Hello Mr Surfpunk, nice to make your aquaintance. You sound like a jolly nice chap suggesting that someone infiltrates radio and sets up a twenty four hour melodic rock station...what a dream that would be and do you know what with the advent of Net radio something like that might be intirely feesible. I remember back in London during the early eighties, and I'm talking 1982ish, a husky voiced American gentleman ran a two hour show, Saturday Nights on Capital Radio playing nothing but AOR...everything you ever wished from Sir Michael Bolton (when he was actually good) to Brian Spence and really obscure imports. One of the highlights was a studio session from a new and developing act...stupidly obscure bands mostly. I think it's about time to organize something similar but on the Net...wait a minute doesn't one of the AOR websites broadcast music anyway?
As for the real world I don't think there's a snowballs chance in hell of any media outlet getting behind such a venture...let's face it Celine Dion is about as adventurous as most regular folk will go when it comes to talking about songs with melody and a chorous.
Re John Kalodner and his unsexy Portrait label I totally agree with Q that the man's lost his marbles. The problem for Johnny boy is that the parent company, Sony has eyed his antics with suspicion from the outset...I mean it looks interesting on paper to re-sign these old bands but their fans have grown up and gone on their merry way. Try convincing a rabid Limp Tones fan to 'rock out' to a new Ratt LP and you'll likely get a face full of metal piercings. The word is Sony are probably allowing JK to slowly burry himself so they don't have to pick up his option....or maybe they'll promote him as is usually the case with failing music excecutives.
Ouch!