and the thought of doing something that demeaning would be unbearable (Eliot, 48). As for today, where does payola sit with disk jockeys? Well, very few disk jockeys are involved in the selection of new records for broadcast. I guess the days of Babes, Booze, and Bribes are long gone (Sklar, 83). In spite of bad press though, radio continues to survive and improve, as many people feel it is an effective medium for achieving public good. How did radio get to where it is today? The answer to this lies in the birth of format radio. Todd Storz and Bill Stewart came up with a rotation pattern for records. This concept was based on the fact that people wanted to hear a select number of songs more than others (Hall, 53). This led to the invention of the Top 40, meaning that 40 most liked songs would be played at various time throughout the day. Today, as few a 4 and as many as 12 to 17 records kept in high rotation (Hall, 54). As mentioned previously radio is no longer controlled by disk jockeys (Eliot, 61). Instead is has been taken over by the program directors, who are in turn influenced by the general managers. It is currently a ratings game. Whoever has the most listeners is the winner. Radio stations compress their outgoing signal so that it can be broadcast at the highest possible level (Eliot, 103). This is done in an attempt to gain listeners who might just be surfing the waves. Although this is true, successful radio station dont just rely on high signals to entice future listeners. It is their every intent to provide quality entertainment, and information to the public ear. Most disk jockeys share this same view, but have just been limited as to how their input affects the station. It is evident that radio has progressed throughout the years; along with the radio disk jockeys. Some changes were good and others were not so beneficial. One thing does remain constant. Radio will always be a source o...
