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Who really killed the radio star?

B

bierkenstock

Guest
The song says video killed the radio star. I doubt it.

It does seem, however, the DJ is dead. But from the 40's through the 70's, the DJ was the radio star. I can't think of any real DJ's still around any more. A few remaining oldies stations may have recycled AM top 40 DJ's from when the music and the audience were young. But in a way, these DJ's constantly doing their old bits are like museum exhibits. Very sad.

Many stations have morning shows with teams or duos, but they aren't really doing a DJ show. Many did start out as jocks but that's not the act they are doing now.

Many stations have announcers (live or voice tracked) who give the the time or introduce traffic reports but these are not real DJ's either.

Real jocks were personalities who - in the best tradition of the old time radio performers who went before them - created a radio persona and demonstrated showmanship. They built a show around music they selected and comments they chose to make.

Bill Drake delivered what might be the first fatal blow. Jocks had already been ordered to stick to playlists, but Drake muzzled them. Time. Temperature. Call Letters. Don't talk for more than 10 seconds. Stick to the rotation. Some guys pushed the envelope and let some personality through. But consultants kept referring to research saying DJ's talked too much. Maybe so. Not all DJ's were great (we only remember the great ones). For an untalented jock, opening his mouth was talking too much. Some of the talented ones just forgot about the records and just kept talking - Don Imus, Howard Stern and - of course - Jeff Christie.*

However it happened, DJ radio is dead. Except maybe in the minds of some kids who never heard a real jock and none-the-less aspire to be one.
 
>
> Bill Drake delivered what might be the first fatal blow.
> Jocks had already been ordered to stick to playlists, but
> Drake muzzled them. Time. Temperature. Call Letters.
> Don't talk for more than 10 seconds. Stick to the rotation.

I find it hard to believe you are talking about the same KHJ and KFRC I heard. While time was limited, the content was pushed for maximum personality and content. Talent was pushed to even make saying the calls personable and real.

What Drake, Ron Jacobs and Tom Rounds put in was a muzzle on the fluff, not on the personality. They stressed flow, and making the jock part of the format, rather than the opposite. KHJ was truly exciting, and to say that The Real Don Steele or Gary Mack or any of the others were not "personalities" is indicitive of not having listened.
 
> However it happened, DJ radio is dead. Except maybe in the minds of some kids
> who never heard a real jock and none-the-less aspire to be one.

I don't know if it's dead but it is at least sleeping isn't it? What drives me nuts is that one would think, given the competitive landscape, radio would rely on content because we sure aren't winning on technology. Instead, we're going in the other direction with jockless formats. <P ID="signature">______________
"A man is about as big as the things that make him angry" - Winston Churchill

<a href="http://saltydog.5gigs.com">
The Salty Dog</a>
</P>
 
Was the radio star just an anomaly to begin with?

Before 1950, most radio was networked.

Today, much if not most of it is syndicated or VTed, especially in smaller markets.

Perhaps the 1950-1980 golden age of the jock was an anomaly created by technology, or the lack thereof. The number of stations boomed, encouraging independents with local programming that took on and defeated the big, network-affiliated stations that acted as relays for CBS, NBC or whatever. Also, AT&T's network radio infrastructure was ill-suited for a conversion to format radio.

Had AT&T had, say 12 lines to run into every town instead of four, would we have seen network formats rather than each little town developing its own cadre of jocks?

Had the FCC policies not favored massive increases in the number of smaller licensees -- such as the daytimer boom after WW2, and Docket 80-90 in the 80s and 90s -- would jocks ever have developed? Without the competition, would radio just have kept on piping network programs on the four stations in most cities, eventually adopting national formats on those networks as was the situation in Europe?
 
Say what???

> Bill Drake delivered what might be the first fatal blow.=

Say what? Bill Drake made the jocks better...before his
"formatics", jocks could ramble and ramble and be forever
self-indulgent.

Bill Drake brought audience-friendly (dare you to argue against
being "audience friendly") formatics to commercial radio and
made those with great on-air personalties even better!
 
Re: Was the radio star just an anomaly to begin with?

> Before 1950, most radio was networked.
>
> Today, much if not most of it is syndicated or VTed,
> especially in smaller markets.

True. I don't equate syndicated with VTed. A lot of the demands for "live and local" is self-serving job preservation. Syndication can be good, but VT'ing is not in my opinion. As a listener, live means more to me than local. Even local jocks don't talk about local events unless it's an event sponsored by the station.

> Perhaps the 1950-1980 golden age of the jock was an anomaly created by technology, or the lack thereof.

It was definitely a lack of technology but had good voicetracking technology been available, it would have worked out better because of the dearth of consumer choices. Today? Go figure.<P ID="signature">______________
"A man is about as big as the things that make him angry" - Winston Churchill

<a href="http://saltydog.5gigs.com">
The Salty Dog</a>
</P>
 
Re: Was the radio star just an anomaly to begin with?

Lots of things worked together to kill the "radio star", not the least being listeners who didn't give a crap about hearing a DJ. I don't think anyonme today would listen to a guy talking incessantly in a music format and ringing the cowbell. All the talk about "live and local" brings to mind when I started in radio in the mid 70s, at a station with live, local jocks. Except almost none of them except the weekenders were from the area. I was in Ohio and I worked with folks from Philadelphia, Minneapolis, California and lots of other places. They were in small town anywhere to cut an aircheck, not become pillars of the community. 80-90 also had almost no impact on creating new DJ jobs..most of those went satellite.
 
> The song says video killed the radio star. I doubt it.
>
> It does seem, however, the DJ is dead. But from the 40's
> through the 70's, the DJ was the radio star. I can't think
> of any real DJ's still around any more. A few remaining
> oldies stations may have recycled AM top 40 DJ's from when
> the music and the audience were young. But in a way, these
> DJ's constantly doing their old bits are like museum
> exhibits. Very sad.
>
> Many stations have morning shows with teams or duos, but
> they aren't really doing a DJ show. Many did start out as
> jocks but that's not the act they are doing now.
>
> Many stations have announcers (live or voice tracked) who
> give the the time or introduce traffic reports but these are
> not real DJ's either.
>
> Real jocks were personalities who - in the best tradition of
> the old time radio performers who went before them - created
> a radio persona and demonstrated showmanship. They built a
> show around music they selected and comments they chose to
> make.
>
> Bill Drake delivered what might be the first fatal blow.
> Jocks had already been ordered to stick to playlists, but
> Drake muzzled them. Time. Temperature. Call Letters.
> Don't talk for more than 10 seconds. Stick to the rotation.
> Some guys pushed the envelope and let some personality
> through. But consultants kept referring to research saying
> DJ's talked too much. Maybe so. Not all DJ's were great
> (we only remember the great ones). For an untalented jock,
> opening his mouth was talking too much. Some of the
> talented ones just forgot about the records and just kept
> talking - Don Imus, Howard Stern and - of course - Jeff
> Christie.*
>
> However it happened, DJ radio is dead. Except maybe in the
> minds of some kids who never heard a real jock and
> none-the-less aspire to be one.
>


I wouldn't say dead. In the large/medium market I'm in, many shifts are live and not tracked and most jocks have some type of personality. I can actually think of more that ramble on too long than those who are too basic/liner card. If anything, I have noticed a trend towards less tight jocks and more ramble. Talking too much does not necc. = personality.
 
> What Drake, Ron Jacobs and Tom Rounds put in was a muzzle on
> the fluff, not on the personality. They stressed flow, and
> making the jock part of the format, rather than the
> opposite. KHJ was truly exciting, and to say that The Real
> Don Steele or Gary Mack or any of the others were not
> "personalities" is indicitive of not having listened.

Two of the best personality jocks ever (IMHO), were RKO/Drake jocks: the late Dr. Don Rose, and Dale Dorman. Those two were amazing with fast punchlines and quips...a requirement of those flowing, smooth Drake formatics. Totally great stuff.
 
> > What Drake, Ron Jacobs and Tom Rounds put in was a muzzle
> on
> > the fluff, not on the personality. They stressed flow, and
>
> > making the jock part of the format, rather than the
> > opposite. KHJ was truly exciting, and to say that The Real
>
> > Don Steele or Gary Mack or any of the others were not
> > "personalities" is indicitive of not having listened.
>
> Two of the best personality jocks ever (IMHO), were
> RKO/Drake jocks: the late Dr. Don Rose, and Dale Dorman.
> Those two were amazing with fast punchlines and quips...a
> requirement of those flowing, smooth Drake formatics.
> Totally great stuff.

Some of the "between thought" pauses on today's morning shows are longer than a whole joke with Dr. Don.
 
> ("The song says video killed the radio star. I doubt it").

Corporate radio killed the radio star. They buy up stations that are doing well, then bring in the consultants to start "tweeking" and "tightening up" formats as they call it. Some stations need consultants only becuase they don't have the right PD in place to begin with. Just because it works in Califonia doesn't mean the masses in Florida like it.
Most listeners in any format will tell you that they hear the same tired songs over and over and too many commercials. They'll also tell you that they listen to multiple stations in the market just to hear something different.
The corporate programming or hired consultants will then tell you about research that shows the listening habits of most pink monkeys 12+ even though your target audience is red monkeys 25-54. White monkeys are now a minority in Texas.
 
> > ("The song says video killed the radio star. I doubt
> it").
>
> Corporate radio killed the radio star. They buy up stations
> that are doing well, then bring in the consultants to start
> "tweeking" and "tightening up" formats as they call it. Some
> stations need consultants only becuase they don't have the
> right PD in place to begin with. Just because it works in
> Califonia doesn't mean the masses in Florida like it.
> Most listeners in any format will tell you that they
> hear the same tired songs over and over and too many
> commercials. They'll also tell you that they listen to
> multiple stations in the market just to hear something
> different.
> The corporate programming or hired consultants will then
> tell you about research that shows the listening habits of
> most pink monkeys 12+ even though your target audience is
> red monkeys 25-54. White monkeys are now a minority in
> Texas.
>


That's exactly what I was going to say. Video never killed ANY radio star. The enemy is within the industry itself.
 
> That's exactly what I was going to say. Video never killed ANY radio star. The > enemy is within the industry itself.

I know this is heresy but I actually think that being a regulated business (radio and television) that competes with unregulated businesses (Apple) and less-regulated business (XM, Sirius)puts Clear Channel at a big disadvantage. Not that I disagree with your contempt for homogenization and the consultantization of radio. But building a lot of CYA into the business process is part of any large, publicly traded entity, not just Clear Channel. It still sucks, but it's not just radio.

Asking what we can do to "Save Radio" strikes me as asking, in 1920, what we are going to do to save the horse industry.

And why doesn't anyone ask who killed The TV Star and The Newspaper Star? Does it occur to anyone else that it's not radio that's in trouble, but ALL advertising-supported media? (With the current exception of the Internet search business?)<P ID="signature">______________
"A man is about as big as the things that make him angry" - Winston Churchill

<a href="http://saltydog.5gigs.com">
The Salty Dog</a>
</P>
 
The radio star isn't dead.

Let's see..is Howard Stern a radio star? Rush Limbaugh? Bob and Tom? Bob and Sheri? Someone in your market? The radio star isn't dead, but is taking a different form. The Real Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan, and many others were virtually unknown outside their home markets. If anyone killed the "DJ", it was the listeners who didn't give a darn about hearing a DJ talk. Even in the 70s, any number of people preferred automated music formats like TM Stereo Rock or low-key album stations to overhyped screaming DJs. I remember my first non-radio job since I started in radio, and almost being shocked that, although the radio in the office was on all day, absolutely no one noticed which DJ was on, if the regular midday jock was off and a sub was on in his place, or anything like that. As long as there was a background sound, they were fine with it. We'd like to think when we're behind the mike that everyone is hanging on our every word, but they're not.

What is dead is the "warm body". "Four and hit the door" gigs.
 
>
>
> I wouldn't say dead. In the large/medium market I'm in, many
> shifts are live and not tracked and most jocks have some
> type of personality. I can actually think of more that
> ramble on too long than those who are too basic/liner card.
> If anything, I have noticed a trend towards less tight jocks
> and more ramble. Talking too much does not necc. =
> personality.
>

Boy, is that ever the truth.

Once upon a time, you could count on making a living in radio if you had a great personality, or great delivery, or a great voice. If you had all 3, that was even better. Such people still exist today, but they aren't willing to work for today's typical radio wages.

And yes, you still have a few people on the air who are probably best left restricted to reading calls, time, and song titles. I still hear a jock from time to time that rambles so meaninglessly, it actually makes me yearn for automation.
 
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