Why Radio is a Piece of ‘Gahbage’
As an only child, I relied heavily on the radio from a very early age as to stave off boredom, but what was once a childhood passion of mine grew into an interest that sparked my love for music of all kinds. As I got older however, and craved new sounds and styles, I became acutely aware of the lack of true variety that is offered on the radio. Now as a full-blown adult, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that by and large, the radio sucks.
Ok, I’m fully aware that this statement is not completely accurate, as the quality of radio programming varies from city to city. For example, I’m rarely disappointed when browsing through stations while in NYC. But as a semi-nomad, I’ve lived in my fair share of cities, and I can say that the general consensus is that radio is whack.
There’s an interesting piece called “Radio’s Losing Strategy” that highlights some of the key reasons the radio business has been on the decline for several years. It cites that advent of digital media (iPod, Internet radio, etc.), massive media consolidations; and the overwhelming number of commercials are a significant factor. It also states that stations rely too heavily on their morning shows for revenue and that radio mostly appeals to Gen X-ers and baby boomers. I can definitely dig these facts, but there are some other aspects of the radio biz that get under my skin.
The main pet peeve of mine is the shameless repetition of the same songs throughout the day. And wouldn’t nice to hear more from not so well-known talented artists from time to time, rather than the same handful of pop stars? It seems as though the many of these stations fear going out on a limb, and even playing a random track from a major pop stars album.
Honestly, I miss the radio. Not just what it meant to me as a child, but how it once served to provide more joy than frustration. As long as this stale trend in radio continues, my iTunes playlist will continue to grow.
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i feel ya. my radio broke about a year ago and lets just say i dont miss it at all. the music that’s out now gives me a headache. i dont want to sound like and old fogie (i’m 26 btw) but i miss how music, specifically r&b and rap used to sound like.
I agree. I stopped listening to the radio when rap turned into sex-rap and began to dominate r&b on the popular urban stations. If I must listen to the radio now, it’s News radio or soft rock…and I’m 31.
and the truly good stations are underfunded and get cut! like the jazz stations :(
There are so many official remixes and songs on ppl’s albums that should get played on the radio besides their official singles…..so I feel you completely with the repetitive tracks….I especially hate when one dj goes off the air after playing one song and the next one coming on for the upcoming hour plays that same song within 15 mins….
They should all have at least a special day or time of day or certain days where music from underground artist or people with talent from the local area….I dont think radios support them enough…..
and I especially miss the Doug Banks morning show….they were the highlight of my mornings…..
I just recently became a vinyl head. NOW there’s where all the good music can be found!!!
Problem is the consolidation of radio stations, thanks a bunch Clear Channel. Instead of interesting , creative, refreshing music, you get cookie cutter , “pop” music.
Amen. Thank the universe for Imeem, Myspace, and the internet period. If it wasn’t for the internet I wouldn’t know about all of the dope artists that I listen to because the radio sure isn’t giving them any play!
Me too! I grew up carrying my cassette tape/clock radio around from room to room. Like LL Cool J, I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT MY RADIO.
I have been ranting about the negative impact of corporate radio on the rnb market for years.
The mom and pops who largely ran rnb stations 25 years ago, barely exist b/c these cannot compete for advertising dollars like the corporate owned stations. Clear Channel gives companies wider exposure for their products b/c ads can be played all over the country on their hundreds of stations at once. Music is simply used as a medium to attract the targeted demograhpic to hear the ads. That is why music that appeals certain ethnic or age groups is nonexistent in many areas of this country.
On my block-northern Colorado-there is no such thing as a black radio station and no contemporary rnb. There is just a lot of “urban” stations spinning ignorant hiphop rnb. Corporate owned radio has sucked the creativity out of AM/FM frequencies.
I am so glad I discovered internet radio stations 2 years ago. Creativity & diversity lives on in the digital realm. I love to search for stations at http://www.live365.com.
What, the “Stanky Leg” is not appealing to you, lol. Seriously, I think alot of our feelings relating to music on the radio can come down to the types of music that is being produced now a days. Even though I can admit that I might nod my head when I hear a song that makes no sense @ all, I always get my groove back when the DJ decides to mix in a little Digital Underground or B.I.G. The unfortunate thing is I don’t see any revisions being made (from radio, to certain artists, producers, etc) any time soonto make the situation better.
94.7 the wave. smooth jazz never lets me down.
oh i feel you!!! I cannot even stomach the mainstream radio here in Chicago. During the evenings, the dj’s say some the dumbest things, it sounds like eavesdropping on a teenager conversation. It is ridiculous. They play the same 10 songs, 24/7. Which is why it doesn’t matter if you don’t like a song when you first hear it, the radio makes it “grow on you”. I want radio to go back to discovering new talent and giving ppl their big breaks. These stations get paid to support a few artists, that is a shame
I feel you girl. I get so tired of hearing the same songs day after day, most of the songs lack because the radio stations constantly put them on.
But at the same time, radio helps some stars gain their fame.
To all you radio dj’s, please step up your game.
We (Atlanta) have great morning/afternoon show personalities, so that outweighs the repetitiveness (i.e. heavy rotation songs)!LOL Thanks to V-103 for keeping us informed on a variety of topics and entertained :)!!!!
I completely agree. I wish radio would play songs from the 80′s & 90′s. The throw backs would definietly help.
I personally don’t listen to radio anymore if it isnt on Pandora, services like this will put an end to traditional radio.
I also remember liking radio back in the old days, enough to actually seek out radio edits on Napster back before anybody knew it was illegal (there were a few songs where I heard the CD and didn’t like them as much when I found out what the real words were)
But I pretty much quit music radio when I heard that ‘Laffy Taffy’ song a few years back. Every once in a while I’ll catch something interesting on those little college radio stations, but those are hard to find. Ever since ClearChannel ate everything I really only listen to the news, gotta get those sigalerts anyway…
I agree. I am young but I stopped listening to the radio a while ago, and watching music videos on top of that.Its all the same……….either its sex or violence or nonsense. I would love to find a radio station that plays songs that come on BETJ. Thats music.