Every so often I read a comment
extolling the features of today's technology and stating that
radio is a long gone part of history. Usually the argument is
that with today's cell phones and the internet radio as we knew
it in the 60's 70's and 80's is unnecessary. The statement is
almost always that we don't need time checks ,temperature updates and
weather reports etc because it's all there on our phones. This
argument presupposes that back in the day people sat by their radio
in wild anticipation of the next forecast or temperature or time
announcement.
I think this belief comes from people who were not there back then
and assume facts untrue. Truth be told we didn't need the radio
back then to get this info either . Most people could check the time with
a flick of their wrist for a glance at their watch which was actually
faster then we can do it with a cell phone today given having to
tap it to see the display. For temperature everybody had thermometers
at the homes and so did many cars. I remember my grandmother
doting on the temperature going out to read her thermometer
on her back porch hourly. As for weather it was in the newspaper
which everyone subscribed to back then.
Wait you say, people didn't need radio to get that information
back then? So why did you give time/temp/etc? Because It was
ancillary to our daily life. When you heard a time break you would
think, “ Oh, is it that late?........” Same with temperature
“ Wow, it's that hot?.....”. Hearing the information on the radio
backed up our belief at that moment.
Same goes for the DJ assuming he/she was entertaining and not
long winded we enjoyed them between the hits. If they kept you
up to date on things directly effecting you like bad weather, ( Local
TV does that to this day) or events near you or effecting you nearby
more power to them. If a concert was coming and you heard the
scuttlebutt you tuned to the local station because they had a
reputation for giving out the local concert information. Same goes
for other local events. In short back then the station's worked hard
to create a reputation as a local source for things be it concert info,
local news, time, temperature weather etc.
Even the Drake format and Mike Joseph's programming contained
a wealth of information germane to the community. So why did it stop
on so many stations?
In my opinion it was for several reasons. I remember sitting in my
office talking with a few DJs+ about how could satellite radio possibly
maintain it's localisum when the jock had to speak generically.
Any reference to one community would be foreign in all the others.
We laughed and said it wasn't possible. As we now know with
the advent of satellite and then computer driven programming
a station can operate. But the cost is localisum. The other thing
that clouded our thinking back then was the success of the all
music stations like good music, top forty , country that appealed
to a large audience by virtue of their large coverage area . We
tended to covet their audience and try to copy them when in
fact we didn't have the coverage to compete. All at the cost
of the local community.
Now we wonder how to save the industry. I think the answer
is simple, go back to being local. I don't mean the local yo cal
rural radio station I mean a professional presentation with
local elements embedded. It can be done easily with today's
computer automation. Easy for small local chains not so much
for national companies but hey that gives the small locals a
one up on the big guys. Sound professional as hell broadcast
stream your product but always
boost your community after all that is where your listeners
are it's not how they receive your product it's that they do
and it is about them!
I hope I didn't bore you with the ramblings of an old radio
broadcaster just hope it was food for thought.
extolling the features of today's technology and stating that
radio is a long gone part of history. Usually the argument is
that with today's cell phones and the internet radio as we knew
it in the 60's 70's and 80's is unnecessary. The statement is
almost always that we don't need time checks ,temperature updates and
weather reports etc because it's all there on our phones. This
argument presupposes that back in the day people sat by their radio
in wild anticipation of the next forecast or temperature or time
announcement.
I think this belief comes from people who were not there back then
and assume facts untrue. Truth be told we didn't need the radio
back then to get this info either . Most people could check the time with
a flick of their wrist for a glance at their watch which was actually
faster then we can do it with a cell phone today given having to
tap it to see the display. For temperature everybody had thermometers
at the homes and so did many cars. I remember my grandmother
doting on the temperature going out to read her thermometer
on her back porch hourly. As for weather it was in the newspaper
which everyone subscribed to back then.
Wait you say, people didn't need radio to get that information
back then? So why did you give time/temp/etc? Because It was
ancillary to our daily life. When you heard a time break you would
think, “ Oh, is it that late?........” Same with temperature
“ Wow, it's that hot?.....”. Hearing the information on the radio
backed up our belief at that moment.
Same goes for the DJ assuming he/she was entertaining and not
long winded we enjoyed them between the hits. If they kept you
up to date on things directly effecting you like bad weather, ( Local
TV does that to this day) or events near you or effecting you nearby
more power to them. If a concert was coming and you heard the
scuttlebutt you tuned to the local station because they had a
reputation for giving out the local concert information. Same goes
for other local events. In short back then the station's worked hard
to create a reputation as a local source for things be it concert info,
local news, time, temperature weather etc.
Even the Drake format and Mike Joseph's programming contained
a wealth of information germane to the community. So why did it stop
on so many stations?
In my opinion it was for several reasons. I remember sitting in my
office talking with a few DJs+ about how could satellite radio possibly
maintain it's localisum when the jock had to speak generically.
Any reference to one community would be foreign in all the others.
We laughed and said it wasn't possible. As we now know with
the advent of satellite and then computer driven programming
a station can operate. But the cost is localisum. The other thing
that clouded our thinking back then was the success of the all
music stations like good music, top forty , country that appealed
to a large audience by virtue of their large coverage area . We
tended to covet their audience and try to copy them when in
fact we didn't have the coverage to compete. All at the cost
of the local community.
Now we wonder how to save the industry. I think the answer
is simple, go back to being local. I don't mean the local yo cal
rural radio station I mean a professional presentation with
local elements embedded. It can be done easily with today's
computer automation. Easy for small local chains not so much
for national companies but hey that gives the small locals a
one up on the big guys. Sound professional as hell broadcast
stream your product but always
boost your community after all that is where your listeners
are it's not how they receive your product it's that they do
and it is about them!
I hope I didn't bore you with the ramblings of an old radio
broadcaster just hope it was food for thought.
