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Philadelphia 's Big Talker 1210 Radio invites RJ Ron Joseph On The Air

I met RJ (and Pat P. formerly gen manager of KYW) in the driveway on Mermaid lane in Wyndmoor. They were trying to get low power WELL TV Ch. 8 on the air. It was licensed to Willow Grove but the signal hardly got past Mermaid Lane. I worked at WIFI in 68 and WNAR in 67 and Ron paid for the airtime it was on reel to reel tape and sounded like it was recorded in the basement of his home. I listened to it only because I had to but found RJ to be an annoyance. Now he or someone else is posting on this board like he was the greatest radio personallity in the world. He was never in WIBG or WFIL because he couldn't compare to Hi Lit, Joe Niagra, King George Michael or Jim O Brian and others (may they all RIP).

I don't want to put the man down but if you had any talent, you should not have had to pay for airtime. I don't have the talent to be on the air and I am happily not. RJ take some time and listen to yourself.
 
Mike said:
rj himself uploaded some stuff too youtube last month...
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I thought it was his webmaster JR Miller that did that - the YouTube channel username has the words "jr miller" in it...
 
Why does everybody hate this guy so much?

So, the guy has to purchase his own airtime. So, the guy could never have worked in format radio at WIBG or WFIL. So what.

I don't know Ron very well, but I think I'm in a position to have empathy for him. If you've been around long enough, you know what pop music radio was prior to the Drake Years, post-1965. Drake placed all the emphasis on the music...more music. Prior to that, the records were things that the station put on until the jock got back.

WIBG believed that the music was secondary to Joe Niagara and Hy Lit...and for a time they were right. This is the world into which guys like RJ and Jerry Blavat were born...everything centered around the jock. If RJ is guilty of feeling that he is that important, I understand where he's coming from...whether I think it's justified or not...or whether you think it's justified or not. These guys never worked in the bigs...and between RJ and Blavat, The Geator got to succeed on his terms, eluding having to work on formula-formatted radio like the rest of us.

Jerry Blavat has purchased or bartered more than his share of airtime in his career. With the exception, I believe, of two stints at WEEZ, RJ has had to do this entire career. Here's where my empathy for him kicks in.

I understand what it means to crack open a microphone and work on the air. I love cheesburgers. This is better. I love sex. That's better(sorry Dear). Recently I've gone back on the air on an FM in Florida, and cracking open a live microphone, which I hadn't done in many years, brings me more joy than anybody should be allowed to have. I never asked him, but I bet he loves working on the air...forget whatever skill level he does or does not have...or any disparity between how good and important he thinks he is, and how good or less good you think he is...so what if he's not strong enough to do this and get paid...when he goes we'll never have any connection to the bygone area of "star" disck jockeys.

Let's celebrate it and not denegrate it.
 
fennessy said:
So, the guy has to purchase his own airtime. So, the guy could never have worked in format radio at WIBG or WFIL. So what.
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I'm curious as to where all the money is coming from... He must be pulling a lot of sponsorship dollars to be buying as much time as he is, and props to him, if that is the case. And I second that to Blavat, as well.
 
It should be interesting to see how many phone calls for RJ come in on the WPHT program tonight. Probably more than the number of calls RJ received during his WVLT show last night - zero. In his defense, however, he did not ask for calls. In fact, his listener feedback was exclusively through e-mails, i.e. he gave out an e-mail address throughout that show. Plus, he did the show via telephone, so I guess it would be hard to field calls when you're not in the studio... Been awhile since he did the WVLT show from their studios. I wonder if RJ is going to be calling into the WPHT show tonight, and not appear in studio?
 
athegymtday said:
I don't want to put the man down but if you had any talent, you should not have had to pay for airtime.
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I hear the same comment in the music business. If you're a great singer, you shouldn't have to pay to get a record made. But sometimes, you just need to invest in yourself. If you really believe in yourself, and you want a shot at stardom, the best way is to buy some studio time, make a record, and put it out. That's what people used to do. Same with radio.

I read how there are a lot of great radio DJs out of work. I also read that a lot of radio stations need content. The only thing missing in the equation is money. All it would take is a little entrepeneurial spirit from some of these guys to market themselves, rather than expect others to take the risk. That's what's missing in radio today. The airtime is there. If content is king, and there are people who feel they can deliver great content, why don't those people pitch their content to advertisers and buy some airtime? I'm not saying it's easy. Heck, the biggest radio companies are having trouble selling air time. But they don't believe in content like some of these out-of-work DJs. They're just selling numbers. Not content.

There was a time when a lot of radio was brokered. It worked for Allan Freed and a lot of late night rock DJs. It was the only way they were going to get on the air playing the "devil's music." Most radio stations didn't think there was an audience for it. I think we're going to see a lot more of it. We currently have more radio stations than we have money or audience to pay for them. It's time for someone to take a chance. The radio companies don't have the cash anymore. So that brings us back to brokered radio.

The thing about brokered radio is the only boss you have is the public. You don't have a PD telling you what to say or what to play. This is radio at its most basic, and I think it's the future. You listen to most internet radio, and that's basically what it is. You don't get hired for a job at an internet station with hourly wages and benefits. You start your own station in your spare bedroom. If it works on the internet, why not offer it to a few advertisers and put it on the radio? I bet there are lots of stations who'd be willing to sell you the time. Maybe even do it for just a share of the money.
 
After reading what Kevin wrote I believe I owe RJ an apology. Kevin is right, there was a time when the presenter was more important than the entertainment. Cracking that open mike and enjoying every bit of it is in the blood and believe me I went through that many years ago and its the one thing in life you hold on to. I probably would have paid to be on the air, back in the day but was too lazy to sell myself.

So what if RJ pays for the airtime it what he does and he loves it. What was the outcome at WPHT?
 
RJ's appearance in the second hour of the show actually sounded quite interesting. In fact, I like the premise of the entire "Remember When" show. A fun listen.

I do like how one of the hosts put RJ on the spot five minutes into the interview and brought up Disco Demolition Night... Which, by the way, did you know that today is the 31-year anniversary?
 
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