Are there still any FM radio stations where the disc jockeys play what they feel like, and not whats popular?

Question

Like old radio stations where disc jockeys played all different genres of music from different time periods. Instead of now...where it's all about whats top in the charts. Thanks =)!!!

Answer 1

Very, very very rarely.  Some are given a list of songs to play, a script of what to talk about, others don't even have to queue anything up, it's all programmed into the computer.  

Answer 2

WYEP Pittsburgh

Radio Paradise

they play very wide varities of music

Answer 3

not here in Philly, the only one that I know of is an all r&b station, that plays all type of r&b, a lot of old and some new

Answer 4

LC I see believes the hype of Sirius. Basically it depends upon the station on sirius with usually a corporate playlist in place with some freeform allowed (meaning airing of other songs) but the true play what ever is usually left for celebs or certain radio programs where the DJ is a draw him or herself.

Usually freeform like you ask is left for public and some commercial stations (Usually under a time brokerage ("Dollar a hollar") where the DJ pays the station for the airtime and sells the ads him or herself)

I find small town stations will play what's on the charts (everyone current based will) however the playlists are usually wider and draw from more songs (For instance, most country stations roll with just under 1,000 songs total to choose from, I know of a mom and pop operation that chooses from 12,000 and will air songs I hadn't heard in years)

But usually Djs even with freeform will stick to a general gendre as most listeners are as wide in musical taste as others and where I know people who can mix rock with country I usually stick with one gendre only until I tire of listening.

So now you are stuck mainly with internet play all stations unfortuneately...

(and to the one saying winning the lottery, I know of a guy who owns a major signal in a major US city who runs the station as his own personal jukebox and he repeats from time to time and his taste can excite some but put off others leaving him with just over 1.5% of the population listening to his station)

Answer 5

Only on some college stations and a few commercial stations in very small markets (towns/cities). Even in the mid-'60s and early '70s, before computers, we had to play the songs from a list - but we could put them in the order we wanted as long as we played them all with fairly even rotation.

We did this manually with a hand-written chart. We'd also mix it up: male/female/group, fast/medium/slow, soul/pop/country (yup, top-40 stations played country songs that "crossed over" into pop).

We used the Billboard Top-100 and other charts and the PD or MD would select those he wanted for his station. He'd use those charts and information from record promoters to determine what was "right" for his station. Bringing records from home was strictly forbidden.

When I first started we played actual vinyl records (either '45s or '78s). Within a few years we pre-recorded everything onto "carts" (something like 8-tracks, but with only one song, commercial or jingle on each).

For a few years, when the AOR (album-oriented radio) format started up, jocks were left to their own devices, but that ended fairly soon on most of the stations as the chart folks came up with "hits" in that format, too.

Today's radio stations (even in small towns) are too valuable to leave to a DJs imagination. They've got to get ratings which brings in ad dollars, so they play the hits in the station's selected format (alternative, rap, pop, country, AC, etc). Most stations are indeed on computers with a printed log and the songs, commercials, jingles, promos (and sometimes even the DJs) stored on hard drive.

I'll bet there's a jock you listen to  in your town who actually lives and works in a different city and "voice tracks" a time shift on your favorite station. Done right, you'd never know if I didn't tell you.

- a guy named duh

Answer 6

only if the DJ happened to win the lottery, & therefor the station has no financial worries. Here in the real world bills have to be payed, & profits shown, not sure about the world you live in!!!!!!!!!!!  

Answer 7

you seem to be fed up

join real radio

Sirius Satellite radio

there is no corporate playlists.

even the "HITS" channel releys on the votes of lisitners to make its countdown