Music Information

Radio - What's Happened To It?


Remember when radio stations played great music?

OK, before you accuse me of sounding like your dad, I'll rephrase that. Remember when radio stations played an exciting variety of music and artists and you never knew what they would play and when?

Well my friends if you do remember that, you've probably been around awhile. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain.

Years ago, privately owned radio stations and their local disc jockeys would choose the music or content they wanted to play, when they wanted to play it, whatever came to mind. And if someone called the station for a request and it felt right, they'd play that too. What? You mean they don't do it that way now? Well in a word, no. In fact let me add no, no, no, and more no.

These days, the majority of American radio stations are owned by mega corporations like Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting. These corporations hire programmers who decide exactly what songs to play and in what order they will be played. Then in many cases they do what is called, "Voice-tracking". Voice tracking is a process where someone records the programming in one city and then distributes it to the many stations owned by the mega corporation throughout the country. So what you hear in San Francisco may be exactly what you hear in New York City or Atlanta. Often they'll throw in content like local weather, traffic and sports to give the illusion that the DJ is local. Fooled ya!

Unlike the FM band, AM radio is made up of mainly news and talk stations and relies on listener involvement as its core strength. AM has been relying more and more on syndicated programming and I have nothing against that for many of the programs are very well done like Clark Howard's informative consumer action show and the Kim Komando Show, another very informative show about computers and the Internet.

But as for FM's move to mass music programming, many listeners have grown tired of the predictable playlists and have turned to ipods, podcasting and satellite radio. Not only does this mega programming squeeze out the possibility of new artists and their music from being heard, but it also makes many stations sound cookie cutter identical. Like a particular Top 40 song? No problem. Just switch to the four or five stations in any given market sharing a similar format and you can be assured it will be played, again and again.

Today's stations still classify themselves in formats like Country, Top 40, and Rock and some are even experimenting with what they call "whatever" playlists trying to mimic the popular ipods and podcasts. But the station's playlists are still preprogrammed into hard drives that spit them out along with the commercials in a precise, predictable, business like order. And although the powers that be tried in vain to slow or even stop the progress of satellite radio, it harkens back to the days when VHS and then later CDs came to be. The bottom line is that if the consumer wants it, it's going to happen.

What will eventually cause conventional radio listenership to decline won't be satellite or mp3 players. It will be the watered down, mass market approach these mega companies are taking. Because they've changed what was once exciting, unpredictable radio into what should now be called the, "FM Bland".

Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, producer, voice over talent, and owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results. Visit his web site at http://www.eisenbergagency.com; mailto: halacious@eisenbergagency.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Music Note romps in Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park
The Canadian Press, NEW YORK - 8 hours ago
NEW YORK — Music Note turned in a dazzling performance, beating entrymate Little Belle by 11 lengths Saturday in the US$300000 Coaching Club American Oaks ...
Music Note delivers loud and clear CBSSports.com
Music Note dazzles in Coaching Club Brisnet.com
Music Note Crushes CCA Oaks Rivals BloodHorse
Thoroughbred Times
all 24 news articles


Telegraph.co.uk

Music, co-op games the dominant trends at E3
CNET News, CA - Jul 18, 2008
Among the dominant trends at E3 in Los Angeles this week was music games. Everywhere you looked, publishers were announcing new ones and players were ...
Nintendo unveils a Wii music game Oneindia
Nintendo E3 Cliff's Notes! Mygamer.com
Nintendo Ready To Rock With Wii Music After Big E3 ChattahBox
dBTechno - bit-tech.net
all 367 news articles


Olympic champ Carly Patterson finds a new passion: music
Dallas Morning News, TX - 2 hours ago
There's more to life than just gymnastics, and I had other goals, obviously, with the music and stuff." Ms. Patterson's budding music career, however, ...


Fresh thoughts on new music
Detroit Free Press, United States - 50 minutes ago
(Buddy Guy opens for George Thorogood & the Destroyers at the Meadow Brook Music Festival on Aug. 21.) The reputation of the legendary Los Angeles band Love ...


Kid Rock returns in style Saturday night at DTE Energy Music Theatre
Detroit Free Press, United States - 2 hours ago
... a welcomed return to metro Detroit Saturday night for Kid Rock and his Rock and Roll Revival -- in the first of four shows at DTE Energy Music Theatre. ...


Mom fights music giant
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 23 hours ago
"The music companies are just going to keep doing this to people. I think it's my responsibility to stand up to them and say, 'That's enough. ...
Mom fights music giant over DMCA takedown notice Afterdawn.com
Fair use claimed in YouTube row Calgary Herald
Mom continues to chase Prince on Free Use issue CNET News
CBS 5 - Wired News
all 24 news articles


MLive.com

Long-lost friends reunite in marriage, music
MLive.com, MI - 13 hours ago
BISMARCK, ND -- Music was the force that brought them together in 1936, shortly before their lives took separate, yet musical, paths. ...


Music retailer thrives serving captive audience
Reuters - 4 hours ago
NEW YORK (Billboard) - As music retailers struggle to stay in business, a Los Angeles firm is doing nicely targeting a demographic that gets bigger every ...


Rocky Mountain News

Event deserves a bow, music tries to keep up
Denver Post, CO - 1 hour ago
By Ricardo Baca It was a fine debut for the Mile High Music Festival, which opened Saturday on the outer grounds of Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce ...
Mile High Music Festival winds down Rocky Mountain News
Mile High Music Festival opens cw2.com
Mile High Music Fest - too much going on Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News - Rocky Mountain News
all 22 news articles


Bono weaves Spider-Man a web of music
Times Online, UK - 8 hours ago
Having composed the music for the forthcoming Broadway production of Spider-Man, Bono and the Edge will release a U2 album based on their musical adaptation ...

Music - Google News

home | site map

Visit our other sites:
GamesBlog | GamingDepot | GimmeaRide | GimmeNetwork | Golf Biz | HotorNotGame | I Want Computers | I Want Games | I Want Hosting | I Want Music | I Want Security | JokeBox | ScriptShock | Wantedfonts | Webalize
© 2006