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Ryan Seacrest Signs New Three-Year Deal With iHeartMedia.

Yabadabado1 said:
No. But probably responsible for putting more DJs on the unemployment line with his syndicated stuff than any other.
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Not "responsible". More like "testimony to.." a change in technology. Through the satellite and now the Internet, the best talents can do national or regional shows.

The only thing holding this back was the ability to do FM quality audio in either real time or in easily and cheaply transferable workparts.

If you look back, from the late 20's through the mid-50's, radio transferred low quality music, drama and entertainment shows via phone lines in the "Golden Age". But when music took over radio, those phone lines did not do too well. But then we got reel to reel syndicated shows, programs like AT40 on disk and then satellite networks.

Stations in smaller markets have always wanted big market talent. Technology was the only impediment.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Not "responsible". More like "testimony to.." a change in technology. Through the satellite and now the Internet, the best talents can do national or regional shows.

The only thing holding this back was the ability to do FM quality audio in either real time or in easily and cheaply transferable workparts.

If you look back, from the late 20's through the mid-50's, radio transferred low quality music, drama and entertainment shows via phone lines in the "Golden Age". But when music took over radio, those phone lines did not do too well. But then we got reel to reel syndicated shows, programs like AT40 on disk and then satellite networks.

Stations in smaller markets have always wanted big market talent. Technology was the only impediment.
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I agree with everything you said above, but it is still rather unfortunate. Syndication of "big market talent" is another way of saying radio homogenization. What was cool about radio back in the day was the local flavor, and that when you went from market to market, you had a chance to hear differing approaches to the various formats and local personalities. It gave you something to listen to and what made radio fun and interesting.

Nothing against Ryan, but let's face it, he is as vanilla as it gets. Having vanilla ice cream forced on you everywhere you go instead of tasting 31 flavors is what has led to the monolithic sterilization of modern radio.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
Nothing against Ryan, but let's face it, he is as vanilla as it gets. Having vanilla ice cream forced on you everywhere you go instead of tasting 31 flavors is what has led to the monolithic sterilization of modern radio.
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Wait until you encounter personalities of music radio formats from networks such as Westwood One. The said personalities seldom record liners for the stations they syndicate to (or even say the station name).
 
Yabadabado1 said:
No. But probably responsible for putting more DJs on the unemployment line with his syndicated stuff than any other.
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Can you name any of them? Perhaps single out some memorable bits or catch phrases they created?

Ryan replaced Rick Dees, and last I checked, Rick is still working.

Ryan's syndicated show is used mainly by iHeart stations in mid-days, so I'd suggest the local DJs were already gone.

How many local talk show hosts did Rush Limbaugh replace? Anybody know?

ChannelFlipper said:
What was cool about radio back in the day was the local flavor, and that when you went from market to market, you had a chance to hear differing approaches to the various formats and local personalities. It gave you something to listen to and what made radio fun and interesting.
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They're all still there, but primarily in morning drive. Ryan's syndicated show, as I said, is usually mid-days.

Ryan is no different from Dick Clark or Wolfman Jack or any of the multi-media people who have existed over the last 50 years.

Is he the most successful? I guess Rush and Howard are the generation ahead of him. Certainly Bobby Bones is playing from the same template that Ryan uses. But it depends on the format. Steve Harvey is certainly successful. He could be more successful than Ryan.

Yes, these national people end up replacing local people. But perhaps those local people weren't all that great to begin with. The rise of people like Ryan and Bobby have given the next generation a target to shoot for. There are lots of different jobs people can do today that don't involve jockeying discs. If that's really something they aspire to, they can start a wedding DJ business. The first time I saw one of them, I realized the future for radio DJs was pretty much done.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
Nothing against Ryan, but let's face it, he is as vanilla as it gets. Having vanilla ice cream forced on you everywhere you go instead of tasting 31 flavors is what has led to the monolithic sterilization of modern radio.
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Years back I asked why the apparent obsession with Seacrest by some media companies, and how much Ryan was too much. He had his radio show on KIIS, he hosted the syndicated AT40 countdown, he assisted with the Dick Clark NYE special before taking that over, he had a TV gig hosting a reality show and then when Larry King retired, Seacrest's name was one of the front runners in consideration and he was also mentioned as a possible replacement for Regis Philbin when he retired from Live!

Someone back then made an interesting point, and your vanilla comment, @ChannelFlipper reminded me of it. They commented that, compared to some hosts and personalities, Ryan may not be the best in every category he was working in, but he was one of the safest bets with the ability to appeal to a wide range of viewers/listeners compared to some other hosts who may be more edgy or charismatic, while his chances of offending most anyone were few. They likened him to offering vanilla ice cream at a party. If you asked everyone in attendance what kind of ice cream they wanted, you'd end up with several different answers, with various flavors preferred by certain people for a particular reason, but if you serve vanilla, chances are most everyone at the party will take it and like it without complaint. That's how they summed up Seacrest.
 
Mikey Radio said:
Ryan may not be the best in every category he was working in, but he was one of the safest bets with the ability to appeal to a wide range of viewers/listeners compared to some other hosts who may be more edgy or charismatic, while his chances of offending most anyone were few.
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Can anyone name the other DJ who was on the first edition of Idol? He's a trivia question now.

The thing I notice about Ryan is he's aware of everything when he's on. He knows what he's saying, he knows the context, he knows how much time he has to fill, and he knows who he's pitching it to. He doesn't need direction. He's thinking about the show, and in a way, he's his own producer. That is an incredible talent. He reminds me of Bob Costas. Not everyone comes that prepared.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Through the satellite and now the Internet, the best talents can do national or regional shows.

The only thing holding this back was the ability to do FM quality audio in either real time or in easily and cheaply transferable workparts.
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Remember the story of Tom Joyner back in the mid-80s? He got offers to do mornings at a station in Dallas and afternoons in Chicago, neither contract required exclusivity, so he accepted both jobs and flew back and forth between Dallas and Chicago nearly every single weekday for almost a decade. There are a few videos I think on Youtube that profiled him back then. A great piece of broadcasting lore for sure, but today he could do both shows from nearly anywhere.

Same with V/O artists: Many don't need to change out of their pajamas to go to work. Back in the day you had voice gods like Don LaFontaine who was so busy running around Los Angeles from one client to the next that he bought a limo and hired a driver to shuttle him to all his different gigs throughout a given day.
 
radiojomo said:
Is Ryan Seacrest the most successful media personality who got their start in radio in the modern era?
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Not exactly but he did replace two people on radio Casey Kasem on AT40 and Rick Dees on KIIS-FM.
Also Seacrest replaced Michael Strahan show when he moved to GMA. Note the TV talk show Seacrest is on was originally known as the "Morning Show" and "AM New York" on WABC-TV.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
You ever notice there are no songs about radio anymore? That is why.
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Actually there are quite a few. Maybe you don't listen to current music. This song was just #1:

When you're rolling down a two-lane highway
And you turn your radio on
Tell me which one hits you, baby
Yeah, what's your country song?
Yeah, what's your country song?
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Here's another one by Darius Rucker:

You find somethin' on the radio
Like a feel real good song
We'll know it when it comes on
Didn't have no money, no place to go
All we needed was a radio

All we needed, all we needed now
Was a, was a, was a radio
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ChannelFlipper said:
Nothing against Ryan, but let's face it, he is as vanilla as it gets. Having vanilla ice cream forced on you everywhere you go instead of tasting 31 flavors is what has led to the monolithic sterilization of modern radio.
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This is the same "every station in the format all over America plays the same songs".

The thing is... the listener in Fargo is not listening to the station in Flagstaff or Fredericksburg. To each listener, hearing Ryan in their market and knowing he is the same guy they see on TV in a favorite show is a big positive. And it's a lot different than listening to somebody who is in Fargo hoping to move up to Topeka or Des Moines in a year or two. Ryan is dependable, easy to like and certainly not likely to say something off color or objectionable.

Is that the goal of the 25-44 mostly white female professional or dedicated homemaker? Yes. And that is the target of those stations that carry him.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
Having vanilla ice cream forced on you everywhere you go instead of tasting 31 flavors is what has led to the monolithic sterilization of modern radio.
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First of all, no one forces anyone to listen to Ryan Seacrest.

Second of all, if he's not your personal taste, you can listen to KCRW or KRRL. Lots of color there.
 
TheBigA said:
First of all, no one forces anyone to listen to Ryan Seacrest.

Second of all, if he's not your personal taste, you can listen to KCRW or KRRL. Lots of color there.
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I have nothing against Ryan (already noted). Not my guy and I don't listen to him. You and David are correct - He appeals to a large segment of the population that just happens to be a big money demo. Between that and the fact that he works his ass off, he has become very rich.

In my personal opinion, radio is less rich for it. And for my money, I will take the guy working to get from Des Moines to Chicago instead of the national personality from Hollywood or New York just about everytime.
 
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