Radio Exec Questions the Industry- Are you sure you don't want Radio DJ's to talk?

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS- CBS Radio president/CEO Dan Mason said something in an interview with Radio Ink last week that touched a sore place for a whole lot of radio hosts. “Over the last 20 years the disk jockey’s role has been watered down so much,” Mason said, “by the dictate, ‘Don’t talk, don’t give the title and artist of songs, PLAY hit after hit, don’t give anybody any chance to tune out.’ ” Mason said this in a tone that suggested radio had lost something.

We agree. It's a shame that a whole generation (and maybe the next one too) that connects and shares with "friends" and "followers" via facebook and twitter rarely know the name of the local DJ/radio personality that plays their favorite songs on the radio. Listeners are subjected to the large corporate media mindset of how radio should be programmed as described above.

In fact many young people don't have access to a radio in their homes or care to have one either. Let's not confuse that with having access to the "hottest" music. That is not a problem. The computer, YouTube, tablets and mobile devices via smartphones or iPods are always within reach. When was the last time you heard a young person say,'I'm turning on the radio so I can hear (insert any radio DJ's name)  show!' That just doesn't happen anymore.

What the radio industry doesn't care "to get" is that social media has replaced the role that the radio DJ use to have. Now radio geared towards the younger end of the 18-34 demo is trying to play catch up. The radio personality's job was to connect to their audience rather than just share music regardless of genre or subgenre. When the radio industry comes to the realization that the re-emergence of the radio personality is really the only way to engage listeners- there won't be anyone qualified to handle the job... read more of the David Hinckley article in the New York Daily News.