I wonder why people who can grasp the subtle nuances and difference between similar music formats like "lite rock" as compared to "soft rock" are so quick to lump all spoken word formats together as if there was no difference between them at all.
I just watched a television program about the shifts in the music industry, and how recording company labels have lost importance and how the public's taste in music has changed. I'm reminded that once upon a time, radio wasn't just 24/7 jukeboxes because the public didn't want to hear music 24/7. I recall how the Baby Boomer generation made such a big deal out of music, making it a far more important part of our lives than it was to our parents' generation.
Maybe the era of the public wanting nothing but music, music, and more music on the radio is simply coming to an end. Maybe after several decades of most radio stations being little more than a free promotional service for the music recording industry, there is a major change coming in the radio industry. I don't think anyone here is old enough to remember first hand the transition from network radio with scripted comedies and dramas to all local juke box radio. But I imagine it must have been hard for the old-timers who spent their entire radio careers believing that shows like Jack Benny or The Bickersons or The Shadow would be the main staple of radio forever to face the rise of Top 40 music radio.
The age of scripted comedies and dramas on radio ended when television came along and proved it could do story-based entertainment better than radio could. So radio did what television couldn't, and became a glorified juke box. And while some in radio cling to the myth that what really defines their station is their news and public affairs programming, the fact is that when 90% of a station's airtime that isn't devoted to commercials is playing some format of recorded music, then that recorded music is what the station is really all about.
If television killed story-based entertainment on the radio and music format radio filled that void, why is it so hard to believe that iPods and satellite radio and all the other new technologies that are superior at providing musical entertainment to the masses will cause radio to make another major shift to yet another niche?
There were always "Make Believe Ballroom" type shows on the radio, even when the story-based programs dominated the airwaves. DJ shows weren't anything new when television replaced radio as the primary mass entertainment medium. Talk format shows existed on radio for a long, long time. But, with the competition from new technologies for the music fan's attention, it's time for all talk formats to enjoy the same kind of growth that music formats enjoyed in the 1950's.
When music format broadcasting took over from story-based entertainment, not every music format succeeded. And of those who didn't like seeing the stations they worked for turned into juke boxes complained that all those "jungle music" songs sounded alike. They predicted that rock and roll was a fad and would go away. They said no one would want to hear nothing but songs all day and all night. They were wrong.
Now, people are saying that there's not enough market for talk radio. Not enough people want to hear talk. There's not enough difference between one kind of talk and another kind of talk, even though the difference between "lite rock" and "soft rock" is as plain (to them) as the nose on their face.
The new talk formats might not succeed as well with Arbitron ratings as music format radio does, but then Arbitron ratings could well become irrelevant. Arbitrons are based on the premise that the only way to test effectiveness of radio is how many ears are out there when your commercial is aired. Anyone who works in small market local radio knows that one can sell airtime based on other factors and can be quite successful. Listen to how many talk show commercials call for the listener to click a hidden button on the sponsor's website to type in "Rush" or "Glenn". Or how many talk show commercials give a different website address on different shows, like product123.com on one show and product456.com on another. Or who give different 800 numbers on different shows. Those are simple but effective ways for a sponsor to track not only how many people are in the room when their spot airs, but who actually hear the spot and respond to it.
If you had a product to sell, would you rather your message was vaguely heard by 1,000 people as part of the background noise on a music format station or listened to intently by 100 people who were paying attention to a talk show broadcast?
it sounds to me like they're trying to imitate the DVE morning show and see if they can carry it through the whole broadcast day.
As someone who listens to the 'DVE Morning Show most mornings from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, the 'DVE Morning Show has turned from a music show with some talk and comedy bits into a talk show with a little music. Whether or not The Zone will succeed at trying to do the same schtick for the rest of the day is not based on whether or not the market is "personality driven". It will succeed or fail based on whether or not Dennis Miller, John McIntyre, and Scott Paulsen are the right personalities for the job. Steigerwald won't last, he's too grumpy. But even if Stiegerwald fails, it won't be because there's no market for a sports talk show in the morning, it will be because Steigerwald simply isn't the right sports talk guy for the morning.
Welcome to the new millenium.
