I don't know the answer but, in reading the headline "Dayton's Fly - The Future of Radio?", I had to laugh. This is the first time in years that the words "Dayton" and "future" have been combined in the same sentence. You have to live here to know just how funny that combination really is!
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Jockless Fly 92.9: Is this what we want radio to be?
- Thread starter amfmxm
- Start date
Australian Whine said:
I wasn't using that WKRP episode to defend anyone. I was making a point that radio-and jocks-have survived Phase 1 of automated stations. This is Phase 2 of said era. I like Fly, but unlike some would think, I would like to see air talent on there sooner rather than later. Automated stations don't work for a number of reasons. Devoid of personality is one of them. So no, I don't want Fly to be "bereft of life" forever...and as I said in another post, talent will come. Please be patient and fasten your seat belts. :
B
BobointheH20
Guest
I like Fly, but unlike some would think, I would like to see air talent on there sooner rather than later. Automated stations don't work for a number of reasons. Devoid of personality is one of them. So no, I don't want Fly to be "bereft of life" forever...and as I said in another post, talent will come. Please be patient and fasten your seat belts. :
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The fact of the matter is, they aren't paying career radio talent a living wage any more. They don't have to. As contracts come up, you'll see the live daily shift DJs doing either be let go or forced to take lesser contracts. So you are left with the guy with a day job who's willing to come in for $10 an hour because he gets to be "famous". The days of radio DJ being a viable career choice are over. Unless they have a powerhouse, syndicated gig, the real talent will do it for love and the extra pocket money, or they'll move on.
[/quote]
The fact of the matter is, they aren't paying career radio talent a living wage any more. They don't have to. As contracts come up, you'll see the live daily shift DJs doing either be let go or forced to take lesser contracts. So you are left with the guy with a day job who's willing to come in for $10 an hour because he gets to be "famous". The days of radio DJ being a viable career choice are over. Unless they have a powerhouse, syndicated gig, the real talent will do it for love and the extra pocket money, or they'll move on.
Hey Bobo. I am a living example of what you're saying. 2004 was my last full-time year in radio. Up untill that point, for 30 years, I was in the buisness in some capacity or another. I have since got some continuing education and now make my living in education.
I really loved radio and at one time, was really passionate about it. I would have stayed in had the ability to make a living at it had not gone away.
These days, I have been able to set up a small home-studio in an unused room and I still do some off-site production for the last station that I worked for and others when the opportunity comes up. I do it mainly for the love of doing it and for the small bit of extra money. Mainly though for the love of still using my craft, however limited these days.
You are right. Unless you are a Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or someone else in that caliber, the days of making a good radio living are done. It would be nice if they would return but I don't think they ever will. I dont mean to be pessimistic, just realistic.
Radio has, for the most part, became nothing more than computers and I pods with a transmitter. Bland, mechanical and with no creativity.
Radio30.
I really loved radio and at one time, was really passionate about it. I would have stayed in had the ability to make a living at it had not gone away.
These days, I have been able to set up a small home-studio in an unused room and I still do some off-site production for the last station that I worked for and others when the opportunity comes up. I do it mainly for the love of doing it and for the small bit of extra money. Mainly though for the love of still using my craft, however limited these days.
You are right. Unless you are a Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or someone else in that caliber, the days of making a good radio living are done. It would be nice if they would return but I don't think they ever will. I dont mean to be pessimistic, just realistic.
Radio has, for the most part, became nothing more than computers and I pods with a transmitter. Bland, mechanical and with no creativity.
Radio30.
B
BobointheH20
Guest
I feel your pain, 30. I really do. The people who post with the opinion that it's going to change are young, eager and naive enough to a) believe it when the suits promise that they're "next" if they only keep working for that crap pay for a little longer, and b) not have been in the business when DJs really, truly wielded some power and clout in the media business.
Now even the guys and gals who have steady, decent paying air jobs are just hoping they can last long enough to get through their new-career training, kids' college education or get close to retirement. There's almost no extra appearance money to be made, and the sales departments scrape all but a token amount off any endorsement deals. Hell, even the sales people don't make the money they used to; commissions are cut and accounts are taken away from anyone who gets too successful.
There may be some fun still to be had, but anyone who's been in radio for over ten years will tell you, it ain't ever going to be like it was.
Now even the guys and gals who have steady, decent paying air jobs are just hoping they can last long enough to get through their new-career training, kids' college education or get close to retirement. There's almost no extra appearance money to be made, and the sales departments scrape all but a token amount off any endorsement deals. Hell, even the sales people don't make the money they used to; commissions are cut and accounts are taken away from anyone who gets too successful.
There may be some fun still to be had, but anyone who's been in radio for over ten years will tell you, it ain't ever going to be like it was.
Yeah, I too am trying to figure out exactly how jocks were - monetarily - living the high life back in the day. Sure, they had much more star power and celebrity and more freedom to do what they wanted on the air, but that didn't equate to rakin' in the bucks....unless - like it's always been - you were a HUGE personality and could command the big bucks. Now, having said that, I do have to disagree with the notion of NOT being able to make "a good living" in today's radio environment. I understand that a "good living" is subjective, but this business has provided me with a living I've been very satisfied with for about the last 10 years. I ain't driving a Lexus and living in a gated community, but I'm still doing just fine.
I used to DJ parties in high school back in the 80's and wanted to pursue an on-air radio career. But I was jolted back to reality when I talked with a cousin of mine that worked in the traffic (not the auto kind) department of the market leading country station and she told me what the best jock was making. It was at that time that I decided to pursue my career in aviation. But it's still a love of mine and I still know a few in the biz.
Money just wasnt' there; so now i'm gettin more in my welfare check from the industry of airplanes.
Money just wasnt' there; so now i'm gettin more in my welfare check from the industry of airplanes.
pbf1 said:
Sorry to have missed all this good repartee, but I did want to respond.
P 25-54? Last numbers I saw were last spring when they were #8. Maybe their 25-54 went up in the fall even though their 12+ dropped again. You got more recent info you want to share?
Bottom line? Got me there. It's cheap to run, no doubt about that.
As far as whether it's fair to compare them to WTVR, that's the target isn't it--if 25-54 is the demo? And their jump back up to double digits came out of somebody's hide. In 12+, Liberty's gone 5.4-3.5 spring to spring and 3.8-3.3 fall to fall over the past year. Safe to say that some of 'TVR's recovery came out of their hide. Did Mainline figure Clear Channel wouldn't fight back?
So if jukebox radio only works as long as you're not interrupting the flow with people and/or commercials--and the venture capitalists require payment sooner or later--then what's the point? A little short-term success?
When Fly gets jocks, they need to keep it short and to the point. Introduce the music and tell people what's coming up, and also plug remotes and stuff like that. A little personality in the morning is okay. The rest of the day shut up and let the music do the talking, er, singing. ;D
R
ratingsgeek
Guest
FRR said:
Then the radio industry boils down to computer-driven music systems interrupted by as few commercials as possible and attempting to out-program personally-programmed iPods for the consumer's attention. Really don't need local management or staff to do that--it can all be outsourced--even the sales function.
So which job will you be losing?
amfmxm said:
Aren't you glad you started this thread??? :-\
Somehow I had the good fortune to skip over this one until today.
I think I've got the future figured out.
The music area (Look how old I am. I started to call it the "Record Department") at Best Buy has been shrinking. Yet people are filling up their iPods somewhere.
Here is what is going to happen: Those poor misguided people who enjoy the human voice will soon be going to Best Buy and WalMart and paying good money to by currently produced programs on memory sticks kind of like my generation buys tapes of classic radio (1940s) at Cracker Barrel. I don't know what. Howard Stern? Bob and Tom? Anyhow, there will be this industry of programmers sitting in their spare room at home making these PodCasts which will sell at retail to go into iPods and as the ex-broadcasters drive by their boarded up radio stations they will wipe a tear from their eye as shout at their dog: "Where did I go wrong? I gave them music music music and this is the thanks I get."
O.K. What does this kit say? Plug the USB microphone into your computer. Place the microphone in front of your open closet. It makes a good Murphy Bed Studio. Hot dog. I'm on my way.
Then again.... maybe not.
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
My vision is a little different. Once it becomes clear--as radio's listening attrition climbs relentlessly up the demographic ladder--that commercial FM can't win the music war against commercial-free "new media," FM will move into talk radio, as pioneers like WKXW/WXKW, WPGB, WTKS and others already have. But, as compelling network talk talent is spread relatively thin, most FMs will focus on local talk--essentially doing what iPods & national media can't do: functioning as a mirror of the community. That's the New Jersey 101.5 model--and it's worked wonderfully for them. Obviously it won't work as great for all players, depending on their relative skills & wallets & timing & facilities, but there are just as many niches in talk radio as there are in music radio--probably more.
But that kind of radio requires people. So, yeah, radio will need to re-staff. Sooner than it thinks.
amfmxm said:
Oh, promise me this is going to begin happening before I get to old to play the game. Sign me up! I'm ready to go Monday morning. ;D
M
MisterHonesty
Guest
It's only commercial free until they decide to put commercials on it...and they will. They just haven't figured out how to get the demo numbers to mean anything to advertisers yet.
As for stations playing all music, they don't work. Been tried 100s of times and all have failed. The true shame in radio today is all of the personalities (yes, there's a difference between deejays and personalities) cost money, but they are the only people in radio who can drive numbers based on what they do. They envoke emotions (happiness, sadness, anger) in people that make them listen. Most of the people coming up through the ranks are either deejays (I am ____ that was ____ and coming up is ____, ____, ____...talk about talent!) or they're kids who haven't been taught how to prep or talk to an audience and all they want to talk about are national studies with no point or relatability and crap entertainment news off E! Wow! Now that takes talent!!
The talented ones are out there and they are the ones who don't bow to the suits demands and still manage to stay employed. You read about them in the trades. They're usually the ones who have a job a couple of weeks after losing one or are offered a job while still employed because someone was impressed with what they can do for their station.
As for stations playing all music, they don't work. Been tried 100s of times and all have failed. The true shame in radio today is all of the personalities (yes, there's a difference between deejays and personalities) cost money, but they are the only people in radio who can drive numbers based on what they do. They envoke emotions (happiness, sadness, anger) in people that make them listen. Most of the people coming up through the ranks are either deejays (I am ____ that was ____ and coming up is ____, ____, ____...talk about talent!) or they're kids who haven't been taught how to prep or talk to an audience and all they want to talk about are national studies with no point or relatability and crap entertainment news off E! Wow! Now that takes talent!!
The talented ones are out there and they are the ones who don't bow to the suits demands and still manage to stay employed. You read about them in the trades. They're usually the ones who have a job a couple of weeks after losing one or are offered a job while still employed because someone was impressed with what they can do for their station.
I agree. I liked the days when radio had a personality. It was not only the music but the people, their wit and humor. Someone from the local area people could relate to. I first thought this iPod radio was cool but after listening to it a while I started realizing something was missing, it was boring. The interation of the DJ was what was missing. I don't like this new type of impersonal radio. Just like everything else in life, it's turning corporate and boring. I'm sure someone somewhere is making money and in the end that is all that matters. Money talks, BS walks.
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