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Radio Broadcasting and Its Effect on the Diversity of Music 2


A group of sisters gathered around the radio in 1920

A group of sisters gathered around the radio in 1920

Another way to look at this is at the station level, where two primary programming strategies-flow and blockTwo programming strategies used by radio stations. Flow, often used by commercial stations who's main goal is to make money by holding an audience's attention, programs its music in order to maintain an uninterrupted audience. Therefore the music is more mainstream that in effect captures and sustains one audience type. The Block programming strategy, often used by noncommercial stations who's fundings are based from various constituencies, creates segments for different audiences with varying musical tastes. Therefore, the music is specialized that in effect attracts diverse audiences.-have important implications for musical culture (see, for example, Berland 1993; Rothenbuhler 1996). Commercial stations tend to emphasize programming flows. Because they make money by attracting and holding audience attention, it is in their best interest to have a consistent sound so that the listening experience can be relatively uninterrupted. Commercial stations, therefore, adopt formats built around narrowly defined types of music and program short-lists of the songs within these types.

This flow strategy is efficient for managing listeners' attention; once attracted, stations do not program clear breaks in the schedule to avoid them changing channels. Noncommercial stations depend on funding from various constituencies or may be responsible for serving varied interests. These stations tend to favor block programming that presents discrete segments with different music types. Stations design these segments to attract specialized interests, and therefore tend to delve more deeply into musical genres such as rhythm and blues during the 1940s. The block programming strategy, then, results in more musical diversity across a broadcast day.

While stations choose block or flow based on advertising income or shareholders, it is also important to note the audience plays a part in these program strategies. Stations therefore base their flow and block strategies on assumptions about the audience. Programmers who employ a block strategy assume their audience is active, knowledgeable, and wants to learn more about new music or the history of a given style. Programmers who favor a flow strategy assume the audience is essentially passive, seeking music for ambient purposes. Block strategy intends to promote concentrated listening to music, while the flow strategy tries to maximize commercial income. Block programming tends to be defined by musical and cultural criteria, while flow programming tends to be determined by commercial, demographic, and popularity criteria. As a result, the proliferation of flow-formatted radio stations produces a musical culture in which popularity marked by less focused listening is a norm, in which demographics contribute to the definition of identity and taste, and in which business success arguably predominates over concerns with musical value.

Airplay When radio or television stations broadcast a commercially released music recording or video.is when radio or television stations broadcast a commercially released music recording or video. The music industry uses it to describe the total play count that a particular release receives in a set period on several stations broadcasting either in a specific radio format, in one specific city, or one country, or even an entire region of the world.

Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"

The lyrics are about the animal "hound dog" and how it's no friend of Presley's because he's often crying, is not high class, and has never caught a rabbit.

Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog"

The lyrics are metaphorically about a "man," Although she refers to him as a hound dog, with lines such as "Daddy I know, you ain't no real cool cat" and "you ain't lookin' for a woman, all you're lookin' for is a home" she is speaking about a man.