{"id":16597,"date":"2014-02-17T00:05:07","date_gmt":"2014-02-17T08:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/?p=16597"},"modified":"2014-02-17T00:06:35","modified_gmt":"2014-02-17T08:06:35","slug":"radio-djs-music-show-prep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/radio-djs-music-show-prep\/","title":{"rendered":"WHEN RADIO DJs ARE EXPECTED TO PREPARE DURING THE SONG"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"oldies<\/a>I happened to listen to an oldies radio station in a certain very large U.S. market, which was presenting (for no apparent reason, and with no sense of fun or audience involvement) a “One-Hit Wonders Weekend.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"oldies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The jock outro’d Mocedades’<\/strong><\/span> “Eres Tu”:<\/span><\/p>\n

“…which is Spanish for ‘Touch The Wind.’ \u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Except, of course, it’s not. <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s Spanish for “You Are.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The flip side of the Mocedades record was entitled “Touch The Wind,” with new lyrics added to the melody of “Eres Tu.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a station that presents itself as the authoritative source on Oldies (or Gold, or Classic, or whatever you want to call it) music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gee, I wonder if anyone in that market, with its mere 48.2% Hispanic population, would notice the error?<\/span><\/p>\n

Why did the DJ make such a sloppy mistake?<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the jocks at this station are required to provide interesting tidbits about some of the songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

And from what source are they expected to get those tidbits?<\/span><\/p>\n

While the music is playing, they are supposed to go online and find something \u2014 anything<\/em> \u2014 about the title or artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, they end up delivering the first piece of trivia they stumble upon \u2014 because they’re in a hurry.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first piece of trivia, of course, is likely to be the one that is most well-known. <\/span><\/p>\n

You need to dig for the lesser-known (and therefore often more interesting) bits of information.<\/span><\/p>\n

This big oldies station is doing exactly what its listeners can do just as easily and just as well (or in this case, better):<\/span><\/p>\n

A fast Google search.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the radio hosts end up telling listeners fascinating facts that are less than fascinating…because the audience already knows them.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you tease an upcoming Beatles song by saying, “Its original title was ‘Scrambled Eggs,'”<\/em> many listeners won’t know which song you’re referring to. But many will, because it’s a commonly known fact regarding one of the most popular songs of the 20th Century.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, quite a few intrigued listeners would sit through a commercial break if they heard the jock say: <\/span><\/p>\n

“You know how ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ begins, right? ‘She was just 17 \/ You know what I mean.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

“What DID the Beatles mean by ‘you know what I mean’?”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I ask radio people who attend my seminars what that line means, the most common responses I get are:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hot”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Jail bait”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Young & pretty”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What do you think that line means?<\/span><\/p>\n

Nope. It doesn’t mean what you thought it means.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s Paul McCartney<\/strong><\/span> himself to tell you where that line came from.<\/span><\/p>\n