Instead of having listener panels, market testing, and endless meeting to choose new songs, this radio station would play one set of songs, in the same order, every day for a whole month.

There are several reasons for this. The first is that by playing fewer songs, you can be sure to play a higher percentage of better songs.

Secondly, listeners love to time their day according to the radio. Some listeners will think "Oh shit, I heard 'Brown Sugar' when I was half way to work yesterday - I must be running late today!"

Conversely, others will think "oh look, it's nearly 12.37, I'd better tune in to hear that Nirvana track they're playing this month!"

After a month, another daily "perfect playlist" is put in place, maybe in response to listenr requests. Not every radio station should run like this, but it would be affirming to know that there was always one station where you knew what was coming next.
-- Fishrat, Jan 28 2004

Ice Cream http://www.halfbake.../To_20Serve_20Geeks
For [Detly] [Fishrat, Oct 05 2004]

Firstly it wouldn't be syndicated. Secondly, it would respond to its audience (see last paragraph). Thirdly, Clear Channel don't play the same song at the same time every day.

So, [beany], this is *the same* as any of the thousand Clear Channel broadcast stations how?
-- Fishrat, Jan 28 2004


When I was working in an icecream store, we used to refer to certain times of the day/evening as, for example, "half past Dirtbag*" or "quarter to Yellow**..." - songs played at almost exactly the same time, every day, for several weeks.

We weren't supposed to change the station, but during the quiet winter evenings, we really didn't care.
-- Detly, Jan 28 2004


It's more subtle than that, [UB], though you wouldn't believe it. Top 40 stations usually run off several playlists: Current, recurrent, breakers, superhot, 90s, gold etc. The way they mix them is a cause for some consternation and debate, as it's this which creates the personality of the station, now that DJs don't talk much.

While blending/selecting the music to play, programmes will ensure that the same song isn't played at the same time two days in a row, so you couldn't set your watch by what song comes on, in a comforting kind of way.

[Detly] Was it a LN icecream store?
-- Fishrat, Jan 28 2004


[Fishrat] - LN? It was a Baskin-Robbins store...
-- Detly, Jan 28 2004


[Detly] See the annos in the Ice Cream link.

[Human] Sure, I'm not defending Clear Channel, nor what they've done to US radio. I'm in the UK so I don't hear any of their stations but I can't believe that you will actually hear Britney Spears at exactly 8.03am on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday. Do you?

I think whether this idea is original comes down to whether you can set your watch to a Clear Channel station, or whether you could *almost* set your watch to a clear channel station.
-- Fishrat, Jan 28 2004


Triple J may have its off-seasons, but I still love it.

([Fishrat] - aha.)
-- Detly, Jan 28 2004


It's a little known fact, but [humanbean] hit it right on the head. The vast majority of radio stations (even the majority of non-Clear-Channel-owned) are part of some network or other. They all get satellite feeds from source studios with all the content, banter, and even the commercials pre-edited and assembled in an unbroken digital stream. That stream also includes time code and markers which signal the start time and exact duration of every song, every commercial, every banter, every blip, and even station identification blurbs. The local station just runs it through a digital mixer and out to the tower.

The local station uses the event markers to cut-in local replacements for such things as station identification, traffic, news, and weather reports -- all of which are given preplanned time slots in the satellite stream. There are even special slots for locally sold commercials. If the station doesn't have a local one to run, that's ok because there's a national commercial already in that slot which was sold on a "fill in" basis for reduced cost.

Unless you are listening to a fully independent station, the odds are that the DJ you hear saying "You're listening to Springdale's hottest music on WXYZ 103 FM" has never been within a hundred miles of any place named Springdale. They just sat down in the studio one day and made a bunch of 5-second spots with the various affiliates' call letters, frequencies, and city names. Those spots are sent off to the local station where they get substituted at the appropriate times.
-- BigBrother, Jan 29 2004


BigBrother is correct on the syndicated radio thing; I used to work at such a station.

However, syndicated radio has not appreciably gained market percentage since I got out of radio ('92). People aren't, apparently, quite that easy to fool.

My argument with this format is it won't work for one reason that no one has mentioned; variable commercial load combined with required station ID at the top of the hour. If your minute-load of commercial time can change from day to day -- and it does -- you'd get song 'drift' over time that would move the rotation appreciably even in a week.
-- dagonet, Jan 29 2004


It's getting a bit ranty this, innit? The original idea in a nutshell is to take c.100 great songs and play them at exactly the same time every day, creating one station in a varied market which offers comfort in a daily routine.

Despite various (probably quite valid) grumblings in these annos, this is not what clearchannel offer (unless you can offer a link Detly?)

This is not a disguised rant about Clear Channel (US) or GWR (UK), so don't make it one.

(Dagonet) Most schedules and playout systems could handle this idea. Whether the audience could...
-- Fishrat, Jan 30 2004


I actually really like the idea, particularly if you spread it over a few radio stations - so that you don't have to wait too long for your chosen song - and publish the schedules ahead of time (like the TV listings)

With PC-based radio, you could have an Electronic Programme Guide that can hunt them down for you by jumping around between channels at the correct time ... essentially your own 'custom' radio station.

And - if you include the sports reports, weather, traffic, news, commercials, etc - you could generate your own personalised radio station which gives you exactly what you want, when you want it. (NB - doesn't need to be broadcast radio, could be Net-based)

Further - what about having your PC compile the programme for you between 2:00 and 6:00 am, and burn it onto a CD. You get up, brush teeth, shower, grab a coffee and the CD, get in the car, and listen to 'your' show timed to your own commute.

Can I have a croissant now, please?
-- Donit-Donut, Jan 30 2004


Give me 3 Crescents, and I'll think about it.
-- thumbwax, Jan 30 2004


NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT PLAYLIST
-- yabba do yabba dabba, Jan 30 2004


Well, then you get an unusual high occurrance of over-played songs. One reason I like listening to the radio is that its programming isn't the same every time ...

However, I do believe in the "TRL" approach of programming selection. The rock station where I used to live had this every Friday night and called it "The Cage Match." If the song won 3 consecutive Fridays, then it was programming after that ...

Some stations also have scheduled segments like "Mandatory Metallica" and "Good Punk Fridays." Where instead of hearing the same particular songs over and over again, day-in, day-out, they tune-in to hear their favorite band, or stlye of music.
-- Letsbuildafort, Jan 30 2004



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