David Hendy’s Quote on American Radio Essay

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David Hendy is right stating that “the commercial, political and technological context … has a direct bearing on the form and content of the programs” The position at a radio station that probably most affects the listeners is the music programmer, who decides what goes on the air. Usually, the owner and his consultants select the music type (or format) for the station. This selection may be based on the wishes of the owners but more likely on market research to determine which musical type is not played currently in the station’s coverage area. Program directors put together an on-air staff of disc jockeys who can best present the music format to the listener, remaining abreast of change in the music field to keep the station’s sound current. Music licensing organizations are also critically important in station/music industry arrangements. They lookout for the interests of the songwriters and performers. Radio stations have free material that they use to attract listeners, who will eventually bring them money through their advertisers. The music industry makes money selling records, tapes, and discs to the public, who want the latest songs they have heard on the radio. Songs are copyrighted, giving their creators a share of the profits generated from the music (Lewis 43).

The commercial, political and technological context shapes radio programs. Radio stations survive because they persuade businesses to give them money in exchange for minutes of airtime. This “selling time” on the radio is the basis of the American commercial radio industry. Radio salespeople persuade businesses to buy advertising time by using a rating book based on surveys determining who is listening to a radio station. The data are broken down primarily by age and sex and are listed by specific daytime listening segments. However, many advertisers also want to have information about listener buying habits, education levels, and other qualitative data. Salespeople tailor their presentations to clients in terms of survey data to persuade advertisers to pay the price the station charges for air minutes based on how many listeners it has and where the minute is located during the broadcast day (Lewis 98). There is one other role radio can play in addition to its functions as an entertainment and political medium.

One of the most difficult criticisms to counter about American radio is the charge of “sameness” that wherever in the country one travels, one finds radio programming boringly similar, except for the local weather and news. The music is the same, the disc jockeys sound the same, the formats are the same. One radio station blends embarrassingly into another as one traverses the nation. Such criticism is the product of market-driven programming. The industry is so finely tuned to giving the public what it wants that it has paralyzed possible change. Even the “alternative” public radio stations cannot escape this criticism (Lewis 49). They have been chided for losing their counterprogramming ambition. Whether commercial or public, radio stations simply stick with what works, and given the increasing emphasis on market programming research, it becomes less likely that totally new programming concepts will emerge. Most station owners have adopted a “Why rock the boat?” attitude about programming innovation, so little change is likely in programming per se (Lewis 43). Radio has always been a technology-driven medium and the future of radio broadcasting in America centres instead on technological developments. Records are being relegated to archives as compact discs replace them. Programmers take advantage of creating new possibilities through electronic developments.

Works Cited

Lewis Peter M. The invisible medium: Public, commercial and community radio. Washington. DC: Howard University Press, 2001.

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