Radio DJs The day that radio changed

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Jeff Romard

Jeff Romard

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Sep 4, 2006
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Sydney, Nova Scotia
June 20,1996, the day radio as we knew it died. It's effects are still being felt.

It was on that day that Westinghouse Electric became the first entity to cash in on the new 1996 Telecommunications Act by purchasing Infinity Broadcasting for 3.9 billion dollars. The act relaxed restrictions on how many radio and TV stations one company could own in a single market.
By allowing one owner to own multiple FM radio stations in one market, the new owners found that it saved them money to put the management of all their stations under one roof. Before the multiple ownership rule, each station would have it's own program director, music director, promotions, engineering etc. You could have 5 Rock and Roll station in one market, playing the same music but all sounding different. With the new rule, they went down to one program director for 5 stations, one music director, etc. If the company owned stations in different cities, they often combined staffs. Radio stations lost their identity. It all sounded the same.

Today there are getting to be more and more stations that are going back to the 'individual sound', but they have a lot of ground to make up.


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That's what your issue is with this? What about the garbage that gets played on certain stations like Power 105.1 and Hot 97? Here on the weekends most of the DJs mixing on WBLS 107.5 are mixing music mostly for the younger audience. What about that? My other issue is the radio personality working at a certain has to cut a song short to play the next song to fit stuff when you're getting into the song? Some will only play a shorter version of a song to monopolize the time. That sucks!
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
That's what your issue is with this? What about the garbage that gets played on certain stations like Power 105.1 and Hot 97? Here on the weekends most of the DJs mixing on WBLS 107.5 are mixing music mostly for the younger audience. What about that? My other issue is the radio personality working at a certain has to cut a song short to play the next song to fit stuff when you're getting into the song? Some will only play a shorter version of a song to monopolize the time. That sucks!
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First, I'm pretty sure that Jeff just copied-and-pasted a post from social media. It wasn't in his own words.

Second of all, Mix, you're not any station's target listener anymore.

The 1996 Telecom act did change a lot of things about the radio business, but it also saved the futures of countless stations that would've had to fold due to high operating costs and lack of revenue. In 1996, there were basically three big ways for advertisers to reach an audience: TV, radio and print media. Today, internet advertising is where most ad dollars get spent.

Nobody likes commercials, but they're how the bills get paid. I'm just happy to be back on the air after a 20 year hiatus, at a station that's unlike any other in the Providence market.
 
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B-Sharp said:
First, I'm pretty sure that Jeff just copied-and-pasted a post from social media. It wasn't in his own words.
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Exactly right Brendan

B-Sharp said:
Second of all, Mix, you're not any station's target listener anymore.
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Right again and hasn't been for close to a decade

B-Sharp said:
The 1996 Telecom act did change a lot of things about the radio business, but it also saved the futures of countless stations that would've had to fold due to high operating costs and lack of revenue. In 1996, there were basically three big ways for advertisers to reach an audience: TV, radio and print media. Today, internet advertising is where most ad dollars get spent.

Nobody likes commercials, but they're how the bills get paid. I'm just happy to be back on the air after a 20 year hiatus, at a station that's unlike any other in the Providence market.
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There is a great debate about that I'll see if I can find the article I read about radio revenue a couple of weeks ago some interesting stats there
 
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I remember the days when pretty much every station had a 1st class engineer on staff. These days there are so few of these people. I would occasionally attend or present at the local SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) meetings in LA. I found the meetings somewhat depressing. They were gatherings of smart people that could barely make a living anymore. One guy could easily cover a dozen stations. I was only a 3rd class engineer because I stopped working in radio when I was 18. Back then, we had to take transmitter measurements every two hours. All those requirements are gone now. Later in life, I had several broadcast customers and would attend the NAB show (National Association of Broadcasters). The radio related booths were in the North Hall of the LVCC. By the third day of the four day show you could roll a bowling ball down any aisle and not hit a potential customer.
 
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I remember when I told my brother in the early naughts I wanted to work in radio , his words, "Dont do it!, and if you do, do what I did and go into sales, you wont make any money being a on air jock". ( He was working for citadel broadcasting at the time)

I never told my dad I wanted to really get into radio, so I have no idea what he would of said, but he had a pretty decent career I believe being on air.
 
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I worked at CHTN in Charlottetown PEI (720 AM) from 88 to 91 - weekends/overnight. PD has been at the club where I spun; liked my voice and offered me a job...We were running carts - using a old school board... Classic hits format - Owned by Newcap at that time... We were so stoked when the station inherited a new slider board, cd carts.... sounded great, in the studio. We had a 4 person news dept and a Sports guy... live person 24/7
Not much money, but fun times.....Shortly there after the big owners gobbled most every station up - now it's Bounce, Move and Rewind...same music across multiple stations in multiple markets....Voice tracking.. Same personalities part of the day....doesn't look like so much fun anymore....
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
That's what your issue is with this? What about the garbage that gets played on certain stations like Power 105.1 and Hot 97? Here on the weekends most of the DJs mixing on WBLS 107.5 are mixing music mostly for the younger audience. What about that? My other issue is the radio personality working at a certain has to cut a song short to play the next song to fit stuff when you're getting into the song? Some will only play a shorter version of a song to monopolize the time. That sucks!
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You're questioning Jeff's point, but you're also proving his point.
By allowing corporations to own MANY stations, even in the same area...
they are no longer concerned with the quality of the on air product.
But ALL radio stations aim for a particular audience, in order to sell their ads.
 
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Back in the early 90s, while I was working at WFUV out of Fordham University, Bronx, NY, I was advised to go to the SI Newhouse School at SU if I wanted a career in the field of Radio Broadcasting. I got accepted, attended, and received my Master's Degree. Unfortunately, I fell in love with being a Mobile DJ and put that dream aside.

Here in Tampa there are many Top 40 radio stations with on air personalities. It seems to still be a viable career if you are committed and become one of the best.

Vocal skills, personality, and talent are still relevant IMO.
 
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ProDJ Jose said:
Here in Tampa there are many Top 40 radio stations with on air personalities. It seems to still be a viable career if you are committed and become one of the best.

Vocal skills, personality, and talent are still relevant IMO.
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If you like Kraft Dinner it's quite viable ;)

There are some folks making the big bucks in big markets there are also more talented broadcasters in smaller markets not making the big bucks. I would venture a guess that there is one in 1000 making over 100K a year anywhere. I make a decent living part time in a small/mid market. The old saying is if you are in radio for the money you are in the wrong place
 
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Jeff Romard said:
If you like Kraft Dinner it's quite viable ;)

There are some folks making the big bucks in big markets there are also more talented broadcasters in smaller markets not making the big bucks. I would venture a guess that there is one in 1000 making over 100K a year anywhere. I make a decent living part time in a small/mid market. The old saying is if you are in radio for the money you are in the wrong place
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Terry Seguin - the morning host at CBC in Fredericton just retired after 30+ years with CBC Radio - 20 of which was the host of Info AM - For the yanks... CBC is a crown corporation - owned by the Canadian Government - so needless to say they aren't constrained by profit. The station was ad-free. They always scored high inn the ratings; besting the local "commercial" FM stations in this market.
As a crown corporation, his salary is public info... Last I saw; earlier this year, he was making 65K

I shudder to think what "main" guys make in the "for profit" shops..... Jeff - you might have an idea. When I was a part timer, it was a couple of bucks over minimum wage.
 
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Steve LeBlanc said:
Terry Seguin - the morning host at CBC in Fredericton just retired after 30+ years with CBC Radio - 20 of which was the host of Info AM - For the yanks... CBC is a crown corporation - owned by the Canadian Government - so needless to say they aren't constrained by profit. The station was ad-free. They always scored high inn the ratings; besting the local "commercial" FM stations in this market.
As a crown corporation, his salary is public info... Last I saw; earlier this year, he was making 65K

I shudder to think what "main" guys make in the "for profit" shops..... Jeff - you might have an idea. When I was a part timer, it was a couple of bucks over minimum wage.
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It depends on market from what I hear Steve. I'm told in Halifax the going rate for a part timer is around $25/Hr full timers are doing a bit better. Here in Sydney and I suspect the smaller markets like St John, Fredericton, and PEI most part timers are minimum wage a few that have been around a while are a little better than that. Full timers are a bit north of $20.00/Hr. Even at $30/ Hr that's only a bit over 60K before taxes
 
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