The quest for ratings.
We’ve all seen news stories where a jock or a team on the radio get into serious trouble for what they said or did. That quest for notoriety and ratings can cloud the judgement of broadcasters who should simply know better.
The term “shock jock” has been around a long time. I wouldn’t exactly call Don Imus a shock jock but when I first heard him, he was different, for sure. In fact, he sounded like the last person you’d expect to hear on the radio. He mumbled and sounded incoherent at times. Of course, we now know why that was the case.
There was Howard Stern, who like Imus, landed on WNBC-AM, NYC. As the AM music audience vanished by the 80s, there was a non-music strategy some employed for AM radio. Stern didn’t last too long. A catch 22 for shock jocks is needing to outdo themselves over time. Certainly, that’s not easy in a conventional radio environment. No one wants to lose their FCC license.
Florida has an interesting shock jock history too. I’ve heard a number of airchecks and read a lot of stories about “The Greaseman” on Jacksonville’s heritage WAPE when it was on AM. The Baptist Church had a lot of influence in that community in the 70s. They and other tried, but couldn’t get him off the air.
With FM making gains, the WAPE management probably felt Greaseman was the best bet to help minimize the bleeding. In looking back, you can see why AM was willing to try something new.
Neil Rogers was a South Florida talk show host in the 8PM –midnight slot on WINZ-AM. He probably saw the handwriting on the wall on a number of levels. He got a midday slot, moved away from geriatric topics, and appealed to a younger male audience. He was a huge hit. I recall his AM show was #2 in the market in the mid 80s. Neil moved around the dial a good deal after that initial success. You would think that wouldn’t be the case.
Bubba The Love Sponge had a lot of lawsuits that came his way. I seem to remember he even got into trouble with Nielsen. Most radio stations today probably don’t want the aggravation.
There’s also the syndicated Lex & Terry. iHeart’s Jax rock station “Planet,” appears to be dying on the vine. It’s 5 hours of Lex & Terry in the morning. On a full market signal, the format is in the 2 shares.
As a society, we have also grown extremely sensitive. Increasing numbers of people seem to get offended at the drop of a hat. Perhaps shock jock radio doesn’t bring those results it once did either. Perhaps too, owners just don’t want the headaches.
Many topics on the radio boards have dealt with today’s jocks not saying much. Seriously, it makes no sense to be controversial on a music station. There’s other ways for a station to promote itself and its brand.
Those great radio promotions….that’s next!
We’ve all seen news stories where a jock or a team on the radio get into serious trouble for what they said or did. That quest for notoriety and ratings can cloud the judgement of broadcasters who should simply know better.
The term “shock jock” has been around a long time. I wouldn’t exactly call Don Imus a shock jock but when I first heard him, he was different, for sure. In fact, he sounded like the last person you’d expect to hear on the radio. He mumbled and sounded incoherent at times. Of course, we now know why that was the case.
There was Howard Stern, who like Imus, landed on WNBC-AM, NYC. As the AM music audience vanished by the 80s, there was a non-music strategy some employed for AM radio. Stern didn’t last too long. A catch 22 for shock jocks is needing to outdo themselves over time. Certainly, that’s not easy in a conventional radio environment. No one wants to lose their FCC license.
Florida has an interesting shock jock history too. I’ve heard a number of airchecks and read a lot of stories about “The Greaseman” on Jacksonville’s heritage WAPE when it was on AM. The Baptist Church had a lot of influence in that community in the 70s. They and other tried, but couldn’t get him off the air.
With FM making gains, the WAPE management probably felt Greaseman was the best bet to help minimize the bleeding. In looking back, you can see why AM was willing to try something new.
Neil Rogers was a South Florida talk show host in the 8PM –midnight slot on WINZ-AM. He probably saw the handwriting on the wall on a number of levels. He got a midday slot, moved away from geriatric topics, and appealed to a younger male audience. He was a huge hit. I recall his AM show was #2 in the market in the mid 80s. Neil moved around the dial a good deal after that initial success. You would think that wouldn’t be the case.
Bubba The Love Sponge had a lot of lawsuits that came his way. I seem to remember he even got into trouble with Nielsen. Most radio stations today probably don’t want the aggravation.
There’s also the syndicated Lex & Terry. iHeart’s Jax rock station “Planet,” appears to be dying on the vine. It’s 5 hours of Lex & Terry in the morning. On a full market signal, the format is in the 2 shares.
As a society, we have also grown extremely sensitive. Increasing numbers of people seem to get offended at the drop of a hat. Perhaps shock jock radio doesn’t bring those results it once did either. Perhaps too, owners just don’t want the headaches.
Many topics on the radio boards have dealt with today’s jocks not saying much. Seriously, it makes no sense to be controversial on a music station. There’s other ways for a station to promote itself and its brand.
Those great radio promotions….that’s next!