One of Radio's Biggest Troubles... in a nutshell

[Marv-L.A.]

Localized radio was not gone in 1980; it continued to thrive in many major markets, certainly here in LA, where KIIS, KOST, KLOS, KBIG, KPWR, KROQ & other stations in various formats did very well, with superb ratings (such as the 10.0 at KIIS in the fall of 1984 when top 40 radio was white-hot thanks to an exceptional amount of top-notch music by numerous artists of many different genres) across the board.

Between the spectacularly successful launching of 'Smooth Jazz' powerhouse KTWV in 1987, followed by Scott Shannon's 'Pirate Radio' in 1989, live & local radio was very prevalent throughout the decade.

Former CHR/Pop programmer extraordinaire Jhani Kaye essentially re-invented the AC format at KOST/LA in the early eighties, and WLTW's Jim Ryan certainly embellished what Kaye had done at KOST with an air talent lineup that was equally as robust; the two of them certainly helped propel the onetime sleepy AC format to unprecedented success nationwide, only for the beancounters and hopelessly overmatched Mays Bros. of Clear Channel to gut the stellar airstaff at both stations, and eventually at hundreds of stations in all formats nationwide.

 

[NoMoreLurking]

Between the spectacularly successful launching of 'Smooth Jazz' powerhouse KTWV in 1987, followed by Scott Shannon's 'Pirate Radio' in 1989, live & local radio was very prevalent throughout the decade.

KTWV launched without jocks, and made a big deal about it..."No DJs"...did that sound live and local?

 

[TheBigA]

Localized radio was not gone in 1980; it continued to thrive in many major markets,

If you read the rest of my post, you'll see that it refers to the end of local record labels and the expansion of nationalized music from major labels, national consultants, and national program directors for the major companies. Sure major market stations had local PDs, just as they do now. But for the most part they lacked independence, and their music choices became more limited. Those two things greatly changed radio from the way it had been before.

 

[Chuck Douglas]

David lee Roth, Whoopi Goldberg, Nick Cannon, etc. etc.

If you know how to entertain a live audience, you should be able to do radio.

I am completely qualified to assemble and hold a radio audience. I am not qualified to front Van Halen. Look at the "celebrity" list of those that tried and MISERABLY failed at being what they were not. Michael Jordan was a crappy baseball player. Listen to what Alec Baldwin did as a talker. There are some gifted people that can "do it all" but most mere mortals are fortunate to find a single thing that they do well that will generate and income and be an enjoyable way to spend thier lives.

 

[TheBigA]

Look at the "celebrity" list of those that tried and MISERABLY failed at being what they were not.

I agree that turning a talk show host, like yourself, into a singer is a mistake. The mistake made with Whoopie and DLM was that they were turned into talk show hosts. Had DLM hosted a music show, it would have been a success. Little Steven, Alice Cooper, and Dee Snider are all musicians who are successful radio hosts. Had Whoopie done comedy (as Steve Harvey does successfully), it would have been a success. They changed their personality on their audience, and the audience didn't like it. That was the mistake. Turning Dan Ingram or Cousin Brucie into a talk show host would have been a mistake. But putting celebrities on the radio was not the mistake. And radio shouldn't shy away from celebrities because a few have failed. The radio dial is filled with successful celebrities and athletes. Certainly Boomer Esiason is an example. Had Boomer been turned into a political talk show host, he would have failed. But talking about sports is something he knows.