Before the days of bullshit talk AM radio this is what I grew up listening to. These guys weren't just 'Disk Jockeys' or talking heads, they were ON-AIR PERSONALITIES.
There's a big difference!
Ron Lundy at WCBS-FM Radio New York, video aircheck from 1991.
Dan Ingram at WCBS FM New York, video aircheck from 1992
Cousin Bruce Morrow. 1992
The Real Don Steel KRLA Radio Los Angeles 1988
Dick Biondi WJMK Radio Chicago 1987
Wolfman Jack WSM Radio Nashville 1990
Dan Ingram at WCBS FM New York, video aircheck from 1992
Cousin Bruce Morrow. 1992
The Real Don Steel KRLA Radio Los Angeles 1988
Dick Biondi WJMK Radio Chicago 1987
Wolfman Jack WSM Radio Nashville 1990
Sadly AM Radio has turned into all talk profusely peppered with anger. Either that or it has become automated all the time w/o another human laughing and sharing their day with you..
Over time huge corporations swallowed up these independent owned stations one by one. Each had their very own uniquely distinctive personalities. Now no matter which one you listen to, nearly all are satellite fed from somewhere else hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
No longer do local stations payroll the truly talented fun entertainers that live down the street from their listeners. Radio has lost it's heart and along with it a connection that made people feel just a little bit better on their way to and from work.
These guys are older now. Many of them already gone from this Earth. Today's kids are too young to remember when radio was a lot less serious and a whole lot more fun. Those were the days when radio's sole objective was to entertain, not inform. Today we have way too much information from the radio and so little left to feel good about when we turn it off. When did we become so damned serious about everything?
You see, radio wasn't just about a DJ playing records. It was about them having the kind of charismatic personality that could infectiously transmit their energy and happiness from a little box.
WWZY - The Breeze 107.1 FM Long Branch, NJ
At special thanks goes out to Art Vuolo Jr. for capturing these videos and releasing DVD's that captured the broadcasting greats.
If you want the next-best-thing to these original clips, listen to SATURDAY NIGHT OLDIES SHOW with MARK SIMONE on WABC 6-9 PM (first hour commercial free stream only).
ReplyDeleteHe truly embodies the 'on-air personality' you mention.
http://www.wabcradio.com/
Radio's mystery and texture will never be replaced. The commercialization of radio goes hand-in-hand with the commercialization of everything else. It is a sad hallmark of our current society. But, everything old becomes new again - who knows, maybe my kids will return to the days when a DJ could play whatever he or she wanted and maybe actually introduce people to music they wouldn't ordinarily have chosen to hear.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the internet has allowed me to get closer to the music I love than ever before. Who would think I could see clips of the Cars concert I just saw in Philly over and over in my own home? Or watch Lady Gaga be interviewed for a full hour at Google headquarters, thanks again to Youtube? I love checking artist's websites, too.
Here's hoping future generations can figure out how to merge PERSONALITY with TECHNOLOGY!
MM.. Well Said.
ReplyDelete