We love lists. That’s what they’d tell you at BuzzFeed, and we know all about this in radio because “countdowns” work just as well, thank you Casey Kasem. And even though we sometimes want to kick ourselves for opening up the posts that count down the “12 Everyday Situations You Can Turn Into Rap Songs,” they often attract our curiosity.
That’s how I felt when I reluctantly clicked on Salary.com’s “12 Jobs on the Brink: Will They Evolve or Go Extinct.” I started down the list with a feeling of dread, hoping that anything to do with radio was not on their list. And as I worked through dirty dozen endangered professions that included librarians, video store clerks, travel agents, and family farmers, I eventually happened upon “On-air DJ” as the very last listing.
Interestingly, the Salary.com story rates each of these precarious professions as either “extinct,” “evolved,” or “evolving.” And when it comes to the people behind the mic in the air studio, their verdict is “evolving.” So maybe that’s a hopeful sign.
But here’s the rub – the story claims that for DJs, the “airwaves are being replaced by ‘web waves’ and satellite signals.” And the Salary.com solution for today’s on-air talent is to transfer their skills into future platforms to ensure their chances at ongoing employment. As they note, “podcasting, web and satellite radio, and syndicated programming” have redefined and changed the landscape.
And yet, the on-air skill sets of days gone by are becoming desirable again…in some unlikely places. The debut of Apple’s Beats 1 – which we
’ve covered in this blog – suggests that digital radio is, in fact, going back to the future to define its new sound, strategy, and approach. After years of algorithms and song skipping, all of a sudden, the DJ is back in vogue.
Slacker has staked out this route, taking the position that humans matter. Their thought process is that jocks are a differentiator, and a way to break up the monotony of all those streaming radio players. Now Apple is in the game with a new radio station and an on-air lineup of its own.
Trent Reznor’s vision for Beats 1 is a throwback approach to the way many of us grew up with radio. Personality, curation, opinion, connection, and listener feedback are all intrinsic parts of this new Apple Music philosophy.
Some say that Beats 1 is simply too “old school” to be relevant for today’s music skippers. But a listen to Apple Music’s new entry rekindles some of that same spirit that we associate with FM radio way back in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s when things first got cooking on the 88-to-108 highway.
The Washington Post’s Marc Fisher recently wrote a great review of Beats 1 – “Apple didn’t reinvent radio. It went back to the basics” – where he points out that this new online station is a tribute to the radio style that’s five decades old, premised on “hyperkinetic DJs, relentless self-promotion, and a listener request line.”
Those skills and characteristics helped make broadcast radio, but these days, they have become fewer and farther between on FM radio. Not so, however, with many public radio stations where music discovery and an engaged personality are still very much a priority and a mission.
One of the poster boys for this brand of curated, broadcast radio is Bruce Warren, veteran programmer for WXPN in Philly. After reading too many stories lauding the announcers on Beats 1, Bruce posted this rant on Facebook the other night:
As Bruce points out, many of public radio’s Triple A stations are fighting that good fight, even though ratings are often difficult to come by. Of course, they don’t have Apple’s platform, is marketing machine, and millions of credit cards behind them.
So the story underlying the Beats 1 strategy is that the abundance of pure-plays and playlist services signals the need for more personality and companionship on the radio. In our “Radio’s Most Innovative” feature a few weeks back with Spotify’s Paul Lamere, he lauded broadcast radio for its inventiveness and its approach to combining music, information, and entertainment.
“You know, I work for Spotify and I love music. I also love information and I think most people are like that as well, where having a mix of music and talk is a good experience. So you can imagine someday morning drive (on Spotify) may be a mix of music and podcasts or latest news. And that’s the kind of thing that terrestrial folks have been doing for years and years, and they seem to have done a pretty good job at it.”
WaPo’s Fisher says the Beats 1 philosophy is premised on the notion “that curation can still trump choice. ” He writes that Apple’s new station has essentially “rediscovered what saved radio six decades ago.”
So what are those attributes, and how can today’s DJs, programmers, and broadcast companies take advantage of their collective DNA and their experience to provide entertainment, information, memories, and stories to today’s growing legions of audio-driven consumers?
Instead of DJs becoming the T-Rex of FM radio, perhaps there can be a renaissance where personalities help radio get back in the game.
That’s the topic we’ll tackle tomorrow as we ponder the return of the DJ.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Thanks for the piece (and the shoutout). While I’m an obsessive music lover, fan, and consumer of old school and internet radio, the rollout of Beats1 kicked my ass into high gear about bringing more of what you write that “Apple Music’s new entry rekindles some of that same spirit that we associate with FM radio way back in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s.” The DJ that leans on the “That was/this is” is a lame duck; and as music “curators” who program, it doesn’t take that much more creative energy to make a connection or two between the new music you’re playing and some old jam. We need to be more thoughtful with our handcrafted mix, have some more fun, do more things that make memorable radio, that get listeners engaged with us on all platforms. True, XPN is less concerned about “ratings.” My mantra has always been “mind share” has always been more important than “market share,” and if we’re doing our jobs right on the left end of the radio dial, then the listeners who love us, will allow us to continue to build our amazing community of supporters, an eco-system that will have some local impact and great radio.
Great words of wisdom from one of the masters. I think it’s fascinating that Beats1 kicked off of us in a different gear – the moment we heard it. It was a reminder that radio done right is compelling, memorable, and buzzworthy. And it underscores the power of personalities when they’re prepared, engaged, and passionate about what they’re doing. Thanks for letting me use you as a great example, and for taking the time to enlighten us and add to the conversation.
How many people can put food on their table doing just a podcast?
From the Merriam Webster Dictionay
Full Definition of RADIO
1 a: the wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electromagnetic waves
b: the use of these waves for the wireless transmission of electric impulses into which sound is converted
Why do we as an industry continue to allow these internet streaming services to call themselves “Radio Stations?” This does nothing to help our industry. It only legitimizes them. They are not Radio Stations they are not radio and never will be. They are internet streaming services which is a whole lot different from a Radio Station
Bob, I totally get this, but I think that as time marches on and more and more people are using streaming and other sources, it all becomes RADIO. In much the same way that on TV, we don’t really care if it’s a local broadcast station, cable, a premium channel, or Netflix – it’s all on our screens and we enjoy it. The key to radio remaining RADIO and standing out is to remember what got us to the dance. Thanks for commenting.
If DJs are extinct then radio is as much at fault as the pureplays. Sure, some people would prefer pure music delivered algorithmically, and on demand streams certainly have replaced what would have been radio listening opportunities.
But radio has marginalized its talent though voicetracking, syndication and possibly inaccurate measurement of talk segments. Dumbing down something in the face of unheard of competition isn’t usually a success strategy and radio is quite lucky to be holding on to its personality image as well as it is.
And so, hopefully, this is a wake up call to re-examine the role of DJs on stations where the music matters. Thanks for the comment, Bob.
Bravos, Fred. Thank you for another cogent and timely post. My sense is we are living on the edge of an audio renaissance. Fisher and Lamere are correct, what’s happening is a revival. Moreover, as Bruce and you suggest, there is an abundance of great broadcast audio being created today, especially by public media. Allow me to quote William Gibson…“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.”
Innovation abounds. 2015 has been a celebration of some incredible audio originating outside of audio’s traditional distribution platform – broadcast radio. Examples include Serial getting the Peabody, cited as “an audio game-changer,” Soundcloud winning the Radio Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions festival and Rivet Radio honored in the national (online) Use of Sound category of the Murrow Awards.
What’s happening in streaming reminds one of the stages in old school music radio format competition. Differentiation was created by 1. What you played (e.g., genre – Rock, Country, etc); Then, given format competition, advanced to 2. How you played it (i.e., depth of title, rotations, breaks, mix, sweeps, et al); 3. How you staged it (personalities, card readers, jockless). Apple simply studied the market and launched Beats1 to address what was missing. Instead of being one more player in the music-intensive algorithm battle, they changed the game. It was the opportunity hiding in plain sight.
Radio, the first tribe of real-time wireless, can and should thrive in this environment. The mission has never been clearer: entertain, inform, be the beloved, trusted companion. Instead of being only in our legacy business of “import,” getting listeners and visitors to tune-in or come to us, we need to get competitive in the new business of “export,” having our content available (and ready to share) whenever and wherever our audience happens to be. We can do this. All we need remember is “The play’s the thing.”
I love what you write here, Dave, especially your final paragraph. We know how to do this, although the muscle memory may be lacking. Thanks for the timely walk-through, complete with your smart, brilliant commentary. Much appreciated.
I believe Dave states the case beautifully. The problems facing the industry today are simply the result of consolidation and the venture capital invasion of years ago. Station groups, instead of focusing on product, point of difference, reason to listen and listener satisfaction viewed the industry as another consumer conquest, but tripped over their feet on the way to the VC pitch or shareholders meeting. They forgot what got them there, the art form, relevance to the listener, localization, information and context.
Yes, Beats 1 is yet another wakeup call. And as long as the industry or the dominant groups strives to save at the expense of a meaningful engagement experience, succeeding generations will never care because they accept what they have until something better comes along. Broadcasters must take new technologies and turn it around with what got them to the dance in the first place.
The great stations of today have the magic but not the over-the-air signal coverage, hence limited discovery and ratings. The groups have the coverage but not the cash, not the real passion for what made radio great.
Yes Dave, deliver a better, more connective product wherever they are and they will come and tell their friends. Anything can be turned around, if you want it badly enough.
Dick, thanks for the wise words and for taking the time to read our blog and comment. The potential is there for radio to recapture the magic and the spirit.