# Progressive local/community radio trope: interrupting songs with statements **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725 "2013-06-23T21:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/1 "2013-06-23T21:04:24Z")
There’s several shows on the progressive local/community radio station that consist of various songs, but interrupted every 20 to 30 seconds or so by a statement of some sort, usually one that’s critical of US foreign policy, or related to an environmental or social justice issue. They go something like this … ♫ _song ♫ song_ ♫ \*song \*♫ _song_ ♫ _The United States is the only nation that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child._ ♫ _song ♫ song_ ♫ \*song \*♫ _song_ ♫ _Women make 70 cents for every dollar a man earns._ ♫ _song ♫ song_ ♫ \*song \*♫ _song_ ♫ _Dick Cheney owns a 100,000 shares of Monsanto stock._ ♫ _song ♫ song_ ♫ \*song \*♫ _song_ ♫ You get the idea. I don’t know why, for lack of a better term to describe it, interrupted songs are popular among the progressive/left crowd, but apparently they are, considering that such shows exist. Is this a common progressive/left trope anywhere else? If you heard something like this on the radio, would you find it listenable? ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/2 "2013-06-23T21:08:31Z")
What kind of radio show do you listen to? I listen to the multiple NPR/college radio stations in the Seattle area, and I’ve never heard anything like this. Are you sure you’re not tuning into a political discussion show that just happens to have music? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/3 "2013-06-24T03:43:43Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > What kind of radio show do you listen to? I listen to the multiple NPR/college radio stations in the Seattle area, and I’ve never heard anything like this. Are you sure you’re not tuning into a political discussion show that just happens to have music? This is a community radio station that has no NPR/PRI programming. Most shows are locally produced, but there’s a lot of programming from Pacifica. They’re not discussion shows. A song plays, and every 30 seconds or so it fades out for a political or social justice statement of some kind. One is called “[What’s the Frequency, Kenneth](http://www.prx.org/series/31449-what-s-the-frequency-kenneth-a-newsical-series)”, and appears to be nationally syndicated. There’s a few other shows like this on the station. It’s not like I sit and listen to them. I come across the shows as I tune across the dial. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/4 "2013-06-24T03:57:21Z")
I’m a DJ at such a station, and I can’t imagine any of us doing this. But if someone did, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be listening to it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/5 "2013-06-24T04:32:37Z")
I haven’t heard any stations which do this with a particular political slant. But there certainly are stations where the DJs talk over the music to make announcements, do promos, or just chatter. Some DJs can’t resist the urge to perform. It’s annoying as hell and I won’t listen to any station where it’s a regular occurrence (and I define a regular occurrence as “it happened a second time”). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/6 "2013-06-24T13:01:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But there certainly are stations where the DJs talk over the music to make announcements, do promos, or just chatter. Some DJs can’t resist the urge to perform. It’s annoying as hell and I won’t listen to any station where it’s a regular occurrence (and I define a regular occurrence as “it happened a second time”). This is way more intrusive and annoying than the morning Zoo Crew talking over the beginning and the end of a song. This is talking at deliberate, regular intervals while a song plays. “What’s the Frequency Kenneth” also interrupts songs with occasional soundbites as well as the host’s opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/7 "2013-06-24T13:03:49Z")
Never heard anything like that before - and as a liberal, I’d still loathe it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-local-community-radio-trope-interrupting-songs-with-statements/661725/8 "2013-06-24T13:05:24Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I don’t know why, for lack of a better term to describe it, interrupted songs are popular among the progressive/left crowd, but apparently they are, considering that such shows exist. Lots of things exist, but not all things that exist are popular. > [@](#): > > Is this a common progressive/left trope anywhere else? It doesn’t seem popular anywhere. > [@](#): > > If you heard something like this on the radio, would you find it listenable? No.