Questions and answers about getting onto Channel 93.3's Locals Only

Q: I want my band to get played on Channel 93.3. What do I do?
A: Send your music to me. One of my appointed roles at Channel 93.3 is the "gateway" for local music. This frees up everyone else so they can focus on their appointed duties.

Q: What should I send?
A: Here's what you should definitely send:
- your music on CD. CD-R is fine; CD-RW is not (the CD players at the station don't play them). Ideally, put the CD in a jewel case - either regular size or those "slim" ones they use for singles. This keeps the disc safe in transit, and keeps it from "vanishing" once it's in the rack.
- if the CD has more than four songs on it, let me know which tracks you think would sound the best on the air. I'm sure all 23 tracks on the CD are killer, but to be honest, I'm awfully busy, and it would help if I could cut down my workload wherever possible.
- a track listing. You can list the tracks on the CD, but it's better if you also put them somewhere else. That way, while listening, if I decide I like track two, I can see what it's called without ejecting the disc.
- an e-mail address, so I can tell you how great you are.
- a short bio. This doesn't have to be long, complicated, or fancy. Just let me know who's in the band, how you got together, where you play live, etc.
- if you have a website (and who doesn't?), lemme know the URL.
- oh, and if it's not blatantly clear how to pronounce your band name ("WLVNBTZ"), do let me know how to say it, so your fans don't harass me about messing it up.

Q: Can I send you anything else?
A: You can, but it's not necessary. Your 8 x 10 glossy may look great, but I can't really do anything with it. I'll probably just glance at it, and then toss it. Press clippings don't do much for me either. I store all my local CDs on a rack, and there's no room for lots of paper to go with them, so they usually end up getting recycled.

Q: Where do I send this stuff?
A: Send your package to:

KTCL-FM
- ATTENTION: ALF -
4695 South Monaco Parkway
Denver CO 80237

Q: Then what?
A: Then wait. I only pick up my mail once or twice a week, and I only sit down to listen to local CDs a few times a week, but I will listen, and I will e-mail you to let you know what I thought. The good stuff gets played on Locals Only, Sundays at 9pm.

Q: Can I send you an mp3 by e-mail instead of sending you a CD?
A: I'd much rather have the CD.  First off, my e-mailbox fills up awfully quickly.  Secondly, in order to play the song on the air, I have to burn it into a CD anyway.

Q: How do I know you'll listen to my CD?
A: I listen to every CD I get in. Every last one. Even the really bad ones.

Q: What if you don't write back?
A: I write back to everyone. If you don't hear back from me after three weeks or so, feel free to e-mail me and ask if I got your disc. Chances are I've just gotten swamped, but it wouldn't hurt to check to see if your disc got lost in the mail. It does happen from time to time.

Q: What exactly are you looking for?
A: I'm looking for two things. One - good songs. Two - good production. If you give me a good song that's well-produced, it will almost certainly get on the air. I'm a hook monster, so any song that has a good hook (something I can sing or hum or whistle afterwards) usually gets a bit more airplay. I also give a slight edge to songs that are close to our format - modern rock. Nothing wrong with pop-rock or metal, but since our station normally plays modern rock, that stuff might get a slight advantage.

Q: Will you give us feedback on our music?
A: You betcha. In my first e-mail, I usually say something simple like "I liked this song best". If you want more in-depth feedback, feel free to e-mail back and ask for it.

Q: Our best song has the f-bomb in it a few times. Is that OK?
A: Not really, no. It'd be best if you made a radio edit and took them out. I can do that, but like most radio people, I'm a lazy SOB. If it comes down to playing a song without profanity, or having to do an edit on your song before I play it, all things being equal, I'll probably play the clean version.

Q: Do you really have to take out the profanity?
A: "Have to" is a strong term, but put it this way. The current FCC fine for playing "obscene material" is $50,000, with half of the amount payable by the DJ. I know you think all DJs are living high on the hog, but I don't really have $25,000 lying around to pay off a federal entity.

Q: We have a killer epic that's about 15 minutes long. Can you play that?
A: I can, but I probably won't. Most radio songs are a bit under 4 minutes, which means yours is about four times longer. It better be four times better, too. Better yet, do a radio edit.

Q: I don't want to sacrifice the integrity of our music by doing a radio edit. Is that fine?
A: If you have your standards, I can respect that. But I also have mine, and I'd ask you to respect that, as well.

Q: Will you announce our upcoming shows before you play our song on-air?
A: You bet. I do this for all bands. For best results, keep your website up-to-date with your upcoming concerts, so I know what to flog.

Q: You aren't playing us this week. Can you announce our big upcoming show anyway?
A: No. I only announce the shows of the bands I'm playing this week. I don't want to begin a litany of "this band's playing here, and that band's playing there" each week. I don't think people tuning in will want to hear a long drone of band listings. I'd rather focus on the bands I'm playing that week, and promoting them effectively.

Q: We have this huge show coming up next week. Can you play us this week to promote the show?
A: Although I can do a bit of shuffling around, generally, your band will come up when it comes up. I won't move you up several weeks because of an upcoming gig. That's a precedent I'd rather not set. I envision myself having to look at every band's calendar and having to decide which bands "needed" the airplay most - not something I'd like doing.

Q: I heard that if I get my music on another station, then you won't play it.
A: That's not a question.

Q: OK. Is it true that if I get my music on another station, then you won't play it?
A: Much better. No, this isn't true. I honestly don't pay attention to other local music shows, so if you're getting played every week on some other station, I wouldn't even know.

Q: You said you liked one song on our CD, but we really prefer a different one. Can you play that one instead?
A: I normally pick songs that will sound good with the other songs I'm playing on the show, so there is a method to my madness. But feel free to e-mail if you want to discuss it.

Q: You played our song on Locals Only. How long before you play it again?
A: Sort of depends. In a really generic way, once I play a band, they go to the back of the rack. Eventually they make their way up to the front. The better the songs, and the better the production, the quicker they make their way up. Modern rock songs and catchy songs also tend to make their way up quicker.

Q: Should we get our fans to call and e-mail the station, asking you to play us (more)?
A: No, no, no, no, a thousand times, no. I don't want bands to mobilize their street teams to fill up my e-mailbox and tie up the phone lines. Sure, it sounds like it'd be helpful if they did it, but imagine if 100 bands did it. I'd spend all day deleting unwanted and unneeded e-mails, and answering rote phone calls...and it wouldn't help anyway. I'll play your band when I play them, and no amount of e-mails or phone calls will change that. I only have two rules. One, send me good stuff, and two, don't harrass me. I don't think these rules are too hard to follow, or that I'm out of line for asking them, so please abide by them.

Q: You've played us on Locals Only. How do we get on during the week like Love .45 and the Fray did?
A: Do know that this is much much tougher. In order to get into regular rotation, you'd best have a song that:
- will fit right in with our format.
- has a great hook.
- is immaculately produced.
In short, imagine your song stuck in a set with four songs Channel 93.3 plays regularly. Could someone pick out which song was local? If so, than it's probably not "regular rotation" material. This doesn't mean you have to sound exactly like one of the bands we play - that's not what I'm going for. But it should blend in with the other stuff we play, and not stick out as a "here's a local band" song.

If I hear a song that passes this test, I'll play it for the Music Director and Assistant Program Director. Their decision is final. If they don't "hear it", they'll tell me what they think is wrong, and I'll pass that information on to you. I don't play much for them - I want to be sure that the song has a good shot at making it, and I don't want to waste their time by playing them less-than-stellar music all the time. Like I said, they consider me the "gateway" for local music.

Q: I really think our song is good enough to get on during the week. Will you play it for the MD and APD?
A: If I'm not playing it for them, there's usually a reason. Feel free to e-mail me and I'll tell you why. I'd highly advise you to not contact the MD or APD directly. Not that they're mean or anything, but they've specifically asked me to handle the local music for them. All they'll do is pass the e-mail and/or disc on to me, and you're back where you were.

Q: I've still got questions. Can I ask you?
A: Of course. I answer all my e-mails. Best bet is to e-mail me direct: alf@area93.com.

Q: I've heard there's this one band that...
A: No comment.