Why is classic rock radio the way it is?

I'm in Chicago - we get "Walk on the Wild Side". The Drive is pretty good but I think they could play more black artists instead of post-grunge crap.

very weird how stone temple pilots have somehow entered the classic rock radio canon

"Lamentations about the state of commercial radio have become so standard over the last few decades that they have achieved something of the rote tedium the critics ascribe to the medium itself: how radio consultants -- led by [Lee Abrams], creator of the album-oriented rock and classic rock formats -- have taught station programmers to slice and dice their playlists to appeal more precisely to specific demographics; how more and more stations have come to play fewer and fewer songs," reported the New York Times in an article entitled "One Way to Get Radio Play: Do It Yourself," published in 2006.

Paradoxically, Abrams was hired by XM satellite radio supposedly because the formats and trends he popularized at FM had resulted in playlists with no innovation or variety.

http://www.dickdestiny.com/blog/2008/03/la-times-company-hires-man-who-ruined.html

I listened to "Court and Spark" today and wondered why classic rock radio doesn't play "Help Me". Surely "Free Man in Paris" would sound great on a classic rock station!

Toronto's Q107 does play it.