DJs Have No Role in Deciding What Gets Played on Classic Rock Stations

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Hot Ptah, Feb 20, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Hot Ptah

    Hot Ptah Forum Resident In Memoriam Thread Starter

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    Why Classic Rock Isn’t What It Used To Be

    Here is an article which discusses how song choices on classic rock stations are based on data (not musical quality).

    I found this quote interesting:

    "But do radio stations rely at all on the institutional knowledge of their DJs to decide what to play?

    Nope. The role of the song-picking DJ is dead. “I know there are some stations and some companies where if you change a song it’s a fireable offense,” Wellman said, cavalierly ruining the magic
     
  2. Carl Swanson

    Carl Swanson Senior Member

  3. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    The article is three years old, but DJ's have been out of the picture for a good decade beforehand.
     
  4. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    DJ's have no role in what gets played at any station. Been that way since the mid-90's unless your name is Jim Ladd. Sad indeed.
     
  5. asdf35

    asdf35 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin TX
    really? i thought DJ's just loved Led Zeppelin and Steve Miller enough to play them every day.
     
    Jmac1979, Humbuster, smoke and 40 others like this.
  6. ampmods

    ampmods Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    If classic rock radio wants to survive they are going to have to do more than just let DJs decide what gets played... they are going to have to do actual real requests from listeners. They are going to have to engage a listenership the same way talk radio does or else they may as well go off the air.

    It's amazing to me how it all works. But if a station has a bad book, typically what the station does is tighten the playlist. Where instead of say 200 songs they tighten it down to 100. It's madness. And the ratings themselves are suspect but that's what is used for ad dollars. So they feel like they have little choice but to follow the playlist as dictated by whatever media empire owns them based on research from some central office somewhere. It's foolish imo.
     
    phillyal1, McLover, wayne66 and 5 others like this.
  7. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    Where is Jim Ladd now?
     
  8. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    asdf35 likes this.
  9. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
    me too... I thought there was this clamoring to hear Freebird and Hotel California simply because you hadn't heard it since yesterday
     
    ODShowtime, t-man 54, ebro and 21 others like this.
  10. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    Obviously. How would every DJ be playing the same songs over and over again. They should have stations that play requests from listeners.
     
  11. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    Sirius/XM Deep Tracks
     
    marmalade, bpmd1962, parman and 4 others like this.
  12. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

    Location:
    Midwest via Boston
    Yesterday? More like in an hour...:laugh:
     
  13. Mike Campbell

    Mike Campbell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota, USA
    6 times a day. each.
     
    marmalade and oldsurferdude like this.
  14. Preston

    Preston Forum Resident

    Location:
    KCMO Metro USA
    Corporations have ruined radio. It's almost impossible to find a station that doesn't play the same weekly playlist, that doesn't have lots of talking by DJs (I want to hear music, not inane patter) and that doesn't have extremely long commercial breaks.
     
  15. moj

    moj Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    If a 'classic rock station' plays a song that you don't know the chorus to, then it's not doing its job properly. It's not the place for innovation or discovery.
     
    kiefer2, augustwest, forthlin and 2 others like this.
  16. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    A buddy of mine DJ'd a local Cadillac radio station midnight's, he'd invite me over and we'd drink beers. Completely automated. I kept instigating we figure out how to throw on some Nitzer Ebb or the likes. :laugh: This was 1992
     
    Billy Infinity and moj like this.
  17. INSW

    INSW Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia
    If by a decade you mean thirty five years.

    Classic Rock radio is a product sold to you, like a can of soup. Asking why they play the same songs over and over is like asking why your can of chicken soup always has chicken in it.
     
  18. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    35 years ago you at least had flesh-and-blood DJ's who cued up and spun records, even if they were told which ones to play. For the past 15-odd years many of the DJ's themselves are algorithms.
     
  19. Nice Marmot

    Nice Marmot Nothin’ feels right but doin’ wrong anymore

    Location:
    Tryon NC
    I'd bet most modern DJs don't even like the type of music they're hired to play.
     
  20. Raunchnroll

    Raunchnroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    You mean doesn't have chicken in it.
     
  21. This is news? This has been going on for years. I gave up on radio years ago except for NPR.
     
  22. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

  23. CybrKhatru

    CybrKhatru Music is life.

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    It's one reason why I do what I do on Tuesday nights...
     
    ianuaditis likes this.
  24. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    Unfortunately listeners don't really want to hear other listeners' requests...

    I wish it was different, but the data actually reflect what most people actually want to hear.
     
  25. PineBark

    PineBark formerly known as BackScratcher

    Location:
    Boston area
    True, but that doesn't mean they have to play the same 50 or so songs ad nauseum.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine