Incorporation Affects Radio Broadcasting

There was a time when commercial radio had its pleasant surprises. It can be said that the only surprise now is whether the song of the moment will be played every hour -- or every other hour.

The American radio industry, like many other media outlets, is becoming increasingly conglomerated, with large corporations like Clear Channel Communications owning more of the market than ever.

Critics and critical listeners have suggested that such a trend has made for blandness and homogeneity in radio as playlists become predictable, unsigned artists are ignored and music industry darlings become entrenched fixtures on the airwaves.

"It's all a business," said Jeff Herrick, program director for WXDU, 88.7 FM, at Duke University. "But the sad thing is that they're using public airwaves to make millions of dollars. The airwaves are meant to belong to the people."

According to a Clear Channel station representative, not all of the "people" are dissatisfied with the programming choices of commercial stations.

"Within Clear Channel, music stations are 100 percent locally programmed," said Bob Edwards, operations manager for WRDU, 106.1 FM, and WDCG, 105.1 FM, both out of Raleigh. "All of our playlists are based on our research of the local market. We spend a lot of money on this research ... and let the audience drive the music product."

Edwards stressed that this emphasis on the local market enables Clear Channel stations to obtain greater area ratings, which translates to greater advertising revenues.

"The higher our local ratings, the more valuable our advertising," Edwards said. "We only have one report card, and that's ratings. If our ratings are high and we're growing, we're doing things right."

According to Jason Perlmutter, station manager at UNC's own WXYC, 89.3 FM, such a bottom-line approach doesn't foster variety or innovation.

"It lowers the bar ... mainstream radio is boring," Perlmutter said. "It's not the place if you want to find what's new and exciting."

The concern that commercial radio is in danger of becoming outdated appears to be entertained primarily by independent and college radio personnel.

"There have been some fluctuations in the market, but that's because everyone has seen the economy, the finances go up and down," said Andy Meyer, program director for Curtis Media Group's WBBB, 96.1 FM, in Wilson. "As far as 96.1 is concerned, we aren't worried about the perceived quality of commercial radio. We program for our market."

Herrick said commercial radio has become more callous and less concerned with the trust of its local listeners, going as far to replace live DJs with digitized sound bites.

"Most commercial DJs just come into the station to do their voice-overs and then they leave, because no one wants to stay at the station all day and night," Herrick said. "Some DJs that do voice tracking don't even live anywhere near the community served by the station. One guy in Texas could DJ stations across the country. The pros are for the businesses because such policies are cheap."

Another concern of Herrick's is that local color essentially has disappeared from commercial stations.

"There's no local content, so local acts don't have a prayer of getting on commercial stations unless they're on a major label," Herrick said. "It's not often you find commercial stations with local talent programs."

The radio industry isn't new to controversy. The issue of "payola," in which record companies pay radio stations to play and support certain records, has been public knowledge since the 1950s.

Herrick said payola hasn't disappeared. "The practice still exists, and it's all but accepted now, whether or not it's talked about."

But ultimately the radio industry stands at a crossroads, with venues such as the burgeoning satellite radio and Internet broadcasts giving listeners greater freedom without commercialization.

According to Herrick, the potential proliferation of satellite radio, free of the conventions that have disenchanted some listeners, might put an end to commercial radio's dominance.

"The depersonalization of radio has led to the current dissatisfaction with it," Perlmutter said. "Unfortunately, the charm of the old radio station is a thing of the past."

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.