The Big A, you are absolutely right. For those of us in radio it is a job. And it is deeper than that. In fact it has nothing to do with us personally but what our job objectives are and what our listeners want proven by the resources we have available to us.
I personally am a music fan. I barely took home any of my paycheck working in a record store. That employee discount was way too tempting but I don't play my personal music library on radio.
I manage a station. I do it by the book per my owner so I can stay in my job and turn a profit for my owner who, by the way, is not a group owner.
First, as the music director at a few stations, I had access to music the labels serviced me with and that kept me busy enough (everybody in radio wishes for more time because we have so much to do). I dealt with the record label reps. I added and dropped music per my Program Director's criteria because he took his directive from the General Manager and the General Manager took his directive from the owner. The owner only wanted to not pull money out of his pocket to make up losses.
I actually disliked some of what we played. It would have been nice, personally, to have introduced the audience to other music but that was not my job and to keep my job I had to do it right.
If you went to McDonald's for a Big Mac but were served a Turkey Burger, even if it might taste the same as a Big Mac to some, it is not what the customer ordered and you won't have your job or customers very long serving Turkey Burgers for Big Macs. Would you put your hard earned cash up to invest in a McDonald's that served up Turkey Burgers when one orders a Big Mac? I sure wouldn't.
What we in radio face every day is providing the product our listener orders to the best of our ability. If we get the order wrong or we serve them something else, then we're out of a job. I have a friend that is an interior designer. She was so excited years ago about getting to do this. She has yet to do what she wants in a home. She always does what the customer wants. Maybe that's why she ends up with plenty of jobs.
Avid Listener, you seem to be holding our feet to the fire for not changing things to your liking. We aren't the problem. We are simply doing our jobs to produce the results our owners want. Certainly, if you should be required to have a job to pay the bills, you would do the same. None of us claim the business is perfect or not flawed in any way, but we do want to keep our jobs. And I don't own a suit and even hate it when I have to wear a tie. Jeans and a t-shirt is my preferred attire.
Personally, I seek out those stations that don't play the typical fare. Most of them go under but that doesn't keep me from being a fan of the station while it lasts. But that's me personally and I have yet to have an owner that says they're willing to take that longshot. The only ones that seem to survive are those that have a successful standard fare station or two to keep that longshot afloat. Even with the station I'm starting, we are researching the market, refining the hole we will fill and sometimes gritting our teeth at some of what we will do but we realize it is not about us, but the listener and what they want. Risking much of my savings, you can bet the plan is to eventually return those dollars back to me. I cannot afford to risk the money going down the drain and there is a real risk if we get it wrong or misjudge the market.
I personally am a music fan. I barely took home any of my paycheck working in a record store. That employee discount was way too tempting but I don't play my personal music library on radio.
I manage a station. I do it by the book per my owner so I can stay in my job and turn a profit for my owner who, by the way, is not a group owner.
First, as the music director at a few stations, I had access to music the labels serviced me with and that kept me busy enough (everybody in radio wishes for more time because we have so much to do). I dealt with the record label reps. I added and dropped music per my Program Director's criteria because he took his directive from the General Manager and the General Manager took his directive from the owner. The owner only wanted to not pull money out of his pocket to make up losses.
I actually disliked some of what we played. It would have been nice, personally, to have introduced the audience to other music but that was not my job and to keep my job I had to do it right.
If you went to McDonald's for a Big Mac but were served a Turkey Burger, even if it might taste the same as a Big Mac to some, it is not what the customer ordered and you won't have your job or customers very long serving Turkey Burgers for Big Macs. Would you put your hard earned cash up to invest in a McDonald's that served up Turkey Burgers when one orders a Big Mac? I sure wouldn't.
What we in radio face every day is providing the product our listener orders to the best of our ability. If we get the order wrong or we serve them something else, then we're out of a job. I have a friend that is an interior designer. She was so excited years ago about getting to do this. She has yet to do what she wants in a home. She always does what the customer wants. Maybe that's why she ends up with plenty of jobs.
Avid Listener, you seem to be holding our feet to the fire for not changing things to your liking. We aren't the problem. We are simply doing our jobs to produce the results our owners want. Certainly, if you should be required to have a job to pay the bills, you would do the same. None of us claim the business is perfect or not flawed in any way, but we do want to keep our jobs. And I don't own a suit and even hate it when I have to wear a tie. Jeans and a t-shirt is my preferred attire.
Personally, I seek out those stations that don't play the typical fare. Most of them go under but that doesn't keep me from being a fan of the station while it lasts. But that's me personally and I have yet to have an owner that says they're willing to take that longshot. The only ones that seem to survive are those that have a successful standard fare station or two to keep that longshot afloat. Even with the station I'm starting, we are researching the market, refining the hole we will fill and sometimes gritting our teeth at some of what we will do but we realize it is not about us, but the listener and what they want. Risking much of my savings, you can bet the plan is to eventually return those dollars back to me. I cannot afford to risk the money going down the drain and there is a real risk if we get it wrong or misjudge the market.
