VISIONS OF SOUND
was an independently produced music video program, airing on KARE 11, the NBC affiliate in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. Sixteen episodes of the program were broadcast each week at 1:05am, airing after Saturday Night Live, from May 1992 through August 1992.
The early 90's was a time the lyrical message of alternative rock music strongly reflected the social and political tensions of the time. The concept of Visions of Sound was to identify the social or political message of specific alternative rock songs, collect on-the-street interviews discussing the topic, then use the interviews to introduce the related music video.
KARE 11 agreed to air the program in exchange for 50 percent of the commercial inventory. Tony Knoss, the Executive Producer, controlled the other 50 percent of commercial inventory, selling to advertisers to cover the cost of production.
The Twin Cities Alternative Rock radio station, KJ104 aka KJJO FM 104, agreed to become a promtional partner with Visions of Sound. Their morning show host, Brian Turner, agreed to become the on-camera talent for the show, making his television debut hosting all 16 episodes.
Interview segments of the program were recorded in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis and at Glam Slam, a downtown nightclub owned by Prince at the time. Each episode required 6-8 hours to edit, which was done at KARE 11 studios the week before broadcast.
Visions of Sound was broadcast each week at 1:05am, airing after Saturday Night Live, from May 1992 through August 1992.
Competing directly with the Howard Stern Show, Visions of Sound enjoyed an average Neilsen rating of 3.4, placing it first in the time slot. Visions of Sound was replaced with the HBO Comedy Hour. Advertising sponsors of the program included Futon Gallery, Arby's, and White Knight Limousine.
