Classic & Current Contemporary Non-Schlock-Rock Metropolitan Music

1980s AOR Radio - Tools & the "Trades"

1980s Radio Trade Magazines

Although consultants play a big role in what we hear on the radio, there are other tools programmers use. Radio trade magazines, such as Album Network, The Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Radio and Records, and Rockpool are influential in that they provide a link between radio stations so they can communicate to each other their attitudes and playlists.

Says Steve Smith, Vice President and General Manger of Album Network, "We are the vehicle though which a great deal of music that finds its way on the radio is validated. The reason that programmers rely on it, and hence the reason a great deal of music that goes on the radio is a function of the work that we do at Album Network is because we provide this unique link between radio stations. A group perspective is very healthy. The only place a radio programmer can go to share the opinions and experience of his or her peers is through a national publication like Album Network. We are a relatively non-partisan source of information devoted to the benefit of the radio stations. That makes the information that we publish carry a great deal of weight."

The record companies also do their pitch through the trades. "It's all completely above board," says Warren Hudson, Marketing Promotions Manager for Warner Brothers Records. "Especially with Radio and Records and Album Network, and the Bill Hard Sheet, which are the main three album trades. It's a situation of their having a national album promotions desk for the tip sheet. They probably have amongst them 50 to 75 years of experience with various record companies and radio stations and different formats. They make the choice on the best new music. We, of course, present it with enthusiasm and excitement. We hear a good record, and we hope that they do too. And when they don't hear them all, we have to remember that they are deluged with 150 titles a month by everyone who wants them to get a front page shot or good review or whatever." [Note from DD May 21, 2005: Warren now owns Decatur CD near Atlanta.]

Record labels reps are also doing what they can to put new records in front of station programmers directly.

Mark Diller of Atlantic Records says, "I do nothing to get a record played — the decision to play a record comes from somewhere else. I bring the record to the attention of the people who need to know about it. I bring to their attention the activity as reflected in the trades and tip sheets. I bring to their attention the activity on particular stations within the market and to some extent outside of the market. That includes pointing out sales patterns, configurations, what's going on."

"I do not use pressure," says Robin Kravitz, Associate Director of AOR Promotion at Arista Records. "I sincerely promote and love the product that I'm working so I have the advantage of not having to ask people for a lot of favors because it's great product."

How much influence the labels have depends on who's in control at the station. Most station programmers claim to be in charge of their playlists. But there are situations where "you have the extreme stations that are virtually controlled by an independent consultant," says Hensley of EMI/America. "You have to do a lot of negotiation and wheeling-dealing-type stuff to get a record on."

Some programmers use MTV as a tool, and public response to songs is important as well. Many programmers claim to rely on their ears to tell them what is right or wrong for airplay.

With all these programming devices available is the finest music being played? Are we hearing the best music available when we turn on the radio? Radio has improved. Fresher, more exciting music is reaching the airwaves. But some programmers are not sure what to program because they have not had to deal with programming large amounts of current music before.

"A lot of music directors don't understand the music and don't really have the ear for it," says Arista's Kravitz. "As a result they rely on the trades, rely on the promotion people, rely even more on the consultants. Now with the music being so successful, record companies are probably going to and are already putting out a lot of music that sounds like this music that might not be top quality. It will take awhile, but I think all the best music will survive and will rise to the top."

It is up to radio programmers to wade through the new material and decide what is best for airplay. And this is not always an easy task.

Rockpool's Josephson says, "Radio stations in many cases are playing new wave records in a very slavish way, where they are victimized by the record companies. Because the guys who program radio are new to new wave, they don't know anything about it. They don't have any history with it. They don't have any real association of what separates good and bad new wave. So they are playing a lot of crap. And as a result their listeners will react negatively to the large amount of crap they are playing. That patented "new wave" sound is going to create a slight problem. But by and large, radio stations are doing reasonably well in handling this change."

Bruce Bond, Music Director at WZZO in Bethlehem, believes the stations with a proactive staff are going to be the leaders. "If you get a program director who just listens to his bosses and listens to the consultants and doesn't go out and doesn't know what's going on, he's going to lose."

For modern music formats to succeed in the long run, programmers will have to guard against turning radio back to a corporate-run albeit a modern sound.

But Charlie Kendall, Program Director for WMMR in Philadelphia thinks that AOR radio will continue with its formulaic programming. "Now it's all going to sound like U2 and The Cars," he says. "The music industry has never been known for its subtleties. Overkill is always a danger."

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