An article in today's Register-Guard tells of an adult volunteer DJ at the Eugene School District's KRVM (FM) who was let go for taking too many listener requests. Another station volunteer quoted in the article said, "volunteer DJs were told they needed "to sound more professional" and that "professionals don't take requests."

Another reason for the "no requests" policy was due to high phone bills, and that's semi-understandable given KRVM's current budget situation. The School District no longer funds KRVM and virtually all operating funds come from listeners and local businesses.

However, since when is it unprofessional to solicit requests? While it's true commercial stations have switched to more scientific means of determining listener desires, many of them still have all-request lunch hours. And exactly how much research would a low budget non-com have access to beyond listener calls and what they read in Billboard?

I believe a station like KRVM that is fully "Listener Powered" has a DUTY to rely more heavily on requests from the very people who pay the GM and PD's salaries.

The article was probably written a bit on a misleading edge, especially to those of us that might be in or were in or know something about broadcast radio.

I can remember actually soliciting requests at several different stations I worked for , only at certain times during my shift. Usually I was on the air over night or on weekends anyway and that was a good time for such ' solicitous chatter'..And then of course most of that activity was when I actually was 'live'...not memorex..

Anything that is voice tracked was made to be an exception for soliciting requests, unless, as you say it happened to be an "all request lunch express". I did this in the late 90s and early oughts..voice tracked Oldies midday and we had people at the studio to answer the phone and insert a request. None of that over here now !

I think that quote may have been at the hands of an administrator at the school district itself. I work for a school district,have for 16 years, and I know how those people think.

The article might not have been worded right either, which happens all the time when the journalist who wrote it keys in on one thought, requests, when in fact the person might have been let go more for breaking format in the process of taking too many requests, you know how that goes. And the journalist's or administrator's definition of playing too many requests might be that he/she heard heard that this volunteer DJ might have been playing the same song 3 times in one hour ! So this could all be about proper communication over what constitutes " Playing Requests".

>>The article was probably written a bit on a misleading edge

Maybe, and it's probably no coincidence that this was published on the second day of KRVM's latest on-air fundraiser.

One glaring error at the beginning has KRVM as Eugene's oldest radio station. Wow, I didn't know FM existed in 1927.

If it had, Major Armstrong might still be alive!

Please everyone...remember which paper "wrote"
the article. The Register Guard Writes what it wants to no matter what kinda spin they put on it. In the past they have done a very bad job on telling the real truth in stories.

At least they're writing stories about radio.

I think playing requests is very powerful, it's another way to bring the listener into the show.

In top 40 radio you have an advantage on requests, you already know what 99% of the requests are going to be in advance.

Kind of like the people who work at McDonalds, they know someone is going to request a burger and fries that day.

So, you can build your programming around taking requests, but don't have to worry about accommodating them!

It's a great trick! The audience loves it!

Egor is right, and it works in a Todays Country format as well. My belief is you serve your audience. We all know the "regulars" and can identify them, so outside of them, request should be accomodated, especially when it is no more than switching out one recurrent artists title for another. Someone calls and says "Hey, how about some Garth Brooks" then you play what's coming up in rotation, they want a specific, then why not switch out Friends in low places for American honkytonk bar????? Playing a request PLEASES a KNOWN LISTENER! Probably won't piss off any more of the unknowns that hate the next song anyway.

Now you don't do it 10 times an hour, but once or twice an hour is no big frickin deal.... (yeah F.B. and S.K. I'm talking to YOU!!!) oh wait sorry S. they hung you out to dry as well. See, even the lapdogs get the boot.

Just make it sound like you play requests by inserting a request phoner before a song is scheduled to play anyway. But I'd never deviate from a format or from a list of recurrents to satisfy a request.

....Author: Craig_adams
Sunday, October 07, 2007 - 2:35 am

At least they're writing stories about radio....

That's a thought I will never agree with. I've seen it in several different things, particularly low-level minor league hockey and now this.

I think I'd rather see no story, than either a fact-based but overly negative story, or a story with little or no research, which clearly shows it's writer does not understand the subject they are writing about.

Written well or not, it's the publicity that makes it better than nothing at all.

We would have been thrilled with ANY phone calls from listeners back in the day at KRVM. . .

Some of the best Radio I've heard in the last 5 years has been All Request shows. Here in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), several stations have done them for significant periods of time. But the best, in terms of music, are always the truly live request shows where the caller, whether heard on-air or not, has requested the song in the few minutes before it is aired.

In fact, I was so impressed with a local Oldies station that just started doing an hour of requests from 6-7pm nightly, that I thought of '50s Portland/Vancouver DJ, Red Robinson, who has often said, on-air: "the listeners are smarter than we are". Truly, the music I've heard on request shows is some of the best hours I've heard in months on the same station. Especially with a great DJ who is willing to find and play the unusual songs that are requested. In some cases, playing them for the first time they've been heard in the market for 30+ years.

But the most amazing case was nearly 5 years back on CIRK-FM, a local Classic Rock station. It was near the close of their Heavy Metal days, and I had yet to hear two songs in a row that I could tolerate, when they did their first all request show for 20-30 minutes every afternoon at 5 p.m. Every song for that 20-30 minutes was a gem.

I THINK ITS UPROFESSIONAL TO TELL CALLER THAT "WE'LL GET TO IT"(OR SOMETHING SIMIAR AND THEN DON'T PLAY IY!

The Random Request show on Charlie Actually plays your requests. The only problem with that show is that you get the same people calling up and requesting the most stale overplayed songs. I almost feel like i should call up and actually request some "lost gems" so that the same lady that calls and requests "tainted love" won't get through.

I really Like "Connect the Classics" on KGON, (and I'm surprised Dark Temper hasn't mentioned this yet):

"Join Iris Harrison Monday through Friday in the noon hour and help her “Connect the Classics.” It's an all-request set that connects the last letter of the song that's playing to the first letter of the next song's title.

For instance, "Stairway to Heaven" would then need a song title that starts with an "N" to be the next song playing, and it keeps going from there. It's always a fun musical journey that listeners put together."

She also plays the voice of the person suggesting the next song title.

Now there's some real live local radio for you! You hear some gems that you've haven't heard since you last played it on Vinyl LP's on 33RPM in your bedroom and your parents yelled "turn it down".

Thanks Iris!

62kgw: I can tell from your post You've never answered a phone call while on the air for a request. Do You have any idea what happens when You tell a caller, You're NOT taking requests? A lot of callers start arguing with You, they even get angry! That's always fun!

"Just play my song!" or "I'm not listening to your station anymore" or "I'm telling all my friends not to listen to You!"

Or they don't even hear what You've just said to them! Without even a pause they'll ask for their request. I'm always stunned with that one. I've repeated and they still don't hear me! Then there are the regular callers that call everyday like clock work, asking for the same song. That song might have just come up yesterday or even an hour ago but they want it played again.

"How soon will you be playing my song? Will it be in the next 10 minutes? I won't be able to listen after that time. I'll be watching TV!"

Do ya think I'm making any of this up! I've heard it all! Then there are the callers that want songs the station doesn't have in its library. Try telling some callers WE don't have "their" song.

"No! I heard You play it last week, You have the song!"

So now even though You're telling the truth, the caller thinks You're a Liar!

Here's a good one, Your station has a designated "Request Hour" or two. YOU as a DJ follow those hours. Listeners still want to hear their requests.

"I couldn't get in earlier, the lines were busy. I need a song played. Please play my song. Please, Please, Please!"

The caller doesn't care about station rules, they want their song played anytime of the day!

"Come on, You can sneak a song on for me!"

Here's another good one. Callers wanting to make a political statement with their song or this:

"It's Jan's birthday today and I promised her you'd play her song. It's my present to her, so You gotta play it, OK?"

Here's one I've heard at least 100 times. You play their song but they missed it and they want you to play it AGAIN!

"Come on! I'd didn't know You were going to play my request that fast, I missed it. I didn't have the radio on! You've got to play it again."

ME [I can't do that sir. It's already been played.]

"But I didn't hear it!! Please Play My Song!! Oh come on!! You can do it again!!"

Here's the best of the worst:

"My husband or wife died, I need You to play their song." or "I just lost my bother in the War, could you dedicate a song to him?" or "My wife or husband, brother, sister is dieing CANCER. I need You to play their song." or I'm calling from the hospital or my husband, wife is in the hospital, could you dedicate a song to them."

Sorry if I come off as unfeeling on this last paragraph but I've also found that after doing some of these best of the worst requests, turns out they brag, it was all a ploy to get their song on the air in a timely manner, at any cost to the DJ for possible breaking of format. We as DJ's have to answer to our Program Directors when we're caught.

Stay tuned for Craig Adams new book called "101 Ways to Take a Caller".

Personally I really enjoy the weekly feature "Perfect Playlist" on 94.7 during Gustav's show. Gustav selects a listener that submits 5 Songs of their choice and spins them during the 5 O'clock hour. Gustav takes it further and invites the listener into the studio personalizing their "Perfect Playlist".

...it was all a ploy to get their song on the air in a timely manner, at any cost to the DJ for possible breaking of format. We as DJ's have to answer to our Program Directors when we're caught.

And if the listener did something at their job they weren't supposed to do, they would have to answer to their boss, and face reprimands including getting fired. Oddly enough, they don't understand the correlation. Not everyone can be pleased 100% of the time, all the time; and some people will never be satisfied, no matter what.

I did a rather long, scathing post about customer no-service reps. from the no-service rep. point-of-view in a thread on the "Politics & Other Things" section. Answering request line phones at a radio station isn't much different... people don't see the person they're talking to, so they don't think common courtesy applies - or they think that since they're not at their job, so they're not being paid to be nice, that they don't have to. Some even think that someone that answers the phone at a business should, by 'definition,' be required to put up with yelling, obscenities, insults, etc. Those listeners ought to be asked if they like putting up with the same at their job - I bet they don't.

I've even heard dissertations on how, although the listener is being served, that they aren't radio's customer, and the only customer of radio is the paying advertiser. Whether this is true or not is up for debate.

If people don't like it... don't make the call. They really should go out and get the CD, then they can cue the song track, put the CD player on "repeat," and listen until they can't take it anymore. Or maybe they should try vacuuming....

Craig only mentioned the sober callers. The late night shift is so full of drunk or otherwise wasted callers that I stopped answering the phone when I did the night shift. They weren't all making requests, a lot just wanted to tell you their problems or ask you to get them in touch with their favorite personality.

"...I'm Casey Kasem's girlfriend and you've GOTTA' let me talk to him..."

Newflyer: You reminded me of another one I've heard many times. The caller will admit they own the record, CD, tape or whatever the song is on but they still want to hear it on THE RADIO!

Shipwreck: I didn't even want to talk about all the Drunks, Drugies and just plain Freaks I would hear from during overnight calls.

...gives new meaning to the phrase, "randy in Eugene".

a bit of flexibility might be in order.....

Merkin, That is a truly great way to spend a lunch hour. I am somewhat of a regular irregular on that program. I try not to dig to deep but sometimes can't help it. And if you don't hear your gem that day you may just her it at a later time. She may have to dig it up out of the archives in order to play it if it is not readily available!

As long as we are talking about Iris:

“Iris Gives Back at Outback”

A Benefit for CCA

Saturday, November 10, 2007
11 am – 2 pm

Outback Steakhouse - Tualatin
8665 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd.
Tualatin, Oregon

KGON 92.3 FM radio personality Iris Harrison is approaching the first anniversary of her cancer diagnosis, and she's marking the occasion with a special fundraiser lunch to benefit the Children’s Cancer Association. KGON and Outback Steakhouse are hosting the festivities, which include lunch, live music, and a silent auction, all included in the $50 ticket price. Show your support for cancer survivors everywhere, and help support CCA!

Order tickets by phone at 503-244-3141.

http://www.childrenscancerassociation.org/

Iris, you're the greatest!

That sounds like a great thing...way to go, Iris Harrison!

********************************************



Our little "peanut whistle" LPFM station doesn't play very much music, but when we do it is usually something a bit obscure. Most of the calls/e-mails we get are messages asking us "Who did that Song/What album is it on/Where can I get it?", and we can usually oblige with a reasonably quick answer, considering that I'm only at the studio 2 times a week to program that same music and our block programming and to perform PM's(preventative maintenance) on the equipment.

I have also had people come up to me (McMinnville is a SMALL town) and ask me about a certain song that played at around "XX:XX on a Tuesday a couple of weeks ago"--I don't usually remember right then, but I do some quick checking in the programme log the next time I get to the station, and try to give them an answer of some type. Sometimes they are at the office/studios/church for other business and ask me those kinds of queries, and I'm usually able to quickly pull the CD that the song is on right off the shelf to show them what it looks like!

Sometimes somebody comes up to me and says that they heard a certain song they liked "last week", and could I play it again sometime next week. Not, within the hour, not today...just sometime next week...this type of person must listen a lot, I guess.

Love "Perfect Playlist". Often the sets are really pretty good, and there is some allowance for deep / odd cuts. Been surprised more than once on that segment.

I'll be checking out "Connect the Classics". Sounds great.

(And that's just how potent context is. We need more of it.)

You know, this is a good example of why so many people are switching off their radios in favor of iPods and the like (including me). It seems the brain trusts who run these stations forget it's the listeners who ultimately decide whether or not they are on the air. The jag-off who dismissed this individual needs to be dismissed themselves. Not only is playing requests OK, it's just good business.

The drunks, druggies, nut-jobs, dingbats, et al, in the middle of the night, Craig? Are you kidding? They call around the clock, God love 'em.

I also think it's a good thing to play requests and highlight them, and also to generate that "wow" factor once in awhile with a cut out of left field, or even slightly left. But it generally has to be run by and sanctioned/authorized by The Powers. Some might argue that this takes the fun or spontaneity out of the proposition. But, then, well, there ya go.

And that's the crux of the biscuit: Alas, it is wrong or unprofessional to play requests, in a manner of speaking, or to play whatever, if one is instructed not to. It's called "breaking the format."

I've always believed that formats were made to be broken, if one breaks them properly and appropriately. Most PDs, consultants, and obergrupenfuhrers ruling from on high, in lands far, far away, however, would not concur. And it can be seen how far trying to be the Johnny Fever of Portland, Reno, San Francisco, or where-ever, gets ya.

By the way, I've made an interesting discovery -- probably not a revelation -- about 90% of requests, at least definitely for the tunes at the station where I've plied my trade for the last two years, a classic rock-hybrid. And that's that they are for the "hits" that are already in heavy rotation. Yes, the other 10% are very interesting. But by and large people want "comfort food" musically. What does this say about radio and the listeners, or what the latter have become? Or what we've help make them.

Have a nice day.

While doing nights at the Wolf, I have to say talking to listeners was one of my favorite parts of the gig.

My show had minimum of 3 callers per hour on the air, most telling stories...her boyfriend left her for another man, his girlfriend is pregnant by his own brother, my mom and I are moving because dad left and we can't afford to live here anymore...great, human stuff that listeners can really relate to. I took an interest and asked lots of questions - it was a gold mine of content.

And yeah, there were a lot of drunks and lonely, licentious truckers, too. But as a jock, I feel it's your job to make the most of that stuff and create community on the air.

I tend to get a lot of young kids calling me here in Centralia. I get a lot more calls now that I'm doing evenings instead of overnights.

Young kids can be good, but they are mostly bad. They request their song, and 70% of the time, no matter how much baiting you do, they won't say anything you can really use on the air. That said, when the young ones do say something you can use it's usually gold!


Here's a phone call nightmare I had the other night. Some guy called me and requested "Rockstar" by Nickelback. I had just played another Nickelback tune about 10 minutes earlier, so there was no way I was going to play Rockstar for a while. I told the caller I had just played Nickelback and he seemed to get upset. So I told him "Look... I'll play the song as soon as I can."

So this guy decides that he wants to hear his song now. He hands his phone off to someone else he is with and has them call and request "Rockstar." (We have caller ID, which I must say is a wonderful thing.) I tell the new caller that "Just like I told your buddy, I just played Nickelback. I'll play it as soon as I can."

They call back from the same phone a 3rd time, and I just let the phone ring. I think they might have figured out the caller ID thing. So this guy starts having people call the station from their own cell phones. I got phone calls from 6-8 more people back to back asking to hear "Rockstar."

Finally the guy calls back again, and I tell him "Look buddy, I'll play your song, but it's not going to be for a while. There's nothing I can do." To which he responds "Come on man, just play my song!"

After I got off the phone with him that time I just left the phone busy for a while.

What's funny is that about an hour later, "Rockstar" DID show up on my log... so I was going to play it anyway. I tell you though, I was very tempted to eject it! I went ahead and played it because I did tell the guy I'd make an effort for him.

It's amazing how some people think that you, as the DJ, seem to owe them something.

I will add that this isn't typical of my phone calls with people, 95% of the time people are friendly and I enjoy chatting with them. There are a handful of people that seem to be looking for a fight though, and no matter what you say they will never be happy with you.

I remember days like that over here on OK95 back in the 80s and early 90s. Same thing a few of the kids age 13 to 17 that were rude and somewhat out of control. The young adults age say 18 up were generally different, understood when you told them you would get to the request and understood something about "artist burn out" if the conversation even got that far.

"no matter what you say they will never be happy with you."

There is an answer: "I'll try to get that on."

What you've said brings back even more memories. I remember getting 3, 4, 5, 6 or more calls from different people for an obscure song in a 10 or 15 minute period overnights. This happened all the time. Come on people, do you think we have all lines blinking at 2am and your calls are blending in!

Then there's the callers that are out for retaliation because you didn't play their song!

THE HANG UP CALLS! The minute you answer they hang up. This can go on for hours at a time, calling You back right after they hang up. When you don't answer they keep ringing. I remember a time when a line blinked (rang) for over an hour! Overnights it would become a game. Who can last longer. I believe they think the station phone is make a ringing sound. They believe they're driving the DJ nuts. I would just answer the other lines, since I knew what line the idiot was on. Sometimes the idiot callers would have other lines at their home and could call me on other lines as well. I've had all lines blinking and they all hang up without a word said.

Is it any wonder after a point, a DJ just puts all lines on hold for hours at a time. Those kinds of calls wreck it for the majority.

Jeffrey, I may have (very) temporarily fit into one of those categories at some point in my misspent youth, but I swear on my life that I never called you, even once. Really. It wasn't me.

Funny you should mention Hang up callers Craig... Up till tonight I hadn't had a hang up call. Sure enough, tonight it happened!

Damn! They're reading this board!

...click...

Wrong thread!

Heh, Semoochie's post reminds me of something else funny that happened while I was doing overnights...

One guy called in and asked me if I was going to play any Led Zeppelin (which oddly enough I was going to), and after talking for a couple of minutes he asked me what I was doing. I said "Oh, just working." Then he asked me where I was working to which I responded "...live 95..."

The guy then goes "oops, I think I have the wrong number." and hangs up the phone.

I didn't get it at all, especially since I answer the phone by saying "Live 95!"

hmmm, the overnight gig sure didn't last long. Sorry you weren't able to hold that job. Hope the new night gig lasts longer.


(;-D

hope you know I'm just funnin ya. (Now I have to go to the web site and see if you switched or there is another new face.

To give an idea of what the masses think of others' requests, I just have to mention that earlier today, I heard Nickelback's "Rockstar."

Or, I should say I heard the first 30 seconds of it.

That was all I could take to find something else to listen to.

Dylan: If those kids call back and ask for the song, tell 'em it's lame!
(I say this with a big because they're kids, chances are they won't - next week, it'll be a different song.)

The guy that called in for Rockstar was certainly not a kid.

It sounded like he was at a party somewhere. Probably a bunch of students at the local community college. I also get the feeling some drinking was involved in that episode.

I don't mind the song, to tell you the truth. It's not my favorite Nickelback song, but there are plenty of tunes I play that I enjoy less then Rockstar.

I thought the CC in Washington's Twin Cities had their own radio station? 91.3 comes to mind; I could be wrong though. Is it 100% automated?

(actually takes the time to check NW Broadcasters' website)

Yup - http://www.geocities.com/kced913fm/.

(Actually, I'm not ripping on anyone or their station. I originally just wanted to prove the point that the song one person likes is the song everyone else hates, or is tired of hearing. The song I like is probably a song everyone else hates, or is tired of hearing - anyone else up for listening to Starship's "We Built This City?" LOL! )

Here's a trick I saw a local DJ do. The station had two lines. Sometimes they'd both ring. He'd answer both simultaneously without saying a word and listen while two confused callers found themselves talking to each other. One time it was a guy and a girl. They started talking to each other and the girl told what song she was calling to request. The guy quickly lied that he was going to request the same song! Yes, she sounded very hot.

The DJ noticed where this was leading so he cut into their conversation and told them that he'd play "their song" if he asked her out right now. They both laughed when they realized he had been playing a good-natured joke on them.

The guy didn't ask her out and the DJ didn't play the song (which was a Madonna song if I remember right).