Are Disc Jockey's Artists?

[John Mack Flanagan]

A lot has been written lately about "Recording Artists" given the state of the music business. "Recording Artists" this", "Recording Artists" that"... which leads me to ask, "Are Air Personalities Artists?" I can tell you Dr. Don Rose, Tim Anthony, Chuck Buell, Big Tom Parker, and on & on, people I worked with, I can tell you these people were "Artists"! Why weren't they called this? "On Air Artists"? I believe disc jockey's had no one to speak for them. (pardon the pun...) If there had been a Dick Clark or someone on a national level to take up our cause, we world be "artists" today just like the recording folks. What do you think. Is your favorite jock an "artist"? When I think of Bobby Ocean walking up the intro to "Stairway to Heaven" and talking about "the universe", I say to myself, "There's an Artist!" -John-

 

[SFStatic]

Yes, they are, without question!

 

[AMFMDJ]

John, you are my artist... Much like Lennon and Bowie....

AMFMDJ

Also, can you tell us a story about your FIRST radio gig??????

 

[SFStatic]

I hope you get good enough someday to carry JMF's headphones. There are barely a handful of jocks from the Bay Area that are legends across the country, and John is one of those.

 

[AMFMDJ]

Wow! I got slammed.... Ok, fine... Forgive me for showing interest in a "legend"...

 

[XM RADIO]

No doubt about it John Mack Flanagan,,,,and Americas favorite Disc Jockey.. Me , Bobby Ocean are Artists.... These two Ruled the air in the Seventies!! John the Beatle brunch was great today,Kenny in Concord

 

[blackhole]

Yes, being a GREAT on air personality is an art. Unfortunately today, those true artists are few and far between. People who are true artists of our past cannot get a gig to save their lives, or can only land in tiny markets. Yet, you hear mediocre talent at best on the airwaves all day long. Why is this? Pay could be one thing. "Artists" know what is acceptable, and will hold out. Some are willing to take it just for a job because they are aware its not getting any better. Its sad to see legends making hundreds of dollars a week to track, or $25K in small markets just to have the "privelage" of doing what they do best.

Huge corporate ownership of radio stations killed the highly talented Air personality.

 

[RADIO TRUTH]

Most of the great top forty personality djs of the past are either too old to do it or dead but, the great ones were great artists. The one San Francisco jock that goes on that list is Dr. Don Rose, not just for his work on KFRC but, also for his stints on WFIL and WQXI.

 

[LKellerIII]

Yes, being a GREAT on air personality is an art. Unfortunately today, those true artists are few and far between. People who are true artists of our past cannot get a gig to save their lives, or can only land in tiny markets. Yet, you hear mediocre talent at best on the airwaves all day long. Why is this? Pay could be one thing. "Artists" know what is acceptable, and will hold out. Some are willing to take it just for a job because they are aware its not getting any better. Its sad to see legends making hundreds of dollars a week to track, or $25K in small markets just to have the "privelage" of doing what they do best.

Huge corporate ownership of radio stations killed the highly talented Air personality.

If you don't mind an outsider's perspective - I think it's too simple to blame it all on huge corporate ownership. Though the Clear Channelization of radio certainly accelerated the devaluation of talent, it was happening well before then. I think, in a sense, it started with free-form FM rock radio. Some of those jocks were artists too, but most of them weren't - they just played 3 or 4 songs back to back and back-announced the songs. By the mid 70s, top 40 radio with its jocks and jingles was considered passe and un-hip by a lot of baby-boomers. After that, the race was on for "more music - less talk." The other big personality format with larger than life personalities was Middle of the Road (MOR), and that died off as their demographic (people born before World War 2) aged. By the 80s, music was mostly on FM, and the formats were music intensive. With a few exceptions, like KYUU, The City, and later KFOG, most radio stations seemed to want jocks to just deliver the format - read the liner notes, and shut-up most of the time. Only a few veterans like Bobby Ocean and JMF were still around, and were allowed to shine within the limits of the formats they worked in. Seems to me all that pre-dated de-regulation, and Clear Channel and Viacom's huge station buys by about a decade.

 

[yourmom]

They used to be

 

[mailman ron]

Lots more - Dan Sorkin, Terry Mcgovern, Carter B Smith, Jim Lange, Gene Nelson, Tom Campbell (for innovation sake- album giveaways, "borrow my car")

 

[LKellerIII]

"Lots more - Dan Sorkin, Terry Mcgovern, Carter B Smith, Jim Lange, Gene Nelson, Tom Campbell (for innovation sake- album giveaways, "borrow my car")"

I was channel surfing the other night, and ran into McGovern on a episode of The Jeffersons. On the credits, he was billed as Terrence McGovern. He was a good comic actor.

This was during the period he left the Bay Area for Hollywood and stardom, which eluded him, in the long run. But for a few years, you'd see him doing small parts in sitcoms, TV dramas, and lots of commercials. I believe his morning drive show on K-101 in the 80s was after he gave up Hollywood.

 

[rickradio]

Terrence, huh? Interesting...

Does anyone remember McGovern in American Graffiti? He played a DJ MCing the dance at the high school. For a cheapie flick, that thing sure made stars out of a lotta people. San Bruno's native daughter, Suzanne Somers, the sexy blonde in the white '56 T-Bird whom Richard Dreyfuss could NOT catch up to to save his life. And who could forget John Mack Flanagan playing the...oh wait, sorry, that was another movie...

And now, back to "Are Disc Jockeys Artists?" here on radio-info.com.

 

[DavidKaye]

Lots more - Dan Sorkin, Terry Mcgovern, Carter B Smith, Jim Lange, Gene Nelson, Tom Campbell (for innovation sake- album giveaways, "borrow my car")

I understand that Tom Campbell gave away the use of his car when he needed to go to LA to do spots. It was cheaper and less worrisome to let some starry-eyed fan use it and take care of it than to park it in long-term parking at the airport and hope it was still there when he got back. Give props to Tom Campbell for coming up with a unique solution.

 

[Tom_KYA1260]

Absolutely yes, John. You walk in there prepared. You look at the playlist, pick your oldies, get in your mind what the music rotation will look like, be armed with what you want to talk about and when you start rolling, you create! That's where the artistry comes in.

The problem today is with pre-packaged formats and absolutely NO say as to what gets played, you may as well have Michelangelo paint by the numbers.

 

[MikeAmatori]

Yes!! Since so many formats come in 55 gallon drums these days, the only "ART" is adding your call letters and deciding how to apply the "Contractors White" format. Brush or a roller.

 

[DavidKaye]

The problem today is with pre-packaged formats and absolutely NO say as to what gets played, you may as well have Michelangelo paint by the numbers.

I'm curious then why people continue to insist that DJs from the Bill Drake and Chuck Blore eras can be considered artists when both Blore and Drake had playlists. Wasn't Robert W Morgan painting by the number? Casey Kasem? Marvelous Mark McKay?

 

[Tom_KYA1260]

The problem today is with pre-packaged formats and absolutely NO say as to what gets played, you may as well have Michelangelo paint by the numbers.

I'm curious then why people continue to insist that DJs from the Bill Drake and Chuck Blore eras can be considered artists when both Blore and Drake had playlists. Wasn't Robert W Morgan painting by the number? Casey Kasem? Marvelous Mark McKay?

When comparing syndicated shows to individual music shows, there's vast difference. The first time I heard Casey's airchecks after listening to American Top 40 for years, I couldn't believe it was him. And artistry isn't restricted by format either. Same goes for talk shows.

 

[rickradio]

I understand that Tom Campbell gave away the use of his car when he needed to go to LA to do spots. It was cheaper and less worrisome to let some starry-eyed fan use it and take care of it than to park it in long-term parking at the airport and hope it was still there when he got back. Give props to Tom Campbell for coming up with a unique solution.

Yeah, not to mention generous...not too many (if any at all) other than Tom would literally toss their car keys to a stranger, especially one as nice as Tom's. Would he go to the airport with the listener and then have the listener come pick him up when he got back?

But what did you mean by hoping it was still there when he got back? Are you talking about it being sent to an impound lot if Tom was gone for more than a certain length of time? I realize that that's not what this thread is about, but I was curious...thanks for indulging me.

And now, back to "Are Disc Jockeys Artists?"

 

[rickradio]

From the "If Anyone Cares" department:

I wanted to correct myself about McGovern's character in American Graffiti. Thanks to DJ for pointing it out to me (it has been years since I've seen the movie). He played one of the teachers at the high school, not a local DJ (disc jockey, not David Jackson).