind hearing some of the old format, but it needs to be balanced with other things. Also, the secret society crap is stupid. Once a while it’s good to mention who’s on the playlist. Thommy’s pubes probably curl at that last idea, but so what. 
 

“WLIT was a 3.3”—you’re an idiot, Thom. Has anyone else ever told you that? Sure they have.
WLIT changed its format, too. I’m not sure why the city didn’t storm the tower after that, but somehow they kept the peace.
 

Q Tips you should clean the wax out of your ears and allow your hollow head to cool off before it explodes.

I never said anything about anyone having to talk about how awesome or cool they are, I was commenting on something that people in general considered “cool”, as opposed to like, McDonalds or Walmart or something.
And what you are saying about ratings was exactly my point:  WPGU is shifting from a student-based culture focus to an entire champaign-urbana and surrounding areas focus.  I also said that economically it might not be a bad idea overall, but that it is undeniably true that the changes alienate a group that held the station in high regard for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Most likely, another station will jump in to fill that niche, and it sounds like one already is.  
On a different note, why hide behind a coat of anonymity, Q-Tip, while simultaneously speaking so highly of your own opinion on subjects?

Stephan, if you’re referring to WPCD “jumping in,” that station changed its format not long after WPGU dropped The Planet format. So it’s not really “jumping in”; it’s just doing what it’s been doing. I’m sure one of the douchebags here will now chime in about how PCD plays some groups more than it used to, but that’s the way most stations are.
Actually, what you describe might make sense. PCD doesn’t sell paid ads, and PGU does. So having something that appeals to more than a cross-section of a few dozen vocal buttholes might be a great move for PGU.

I, for one, like Parkland College’s radio station.