Who, honestly, is just getting plain bored of commercial radio?

[awp69]

I listen to radio in the car for short periods because I don't have to travel far to work. But the last few weeks, even switching between streaming of mulitiple "commercial" radio stations while at work, I've come to the realization that I'm just getting bored with corporate radio.

It doesn't matter what station I chose. Sure some of them have broader playlists than others, but geez, it just seems like almost every station has to play the same stuff hour after hour. And believe me, I understand the corporate head honchos don't want to be too "risky" or be too broad in fear of losing their target demos. But it's just gotten under my skin more lately than ever. I listen to Alternative and, sure, there's some great indie bands breaking through (aside from all of the stuff that's been massively overexposed crossing over to CHR and Hot AC). But new bands comprise maybe 5% of a playlist, leaving the rest split between the hits of today and, where the real weakness shows, in tight gold playlists that ignore so much good music from the past. This isn't just on Alternative stations. This is on every format.

So I've selected a few non-commercial streams to start listening to. I just can't take hearing Lorde 10 times a day anymore. There's even some really good HD1 and HD2 stations -- but the best ones are those not running through translators and are largely commercial free, and therefore free of typical corporate redtape and are "ratings proof".

Here in the Upstate, we've got The Earth, which is doing surprisingly well playing a big playlist. It's not my era of music, unforunately, but I still have to take my hat off to them for pulling it off.

No, I'm not saying streaming is going to take over -- at least for a while. But I guess for people that are really, really into music, commercial radio just can't provide what it used to. I remember my college days with WHFS in Washington, DC. I don't think it was ever a huge ratings success, but damn that station played everything and anything it wanted -- truly alternative. A station like that will never happen again in 99% of markets today.

Just in a ranting mood today....

 

[TheBigA]

I guess for people that are really, really into music, commercial radio just can't provide what it used to. I remember my college days with WHFS in Washington, DC. I don't think it was ever a huge ratings success, but damn that station played everything and anything it wanted -- truly alternative. A station like that will never happen again in 99% of markets today.

It's easy to focus just on radio, and say it's the problem. But if you're talking about music on the radio, you have to begin with a look at music, and how it's changed. Consider the Grammy Awards. Band when you were in college, there were 30 Grammy categories. Now it's over 100. That's categories. How can a town with 20 radio stations cover that much music? Back in the old days, you had maybe a dozen record labels, and all music was controlled by those official labels. Today, anyone can make a record. They don't need a label. So the music making process is no longer controlled or constrained.

Because of all the choices, personal music taste has become far less predictable, and also less tolerant. People today like the music and artists they don't like. When a radio station plays an artist not in that list of favorites, it's seen as a bad thing. The reason radio stations play music is to attract an audience, which they in turn sell to advertisers. The bigger the audience, the more interested an advertiser becomes. Music doesn't always work that way. That becomes a problem for radio. Radio seeks consensus music: Songs and artists a lot of people love. In some genres, that can be a small list. Not much consensus in music. Used to be you could play music and it would attract a large crowd. Today, there are types of music designed to alienate people, anger people, and chase them away. That's not good for radio.

So you may be right. You may have outgrown commercial radio. This is not to say a lot of other people don't enjoy it. But my point is that while radio has changed, so has the music, and so have listeners' expectations for radio.

 

[awp69]

It's easy to focus just on radio, and say it's the problem. But if you're talking about music on the radio, you have to begin with a look at music, and how it's changed. Consider the Grammy Awards. Band when you were in college, there were 30 Grammy categories. Now it's over 100. That's categories. How can a town with 20 radio stations cover that much music? Back in the old days, you had maybe a dozen record labels, and all music was controlled by those official labels. Today, anyone can make a record. They don't need a label. So the music making process is no longer controlled or constrained.

Because of all the choices, personal music taste has become far less predictable, and also less tolerant. People today like the music and artists they don't like. When a radio station plays an artist not in that list of favorites, it's seen as a bad thing. The reason radio stations play music is to attract an audience, which they in turn sell to advertisers. The bigger the audience, the more interested an advertiser becomes. Music doesn't always work that way. That becomes a problem for radio. Radio seeks consensus music: Songs and artists a lot of people love. In some genres, that can be a small list. Not much consensus in music. Used to be you could play music and it would attract a large crowd. Today, there are types of music designed to alienate people, anger people, and chase them away. That's not good for radio.

So you may be right. You may have outgrown commercial radio. This is not to say a lot of other people don't enjoy it. But my point is that while radio has changed, so has the music, and so have listeners' expectations for radio.

I completely agree with you. I'm not saying radio should be expected to meet everyone's expectations. I understand they've got to do whatever it can to pay the bills. Or they won't exist. Although I don't necessarily think radio will ever "die" to Internet streaming, I still think the ability to listen to just about anything with just a few clicks makes it harder for broadcast radio stations to please everyone. And, in fact, there's a secondary problem with a lot of stations that are trying to please everyone by playing hits outside of their main genre of music. This pisses people off too. I know it turns me off a station when I hear a song that I don't think belongs on it. But the repetitiveness, especially when you are somewhere like work where you can access 1,000s of "stations", is killing, at least my ability, to be more forgiving of radio.

 

[TheBigA]

But the repetitiveness, especially when you are somewhere like work where you can access 1,000s of "stations", is killing, at least my ability, to be more forgiving of radio.

Depends on the format. Repetition is an integral part of music exposure. Consider that in the 60s, it wasn't unusual for a Top 40 station to play a song 8 times a day. Maybe more. Today, a song in heavy rotation at a country station can be heard 5 times a day. Then again, the commercials on that same station are played even more frequently. But for the most part, a radio station is programmed with the idea that you'll only listen for an hour or so a day. Not all day.

 

[awp69]

Depends on the format. Repetition is an integral part of music exposure. Consider that in the 60s, it wasn't unusual for a Top 40 station to play a song 8 times a day. Maybe more. Today, a song in heavy rotation at a country station can be heard 5 times a day. Then again, the commercials on that same station are played even more frequently. But for the most part, a radio station is programmed with the idea that you'll only listen for an hour or so a day. Not all day.

That's quite true. But I'm not even just talking about new "hits". I'm talking about entire playlists. Stations seem to take less time today in selecting what "gold" tracks they play and while the newer songs switch out after a while, those same 100 songs they've been playing outside of the new ones in heavy rotation stay the same. As much new songs get played to death, the older catalogs are just as big -- if not a bigger problem.

 

[TheBigA]

As much new songs get played to death, the older catalogs are just as big -- if not a bigger problem.

That's why I say you've "outgrown" radio. If you knew those older songs as currents, then it can be tiring. For those who didn't, it's a different experience.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

We talk about how radio has changed (so we claim, and I guess we are right), we talk about how music has changed, but we don't spend a lot of time on the boards talking about how listeners and potential listeners have changed.

A big part of our country used to be made up of people who grew up going to the same school system their entire student life... in a community that had maybe ONE high school, ONE junior high, etc. It was NOT a given that you would go to college. You could come out of high school, marry your sweetheart, go to work for a local utility or the local bank or the local grocer and put in a career. Move up from working the truck that installed new electic serve and eventually become the local office manager. A large percentage of people did not move from one community to another in search of employment. If that is the kind of 'tater patch' you grew up in, you didn't have GREAT EXPECTATIONS from your radio speaker.

Today we raise our children to understand that their achievements in life will be highly formed by their high school grades, parents and students alike get ulcers worrying over getting into the right college, and they we worry about being hired by the right corporation. Like is wonderful if you chose to get a job (and you were chosen by: Facebook or Apple, or Amazon or a Wall Street Bank.

We have become a highly opinionated civilization with high expectations. We have become a civilization that the radio industry has to run like crazy to understand and recruit as listeners. We have highly tuned discriminating tastes.... and radio is trying to meet our needs. And if you are a bit "old school' like me, you sit around wondering why radio is chasing after YOU!

Today's young people, as the commercials used to say, are not driving their father's Oldsmobile, and they ain't listening to their grandfather's music.

 

[Groove1670]

As you get older. You will find commercial radio boring. I do. As far as formats go, the fragmentation of genres will leave smaller playlists at each station.

 

[TheBigA]

As you get older. You will find commercial radio boring. I do. As far as formats go, the fragmentation of genres will leave smaller playlists at each station.

As you get older....you'll find a LOT of things boring. If you know what I mean. Nudge, nudge.

 

[awp69]

Well, I'm 45 and I actually LIKE a lot of new music. I like stations that are a bit more risky in playing things that haven't hit it big already.

That's why I say you've "outgrown" radio. If you knew those older songs as currents, then it can be tiring. For those who didn't, it's a different experience.

As far as this is concerned, I understand your point. But if you think about it, say you play new songs and maybe songs from the 90s and 00s, and you've got just for example 100 songs that are not currents or recurrents. Despite the fact that some of those songs may not be as worn out to younger people, that doesn't totally excuse programmers from mixing things up a little. Over two decades there's probably more like 1000 songs that were hits over that length of time. I think there is some laziness on the part of some programmers to just stay on top of what's new and forget about the rest. A "refresh" of older catalog songs should be done IMO at least once every six months if not more frequently. Not saying every song needs to be pulled and replaced, but an injection of other songs is responsible programming, again IMO.

 

[Groove1670]

As Willie Nelson said (in radio terms) quote: I have outlived my telescoping antenna.

I spoke to a client the other day who said he disliked our station. I asked him how old he was (67). I asked him the age of his clients (35 average). I joked with him, I said I don't care if you like us, I like those 35 year olds. He was silent for a minute... He said, I get your point. Sold a contract.

 

[TheBigA]

I said I don't care if you like us, I like those 35 year olds. He was silent for a minute... He said, I get your point. Sold a contract.

I had a boss like that once who was asked if he listened to his station at home. He said no. He listens to Bill Evans at home. But if he played it on the radio, he wouldn't be able to afford his home.

 

[GordonSims]

I don't disagree.
As we age, we change.
And music goes in cycles. It always has.
But don't look past the new business model.
What is the last thing that radio did FOR the listener?
We've dumped local hosts, created "corporate" playlists, added 6 minute stopsets, and almost entirely disappeared from the public eye.
(billboards, live broadcasts, etc)

Yeah. It's boring.

 

[awp69]

I don't disagree.
As we age, we change.
And music goes in cycles. It always has.
But don't look past the new business model.
What is the last thing that radio did FOR the listener?
We've dumped local hosts, created "corporate" playlists, added 6 minute stopsets, and almost entirely disappeared from the public eye.
(billboards, live broadcasts, etc)

Yeah. It's boring.

I agree. I'll admit I'm an outsider, but know enough about the business and talk to people on the inside to know that even most "Program Directors" are given less flexibility in what's on the air than ever. The playlists are largely in the hands of corporate consultants. (Wow, I feel like I'm channelling Scooter.... ).

 

[TheBigA]

The playlists are largely in the hands of corporate consultants.

Depends on the company. You'd be surprised how much is still left to the local station. That doesn't mean they'll play music outside the box. It still gets back to the music, and we now only have three major record labels. The music industry is FAR more consolidated than radio. That leads to a lot of music that frankly sounds alike. That's not radio's fault.

 

[Groove1670]

We still run local talent. Sometime are early on new music, sometimes we skip what is on the charts, and every once in awhile we play that oh wow song. The problem is everyone thing only two companies own every station. Seek and you shall find.

We also realize that people want to hear the greatest songs. Play weak songs, and your listeners will leave. It has always been that way, and always will be.

if that wasn't the case, everyone would want to carry the world cafe from PRI.

 

[Scooter Lesley]

Radio is so bad...I recharge my wma player overnight...outta self-defense!

 

[Unregistered]

Love the public radio snark.. World Cafe performs well and has its audience, that's why it's been going for years, and is one of the flagship music programs. David Dye is a class act.

 

[Unregistered]

David Dye

... is boring. He's always been boring.

World Cafe is old school public radio.

 

[Gatekeeper007]

Radio is still radio of a sort, maybe not as grand and it use to be and it has more troubles trying to play a song list that people want to hear. If you are talking to younger people they are not as stuck on the in thing as much as they were three years ago but still seem to want newer music. If you talk to the much larger baby boomer crowd then they don't like the modern music so who is to say what is the right play list.