Guest posts

Why don’t jocks ever get to go to the good trips? by Christian O’Connell

June 16th, 2008

Posted By admin

TIML
Music research…big thing I always get asked about by listeners and non-listeners, that and what time do I get up and why aren’t I as funny as Chris Moyles!

Radio 2 told me about some research they did.
Played a very new unknown song, one group heard it with a dj saying how much he loved it and they might too… next group heard to cold no intro

You already know the results, sure this is radio 2 and the jocks are mostly household names but its raises an interesting point

If we have presenters who we value and trust on air and hope the punters do as well I think sometimes it would be good for them to take a chance on pushing a new song, in the right show and right artist, even if it never became a big hit. Its all about the perception and the audience become more involved.

I remember asking an old head of music about playing a song by a band called the White Stripes, I’d imported it from the States, they had never heard of them and said ‘no’. This was back on Xfm. Three weeks later John Peel played it and they repaid his belief by sticking him in a bloody video!! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!!

I know there is an art in science involved, as there is in what I do but…we invest so much in music testing yet when a text or email comes in from a punters moaning about a certain song or artist its “bloody idiot”. weird huh?

I remember me and Andy Ashton (Former PD XFM) thinking about once a week letting them vote off a playlsited song and vote in a new one, pretty radical in a way. We never did it, I wonder what would happen if we did that?

One of the many exciting things about whats happening with you guys getting involved is the chance to pressure test and look at not only our audience and non-audience perceptions of us but also our own preconceived ideas of how we do radio. Giles Squire used to hold his playlist meeting and drive them all nuts but getting up and checking emails and make calls whilst the songs were being played

“Giles what the f**k are you doing” the poor head of music would moan..”listening like our audience do, what was the last one, I think I liked it..?”

back to my book and word count

Christian

5 Comments

  1. L,
    June 18th, 2008 at 12:52 pm:

    Some really good points put forward by Christian there. New music and listening to the listeners are key, clearly. We already have a listener input using the “Soundcheck” section of the website (http://www.virginradio.co.uk/music/we_play/soundcheck/index.html) but I feel this needs revising in some way. If I’ve learned anything during my (short) time in radio, it’s that listeners love to feel part of the station - for example, hearing the excitement in someone’s voice when doing a phone-in. I recently saw a post on a (private) forum where someone was hugely overjoyed to hear their name mentioned on-air by Geoff - a mere, short song dedication prompted them to post online saying how happy they were. Things like this are seen time and time again on the Community section of the website too. I am aware that I’m probably teaching Granny to suck eggs by mentioning the importance of this!

    I’ve also been thinking about outlets such as the Digital Spy forums - often I have read them and there are specific criticisms levied at VR constantly - repetitive playlists being the main one. I fully understand the reasoning for playlists being the way they are, having had this explained in detail; however if this is such a common criticism, perhaps we should be taking note of what people are saying. Especially on a forum which contains a relatively wide variety of users and many radio-buffs!

    Obviously we can’t please every single person due to varying tastes and the variety of radio out there, but we can try. Could it also be a clever marketing idea to tackle such criticisms head on? “We have more than 20 CDs now!” - just to target a specific one!

    I do hope I haven’t spoken out of line, offended anyone or trodden on any toes, just putting my 2p in. :)


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  2. Clive Dickens,
    June 18th, 2008 at 10:50 pm:

    In the words of Baldrick from Blackadder…

    I have cunning plan :)

    Real Variety and less repetition is just as powerful a tactic as tight playlist like Magic (120 songs).

    Both can be succesful in a crowded market

    The One Golden Square music fan has a broad music tastes and I think we can play to that a little more

    David - Your thoughts?


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  3. Roque,
    June 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm:

    This was in the media guardian this week

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/16/radio

    Particularly like the “Broadcasting” not “narrow casting”


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  4. david lloyd,
    June 19th, 2008 at 3:15 pm:

    Successful great new entrants to any product market identify latent consumer demand, address it distinctively - and then make sure people know they have.


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  5. One Golden Square » Magnus Opus by Geoff Lloyd,
    August 7th, 2008 at 3:31 pm:

    [...] has been to put together a tightly focused, pure research driven radio station. Or, to paraphrase another posting on this blog; all science and no art. But what if we let these talented boys don their smocks and [...]


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