Internet Killed The Radio Format - The New Normal

Internet Killed The Radio Format - The New Normal

Video may have killed the radio star but it should be noted that the Internet is on its way of making it a lot easier to find new music. Welcome to the scene of online streams of music, New Normal Music. So what exactly is New Normal Music? Why not let Tom explain;

Radio veteran Tom Leykis is set to launch a new creation he calls "New Normal Music." He describes New Normal Music as "an adrenaline rush of hooky, energetic music culled from the pulse of what college-age males are listening to across a broad range of kinetic genres."

That's the condensed down version of it. The real purpose of the "station" format is to do what every other radio station won't. Not pander and take the easy way out in station programing by playing the tired songs from a few years past.

"In today’s corporate-run radio, the pressure has long been on to keep new music off the air," he explains. "Research has dictated that stations tell audiences they’re playing 'new' music while serving them the comfort zone favorites they’ve already proven to love. So-called 'alternative' stations that launched WEEZER are still playing their songs to an audience that is literally wheezing now! My concept is playing music that is totally fresh -- new music by baby artists with not one song in rotation over 12 months-old."

Considering how many times songs are on a cycle on the majority of the radio stations with a lot of the same successful bands on heavy repeat, this is a bold move. It's also one that has a lot of potential to work.



With the modern day ease of streaming on to your smart phone, you're no longer restricted to listen to the music that your local area can pick up on the car antenna. Driving through the majority of California would be nothing but farmer reports, religious stations and Spanish stations. So the ability to stream this from their website is perfect.

New Normal Music first started airing last night at midnight and is currently running with 500,000 songs in a row. If you're still wondering how this is any different than anything on the radio, The following are things you're probably NOT going to hear on The New Normal:

-"This one goes out to Joey from Susie-sue, who's wishing she could be with you right now and sends you all her love"

- Ryan Seacrest spouting off American Idol news, celebrity gossip or paying your bills.

- Flash back lunches.... or flash back anythings for that matter.

- "Caller number 98.7 is going to be entered into a contest to win something . Listen all week to know when to call!"

- Rick Dees or Casey Kasem showing off their accounting skills in counting down things.

- Furious fives, Top Ten, or any other sort of "today's hottest song" countdown nightly.

- Pledge drives.

- Crazy tin foil hat wearing callers either East or West of the Rockies.

- No songs about wives leaving, pick-up trucks not working or dogs dying.

- Kenny G or any other smooooth listening bore you to tears songs.

- Winning tickets to see a 40 year old band play their latest gig at the local county fair.

- Church/Mass service or any Bible thumping

- Farming reports



- Richard Blade's fake British accent.

- Conversations about how to kill your red ant problem.

- Disc Jockeys named "Big Bopper", "Shotgun", "Wolfman", "Big Boy", "Stryker" or "Jed The Fish".

- The standard 40, 60, or 90 minutes of commercial free music -When it comes on tonight, it's a straight 50,000 songs in a row.

- It wont have Santa Monica, or any cities snooze inducing city council meetings.

- Appealing to the tea baggers by not playing a single Spanish language song



- Come Christmas time, New Normal won't be blasting holiday cliched music till you're driven to suicide by fruitcake.

- That one hour of community service local radio program that every station tries to stick on at the same time on Sunday morning

- Breakfast, lunch or dinner with the Beatles.

- A tent handing out promo shirts that will only serve as an indicator that your girlfriend doesn't want to put out when it's worn to bed.

- Dr. Demento... Oh wait, not even the radio has him anymore

- No ads for methods on how to detox your system and add years to your life .

- No traffic on the 1's, 5's, 8's, and 10's.

- Dr. Laura and her turkey neck. Ugggggggggh

- Dingo and the Baby, Kevin and Bean, Mark and Brian or any other morning zoo wacky programs to kill time on your morning commute.

- Phrases such as "More music, less talk", "One great song after another", "The station with all your favorites", "Most variety on the radio!"


There you go. With the sound quality being extremely crisp, the format being all new music and it going on for so long without breaks, I'm not sure how you could pass up just setting your media player to stream New Normal Music. The station really is worth the hype and I wish Tom Leykis and Art nothing but the best in this venture.

Radio is dead. Long live streaming feeds.

The New Normal - The Return of Tom Leykis... Sort of

The New Normal - The Return of Tom Leykis... Sort of

Ever since going off the air earlier last year people have been wondering what he's up to or what he will do. Being that he's under CBS contract till 2012, so he can't do his show like he used to till another two years.

Well, that hasn't stopped Tom one bit. His very amazingly informative wine show "The Tasting Room", which every foodie or anyone interested in beer or wine should be listening to anyway airs on Thursday nights at 8 till 10 on AM 1260 which can also be streamed live and you can find a stream of the last episode on his latest venture.. The New Normal Network



Yes, that's right.. he created his own network.. What? Which currently has a countdown clock on it. It lead a lot to wonder what exactly is it count downing to? Here's the answer straight from Tom's own fingers..

The countdown has begun.

As you may know, I have created an audio content and radio syndication company called The New Normal.

Wednesday morning May 12th at 10 AM Pacific Time, The New Normal website goes live for the first time with the premiere of our first original production, and we would love for you to be a part of it.

Many listeners have been clamoring for me to make a return to hosting daily shows. That day will come.

In the meantime, we are proud to announce that our first daily podcast will be coming from two voices you know from our radio show.

Longtime producer and wingman, Gary Zabransky, and that tool of ignorance Dino DeMilio have reunited with me to bring you “The Gary & Dino Show”. These guys for years have been an integral part of “The Tom Leykis Show” and this daily podcast will be reflective of the sensibilities of our show from Gary & Dino’s own points of view.

“The Gary & Dino Show” launches with several episodes to get you started. Add it to your RSS feeds if you like. And be sure to give us your feedback!

The New Normal website is a perfect central location to learn about what we are doing next, to find ways to get and keep in touch, to let you know where we are on Facebook, Twitter, and our websites. You can go there beginning Wednesday morning at 10 AM Pacific time by clicking right here http://newnormalnetwork.com/ . When I come back, this is where you will hear about it first.

But that’s not all. The New Normal will be presenting all kinds of audio content. If what we currently present isn’t floating your boat, bookmark our site and keep checking back. Some content will be heard on radio as well as from our site. Some will be internet-only. Some of this stuff you will NEVER hear on radio (OR anywhere ELSE!).

If you own a small or medium size business, find out how to get in with us on the ground floor of this revolution. Details are on the newnormalnetwork.com website as well.

We are counting on you to help spread the word that we are open for business. Tell your friends to sign up for the mailing list. We are going to be breaking every rule of radio. We will do things you have always wanted us to do. There is no radio station or company in the way. You will communicate directly with us.

So are you ready? The old normal just isn’t working anymore. This is The New Normal!

Tom Leykis

The New Normal

Which makes a lot of sense considering how radio is starting to evolve to something you don't just listen to in your car... or aren't limited to what local stations you can listen to, according to this New York Times article.

THE Internet’s tentacles seem to have no limit, reaching out and strangling CDs, bookstores, newspapers and magazines. Now it has its sights set on the car radio.

Many people are already accustomed to plugging an iPod into the car to listen to their library of Arcade Fire tracks rather than CDs. But now there is a new movement that could really threaten traditional broadcast radio: Internet music services like Pandora, Slacker and Last.fm already popular with computer and smartphone owners, are being tailored by software developers, consumer electronics companies and even automakers to work more seamlessly with car stereo systems. So, while video didn’t end up killing the radio star, this time the Internet might just succeed.

The devices responsible for this trend are smartphones like Apple's iPhone, RIM’s line of BlackBerrys and phones using the Android software developed by Google. These handsets all have free applications that play customized music channels streamed over the Internet using the phone’s 3G wireless data connection. The services are generally free, although smartphone owners typically pay about $30 a month on top of regular voice service for unlimited data usage.

The attraction is that rather than being shackled to the same old hits from local radio stations, listeners can customize the music channel to suit their tastes. Pandora has about 750,000 songs and 40 million listeners. Put in the name of your favorite artist, say Chairlift, and Pandora creates a station that features Chairlift and similar groups, like Metric.

So pretty much if it streams, you can listen to it in your car. Hell, I stopped tuning around and since Tom has been off the air, I have limited myself to NPR news and rarely an instance of listening to some classic rock or kroq's "alternative" options.

So the idea that Tom Leykis' brand is reaching out and giving Dino and Gary Zabransky a show under his network is a clear sign that he's paving the way to a new and interesting future for the internet to reach your car and home listening options.



Not to toss another good example of a station format changing not limiting a show, Adam Corolla's podcast started almost as soon as the old station, 97.1FM which was home to both Tom Leykis and himself, changed format. He's been making huge waves. So Tom Leykis is nothing short of brilliant in striking while the iron is hot for this move to start an online/radio network.

I'm sure that other programs he backs up will have quality behind them that the possibly of radio stations getting it syndicated isn't out of the question, but to have the outlet in itself is a huge door opening in itself.

I know I'll be following these latest developments and listening in. Way to go Tom!

Heellllooooooooo TOM! -The Return of Tom Leykis

Heellllooooooooo TOM! -The Return of Tom Leykis

Today is an important day for Los Angeles history. Today, you see, or for what it's worth, listen to the return of Tom Leykis on our Los Angeles radio air waves.

Now I get into a lot of debates whenever this topic comes up that I really enjoy the Tom Leykis show. Let me get a couple things out of the way. I listen to NPR daily. One of my favorite shows is This American Life and while I do enjoy a nice glass of wine, I really enjoy a nice cold beer at a dive bar. It's the beauty of walking that line. Or for that matter, having some acceptance towards views that aren't your own.

I'll admit, The Tom Leykis Show was pretty intense in terms of his views. But you have to understand that it was a show that had some comical elements to it. Some of the subject matter or his expressed views were a bit over the top, but it was done so on purpose. I would relate it to watching day time talk shows. He expressed a shocking view point and callers chimed in their opinions and got berated by him. It was very entertaining. More to the point, I actually agreed with his opinion on current affairs and matters in politics.



It was open, honest and very brutally direct. It wasn't for everyone and his views towards marriage, given that he had four failed ones, as well as relationships in general were stuff that women hated. He likes to consider himself a feminist, in the same nature that I do - Everyone being equal. Which did question the whole "Who pays" and traditional roles that many women like to reap only the benefits of. Tom Leykis shells out real world advice. Yes, his relationship stuff can be a little extreme, but hey, he's a shock jock.

The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis was NOT the "Tom Leykis Show". You may have been angered by his Leykis 101 segments or educated by "Ask the atheist" or just entertained by his callers level of stupidity. The Tasting Room was not the same show by a mile. The Tasting Room, described like this on its website.

The first of its kind, The Tasting Room is a lifestyle themed program for men with a taste for the finer things in life. From fine wine, high-end spirits, & craft brews to first-rate dining & premium cigars, Leykis covers it all in this weekly two-hour, on-air ride through every man's wish list.

Leykis has proven to be a huge ratings draw with churning discussions that keep Americans listening every day on The Tom Leykis Show. His opinions are thought provoking and his unconventional perspective on dating, relationships and politics have made him one of America's top radio personalities.

It was something that you wouldn't normally hear on the FM dial. Especially not on a commercial radio station. Even if beer companies advertise heavily, it was a lifestyle program that wouldn't be found beyond your local public radio stations. It took the educational aspects of a KCRW/KPCC food show and applied it to wine/beer/food

Considering how much of a foodie I am, and while I'm sure I'm not in the "I have a problem" stage, I love to drink. Wine, Beer and all-ends(high and low) spirits. I like to get out there and try new food and drink all the time, and it's not just to review them. The Tasting Room was a show that had interviews with the makers and it was a good way to introduce you to something you might not have tried on your own. Let's face it, walking into a wine section of any reputable store can be a little daunting and intimidating.



The Tasting Room gave you that education on what different terms meant and how to actually taste and sample a little bit of that good life. I learned a lot from the show and I was introduced to a lot more wines because of it. I may not have had much respect for chardonnay prior, but after tasting GOOD chardonnay, I took trips up to the Russian River Valley to really get some good bottles and tastings.

When KLOS 97.1 changed formats to a top 40's station early last year, it killed the shows that were broadcasting out of there. Namely The Tom Leykis Show as well as The Tasting Room and we have been without Tom on the radio since then. The wait for new shows is over as you see, Tom Leykis is coming back to radio today!

Tom Leykis is returning to local radio. Starting Feb. 25, he will be on KGIL/1260 AM – “Retro 1260 AM” - from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursdays with his lifestyle program called “The Tasting Room.”

While it's not the shock program that the Tom Leykis Show is, I can easily say that I'm extremely happy for this news. It's a great way for you to learn about what you are drinking. And even if you're not a wine drinker, the beer talk that happened on the show as well as the mixology was always beyond educational. I'm sure anyone could walk away from a two hour program and be a better drinker.. and most of all, better bartender for their own little private gatherings at home.



I know I'll be listening in tonight, even if it's an AM station. I mean, when was the last time you even touched the AM dial on your radio? I'm sure most people actually forgot it existed. A little ironic because Tom did mention many times on his other show that AM is where radio host go to die. Considering that there is no FM commercial station that has a talk format, I guess it's the only option.

You know, now that I think about it, I know when the last time the AM dial had any sort of exciting news, it was this day in 1942 when an unidentified thing in the sky caused L.A. to go stir crazy and sound alarms. Yeah, we were in the middle of a war and we were sort of expecting a surprise attack by Japan like they pulled on Pearl Harbor, but in the end it turned out to be some weather balloon.



That may sound like some alien cover up bullshit, right? It's not. During the night of 24/25 February 1942, unidentified objects caused a succession of alerts in southern California. And while 1,440 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition were directed against what was suppose to be Japanese planes, they suffered no losses. Yeah, there may have been reports that four enemy planes had been shot down, and one "landed" in flames at a Hollywood intersection, but those were nothing more than smoke being blown, unlike with Tom, the only smoke blown there is from a nice Cuban Cigar.

So listen in tonight on your AM dial to the Tasting Room with Tom Leykis. You'll be surprised by how much you learn from it. It could be very ear opening.

Now to take myself out with a Lacey Peterson..