May
31
2005Article on “Random Radio”
31
2005
Where I live, there’s a new radio station called “93.7 Mike FM”, a station that “plays anything”. And, apparently, this type of format is rapidly spreading across the country, having been “invented” in Canada, by what are known as “Jack” and “Bob” stations. SFGate.com has a great article exploring this phenomenon..
One important point brought up in this article is that all this randomness is not as random as you might think.
The stations tell listeners “we play what we want” or “we play anything.” But they’re really carefully crafted to keep advertisers happy, observers say. Song choices target a lucrative but musically hard-to-define demographic, 25- to 54-year-olds who want to hear new music but not rap and bubblegum pop and who declare themselves too young to listen to the oldies.
“This is oldies wrapped up in new wrapping paper and a new bow,” said Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, a trade publication owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc.
The comment about “oldies” is an interesting one. My musical tastes lean towards “Indie Pop”, “Electronica”, and “Garage Rock”. But, in the car, what do I often listen to? Oldies. Yup, the 50’s and 60’s stuff. Why? Because the music I really enjoy is rarely playing anywhere outside of hard-to-find college radio, so I’m usually stuck trying to choose music I tolerate, rather than what I really enjoy. Yes, I know I can listen to CD’s and iPods and such but they’re not always and option, and I also feel a bit isolated if I don’t tune in to actual broadcast media once in a while - both to experience songs that are new to me, and to make sure I’m reachable by the Emergency Broadcast System, should the world around me suddenly fall apart.
Anyway, back to the oldies. I geniunely like certain “oldies” songs but, for the most part, I consider them pleasant background noise. So, why is my fallback plan listening to oldies, instead of finding tolerable Adult Oriented Radio (AOR)? Variety! Oldies stations have thousands of mediocre to excellent tracks to choose from, whereas “contemporary” stations have a much more limited playlist, and don’t have the advantage of knowing if certain songs are good enough to “stand the test of time”.
People my age or older often joke about “nostalgia” for the 80’s and 90’s. But, guess what? It’s getting less and less funny. Time is marching on, and the 80’s began over a quarter century ago. Even though “whatever” stations like Mike FM throw in a new song here and there, I’m listening for the exact same reason I listen to oldies. Mr. Taylor is right - random is the new old.
I think MikeFM plays too many songs that have not passed the test of time. In Boston, it’s unfortunate that MikeFM replaced an energenic station with fun DJs, but that in itself is not reason for me to dislike the station. I’m just not comfortable hearing Adam Ant, Nirvana, and Rod Stewart all sequentially. Alas, I doubt we’ll ever see eye-to-eye on this one
My plug for Boston-area radio stations? WBOT Hot 97.7!
Boston radio dial: http://www.bostonradio.org/fmdial.html
Dave 6/1/05 @ 4:47 pmNot enough death metal. you’re welcome Nate.
kap 6/1/05 @ 9:43 pmLegally, how can a radio station get away with saying “we play everything” when they don’t? Is it because the claim is generally understood to be hyperbole?
What is a laundry detergent said, “DetergentX cleans every stain!” and it really doesn’t?
It’s like Meatloaf - “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that”
Dave 6/2/05 @ 5:55 pm