List of ANTI-CORPORATE Radio Personalities from N.O.

[axedriver]

List of ANTI-CORPORATE Radio Personalities from N.O.

Jay Hooks
Mike Costello
Weerd Wayne
Pal Al
Bob Walker
Bobby Reno
Kenny Vest
Scott Fox
Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux
The LATE and GREAT Buddy Diliberto(rest in peace, Squirrel Man)

 

[JasonReed]

I'll add me to the list:

> List of ANTI-CORPORATE Radio Personalities from N.O.
>
> Jay Hooks
> Mike Costello
> Weerd Wayne
> Pal Al
> Bob Walker
> Bobby Reno
> Kenny Vest
> Scott Fox
> Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux
> The LATE and GREAT Buddy Diliberto(rest in peace, Squirrel
> Man)
> Jason Reed
<P ID="signature">______________
I'm my own PD...
Jason Reed</P>

 

[IHearRumors]

> List of ANTI-CORPORATE Radio Personalities from N.O.
>
> Jay Hooks
> Mike Costello
> Weerd Wayne
> Pal Al
> Bob Walker
> Bobby Reno
> Kenny Vest
> Scott Fox
> Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux
> The LATE and GREAT Buddy Diliberto(rest in peace, Squirrel
> Man)
>

Pal Al works for Entercom. Hardly anti-corporate. Hell of a good guy, though.

 

[Beernuts]

So, What's The Point Of This?

??????


> List of ANTI-CORPORATE Radio Personalities from N.O.
>
> Jay Hooks
> Mike Costello
> Weerd Wayne
> Pal Al
> Bob Walker
> Bobby Reno
> Kenny Vest
> Scott Fox
> Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux
> The LATE and GREAT Buddy Diliberto(rest in peace, Squirrel
> Man)
>

 

[sawtooth_mcmull]

Re: So, What's The Point Of This?

> ??????
>
>
> > List of ANTI-CORPORATE Radio Personalities from N.O.
> >
> > Jay Hooks
> > Mike Costello
> > Weerd Wayne
> > Pal Al
> > Bob Walker
> > Bobby Reno
> > Kenny Vest
> > Scott Fox
> > Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux
> > The LATE and GREAT Buddy Diliberto(rest in peace, Squirrel
> > Man)
> >

You could add me to the list as well,... seemingly I'll never work radio again because they've destroyed it! What about you Beernuts... are you anti-corporate?!
<P ID="signature">______________
Sawtooth McMullen</P>

 

[RadioEngineer]

> I'll add me to the list:
> > Jason Reed
>
It doesn't matter if anyone is anti-corporate or not, they've won. The big companies have forced the smaller companies to economize with talent just like the Clearborg. It's pervasive in all of the companies. There may be a handful of operators that still believe in live and local with content, but mostly we have devolved into lifeless jukeboxes with pre-recorded and perfectly timed voice tracks while all the request lines are placed on hold.

Radio has become a uselss medium with few exceptions. Broadcast studios sit empty while a computer plays the same tired songs compressed at 5:1 ratios and over processed and homogenized to the point of exhausting your ears. There is no one to open the mic and make an off the wall comment or interact with the few listeners still willing to call in and participate in an exchange. Many jocks are forced to appear on multiple stations in multiple, or in some cases the same, markets for no additional compensation. Engineering has been reduced from one person per station to one person handling as many as seven stations.

The suits are insisting on spending huge dollars on attempting to compete with technology instead of content. HD Radio is a joke. While they tout CD quality audio, it is in fact lower quality than you'll get from your MP3 player. Just like "Laverne and Shirley" on HDTV is still "Laverne and Shirley", "Stairway to Heaven" is still just that with HD Radio. HD2? Even lower quality across the table as they reduce the already insufficient bit rates to accomodate more channels and ultimately more inventory to sell.

Loyalty to staff is nonexistent. I know PD's that are working without contracts and can be shown the door at any time. I know air talent that had contracts that were broken through loop holes and sent to the street.

What used to be a fun, creative business is now just a job of drudgery and trying to keep your head down. Making eye contact and offering creativity is a recipe for ending your career.

Just show Wall Street the money baby.

Radio doesn't get it anymore. It's about content and quality, not "Less is more". Engineers used to take pride in how well their operations worked and how good we could make the stations sound on your car and home stereos, now if it's on the air and making noise we pray we can get through one night of sleep.

So anti-corporate? Sure. But it's not just the biggies that have destroyed radio, the small ones are in it with them as everyone tries to line their pockets for as long as terrestrial broadcasting remains viable. There is technology on the near horizen that will finish off terrestrial and render it totally irrelevant. But the battle already lost won't be fought with content, it will be fought with cuts of staff and pretend technology.

These are not broadcasters that are doing this, these are MBA's that have destroyed the medium for personal gain. Rail on against Clearborg and the others all you want, it will not change the fact that terrestrial radio is circleing the drain.

 

[sawtooth_mcmull]

> > I'll add me to the list:
> > > Jason Reed
> >
> It doesn't matter if anyone is anti-corporate or not,
> they've won. The big companies have forced the smaller
> companies to economize with talent just like the Clearborg.
> It's pervasive in all of the companies. There may be a
> handful of operators that still believe in live and local
> with content, but mostly we have devolved into lifeless
> jukeboxes with pre-recorded and perfectly timed voice tracks
> while all the request lines are placed on hold.
>
> Radio has become a uselss medium with few exceptions.
> Broadcast studios sit empty while a computer plays the same
> tired songs compressed at 5:1 ratios and over processed and
> homogenized to the point of exhausting your ears. There is
> no one to open the mic and make an off the wall comment or
> interact with the few listeners still willing to call in and
> participate in an exchange. Many jocks are forced to appear
> on multiple stations in multiple, or in some cases the same,
> markets for no additional compensation. Engineering has
> been reduced from one person per station to one person
> handling as many as seven stations.
>
> The suits are insisting on spending huge dollars on
> attempting to compete with technology instead of content.
> HD Radio is a joke. While they tout CD quality audio, it is
> in fact lower quality than you'll get from your MP3 player.
> Just like "Laverne and Shirley" on HDTV is still "Laverne
> and Shirley", "Stairway to Heaven" is still just that with
> HD Radio. HD2? Even lower quality across the table as they
> reduce the already insufficient bit rates to accomodate more
> channels and ultimately more inventory to sell.
>
> Loyalty to staff is nonexistent. I know PD's that are
> working without contracts and can be shown the door at any
> time. I know air talent that had contracts that were broken
> through loop holes and sent to the street.
>
> What used to be a fun, creative business is now just a job
> of drudgery and trying to keep your head down. Making eye
> contact and offering creativity is a recipe for ending your
> career.
>
> Just show Wall Street the money baby.
>
> Radio doesn't get it anymore. It's about content and
> quality, not "Less is more". Engineers used to take pride
> in how well their operations worked and how good we could
> make the stations sound on your car and home stereos, now if
> it's on the air and making noise we pray we can get through
> one night of sleep.
>
> So anti-corporate? Sure. But it's not just the biggies
> that have destroyed radio, the small ones are in it with
> them as everyone tries to line their pockets for as long as
> terrestrial broadcasting remains viable. There is
> technology on the near horizen that will finish off
> terrestrial and render it totally irrelevant. But the
> battle already lost won't be fought with content, it will be
> fought with cuts of staff and pretend technology.
>
> These are not broadcasters that are doing this, these are
> MBA's that have destroyed the medium for personal gain.
> Rail on against Clearborg and the others all you want, it
> will not change the fact that terrestrial radio is circleing
> the drain.

Much agreed! AMEN!
<P ID="signature">______________
Sawtooth McMullen</P>

 

[neanderpol]

Nobody's Holding A Gun...

...To anyone's heads.

Radio is this way because radio is this way.

And everyone currently drawing a paycheck in this industry is complicit as well.

Sure. There's not much anyone at the talent level can do to truly change the parameters, short of quitting. Or...

...they could work to ascend to a true programming position, and throw their sack on the table, and hope it doesn't get stomped.

That's it. Make your choice.

These are the rules. We can either play the best we can with what we have to work with, or we can walk. Nobody's forcing anyone to accept employment in the radio industry.

Believe it, or not, it was former WCKW PD Ted Edwards that uttered something to the effect of;

"You might think you have the greatest show on the radio, but without our transmitter, you've got nothing. Feel free to walk out onto Poydras and shout as loud as possible the content of your show. See how that works out for you."

We can bitch all we want about the whys and the hows. But, quite frankly, that's all it is. Radio will be what radio is, and BTW, it's not in anywhere near the danger of extinction the doom-sayers are claiming. The great majority of American radio listeners are satisfied with what they're hearing every day.

That's not to say radio's fine. But, it ain't dead either.

If you're drawing a paycheck in this industry, it's your fault either way.

And you do have a choice. Feel free to go bang nails in the 9th Ward if you're truly unhappy with your career choice. There's plenty of work to be done.

 

[Braswell]

Re: Nobody's Holding A Gun...

> We can bitch all we want about the whys and the hows. But,
> quite frankly, that's all it is. Radio will be what radio
> is, and BTW, it's not in anywhere near the danger of
> extinction the doom-sayers are claiming. The great majority
> of American radio listeners are satisfied with what they're
> hearing every day.

> go bang nails

Talking about banging nails, you have hit this one squarely on its head, sir/madam. The radio of YESTERDAY is dead, having evolved. This has happened many times, over the years since the 1920's.

Oh, I'm not saying that I like everything about today's radio, because, in fact, I don't like most of what it is. Like the man/woman has said, either roll up your sleeves and go to work, or get out. Either way, just stop whining<P ID="signature">______________
Jay Braswell - Moderator
Atlanta/North Florida/South Carolina/Georgia Boards</P>

 

[HunterX]

Re: Nobody's Holding A Gun...

> ...To anyone's heads.
>
> Radio is this way because radio is this way.
>
> And everyone currently drawing a paycheck in this industry
> is complicit as well.
>
> Sure. There's not much anyone at the talent level can do to
> truly change the parameters, short of quitting. Or...
>
> ...they could work to ascend to a true programming position,
> and throw their sack on the table, and hope it doesn't get
> stomped.
>
> That's it. Make your choice.


> These are the rules. We can either play the best we can with
> what we have to work with, or we can walk. Nobody's forcing
> anyone to accept employment in the radio industry.
>
> Believe it, or not, it was former WCKW PD Ted Edwards that
> uttered something to the effect of;
>
> "You might think you have the greatest show on the radio,
> but without our transmitter, you've got nothing. Feel free
> to walk out onto Poydras and shout as loud as possible the
> content of your show. See how that works out for you."
>
> We can bitch all we want about the whys and the hows. But,
> quite frankly, that's all it is. Radio will be what radio
> is, and BTW, it's not in anywhere near the danger of
> extinction the doom-sayers are claiming. The great majority
> of American radio listeners are satisfied with what they're
> hearing every day.
>
> That's not to say radio's fine. But, it ain't dead either.
>
> If you're drawing a paycheck in this industry, it's your
> fault either way.
>
> And you do have a choice. Feel free to go bang nails in the
> 9th Ward if you're truly unhappy with your career choice.
> There's plenty of work to be done.

Give 'em hell, Pauly... ;-)
>

 

[sawtooth_mcmull]

Re: Well...

> > We can bitch all we want about the whys and the hows. But,
>
> > quite frankly, that's all it is. Radio will be what radio
> > is, and BTW, it's not in anywhere near the danger of
> > extinction the doom-sayers are claiming. The great
> majority
> > of American radio listeners are satisfied with what
> they're
> > hearing every day.
>
> > go bang nails
>
> Talking about banging nails, you have hit this one squarely
> on its head, sir/madam. The radio of YESTERDAY is dead,
> having evolved. This has happened many times, over the years
> since the 1920's.
>
> Oh, I'm not saying that I like everything about today's
> radio, because, in fact, I don't like most of what it is.
> Like the man/woman has said, either roll up your sleeves and
> go to work, or get out. Either way, just stop whining

IMO,... I don't think anyone is looking for the radio of the 50's or 60's to come back, we just want radio that is listener-friendly. Sure they play what the PEOPLE want,... but that's about only 10% of what they want. When I was in radio, one PD said to a listener "Oh we don't play that artist because I don't know who that artist is." Wow... who cares! What do the LISTENERS want?!

That showed me right there that radio nowdays is NOT about the listener and what they care for, but about the PD and the corporation he/she works for. I'm sorry, but when they ASKED for your opinion and then you got scolded for it, tells me a lot about what they're all about. And people would usually get scolded because they either didn't like your opinion OR they didn't think of it first. lol So sad.... Well, if ya didn't like the opinion I gave, why'd you ask for it?! lol

And music tests are a joke. They put 50 poeple into one room and base future radio programming on the opinions of these 50 people. Ok fine, but give ME another 50 people in the next room and I could change the outcome by 180 degrees. Yet the results of the "music test" is a law.

Not that it matters, but I gave up on radio a long time ago for the reason of stubborn PD's and oversized corporations. And those PD's are hilarious because if you know more than him/her about your market, your target audience, and the music you play, you can usually back them into a corner. They usually come out speechless and looking foolish. I'm no know-it-all, but I'm guessing that when you work for a station, it's about teamwork. Not these days. I wonder why....

Stephen "Sawtooth" Trosclair<P ID="signature">______________
Sawtooth McMullen</P>

 

[neanderpol]

Re: Well...

> IMO,... I don't think anyone is looking for the radio of the
> 50's or 60's to come back, we just want radio that is
> listener-friendly. Sure they play what the PEOPLE want,...
> but that's about only 10% of what they want. When I was in
> radio, one PD said to a listener "Oh we don't play that
> artist because I don't know who that artist is." Wow... who
> cares! What do the LISTENERS want?!
>
> And music tests are a joke. They put 50 poeple into one
> room and base future radio programming on the opinions of
> these 50 people. Ok fine, but give ME another 50 people in
> the next room and I could change the outcome by 180 degrees.
> Yet the results of the "music test" is a law.

Actually, those who think music tests are legitimate resources for determining listener preference will tell you, there's a big screening process that the subjects must pass through to qualify for the test. And therefore, the test is more reliable than random testing of people off the street.

Which negates the whole thing to begin with because you cannot control who's listening. The listener IS random and doesn't conform to any criteria.

The same people who believe 100 people can determine the playlist, are usually the first ones to also complain about Arbitron's "undersampling" of their target audience.

Can't have it both ways. But we do.

 

[dicktriccol]

Re: Well...

Wait a minute...one second you're saying you want radio to listen to the people, then you say that when you get fity people in a room that the results are bogus! Just how do you propose we listen to the listener? And please don't say the request line, with about 1/2 of 1% of listeners calling in. If we turned over radio to the juveniles, idiots and drunkards who call the request line NO ONE would be listening!

It's funny when people talk about how great 50's and 60's radio was when it had fewer songs, tighter rotations, repitition, a commercial and high energy DJ talk between every record, added value and clutter, impersonal presentation with shouting DJ's and echo...virtually everything people mention when they complain about radio. And it was fed via a low-fi telephone line to the AM transmitter and sent out with the loudest, most distorted sound imaginable.

There are the FM loyalists, whose "free form" approach lives on in college radio and we know how few listeners are tuned in to that. Those stations were an anomaly in the post-war history of radio.

Truth is, you don't know what you want and neither does the rest of the population. Neither do the geniuses in the big corporate towers, if the Jack and Red experiments are any indication. So what's the answer? XM/Sirius will never reach the penetration in a market to significantly impact local numbers: 300 million U.S. citizens, Sirius has 1% and XM has 2% and both are in major debt. Just as CD's took listeners away from radio, so too will iPods and other customizable options; individual choice is tough to fight.

I don't have a solution. My instinct says to get on good jocks, do some testing to find out what the market would like, but take a chance here and there on something new. Radio can try every once in a while, doing something new and different. At least the Jack stations are trying. But you can't blame PD's who face tighter budget cuts and staffing shortages. To keep bitching about how radio sucks and offer no solution, especially when most people on this board are not in radio, is to be part of the problem.

I don't think this board wants radio to fix its problems, however; then you wouldn't have anything to complain about.

> IMO,... I don't think anyone is looking for the radio of the
> 50's or 60's to come back, we just want radio that is
> listener-friendly. Sure they play what the PEOPLE want,...
> but that's about only 10% of what they want. When I was in
> radio, one PD said to a listener "Oh we don't play that
> artist because I don't know who that artist is." Wow... who
> cares! What do the LISTENERS want?!
>
> That showed me right there that radio nowdays is NOT about
> the listener and what they care for, but about the PD and
> the corporation he/she works for. I'm sorry, but when they
> ASKED for your opinion and then you got scolded for it,
> tells me a lot about what they're all about. And people
> would usually get scolded because they either didn't like
> your opinion OR they didn't think of it first. lol So
> sad.... Well, if ya didn't like the opinion I gave, why'd
> you ask for it?! lol
>
> And music tests are a joke. They put 50 poeple into one
> room and base future radio programming on the opinions of
> these 50 people. Ok fine, but give ME another 50 people in
> the next room and I could change the outcome by 180 degrees.
> Yet the results of the "music test" is a law.
>
> Not that it matters, but I gave up on radio a long time ago
> for the reason of stubborn PD's and oversized corporations.
> And those PD's are hilarious because if you know more than
> him/her about your market, your target audience, and the
> music you play, you can usually back them into a corner.
> They usually come out speechless and looking foolish. I'm
> no know-it-all, but I'm guessing that when you work for a
> station, it's about teamwork. Not these days. I wonder
> why....
>
> Stephen "Sawtooth" Trosclair
>

 

[neanderpol]

Re: Well...

> Wait a minute...one second you're saying you want radio to
> listen to the people, then you say that when you get fity
> people in a room that the results are bogus! Just how do
> you propose we listen to the listener? And please don't say
> the request line, with about 1/2 of 1% of listeners calling
> in.

What percentage of a city of 1 million people is 50? At least the minute source of data is actually an active user of the station. You're using the same argument. I'm not saying you're wrong. But, this isn't the best example of one source being any more reliable, or representative of the total audience.

If we turned over radio to the juveniles, idiots and
> drunkards who call the request line NO ONE would be
> listening!

Those ARE the people listening. They're your P-1s. The active members of the community you serve. And 9 times out of ten, they're requesting something on the log anyway...because the research indicated that that's what they'd call for. So...is research good, or bad?

> I don't have a solution. My instinct says to get on good
> jocks, do some testing to find out what the market would
> like, but take a chance here and there on something new.

Your first point is the most important. Radio has to give the audience what it can't get from the Ipod. Human entertainment. There's a reason guys like John Madden keep getting jobs. Because people feel a connection with him. The most in-demand radio personalities in America don't even play music. That's what makes terrestrial radio unique to the jukebox mentality.

Radio needs to nurture the next generation of human entertainer. And voice-tracking, and liner-card readers aren't the answer. So, if you make a living cracking a mic, think about every break as if the fate of your job depends on it. I think too many of us just go through the motions sometimes. I'll cop to having done it. It's not helping the situation at all. I guess it's up to you whether you want to be here or not.

The corporations keep saying "live & local", and then serve up syndicated morning shows.

More contradiction please.

 

[RadioEngineer]

Re: Nobody's Holding A Gun...

> ...To anyone's heads.
>
> Radio is this way because radio is this way.
>
> And everyone currently drawing a paycheck in this industry
> is complicit as well.
>
> Sure. There's not much anyone at the talent level can do to
> truly change the parameters, short of quitting. Or...
>
> ...they could work to ascend to a true programming position,
> and throw their sack on the table, and hope it doesn't get
> stomped.
>
> That's it. Make your choice.
>
> These are the rules. We can either play the best we can with
> what we have to work with, or we can walk. Nobody's forcing
> anyone to accept employment in the radio industry.
>
> Believe it, or not, it was former WCKW PD Ted Edwards that
> uttered something to the effect of;
>
> "You might think you have the greatest show on the radio,
> but without our transmitter, you've got nothing. Feel free
> to walk out onto Poydras and shout as loud as possible the
> content of your show. See how that works out for you."
>
> We can bitch all we want about the whys and the hows. But,
> quite frankly, that's all it is. Radio will be what radio
> is, and BTW, it's not in anywhere near the danger of
> extinction the doom-sayers are claiming. The great majority
> of American radio listeners are satisfied with what they're
> hearing every day.
>
> That's not to say radio's fine. But, it ain't dead either.
>
> If you're drawing a paycheck in this industry, it's your
> fault either way.
>
> And you do have a choice. Feel free to go bang nails in the
> 9th Ward if you're truly unhappy with your career choice.
> There's plenty of work to be done.
>
Sorry to harsh your mellow dude, but I'm just giving the perspective of someone thats spent 30 years in the business, from jock to prod director to ops manager to engineering manager. And that's being employed by only two companies. One for ten years the other for 20. If you're willing to accept that radio is what it is, that's fine, but in fact there's an awful lot of bad stuff that's happened since the Telecom Act.

By the way, I have left the business, but I have no need or desire to bang nails.

 

[neanderpol]

Re: Nobody's Holding A Gun...

> Sorry to harsh your mellow dude, but I'm just giving the
> perspective of someone thats spent 30 years in the business,
> from jock to prod director to ops manager to engineering
> manager. And that's being employed by only two companies.
> One for ten years the other for 20. If you're willing to
> accept that radio is what it is, that's fine, but in fact
> there's an awful lot of bad stuff that's happened since the
> Telecom Act.

I don't disagree with you at all. But, there's just a whole lot more complaining that attempts to rectify the problems. And maybe I'm being overly optimistic that they can be rectified.

The facts are...we are radio...radio is flawed...we are flawed. And it's by choice. If we don't like it...we can quit. Like you've chosen to. That's fine. I choose to try to fix it to the best of my abilities.

> By the way, I have left the business, but I have no need or
> desire to bang nails.

You know what I'm saying.

 

[bender]

Re: Well...

> > IMO,... I don't think anyone is looking for the radio of
> the
> > 50's or 60's to come back, we just want radio that is
> > listener-friendly. Sure they play what the PEOPLE
> want,...
> > but that's about only 10% of what they want. When I was
> in
> > radio, one PD said to a listener "Oh we don't play that
> > artist because I don't know who that artist is." Wow...
> who
> > cares! What do the LISTENERS want?!
> >
> > And music tests are a joke. They put 50 poeple into one
> > room and base future radio programming on the opinions of
> > these 50 people. Ok fine, but give ME another 50 people in
>
> > the next room and I could change the outcome by 180
> degrees.
> > Yet the results of the "music test" is a law.
>
> Actually, those who think music tests are legitimate
> resources for determining listener preference will tell you,
> there's a big screening process that the subjects must pass
> through to qualify for the test. And therefore, the test is
> more reliable than random testing of people off the street.
>
> Which negates the whole thing to begin with because you
> cannot control who's listening. The listener IS random and
> doesn't conform to any criteria.
>
> The same people who believe 100 people can determine the
> playlist, are usually the first ones to also complain about
> Arbitron's "undersampling" of their target audience.
>
> Can't have it both ways. But we do.
>
When is the last time you heard a listener say "I'm not gonna listen to station "x" anymore because thier promotional budget was cut by 40%" or better yet, the last time you said "I'm not gonna shop at that store anymore because it's to corporate?" People get on here and moan, complain and come up with every reason under the sun why radio sucks, but never look at themselves (if they are on the air) as a problem. It really blows me away to hear a jock do a break consisting of "that was (insert artist here) and this is (insert song title here) on ......" and never wonder why they are being replaced by sweepers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the poster boy for "Big Radio", if anybody has a bitch it's me. I've been handed several one way tickets to the beach , while at the top of the ratings race, because I was making a lot more than the corporate alternative. I was working for "the evil empire" when the whole de-reg just began. If some of you spent 1/4 the time preping your show as you do ranting about corporate radio, you would make it a hell of a lot harder for the suits to make decisions. The music is only a portion of a stations success, if the entertainment between the records is good, and the jock knows his/her audience and is relateable, then you stand a good chance of winning. It is a lot easier to blame the failure or problems of a station on the music, the budget, the voice-tracking instead of saying "hey I'm really not doing a good show!" I read this stuff on here from time to time and shake my head at the complaints about the suits and what they have done to ruin radio, are they less concerned about talent, yes, but we really haven't given them reason to think otherwise for the most part. There are many things wrong with corporate radio, things beyond our control, but corporate has never killed content, that's all your fault. If you are unhappy with the way your company does things, go find another one to work for, or are you concerned that the air check you have with you telling the time, temp, and artist, may not get you another gig! I could go on and on, and I'm shure I forgot to make a few points, but I am trying to practice word conservation. Just do your thang on the air and don't worry about what the "big guys" are doing!

 

[neanderpol]

Re: Well...

> When is the last time you heard a listener say "I'm not
> gonna listen to station "x" anymore because thier
> promotional budget was cut by 40%" or better yet, the last
> time you said "I'm not gonna shop at that store anymore
> because it's to corporate?" People get on here and moan,
> complain and come up with every reason under the sun why
> radio sucks, but never look at themselves (if they are on
> the air) as a problem. It really blows me away to hear a
> jock do a break consisting of "that was (insert artist here)
> and this is (insert song title here) on ......" and never
> wonder why they are being replaced by sweepers. Don't get me
> wrong, I'm not the poster boy for "Big Radio", if anybody
> has a bitch it's me. I've been handed several one way
> tickets to the beach , while at the top of the ratings race,
> because I was making a lot more than the corporate
> alternative. I was working for "the evil empire" when the
> whole de-reg just began. If some of you spent 1/4 the time
> preping your show as you do ranting about corporate radio,
> you would make it a hell of a lot harder for the suits to
> make decisions.

My point exactly. It's on us to provide the best, most compelling reason to listen to the radio.

The personality content of your show is the only thing you CAN control. Make it the best you can.

>The music is only a portion of a stations
> success, if the entertainment between the records is good,
> and the jock knows his/her audience and is relateable, then
> you stand a good chance of winning. It is a lot easier to
> blame the failure or problems of a station on the music, the
> budget, the voice-tracking instead of saying "hey I'm really
> not doing a good show!" I read this stuff on here from time
> to time and shake my head at the complaints about the suits
> and what they have done to ruin radio, are they less
> concerned about talent, yes, but we really haven't given
> them reason to think otherwise for the most part. There are
> many things wrong with corporate radio, things beyond our
> control, but corporate has never killed content, that's all
> your fault. If you are unhappy with the way your company
> does things, go find another one to work for, or are you
> concerned that the air check you have with you telling the
> time, temp, and artist, may not get you another gig! I could
> go on and on, and I'm shure I forgot to make a few points,
> but I am trying to practice word conservation. Just do your
> thang on the air and don't worry about what the "big guys"
> are doing!

And do it every time you crack the mic, and you'll always have a gig.