This excerpt is from a piece by the radio columnist for the Fort Worth Star
Telegram. I was reading his column today, and this just hit me between the
eyes. This is exactly how I feel about radio these days, and if there are
at least two of us there must be more.
If I ran radio, here's what you'd hear
Robert Philpot - Commentary
"Hey, it's nice to be noticed, but it took awhile to catch my breath after I
fell out of my chair laughing at the thought that a radio station would
actually listen to me. If radio programmers listened to me... oldies and
classic-rock stations wouldn't play the same 400 songs over and over and
over and ...
If radio stations listened to me, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Joni
Mitchell, the Specials, Lucinda Williams, Randy Newman, Morphine and '80s
R.E.M. would get a lot more airplay than they do now. The rockingest songs
of Stevie Wonder, War, the Temptations and Sly and the Family Stone would
play on stations that play Bob Seger, Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen,
like they did when I was growing up. If radio stations listened to me, I'd
never have to hear Stairway to Heaven again, and anything from what was once
known as side three of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti would serve as an
acceptable substitute.
If radio stations listened to me, they would probably go broke. Radio
stations listen to their corporate owners, to Arbitron, to advertisers, to
focus groups and to request lines, in just about that order. Which is why
everything is so danged bland."
My question is why don't radio stations listen to him??? I honestly believe
that Stairway to Heaven is probably the greatest rock song ever, but I don't
fully appreciate its greatness when I hear it EVERY DAY. And what is up with
the narrow focus of playlists? Why can't you hear a Temptations song on the
same station that plays Springsteen? I hear Lifehouse and Creed on the same
stations that play Nsync and Destiny's Child - what is the difference?
Aren't some of the listmembers here involved in the music biz, albeit
perhaps not directly in radio. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.
And last but not least, why don't I hear Joni on the radio at all any more?
GRRRRR
Sybil
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