Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site hou2h.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!hou2h!bristol From: bristol@hou2h.UUCP (N.BRISTOL) Newsgroups: net.music Subject: Re: How radio stations work Message-ID: <480@hou2h.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Jun-84 19:18:18 EDT Article-I.D.: hou2h.480 Posted: Tue Jun 5 19:18:18 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 6-Jun-84 06:11:34 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 31 In Stuart Lewis' article on playlists, he says that the disc jockeys and the program managers fill keep track of how many times a cut from an album is played. This information is passed on to trade journals such as Billboard. If disc jockeys and program managers use the Billboard list to determine the station's play list, the process seems to be self-perpetuating. If an album is considered hot, a certain cut gets played alot. The cut stays on the Billboard chart because it gets alot of air play. The cut gets alot of play because it's on the chart, and so on. Mr. Lewis' article answers some questions but raises a few others. What makes an album hot? How are the certain cuts selected? Radio stations play music that is selling well. But listeners have a tendency to buy what they hear. How does this cycle get started? Occasionally, several stations will play the same oldies. Is this a coincidence or are they playing "me too"? Or is the decision on what oldies to play made outside the station? Gil Bristol hou2h!bristol