The arrest of Michael Jackson just seemed like more fodder for morning shows and promotion directors—something to tide them over until Britney Spears could get married for a few hours. But why would any morning team try to find the lighter side of this particular tragedy? And are PDs overlooking the topic’s potential to polarize the audience?
As recently as mid-summer, Top 40 radio was harder and rappier than ever. Then fall came and suddenly the hits were by Stacy Orrico, Fountains of Wayne, and Trapt with just an occasional Outkast or Baby Bash. But have Top 40 listeners really switched their musical allegiences this fast? Or are PDs just being, uh, headstrong?
If you grew up with Top 40 in the ‘60s and 70s, chances are that you don’t think of the term “Number One” without that echoed “one, one, one” that always followed. Now, the entertainment world is more focused around Number One than ever, but radio (for a variety of reasons) rarely takes advantage of it. Sean Ross and EMR president Larry Rosin look at the sway that No. 1 still holds over listeners.
Top 40 wanted more uptempo pop records from superstar artists. Pink gave them a single that seemed to fill that need, and programmers (then the audience) shrugged. Were PDs moving too fast, even by their usual standards? Or is it core artist status really harder than ever to maintain?