Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but it's as good as any, I guess. I want to know what kinds of missconceptions you had about how the radio industry works that have now been corrected. Here are mine,
1. I thought that all the radio in a particular area was controlled by one entity, something like the Seattle Radio Alliance if such a thing existed. All the stations were controlled by this one company made up of local people that didn't have anything outside of that market.
2. I thought until a few years ago, that a station's transmitter was always on the roof of the studio building. I remember the first studio I ever visited here in Seattle was KKDZ 1250, which was on the second floor of the building. Being only seven at the time and not knowing how AM worked, I thought this had something to do with the station being able to get out farther. I remember this used to confuse me because KJR-FM used to always say "live from the shores of Eliot Bay," which would have put a good signal into downtown Edmonds, coming straight up Puget Sound. That statement wasn't entirely inaccurate, as the studios were, and still are, along the waterfront, but the station along with most other fms, transmits from Cougar Mountain. Well, some transmit from West Tiger, but you get the point.
3. I thought that a station's imaging voice worked for that station, and other stations had to sign a contract with that station in order to use that voice.
4. While I'm at it, I thought the DJs had to hit buttons to make the songs play. Ok this might not actually have been too far off in the 60s and 70s, though in that case it would have been cuing records and dealing with carts then, but by the time I was born stations would have been more automated.
Now obviously I've learned a lot more about the industry since I had these, but I think it's kind of interesting what I used to think. What were yours?
1. I thought that all the radio in a particular area was controlled by one entity, something like the Seattle Radio Alliance if such a thing existed. All the stations were controlled by this one company made up of local people that didn't have anything outside of that market.
2. I thought until a few years ago, that a station's transmitter was always on the roof of the studio building. I remember the first studio I ever visited here in Seattle was KKDZ 1250, which was on the second floor of the building. Being only seven at the time and not knowing how AM worked, I thought this had something to do with the station being able to get out farther. I remember this used to confuse me because KJR-FM used to always say "live from the shores of Eliot Bay," which would have put a good signal into downtown Edmonds, coming straight up Puget Sound. That statement wasn't entirely inaccurate, as the studios were, and still are, along the waterfront, but the station along with most other fms, transmits from Cougar Mountain. Well, some transmit from West Tiger, but you get the point.
3. I thought that a station's imaging voice worked for that station, and other stations had to sign a contract with that station in order to use that voice.
4. While I'm at it, I thought the DJs had to hit buttons to make the songs play. Ok this might not actually have been too far off in the 60s and 70s, though in that case it would have been cuing records and dealing with carts then, but by the time I was born stations would have been more automated.
Now obviously I've learned a lot more about the industry since I had these, but I think it's kind of interesting what I used to think. What were yours?
