Radio to the rescue

It's strange and funny at the same time how long I have been blessed to be In and around Radio TV Broadcasting and the arts. I started full time on air at age 14 after accelerating through Highschool because of my Art. I had thirty five , five x seven foot canvas compositions I was working on when I started Highschool, then had a major art showing in Toronto at the Saxe Gallery. Oddly enough Mrs. Johns my grade eight teacher had been a University teacher of math and science. We finished our work early before the end of the school year in grade eight so Mrs. Johns said we would learn all the math and science for Highschool just for fun. Well guess what? In order to accelerate I had to write the grade thirteen math English and science and I got 98 percent and 100 percent in Art. There were some indifferent teachers who thought I was getting special treatment. One of my best lessons in life. Everyone isn't always on your side.

So I was lucky and put a radio station on air in Espanola in 1978 at age 17 for Mr Greco of Huron Broadcasting with Dave Carter, father of Debbie Lori Kaye who had the hit song soldier boy. Later I was part of the team that put the Newmarket radio station on air, where I also did the morning show. We went on air a month early before we flipped the switch for the transmitter . It allowed our sales team to sell and collect way more than it cost to put the station together. They gave me a brand new mustang for helping to make it work so well. Cool,stuff. I have been so blessed. But enough of my lucky experiences. Don't forget a lot of hard work goes with all of this which cost me three marriages being a workaholic. My fault . My wives were beautiful and wonderful . I didn't pay enough attention to them. My first wife was gone three weeks before I noticed. That wasn't cool. It's kind of funny now but she probably still doesn't think so.

What I really pay attention to these days is something I've heard for years from people. Listeners of Broadcast radio and bands. They all ask, why do they just play the same songs over and over on the radio? There is a very good reason for it, although there are programmers defying that norm but the reasoning for playing songs in rotation like that has several purposes.

Firstly, it's a proven fact that people generally listen to radio in fifteen minute segments so programmers don't fully count on you listening 24/7 , they count on you tuning in for the news or weather etc. You're looking for information. Advertisers who are savvy want to see ratings that shows they are getting a peak time and more bang for their buck or they buy the entire night show for less money and count on those fifteen minute segments. When we went from talking every song and playing sets it fit the fifteen minute model even better. Then the bottom line is programmers know that people want to know what to expect when they tune in so doing radical programming of country,rap and rock would not really fly that well, well in major market radio anyway. Perhaps in small and medium markets because it's usually the only radio available , or it use to be that way. You can mix it up and folks just have to listen because it's the only radio station in town in small markets . Elliot Lake and Wawa are good examples of that type of programming where you get a mix of everything and there is no competition. Well there wasn't until the internet. I know my friend Rick Labbe owns JJAM fm in Wawa and refuses to put the station on the internet for a few reasons that probably relate to that. Rick is a cool dude.He and I were both around the same age when we started on air. Rick also kindly retrained me a few years ago on the new media used to air the station. We started queuing up 45s and 33.3 with carts. Announcing is still the same.

So, one of the main reasons for the repeat of songs the way they are currently programmed is so that people know what to expect when they tune in. The other element to the formula is following Billboard magazine which dictates which songs have proven themselves by public demand and are solid for the programming model. It's proven people like the songs and programmers know then they can get ratings and sell commercials and survive using songs that are proven to be successful.

Gotta keep that music lab cooking.

There is a formula for remaking hit songs which has been proven too. Any song that was in the top ten in Billboard magazine in any given decade can be remade in the next or following decade and it will probably chart again, if you're good enough. The locomotion is a great example of that, first Little Eva, then Linda Rondstadt , then Grand Funk, . Someone should do that one again now.

I actually keep Q107.1 Toronto on 24/7 in my art studio and Classical 93 Toronto in the next area. Two reasons , well first I know most of the folks at Q107.1 and I just love them and anything that Moses Zmaimer does completely fascinates me because Moses is a genius of gem quality. I learn from listening. If I hear Neil Young at 10:30 am I can pretty we'll guarantee that song will come up at about 2:30 am in the same 24 hour period. So now the arguement, why not mix it up and play different songs in that rotation? The reason, listeners would not know what to expect and the station may loose listeners. See how even programmers are caught in the rats wheel to please the public. Programmers also have to answer to the CRTC as they have a license to air based upon a proof of performance agreement. The airwaves are owned by the people and Broadcast lisences are based upon the station serving a purpose in the community. Hence talk radio and such provide a service as does all radio. New indie radical programmers think they need to change the formula and perhaps it does need tweaking. People are in to random but also if I was on air and played you the Rolling Stones and followed with Ronnie Milsap you'd probably puke and tune out. Not because of the music but because you like one and don't like the other so you'd just change the dial or watch Tv and I loose and my sales team would have nothing to sell. Radio people get to eat some times but usually just pay day and then there's no money left. All radio doesn't pay huge money. Well until you hit major market radio.

Radio is trying to rescue itself and become more flexible and there are experiemental programming ideas being implemented but the formula for Q107.1 is a good one because it has frozen a time period of the Music world and is honouring that. Its a great music station and folks know what they can expect when they tune in so they do.

The element that adds random is the great announcers they have. Ryan Parker for example is a very clean living family man with three beautiful children. He doesn't drink or do drugs and is as sharp as a whip with a great sense of humour and curiosity. Ryan has commissioned numerous works of art from me including a painting of John Derringer's dog and Program director Blair Bartrem , plus some of Jeff Healey . Gosh that was a good plug for you Ryan , you need to commission another work,hahaha.

So will this all change? Probably , but I'm not sure when. There are some things a business cannot afford to take chances on and proven things that work are safe and radio is one of the only aspects of the music Industry that is allowed to play it safe.

Ive been trying to convince Q107.1 and rock radio to put Toney Springer's music in rotation, which had charted and David Bowie actually saw the video Midnight blues and flew to Toronto and signed Toney to his band. I've had conversations with Steve Kane President of Warner Music Canada about Toney's music. He agrees with me but we are not the programmers. Honestly if I were program director Toney's music would be airing but I'm not. There is a relevance to Toney Springer's music. It really should be in rotation on rock radio. It took me years of plugging the crap out of Kim Mitchell a few decades ago before programmers agreed this man and Max Webster fit the model. Gosh Kim became a radio guy and now you hear his music. I am hoping other artists get the same recognition, the same way. Greg Godovitz and Goddo are another example that would program well but no AirPlay . That's where I think we need to tweak things and show more respect and recognition for these musicians who have endured the test of time not the billboard charts, and their music is amazing too.

I see where things can change for how the radio is airing. I honestly think that if someone started talking to the musicians on air about their music their songs and then Aired the music it would be interesting and still sell commercials . There would be a random sponteneous happening then . I think Kim Mitchell would still be on air at Q if that approach would have been implemented where he is the announcer but the talk about each song airing would be with the actual musicians who made the music where possible. Right from the horses mouth. It's being done a bit but to do it totally would be out of this world cool. I had started that type of interviewing and was producing what I wanted to be a syndicated show. It was really just a pilot project that I'm still working on. I need to program a radio station to make that happen. No one has hired me to do that yet.

So radio is there to the rescue but most folks from the public and musicans wanting their song on the radio don't get it usually. The repeat of songs happens for a proven reason. Until we can prove a better method the song will remain the same, so to speak.

And, like Forrest Forrest Gump, That's all I have to say about that.