Debunking the Myths about Radio DJs

DJs choose the music: Truth or Lie?

Absolutely NOT, research picks the music. The rating rule in radio is to ‘only play the hits’ which is why you hear so few songs on the air over and over. Cume and TSL or Time Spent Listening are incredibly important ratings winning elements to the station and an unfamiliar song may turn off listeners and they may switch the dial and that’s the last thing a station wants because it could affect their ratings.

The Program Director (the man or the woman in charge of programming the station and managing the DJs) instructs the DJs on what they can play and quite often the Program Director is also directed by the corporate office on what to play. If the PD wants to play a song of his or her choice at some corporations, they have to explain why to the head of content, for example, at Radio One, if the head of content doesn’t see the value in adding the song it’s not included. Local programmers may still give a record “spins” (on-air plays) that are not approved by corporate but the spins are often not enough to help the record chart.

So the next time you get pissed at your favorite dj for playing the same songs over and over and over and over and over, there is a VERY good chance that he feels the same way you do and he’s even MORE sick of playing them cause he has to do it every day. Many people are under the impression there is no good music anymore, aside from being older and our changing tastes, there is a TON of great music out there produced by the labels, a lot of it never makes the airwaves because of the research and corporate politics.