Thursday, September 3, 2009
Hot Goss Greg and Chris Crofton's 'Best of Bread' Threatened to Be Pulled From WRVU
Posted by D. Patrick Rodgers on Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 9:53 AM
I know I won't be alone in expressing the following sentiment: Greg and Chris Crofton's Thursday morning radio show Best of Bread is easily one of, if not THE, most entertaining bits of programming ever broadcast on Vanderbilt's WRVU. The monotony of too many over-caffeinated Thursday mornings has been busted up by the fraternal ranting of the Croftons. Whether it's a diatribe on the merits of John Denver, a tirade against the absurdity of hipster culture or merely a solid block of rock 'n' roll, the Brothers Crofton know how to host a radio show. So why is the future of Best of Bread being threatened? Well that's a great damn question.
You may have noticed if you dialed in to 91.1 this morning that Best of Bread--which has been broadcast for four years--was conspicuously absent from the air. According to Chris Crofton, the show has tentatively been removed from scheduling due to alleged equipment abuse, as WRVU's new general manager explained it to him. Apparently innocuously touching a web cam is grounds for dismissal without warning. While dozens of listeners have already expressed their outrage by emailing WRVU's general manager, programming director and others, Crofton has asked that the angry messages be curtailed until he has a chance to meet with the station directors, which he has plans to do tomorrow.
Again, because the outcome of this debacle isn't yet certain, we won't post the contact information for WRVU's management/personnel just yet, and we ask that you hold off from barraging them with messages. But I can tell you this much: If Best of Bread is permanently removed from the air due to highly dubious claims of misconduct without so much as a farewell show, Nashville's show-going, music-loving, sense of humor-having silent majority and WRVU's largest (now-threatened) demographic shall let the vitriol rain down upon General Manager Mikil Taylor's inbox without mercy. And by the way, this apparently isn't the first occasion that WRVU's young G.M. has attempted to remove a show from the air for questionable reasons.
If you've never before listened to Best of Bread, you can visit the show archive here and see the playlist archive here. We'll keep you posted as the story develops. And for now, if you'd like to share why you think Best of Bread is the best radio show in Nashville, you can do so in the comments.
Comments (35)
Showing 1-35 of 35
Fuck this. "Best of Bread" is the highlight of my Thursday mornings. What's next? Is God gonna cancel Thursdays now? Fuck. Every other morning my drive to work is spent listening to Steve Gill and fantasizing about all different ways I'd like to see him suffer. I need a break from that at least once a week.
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I suggest witholding your vote for their coveted MTV "Woodie" until they're back on the air. There's no reason to award them if they're going to cancel the best thing on the radio. Ever.
Is this the same GM that canned Garland Gallaspy for playing some anatomy record during an I.D. break? All it took, apparently, was one phone call from a mother who took offense. "Let's Keep It Friendly" was a great show, as well. Argh.
When is everyone going to realize WRVU is overrated? Don't get me wrong, they have some great shows on there -- BoB, D-Funk, Mixdown, DJ Ron's show(s), Hipbilly Jamboree, George the Bluegrass Show back when Tracy hosted, etc. But for all of the accolades everyone heaps on the station, there's plenty of bullshit like this that happens way too frequently. Let's face it: the image of Vanderbilt and the image of college radio are not compatible. At the end of the day Vanderbilt (media) has an image to uphold. As Nerf Herder said "40,000 watts of maximum rock, but that won't help you at all." It's what you do with those watts that matters. Unfortunately WRVU demonstrates again the spirit of (college) radio lives elsewhere.
Can we get Belmont to get their colonialism on and invade and conquer WRVU already? Less cock blocks, more college rock.
"Let's face it: the image of Vanderbilt and the image of college radio are not compatible."
That's a little over the top in my opinion. Yeah I don't appreciate the mumbly DJ's and stupid rules either, but 91.1 has given me some great memories for the last 10 years, be it in the station, my car, or at home tuning in. Things have gotten worse in recent years but its still a good station. It just needs some rehabbing.
There's no need to generalize institutionally. By that same logic if Belmont invades it'll be all JesusRock, Singer Songwriters, and indie shlock.
"Freedom of Speech...just watch what you say!"
- Ice-T
Thanks for your support!
Chris
Was Garland's show the absolutely insane one where they would play things like Billy Ocean's "get out of my dreams (get into my car)" and forget to kill their mics letting you hear their entire converstation?
if WRVU is "overrated," it's only because the vast majority of people who listen to the station have a great deal of appreciation for non-mainstream programming which, by definition, you aren't going to get much of elsewhere. so they're likely to recommend it highly to others (often with a caveat about the aforementioned mumbly DJs).
regarding the vandy image vs. college radio image remark: i'd bet a week's salary that less than half of the vandy undergrad population is aware that WRVU exists. the GM is worried about getting screwed by the FCC, not kirkland hall.
in my admittedly limited interactions with him, mikil has shown himself to be a stand-up guy. he's certainly better than some of the other GMs we've had... i'm thinking in particular of the one who kicked ALL of the community members off the air. we have our fall scheduling meeting this weekend, so until he addresses the issue then (and i'm sure he will), i think he should get some benefit of the doubt.
tl;dr - there's nothing wrong with playing billy ocean.
I may be biased (I'm a former DJ), but WRVU is the first and last music station in Nashville for me - and the only station I've ever loved whole-heartedly. BoB deserves all the praise above and I hope it stays in the fall schedule.
I hope that cooler heads win out. Managing a community with hundreds of active, volunteer DJs and thousands of vocal fans (under the watchful eyes of the Vandy administration and the FCC) is never easy. There are rules that have to be enforced to keep the station running smoothly.
Mikil is a great guy and a great GM, and I'm sure he will find a fair resolution to this issue.
And no, college radio and Vandy are not incompatible - keep in mind that the FM station has been around since 1973. It's the only station where our local music gets any significant air time. Despite all the challenges (training green DJs, keeping the powers-that-be happy, operating on a limited budget), WRVU maintains out the most interesting and eclectic space on the Nashville dial.
If I can't hear sneaky snake anymore, I... I... uh...
All I know sh*ts gonna get... uh... real or something.
Brandon:
Sadly, if Belmont got together its imperialist spirit and conquered WRVU, it would face even more restrictions than the standard FCC stuff. Once upon a time, Belmont had its own streaming radio station (there are no free frequencies in the city) and DJs were forbidden to play any music not produced by Belmont students/professors/alumni. I'm assuming they also were subject to the notorious content restrictions that apply to performances on campus as well.
WRVU isn't perfect, but WRBU would be miserable. Those hippies at WRFN are pretty cool though, it's just hard to pick up their signal.
I'm certainly biased too - both as a current WRVU DJ and former GM of my own college's radio station - but I think WRVU is phenomenal. Yup, it's hit-or-miss sometimes, but that's because it's the only station in Nashville that has this kind of freedom when it comes to programming. And yup - it's pretty inconsistent too, but that's because the schedule can change drastically from semester to semester and year to year as the majority of the DJs finish their time at Vandy and move on.
Mikil has a tough job - I know because I used to do it, at a dramatically different station that couldn't hold a candle to WRVU. The threat of the FCC is pretty much hammered into you in college radio, because while fines seem to be pretty rare, the financial implications of getting fined could be devastating to a small station. It's something that all DJs should be taking seriously, even if some of the rules seem crazy antiquated (seriously - "piss" is still a dirty word???).
I'll be totally bummed if Best of Bread is involuntarily retired, but I hope Mikil, Chris and Greg can work out the issues that led to the suspension so they can stay on the air. I know Mikil appreciates and supports long-term WRVU shows that help provide that consistency from semester to semester, something that previous GMs haven't cared about. I, for one, am unbelievably grateful they let community volunteers like me do shows at all, because they certainly don't need to.
as an avid best of bread fan and mumbling wrvu dj i have to agree with janet on this point: let's give mikil, chris, and greg a chance to sort all this out. after all, the show was suspended - not fully retired.
mikil has worked hard to improve the station and i think it's fair to say that any changes he's made (and i don't personally agree with every one of them) have at least had an altruistic origin. the threat of an fcc violation is very real and any financial penalty imposed on wrvu would likely kill it forever. mikil is keenly aware of this and, as a result, he's very protective of the station.
i've seen chris go out of his way to be polite and engaging with mikil and the wrvu staff, so i'm sure he has as much respect for the station as any other dj. i decided to bite the bullet and become a dj in large part because of best of bread, so it would be a real tragedy to see the disappear. i'm holding out hope that cooler heads will prevail and all the parties concerned can resolve their differences.
as far as wrvu is concerned, it's still the best radio station around whether or not you want to admit it. as long as you find a dj who cares (and nearly all of them do), you can rest assured that they're playing music they actually enjoy. how many other nashville stations can you say that about?
I have been a loyal listener to WRVU since the mid eighties. I have heard more shows come and go than any of your average listeners. The Best of Bread segment/show is the highlight of my years of listening to this station. I am personally responsible for promoting this station to hundreds if not thousands of people over the years. It is the best station in middle tennessee when it comes to the variety of music that is cranked out to the "Music City" area. I thought that part of what made WRVU so great was that they were willing to give a spot to a 'community' d.j.and relish in the nonsense a little. This is truly the most honest and entertaining show that has been on the air at WRVU. And I have several favorites. Chris and Greg have always tried to maintain a sense of humor among an ever changing lineup of 'serious' d.j.'s that can't read a promo card. I also remember a certain person that was a "secret" d.j. that had a show on WRVU late nights for 6 years and the g.m didn't care or did'nt know, until it was discovered. This guy would let himself in and had no clearance, training, or anything and would field calls, take requests, etc. How does that work? Pretty well actually. He had the most popular show among non-students and students alike. Chris and Greg also won accolades (Nashville Scene/ best of) as best local radio show for 2 years! I do agree that things get a little crazy it seems, but this is what makes WRVU among the top 50 stations in the U.S.! Listening to these guys is like being part of a family, and they are the brothers of a family that is bigger than your student audience, so don't waste your 10,000 watts to reach from "Baxter to Bucksnort, and from Bedford co. to Bowling Green" if you want to put these guys off the air. Just keep it on campus and don't allow non-students to enjoy commercial free radio with an edge that the other stations wish they could have. Chris and Greg deserve better than this for being the great ambassadors to the university and to the city that they have been. They are among a few such as Ken Berryhill, Cowboy Anton, Chuck, Anna & Emily, etc. that are constant in their vigilance to deliver great radio to the masses using their own time and tireless effort to promote the university and it's great radio shows. The best thing for WRVU to do is embrace a character like Chris, along with Greg, and let them continue to feed the masses of older former students, non students, and even new comers to the sarcastic side of the Music City and all it has to offer in it's glorious self absorbed, party every night, everyone's a star, i'm important, I know so and so, lifestyle.
"Best of Bread" is Nashville's "The Best Show on WFMU." Instead of suspending it, WRVU should be promoting it as a podcast.
Although I will add that everybody knows the best show on WRVU is Pete Wilson's "Nashville Jumps" on Friday mornings.
The Best of Bread is the most original and interesting program in an otherwise sleepy town for radio. (Sorry Lightning 100, putting Doyle on the air doesn't make you independent or exciting.) And Chris and Greg are funnier than Eddie Murphy back when he was funny. It's a fucking miracle it has lasted this long.
I'll be glad to get pissed about it if WRVU kick the Croftons to the curb. I'd even write an email or post a comment on a blog to show my anger.
i agree with the best show comparison and chris is always a nice man to me, sometimes greg.
really, nashville needs a station like KEXP in seattle. A public station that isn't controlled by some other organization.
I've heard quite a few FCC violations on other shows on the station, and they are still on the air. Don't fuck this up, WRVU.
I'm going to go ahead and say it: I hate Best of Bread. I mean, i really do. I dig the music but the commentary, dead air & one-sided phone conversations are not my idea of a good time. But that's the point, isn't it. You're supposed to either love it or hate it. I happen to fall on the "hate" side. However, in a college radio format, how much a show is disliked by some shouldn't be considered very much. I love that there is a place where BoB can exist. (for those trying to crap on WRVU, ask where else BoB would have been played in the first place). There are a lot of people that love this show and it has become a part of this community so i hope it has a home.
However, in Mikil's defense. Every DJ on that station is a guest. We do it out of love and we thankfully have been given a place to do so. In return, we're asked to follow some rules. The Ore thing seemed a bit questionable but BoB is a little more obvious. At least once a month, we're reminded not to drink in the studio but every week, BoB is sipping coffee on the air. It's not that hard to follow the rules and to choose not to shows a total disrespect. I was moving the camera too to show the cover of the cd i was playing at the time. When the message "don't touch the camera" came around, i stopped because i value my show and don't want to lose it. If you are blatantly breaking the rules, then you shouldn't be surprised if you're asked not to come back. Before the war begins, just remember there are two sides. In this case, i hope both sides can work it out with hugs.
DJ Susan = DJ Trustafarian.
I remember when WRVU was great. Not good. Not passable. Not the only place that would do something like the the Best of Bread. I remember when it was great. If Kenny Berryhill (prime mover of WRVU) were dead, he'd be rolling in his grave.
Is this REALLY all about a webcam????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Christ.
I sure hope this is all about coffee and webcam rule abuse, since I'm sure it wouldn't be about politics. Chris and Greg are well to the left of Mary Mancini's fine show (which isn't very far left IMO), and that may ruffle a few more feathers than a little Pepsi Syndrome or web cam manipulation. Lets hope they work it out as BOB has been one of the few shows on RVU these days that I go out of my way to listen to. Most of the jocks on WRVU these days sound like the autorotation and what's the point of that? GET THE CROFTONS BACK ON DAMMIT! I know that's right.
DJ susan needs a big cock in her face to shut her up. I'm never listening to this bullshit station again. BoB was the only good thing about it.
DJ Susan I love you. In no small part due to the fact that your name is DJ Susan and you are a boy.
I don't particularly care for the "hateful nature" of Bob's comedy. Guess I'm channelin' my grandma on this one, but she was a pretty cool old lady and she knew it was hard to get along in the world being mean-spirited.
All that's to say that there are fans and nonfans for every show, and you can't fool all of the pleasers all of the time, so join 'em or beat it.
For those of you who stayed up late enough, you might remember my show ~ORE~ Theatre Intangible. It played on WRVU Saturday nights/Sunday mornings 12-2am or 2-4am depending on the semester. Every other week, we dj'd experimental/avante-garde/outsider tracks. On the weeks in between, we hosted a live experimental improv, featuring local and traveling musicians. We produced over 35 hours of original content, still available for free download on our website. Our show was permanently banned from WRVU just months before Best of Bread. That makes three community-member shows banned in the last two months. You can find out the details of the drama at www.myspace.com/oreradio
man I love to listen to best of bread on thursday mornings when I go to work. Those dudes are hilarious. Tell you the truth, I think its the best radio show of all time.
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