The subject line gave away it was going to be another of these threads, no matter how many times things are explained.
The reason that the conversation digresses, IMO, is that there are marked changes in broadcasting practices, and those go along with changes in communication styles in contemporary culture. On this message board with significant numbers of boomers, the transitions in media platforms and communication styles will always be a topic of interest.
David Eduardo remarked on this topic:
While I think your generalization is correct, I do find that within certain formats and their corresponding listener groups there are differences.
For example, with Regional Mexican there is a desire in essentially all dayparts for "company" during the workday and in other "places" in life. There are no doubt social issue in play, where a sometimes marginalized group wants to feel a belonging that DJs can provide.
This broadcasting style has been around for decades, but it is rarely heard now on music stations. However, it IS frequently heard on talk stations, where the air talent speaks directly to the audience. Political talk show hosts tend to bring up topics to engage listeners so that they will call in. The late Rush Limbaugh and others talk hosts used to employ this tactic well. He would say, "Oh boy folks, now here is something that will really get your attention. What do you think about what happened at the White House yesterday? Doesn't that upset you? Let me know what you think," etc. That's very conversational, and that was part of his appeal to his fans, the "dittoheads."
Another example is in sportscasting. The late Vin Scully of the L.A. Dodgers is well-known for his trademark phrase, "Pull up a chair and spend part of the afternoon with us." Vin would then go on to call not only balls & strikes, but also do his own commentary by telling memorable stories about players in the past.
Jaime Jarrin at KWKW ( link below) , the Dodgers' Spanish language station, developed the same technique. Jaime worked alone sometimes, but he used that same conversational style of telling stories, as if he were talking to listeners like old friends who stopped by for a visit.
( Jaime recently retired; and I will miss him, as I used to listen to him to practice my Spanish comprehension).
That conversational style does not exist in music anymore, as younger listeners want more music and less chatter. But it's very popular in talk radio and to sports. Sometimes on sports commentary shows like Pardon the Interruption, or San Francisco Giants post game shows ( sorry, I don't have a link), Twitter messages from viewers are broadcast across the bottom of the screen, in order to encourage them to join the conversation.
This is off-topic, but the S.F. Giants used to have a call-in post-game show with host Marty Lurie at KNBR 680 which sometimes lasted 6 hours. ( 6 hours! ) Marty Lurie could converse about any baseball subject with anyone. I never heard a talker with a more extensive baseball knowledge base than Marty Lurie. I was always worried that he would run out of things to say. But he kept rolling along.
In conclusion, I understand why members of this board roll their eyes when boomers want to talk about the "old days" or forms of broadcasting that seem outmoded. But, I think that the chatty, conversational style of announcing is still very much with us. It is just that it no longer works for music radio. Younger listeners don't need to hear it, nor do they want to hear it. JMO. - D.
Jaime Jarrin from Quito, Ecuador