SwissVol said:
ScotWRMO, let me ask you this honest question. I know the jocks at 105.9 do what is asked of them. They have good announcing styles and deliveries and such, but do you think if someone told them to turn it lose. Pick and choose their music that was "within" their format, do you think they would know what to do with that sudden music freedom? Could they talk about the songs they were playing? Could they say that Dickey Betts was once with the Allman Brothers and now Derek Trucks played slide guitar for them. I think many could do that, but the sudden shock of having the handcuffs removed might take awhile to sink in. Could they also find a band that they really liked and then based on their love of that band, promote that band Let the people know about that band's music, the band's history, where the band was playing and so forth and so on. To me, what I have just pointed out was once very much a part of rock radio history. The DJs of old did all of those things naturally and perfectly. You know, it would be amazing to see what these talented young radio people might do.
Swiss, here’s my take on this. The jocks have liner notes (usually on a separate PC in the control room)with showprep on the artist, they read (ad lib) over it coming out of songs. A lot of it comes from Radio-n-Records, and other various industry sources. Yes, I agree the jocks (outside John Boy & Billy) have good, talented, jocks.
The days of jocks playing what they want, even at the non-commercials, like 88.5 WVCP. WVCP is just a training ground for students learning the industry. This will happen to 88.3 WMTS as well. I do see a day where the state board of regents (whom is over Vol State) will step in and change WVCP & WMTS to a more strict operation to coincide with the changing media industry. In addition, the FCC is started, along with the NAB, and the RIAA, raising issues of Payola, which are I have heard of one instance in this market within the past 5 years. WMOT has gone through the change, and I’m not sure how much of a student operated station it is anymore. WRVU is owned and operated by Vanderbilt Student Communications. I not sure if VSC is still getting funds from the school, but if it is, it will go that way someday. At Fisk, 88.1 WFSK has MUCH IMPROVED, and has a loyal Jazz audience.
There is too much control of radio these days due to consultants do what they claim “audience test” and my opinion is this, their test are not very accurate. Why? Well because the human attention span can be only held in an informal environment for maybe 10 minutes, they loose interest in the participation of the consultant’s surveys and test, due to the participants of the test have other things on their minds.
IMHO….AOR in 2008 should lean to a “Metal/Rockish” Edge, with New Groups/Artist mix “Selected Hard Cuts” with the old artist like Zeppelin, James Gang, Alice Cooper, Kiss, etc. None of this Southern Rock Stuff. Southern Rock here in the South for the past 25 years has been burned to death on the Lite AOR stations, as well as the CHR & AC stations. Playing titles like Sweet Home Alabama, Lord I was born a rambling man, Heard it in a love Song, etc, have NO BUSINESS being played on a Real Rock/AOR station. This ONE is the reason 97.1 sounds like a complete mess!
