I am a bit disappointed by the OP. It complains about CC, but only the dead format of radio. What about TV, news, billboards, concerts (I think they’re less involved there), censorship, jackbooting, and baby raping? The CEO of CC, Satan, controls each part with one claw.
Station A plays songs 1-8, then station B plays the same songs while A does 9-16. Then A 17-24, B 9-16, C 1-8. It’s a tough formula, but it’s all to give you the newest, most original techno-rap-party-rock-neo-adult contemporary-screamo.
Hmm. We understand you like her, but start a thread if you want to talk about her. You don’t need to insert her into every vaguely musical thread, and many that do not. I know know you think she is smarter than you, that hurricanes at the RNC need a mention of her, that she can unite the political divide, and that she’s relevant to the Wisconsin Republican primary. 43 times.
It’s not about whether I like her music or not (not much), but I’m starting to wonder whether you’re on her street team or getting paid for the reference.
I had a rental car last week with satellite radio. Within 5 minutes I found a station called Margaritaville that played about 70% Jimmy Buffet, and 30% similar vein stuff. It was wonderful. A lot of the Jimmy, well come to think of it maybe all the Jimmy, was live concert footage.
It’s a bit kaotic–lots of obscure music, mostly appealing to the shut-in quadriplegic demographic. There are a few more stations like it, but I don’t know whether you could say the tide is turning.
As someone who has spent ten years in the radio business (in the 1980’s before local radio died), I have some answers for you.
Clear Channel and other large companies (Cumulus, etc.) come to a market and try to buy as many frequencies as possible. Then they have a cookie cutter list of formats that they think will appeal to an attractive demographic for sales. They change formats without regard for history or local taste because they are not from the area and have no connection or interest in what came before.
Each station will have one or two full time on-air people (usually doing a morning show) and then voice track other shifts with DJ’s from out of town who do the same thing for dozens of other stations. They will make do with one production person to make the commercials and a few part time people to do the rest. During off hours, you end up with seven radio stations run out of one building by one person being paid little better than minimum wage.
One group of salespeople sell commercials for all the stations. Clients are given discounts for buying more than one station, which helps the weaker stations with what they call “inventory”, i.e. commercials, which make them sound successful. The “group” is sold to clients with the pitch of “We have listeners all across the spectrum. We can narrowly target your customers for you or give you a chance to speak to large numbers for less money.”
The cities don’t matter. The formats are all the same. They are interchangable because new jingles, formats, etc. can be tested in one market and then moved into another without them having to start from scratch. The only thing missing is what made people connect with local radio in the first place…a local identity and personalities.
It’s worth paying for it. I never had it until I bought a new vehicle and never listen to the other. You actually hear a new song every now and then as opposed to Bob Seger for the 1,000,000,000 time.
Back in the 1970’s, you could switch on 96 Rock at any moment and it’d be at least even odds they’d be playing either a Bob Seger or Bad Company song. Also all through the 80’s. Also all through the 90’s. Can’t vouch for the aughts onward, but I have a sneaking suspicion…
I’ve been here since the early 90s, and you can sleep well tonight knowing that the above was true up until they switched to project 9-6-1. I honestly think they played about 6 years of songs for over 3 decades.
I won’t particularly miss the music, but it was nice knowing that 96.1 was always there doing their thing if you wanted to hear Smoke on the Water.