Cornball Me, I Still Believe in Radio Magic
Live radio. Bit of a novelty these days for those of you who may not know… it’s basically all prerecorded, robotic. No theater-of-the-mind, no vibe, no dialogue. A jukebox dictated by charts and numbers, not humans. And certainly, no one behind the mic picking a song and playing it simply because they feel like it, keenly led by that two-way street between programmer and listener that has to happen for radio to be magic.
By some strange collision of the cosmos, that’s the kind of radio I grew up learning thanks to a team of seasoned programming mentors at my first station in Vermont. The pay sucked but still, we had the bug. It was simple. Find great music. Play it. Be human. Create compelling radio. Those were the unquestionable standards and we worked our asses off to achieve them. Hell, even the commercials made for great listening. No joke. All because, first and foremost, we were fans; fans of each other and fans of the ideal… the ideal being to “create a product or service that makes the world a better place” (Guy Kawasaki 101). Corny? Definitely. But powerful.
These days, it’s rare for any of us to engage in true participatory listening (the kind vinyl forces you to do). We’re too busy multitasking. But programming live radio requires that… in order to have your finger on the mood of the moment, to create that dialogue with the listener, you’ve got to listen, you’ve got to pay attention, you’ve got to turn it up, you’ve got to jump around, you’ve got to feel it. Similar to a musician, as programmer, it’s your job to harness the energy and drive it and make the magic happen.
Last night, it was a fantastic surprise to be reminded of the contagious, irresistible high that live radio can do to a girl. Thanks Dave Leonard, for letting me cohost Unleashed.
Here’s the stream.
Here’s the playlist:
The Clash, This Is Radio Clash
Glasvegas, Daddy’s Gone
Pete Droge, Spacey and Shakn
Pete Droge, Electric Green
Roman Candle, A Heartbeat
The Bees (US), a.k.a. The Silver Seas, The Country Life
Steely Dan, Barrytown
Mike Gent, Paper Knives
Glenn Tilbrook, Neptune
Marshall Crenshaw, Take Me with You
Jim Boggia, Listening to NRBQ
NRBQ, Ridin in My Car
The Guggenheim Grotto, Her Beautiful Ideas
Jesus and Mary Chain, Sometimes Always
Michael Miller, Carolina Skyline
Cary Brothers, If You Were Here
Semisonic, This Will Be My Year
Tarmac Adam, Swim
Electronic, Can’t Find My Way Home
Robin Danar featuring Rachel Yamagata, 2000 Light Years From Home
The Candyskins, For What It’s Worth
Chris Velan, House Upon the Hill
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Spirit in the Sky
Stoney Clove Lane, Crawl
Thea Gilmore, Cover Me
The Jackson Hives, Need a Lie
Honeydogs, Sour Grapes
Tags: CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, KATE BRADLEY, OUTLANDOS MUSIC —
1/11/10
Categories: CUT THROUGH THE NOISE • KATE BRADLEY • OUTLANDOS MUSIC
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5 Responses to “Cornball Me, I Still Believe in Radio Magic”
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you must have had a great time doing this–i can feel it just by reading the playlist. psyched to stream it!
It has been a while since I have heard you on-air, and honestly, you did not miss a beat. You engaged the audience, tore down the curtain and gave us a look at the wizard, provided a pool of well informed knowledge regarding the artists and their craft, waxed nostalgic, and made me laugh. Anyone who can mention “Hot Shaved Asian Teens” and not bust up on the airwaves has proven themselves to be the textbook definition of a professional. Me on the other hand, I laughed just typing H.S.A.T.
[...] Live radio. Bit of a novelty these days for those of you who may not know… it’s basically all prerecorded, robotic. No theater-of-the-mind, no vibe, no dialogue. A jukebox dictated by charts and numbers, not humans. And certainly, no one behind the mic picking a song and playing it simply because they feel like it, keenly led by that two-way street between programmer and listener that has to happen for radio to be magic [...] [...]
Jim Boggia, Listening to NRBQ
NRBQ, Ridin in My Car
I simply love that kind of subtle juxtaposition.
Electronic, Can’t Find My Way Home
Robin Danar featuring Rachel Yamagata, 2000 Light Years From Home
This time a thematic transition.
I’m gonna have to bookmark this and listen at the office next week.
Hi Kate, Great stuff, I’ll check out your stream, and here’s to another great year of live, adventurous, independent radio! All the best, Jerry