Recently,
I was asked if I would return to the Terrestrial airwaves if I had the chance.
My
answer.
It
would depend.
No
weekends.
Middays
would be best and of course I would have to enjoy the music I am playing.
Hey,
I am not asking for much.
It
would be fun being at an FM station again but it would also take away a lot of
freedom I currently enjoy both with my free time and with my own online
stations Swisssh and Starlite. I would also expect that a Terrestrial company
wouldn’t be too happy with me operating two stations- even though my stations
are technically quite different from AM/FM stations, as well as the fact they reach
a world-wide audience.
It
would be something to think about.
Of
course, I would have to have a bunch of fun too.
That
goes without saying.
However,
I don’t see that day arriving or me even being asked to return to FM Radio.
For
one thing, I think I am past my date of expiration.
I
wouldn’t get paid enough. Probably just minimum wage and I could find myself
filling in for vacationing full-timers.
Been
there.
Done
that.
Again,
it would be something to think about.
Radio
Broadcasting has changed so much. Consultants and greedy managers have done
that. Few stations care about the listener anymore- although they would say
they still do. Consultants- for the big Broadcasting Companies tell stations
what audiences want and in turn tell a station what to play and how to go about
it. Sure, there are still small stations in small markets that do the job that
radio started doing decades ago. Today that seems to be the domain of community
stations.
We
could use a community station here in Central Ontario- Orillia specifically.
The
Holier-than-Thou CRTC up in Ottawa usually grants Community operations licences
when everything on the application is in order- or so I’ve heard. An online
operation in Huntsville was recently granted a spot on the FM dial. They hope
to be on-air come the spring.
A
friend of mine- Don Andrews, does a morning radio show from his home studio in
Scarborough Monday through Friday mornings and it is currently picked up by two
stations- no not Swisssh or Starlite. He had hoped to have a network of
stations pick up his show but that hasn’t happened- yet. Don’s on air from 9 to
noon (ET) and his programme on “Studio B” (Google Studio B) is very entertaining-
even though he currently gears it towards an American audience since the
station in California that picks his show up has a larger audience that it’s
Canadian Counterpart.
Why?
I
don’t know but maybe it's because Canadians lag behind both the UK and the US when it comes to listening to Online Radio stations. As well, there are
thousands to choose from. Maybe that’s a problem- too
much choice.
I did a survey recently. One of the questions asked if Data plan usage was a concern. The Radio Survey found that data plans are not a Canadian concern.
I
guess I’d also like to know why and how a broadcaster such as John Tesh gets his
mediocre radio show on so many stations both here in Canada and abroad. A team
of writers script his breaks- which for the most part are all survey-based. It’s
true, bringing in this red-blooded American to pretend he’s actually a part of
a Canadian radio station is cost-effective however, Don Andrews and his Studio
B would present a better radio programme and live too- not voice tracked (meaning
previously recorded), like Mr. Tesh. Don’s
mid-morning show is competitively priced too meaning he won’t get rich soon-
unless he has thousand stations picking up the Studio B feed. I’m sure he’d do
an evening feed- if the money was right.
If
you’re a radio person reading this, please consider Mr. Andrews and his show.
It’s an eclectic mix of tunes strung together with Don’s engaging, down to
earth, on-air personality.
Maybe
too, one fine day Don will be able to be a Broadcaster who can speak of world-wide
events instead of pandering to the Yanks who- we are told, get confused if
topics are “off American” and of little concern to the day to day lives of
Americans. That being said, I can tell you right now Swisssh Radio has more
Americans listening that any other country in the world and I don’t change
Swisssh- or Starlite to sound more American. Listeners tell me they just like
the sound of a radio station providing music and entertainment to its
listeners.
I
have never had an e-mail from a listener south of the border asking for Swisssh
to be more American. I’ve never had a German listener asking Swisssh to be more
German either. Swisssh and Starlite are an entity onto themselves and I for one
applaud them for that wholeheartedly.
And
that Dear Readers is what it’s all about.
