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DEEJAYS

DEEJAYS The American Disc Jockey is one of the most important aspects in the development of music, especially rock-n-roll. Many radio personalities became widely recognized on the notion of them having a specialized voice or that they are able to provide a wealth of knowledge about the artists that they play (Eliot, 92). Whatever the situation, the fact remains that disk jockeys have helped to build an excitement for radio, yesterday, today, and hopefully tomorrow. A day in the life of a disk jockey is not just about spinning records and announcing the latest contest. What really makes a good disk jockey is craftsmanship (Sklar, 13). The DJ has to maneuver tangible and intangible objects, as well as cue up records, spots, public service announcements, and plugs from other DJ’s. This is not an easy task. Most importantly, a DJ has to influence people’s minds. Most of this influencing is done between songs; the way he or she blends the music, and the way he or she creates the entire show (Sklar, 14). Whether it be a humorous sketch to a documentary or perhaps a jingle. A DJ must really be aware of his or her surroundings, and learn to use all of the tools given to him (Hall, 65). For example, bits of information about the records or artists taken from publications, back of album jackets, or publicity handouts from record companies (Hall, 66). These crutches provide valuable insight for the audience and give them a feeling that a confident and educated person is on the other side of the airwaves. KTLK disk jockey Jack Armstrong believes, “All in all, entertainment is the very key for any successful disk jockey, no matter what format or music he is working. For that matter, entertainment is the lifeblood of any radio station for, obviously, people turn on the radio most of the time to be entertained. In my opinion, entertainment in rock radio centers around the word music. I feel that any Top 40 disk jockey who is or wants to be successful should keep an eye on his priorities. As far as I’m concerned, music is first; but I feel just as strongly that the jock is second. A very strong second (Hall, 122)” This illustrates the point of the DJ personality being the main focus of the listener’s attentions. As movers and shakers of early rock and roll, disk jockeys choose which records they played, and how many times they played them. The law states that it is a federal crime for any radio or television station to accept or agree to accept money, services, or anything of value for broadcasting any material without disclosing acceptance or agreement to accept (Smith, 54). Over the years, various payola scandals actually helped many artists recording careers; at the same time helped to end the careers of many disk jockeys. Unfortunately, in radio, the guilt of a few reflects on the mass. Throughout the years, even in spite of many Grand Jury investigations, payola has not been abolished. Playlists are extremely tight, and the need to get a record on the playlist is huge (Passman, 87). As long as this keeps going on, record companies are forced to use whatever means possible to break through those barriers. I guess in some ways, this leads to payola. In others, it could lead to psychological warfare between to program directors and record companies. It is normal practice for record companies to hire people into the radio business just to influence the minds of higher management (Passman, 32). It has been debated whether or not payola is even an effective tool to promote records in the first place. Critics of payola claim that considering the total picture of the industry, it has relatively small usage for two major reasons. First, the fact that more program directors are more concerned with playing records. Money cannot influence them to play what might be bad for the ratings. Secondly, most program directors have their professional pride, 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 don’t 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 of entertainment, always ready to serve the publics needs. For radio provides us with something that perhaps no other media can. Seventy plus years after mainstream invention of popular radio, it is still going strong thanks to our pied pipers of rock and roll……the American disk jockey. Bibliography: BIBLIOGRAPHY Eliot, Marc Rockonomics. New York: Franklin Watts, 1989. Hall, Claude and Barbara. The Business of Radio Programming. Billboard Publications: New York, 1977. Passman, Arnold. The Deejays. New York: Penguin Books, 1981 Sklar, Rick. Rocking America. New York: Summit Books, 1987. Smith, Wes. The Pied Pipers of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Longstreet Press: Georgia, 1989.

Word Count: 1152