My thoughts on Sirius Radio's Broadway station

[AJ1985]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 2:15pm

I'm glad we have an all-Broadway station but here are the things I don't like about it:

1. Seth Rudetsky as a program host he is terrible, but his interviewing skills are even worse. I heard him interview Tommy Tune on Sunday and it was embarrassing to listen to. No real insights, no fascinating behind-the-scenes stories.

2. The music programming is all over the place with no logic. Jumping from Little Shop of Horrors to The Sound of Music.

3. I like that they play full cast albums once a day, twice on matinee days, but no one thinks about when to play these. On Sunday they did Drowsy Chaperone because it marked the closing - good idea. But on December 27 Show Boat was 80 years old. Wouldn't that be a good time to play Show Boat?

4. I hear America from West Side Story once a day at least but never anything from older shows that were not big hits like Sail Away or Whoop Up

5. I hope they are planning something special for Ethel Merman's 100th birthday on January 16.

I am e-mailing Sirius to let them know all this, but I want to hear everyone else's thoughts on this "service."

[Boq101]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 2:25pm

I had it for a while before the fam decided not to get sirius anymore, it's fine but i'd rather just make my own playlistd on iTunes and listen to Broadway Bullet, Seth can be funny but sometimes I just don't get it.

[BDrischBDemented]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 2:35pm

"2. The music programming is all over the place with no logic. Jumping from Little Shop of Horrors to The Sound of Music."

Huh? I mean... what do you expect? That's radio for you. I'd rather have the station cover a wide range of shows than stick with one sort of "topic" or something.

[AJ1985]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 2:36pm

Seth treats everything as an inside joke and makes the assumption that everyone who listens to Broadway is gay. I think that is a mistake that will alienate a lot of the non-gay audience.

Forgetting the fact that he is a terrible host, he also has no idea how to program music for a balanced entertaining flow.

Their library doesn't seem all that big.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 2:45pm

Did your 1st thread about this get deleted? We get that you don't like Seth!

But like him or not, the man is a wealth of knowledge and has done incredibly wonderful this within the Broadway community is is respected by a lot of people. When I listen to him, I don't think gay or straight. I just think Seth! Brava!

[AJ1985]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 3:01pm

I don't like him as a radio host, that's for sure. And if he does have a wealth of knowledge it sure doesn't come through in his prsentation.

I am also disappointed that we have this Broadway station yet get so little of the flavour of the great white way. I expect to hear the new releases and current hits showcased more, as well as memorable moments from the classics.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 3:04pm

Then try this site or Playbill.com's stations. They are both good.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 3:53pm

To be fair, Andrew, Seth does have theatrical connections and knows a lot of people in the biz, so he's a valuable asset in that regard. I agree that his on-air presentation is sorely lacking but it's nothing a few sessions with a good program director couldn't fix.

Broadway programs on regular commercial stations almost always fail. Partially because the music doesn't sound like the rest of their programming, but mainly due to the fact that they are usually put together by local show enthusiasts who tend to get terribly self indulgent playing all sorts of obscure show tunes and ignoring the "hits." Or we get services like this that plays only the hits but endlessly recycled with neither rhyme nor reason.

It takes a special skill to "program" music and it is a skill sadly lacking in many radio stations today.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:04pm

I like AccuRadio at times because you can "Tailor" your station. You can listen to everything or choose different options such as just shows from 2007, etc.

[Albin]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:10pm

"When I listen to him, I don't think gay or straight."

You must be almost deaf.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:15pm

I'm not gay, and I enjoy Seth's radio program.

2. On any given oldies station, I hear Aretha followed by Billy Joel followed by The Beach Boys.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:21pm

I am not listening to hear if he is gay or straight, I am listening to the program. That's what I meant. Yeah, we know he is gay, big deal.

[Craig]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:32pm

"I expect to hear the new releases and current hits showcased more, as well as memorable moments from the classics."

That's pretty narrow in scope and would lead to an incredible amount of overplay. If you're really looking for that kind of tight rotation, why not get an ipod and buy the recent releases and play them to your hearts content?

[RetroBoy]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:39pm

I own so many cast albums/musical soundtracks I don't need a radio station I *am* a radio station...LOL. I even have a huge playlist to showcase them and I named it: BROADWAYWORLD.

[sally1112]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:48pm

There is something to having a Broadway tune station that is very validating. Yes, my collection is huge, and I have most of what I hear on this station, but when I got in the car of a friend the other night that has Sirius and heard these songs "on the radio" it was very cool.
It is different than playing your own playlist.

Updated On: 12/31/07 at 04:48 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 4:52pm

I agree. It was kind of fun not having control over what was played when I heard the station in a friend's car. I bring what I want to listen to to work and if I want more, I just tune in here or AccuRadio. I don't own an iPod yet so I carry my discs around or I make compilation discs.

Posted: 12/31/07 at 6:51pm

I guess I was the one who got your first thread deleted, but since you reposted a thread without the hideous anti-gay bias, it's all for the best, no?

And Seth must just be a matter of taste. I enjoyed his interview with Tommy Tune very much, for example, because unlike say a Public Radio host who talks to people ranging from Lindsay Lohan to Condolezza Rice, Seth is obsessed with Broadway, so that when Tommy mentioned making his first trip to New York to see a show, Seth was able to rattle off six or seven other shows that were running at the time and ask him if he saw them and if so, what he thought. He also solicited a wonderful memory from Tommy that he saw "Gwen Ver-DUNN" (as he thought it was pronounced at the time) and thought she was "the best." Then, thirty years later, Gwen inducted him into the Broadway Hall of fame. You don't get that in a Katie Couric interview.

And as for the other criticisms, all I can say is they don't program for you, they program for a large and varied public. If they played all the currrent shows, people who listen 8-10 hours a day would get burned out. If They played more classics, the newbies get bored. I think they strike an excellent balance.

[morosco]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 6:55pm

XM Satellite's Broadway Channel isn't much better. I really should be renamed The Lion King channel as they tend to play something from that every few songs. It gets old.

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 7:07pm

My parents hate broadway so, they play thier 80's ****.

[kec]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 8:35pm

I get Sirius in my new car; it's been free but I'm going to have to make the decision soon whether to continue the subscription. I probably will. I do enjoy the Broadway Channel for the most part. One thing that bugs me is that it seems as though I hear a lot of the same songs. I only have it on while I'm driving from Washington DC to NY and back again, and sometimes it can get repetitious. Can't tell you how many times I've heard "Jubilation T. Cornpone" over the last several months.

I enjoyed the Tommy Tune interview as well, although I missed the last few minutes because I stopped to get gas, and because I was under cover, I lost the signal just when he was talking about what he's got upcoming.

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 9:15pm

I've listened to both XM and Sirius in rental cars - well, we now have XM on DirecTV. I prefer XM overall. They have a bigger library and a more varied playlist. I can "discover" a song on XM and rarely on Sirius. Sirius does seem to repeat songs frequently - it's like they have programmed a 3 hour block and they just run it for the week. I like Seth's shows/interviews because I get information that I don't otherwise get. But Seth's 1 or 2 hours a week isn't enough for the full station. XM jsut has more music.

What gets me most is the lack of backannouncing.

I have used YahooMusic's radio station for broadway tunes. It can get repetitive, but you just have to score a song low to get rid of it. But, Yahoo was where I discovered Lsat 5 Years and BatBoy and others.

[trinaaron]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 9:42pm

I love Seth. His heartfelt obsession with all things broadway just makes me smile.

What I don't like is when any station plays big dance numbers with tapping that goes on and on and on.

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 9:44pm

Seth Rudetsky is aMAHhzing. He brings flavor to the show and his interviews with theater professionals are so relaxed rather than coming across like an interview on 20/20 or Dateline. I love his programming.

[broadwayfan3]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 12:51pm

Personally I love Seth! I think he is hilarious, but i think that it's just a matter of taste. Also keep in mind that there is another host; Christine Petti...she plays really old songs when she is the host, and she doesn't much either. But when she does say something she sounds like she hates Broadway and she could care less. At least with Seth he's enthusiastic! I love listening to him, and he knows a lot about Broadway! I think that I learn a lot from his interviews. I also love how he makes a lot of the singers and songwriters he interviews sing. I think that he has really good ideas! Another thing I love is "the Battling Divas". It's a program with the two hosts, on Sundays at 2, i think. He is always funny and I really don't think you have to be gay to like his humor. Every person I know loves him, and his comedy!

The music, however, can be very slow. He plays a lot of old music, and it can be really boring. However, he also plays hilarious song. A lot of the songs he plays, that I first heard on the Sirius Radio show, have became the top played songs on my ipod!

I think that he is amaaazing! You can have your own opinions, but that is mine. Bravo Seth!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:29pm

LOL! Apparently, Andrew can't. He posted his opinion and got his message pulled. Hmm..now we censor opinions.

As for Seth, small doses are ok but a whole afternoon with him as the sole host is tooooo much.