Why does radio suck?

[Uncle Rob]

Your opinion please ....

 

[henry]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

Radio must be:
1. Sincere
2. Honest
3. Friendly
4. Fun

Between syndicated talk radio and sweeper-driven formats, we've pretty much violated all four rules. It's no wonder the 18-24s would rather listen to their own iPods.

 

[davideduardo]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

 

[michael hagerty]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Actually, David, I think Henry might be too young for the guys you mention....but I'm not. Born in mid-Baby Boom (1956), I was raised expecting to be entertained, not attempting to relate.

In my book, radio lost the thread when it stopped entertaining and started trying to be like my friend down the street. I have....well....real-life friends down the street for that.

Where Henry and I would probably agree is that the current crop of famous people isn't especially entertaining on the radio. The guys I grew up with became famous by being entertaining on the radio.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Didn't Bill Ballance work out of Lynwood? Or were the KGBS studios
still atop the mortuary at 338 S. Western?

 

[michael hagerty]

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Didn't Bill Ballance work out of Lynwood? Or were the KGBS studios
still atop the mortuary at 338 S. Western?

They went to the old mortuary in the late 30s.

 

[ercjncpr]

radio sucks because my 53 year old ears cannot relate to the majority of sounds coming from the FM dial in LA. Thank goodness for online/ipod/Sirius XM

 

[henry]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Actually, David, I think Henry might be too young for the guys you mention....but I'm not. Born in mid-Baby Boom (1956), I was raised expecting to be entertained, not attempting to relate.

In my book, radio lost the thread when it stopped entertaining and started trying to be like my friend down the street. I have....well....real-life friends down the street for that.

Where Henry and I would probably agree is that the current crop of famous people isn't especially entertaining on the radio. The guys I grew up with became famous by being entertaining on the radio.

Perhaps I mis-spoke. I do recognize most of those names. But all those guys started small and "became" famous via radio. Today radio grabs some random 15-minute-of-fame celeb and throws them on Premier. It's not the same.

There's a huge difference between Casey Kasem and Seacrest's defunct afternoon show. When I say "relate-able" I mean that he's my "friend." Casey is my "buddy" who I'd hear on weekends. He seems like the kind of guy (true or not) who'd drive his own car and buy his own groceries. His show was all about me. I suspect the same could be true of Loman and Barkley ("we want YOU to call in and tell us") or even Rick Dees back in the day.

Versus Seacrest, or other modern-day "air talent." The show is all about them. Their new show. Their new book. Their stories about going to the latest party in Westwood.

Radio needs to be all about #1 ... the listener. Instead we're nothing but a clearing house for cross-promotion. (Agent: "Hey, I'll get you on web, TV, and radio"). We can do better!

 

[WTFman]

That's pretty sneaky! "Why does radio suck?" Haha. I almost bit.
Look pal, if you want the answer to that one you're going to have
to come up with some serious dough--know what I mean? I'm not going
to just give that info away on some board for every TomDicknHarry
to rip off for nothing. What kind of consultant would I BE if I did
that sort of thing? Well, I'd be BROKE for one thing! Now if you
want to get serious you can get in touch and we'll talk--but you're
going to need your checkbook. Wait, better make it cash.

 

[davideduardo]

There's a huge difference between Casey Kasem and Seacrest's defunct afternoon show.

There's no difference, other than the era, between Kasey on KRLA and Seacreast on the air in Atlanta or, even, on his enormously successful show on KYSR. Of course, at the time, KYSR's target, as a Modern AC, was women... so if you are a guy... and most of the Henrys I know are... ypu may not have related to it.

OTOH, Seacrest is part of our era's most successful and watched TV sow, and that is mucho of his appeal and he should take advantage of that!

But look beyond Seacrest... and remember that when the other folks I mentioned started in LA, radio was nowhere nearly as niched and fragmented, so appeal was purposely broader. Today, air personalities are much more specific to their formats than once upon a time before even AT40 was created.

 

[musicfan101]

Why does radio suck? Because, Jonesy and Tom Leykis are off the air...

 

[davideduardo]

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Didn't Bill Ballance work out of Lynwood? Or were the KGBS studios
still atop the mortuary at 338 S. Western?

Not "atop." The entire building, complete with the Gone With The Wind staircase and the ground level rear floor that sloped for good "drainage" was dedicated to the station. I visited it in 1961, when it was Beautiful Music, and got a nice tour "without mention of the mortuary" of the station that 34 years later I would work at!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

So where is/was the mortuary?

 

[davideduardo]

So where is/was the mortuary?

It was gone by the 30's.

 

[nmoore6676]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Actually while I was still a grade school kid one of the very popular local radio personalities lived in a small tract home right down the street, not even as large as ours. Another who also happened to be Jonathan Winter's mom lived in more affluent digs but still within our area of town. I think the poster was more referring to the aura they presented, though I've heard that Robert W. was far from Mr. Personality in real life. Of course we are all aware of Bill Handel's Persian Palace but he still appeals to the common man.

The problem is that with the exception of the Mega-Stars like Seacrest there is no personality wanted on radio and it is hard to carry off if you are tracking shows for multiple markets, even if you wanted to. But as I was growing up there were certain DJ's and early TV personalities who at least gave you the sincere perception that they were your friends and that they were honored guests in your home. The chance that you would ever be actually invited to have dinner in their homes was remote, even for the guy who lived down the street as I was growing up. It was just a feeling we had listening or watching them which made us more loyal to them as well.

Maybe it was also an extension of the theater of the mind of early radio and a lot of the first TV hosts transferred over from radio. Back then, in my youth, the movies stars were presented as glamorous yet many of them like Jimmy Stewart still carried off an ah shucks aura as well. The publicity of stars back then emphasized their home and family lives, though for Joan Crawford and Bing Crosby their children dispelled those illusions later on. Is it possible that today we have too much exposure of our celebrities with their peccadilloes and many of them are not truly people we WOULD WANT in our living rooms?

 

[davideduardo]

Maybe it was also an extension of the theater of the mind of early radio and a lot of the first TV hosts transferred over from radio. Back then, in my youth, the movies stars were presented as glamorous yet many of them like Jimmy Stewart still carried off an ah shucks aura as well. The publicity of stars back then emphasized their home and family lives, though for Joan Crawford and Bing Crosby their children dispelled those illusions later on. Is it possible that today we have too much exposure of our celebrities with their peccadilloes and many of them are not truly people we WOULD WANT in our living rooms?

I think you hit it out of the park on this post. Excellent, and very thought provocative.

I started thinking if we would have watched the Osbournes in 1957 along with Hoppalong Cassidy and Howdy Doody.

 

[michael hagerty]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

Actually while I was still a grade school kid one of the very popular local radio personalities lived in a small tract home right down the street, not even as large as ours. Another who also happened to be Jonathan Winter's mom lived in more affluent digs but still within our area of town. I think the poster was more referring to the aura they presented, though I've heard that Robert W. was far from Mr. Personality in real life. Of course we are all aware of Bill Handel's Persian Palace but he still appeals to the common man.

It wasn't until Rick Dees had been at KIIS-FM through a few contract renewals that mornings in LA became a million-dollar a year gig. Charlie Tuna lived in Encino and coached Little League. Morgan had a house there too. Lohman and Barkley were suburban dads...none of these guys were living behind gates and guards. Some afternoon and evening jocks who we thought were stars were apartment dwellers.

 

[michael hagerty]

Maybe it was also an extension of the theater of the mind of early radio and a lot of the first TV hosts transferred over from radio. Back then, in my youth, the movies stars were presented as glamorous yet many of them like Jimmy Stewart still carried off an ah shucks aura as well. The publicity of stars back then emphasized their home and family lives, though for Joan Crawford and Bing Crosby their children dispelled those illusions later on. Is it possible that today we have too much exposure of our celebrities with their peccadilloes and many of them are not truly people we WOULD WANT in our living rooms?

I think you hit it out of the park on this post. Excellent, and very thought provocative.

I started thinking if we would have watched the Osbournes in 1957 along with Hoppalong Cassidy and Howdy Doody.

David..Think about it. The Osbournes IS Ozzie and Harriet. Family of four...Dad's a famous, stammering musician (named Ozzie...but Osbourne instead of Nelson) somewhat befuddled by the daily life around him....with the kids as big a negative stereotype of our time as David and Ricky were positive stereotypes of theirs.

Hit me the first time I saw it...I tuned in expecting to be disgusted based on what I'd heard...watched 10 minutes, turned to my wife and said..."It's an Ozzie and Harriet parody". And very well done.

 

[Domino Rippy]

Radio used to put "regular people" on the air. They were relate-able. They became your friends. They were average joes who occasionally became celebrities.
Today radio puts "celebrities" on they air. They live in bigger houses than you do. They aren't your friend. They aren't relate-able (Seacrest, Donny Osmond, etc.)

So Gary Owens, Casey Casem, Wink Martindale, Bill Ballance, Robert W. Morgan and many many others lived in little houses in Lynwood?

David: I think he meant that their early years they were not celebrities they were just jocks starting out that became celebrities. It would be like in the 60's if Johnny Carson went on KHJ as a Top 40 Bossjock or if Jack Benny did it. You can't put established celebrities outside of radio on the radio and expect them to be radio giants.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

We are all in search for "The Holy Grail".... what is the essential ingredient(s?) that make for compelling radio.

My memory is that early radio allowed people with "celebrity" into the studio to see what they could do. People who were local country music performers migrated into radio to augment and supplement their music career and went on to be radio personalities. Vaudeville performers tromped into studios and some of them stuck to the walls like fresh mud. Ex local coaches came in to do some sports "color and adornment" and ended up being "real radio people".

I may be a bit more pronounced today, but this idea of trying to transplant a "star" from another venue into the studio like a grafted plant in the greenhouse is not exactly new.... or unAmerican.

We may be chasing the wrong rabbit if we are going to blame our disappointment in today's radio on these outside transplants. They have always been a part of the scene.