He's Back....

One thing is for sure, if I keep posing at the rate I've been going no one can say I'm wearing out my welcome. This 'blog' thing requires a lot more discipline than I ever thought it would. Taking the time to organized my always scattered thoughts into something coherent is more work than I'm used to doing. Part of the problem I suppose is due to my background as a broadcaster I'm more use to expressing my thoughts by auditory means. This typing stuff takes more talent than I probably have. however, not wishing to avoid that which is difficult I'm doing my best to keep the notion alive.

On Radio...

I've always been enchanted by radio. radio in all forms, as a listener, and as a broadcaster. The 'Golden Days' of radio for those in my age group is the period between 1964 - 1976 that slice of magic smack dab in the rock and roll era. Radio in that period was geared to teenage and young adults roughly between the age of 12 - 34. Musically it was one of THE best periods in 'pop' music.  Every type of 'pop' from sappy love songs through hard rock. Artist wise, from 'The Teddy Bears' through 'Led Zeppelin'. Radio was a dynamic medium during that period all because of the personalities presenting the music. Personalities were topical, funny, informative and timely all in the space of time allocated by the musical intro of the songs they presented. In a :20 second intro they were able to create the setup, deliver the punch line, and toss in the call letters of a station nailing the vocal. Personalities also acted as a 'bridge' between musical elements, and by changing their delivery were able to help make the transition from a slow ballad to a smoking hot rock tempo with ease.

There aren't many stations these days who are as well programmed as stations in the 60's and 70's. Part of the reason is changes on the business side. Stations always existed to turn a profit. But these days programming is considered an item where corners can be cut. That's why it's rare to hear a truly 'LIVE and LOCAL' disc jockey on radio these days. Too many are hundreds of miles away from the station they broadcast from, and most couldn't tell you much about a town other than basic location and sports team names. There are a few stations that do carry on with local talent and when you hear one, you immediately sense the difference in presentation. That's the story for now, and it wasn't much however maybe I'll return in the future with addition thoughts..