I was there in Hollywood on Tuesday to see the sun break through clouds and shine down on Shotgun Tom Kelly as he received a star on the Walk of Fame. In a long radio career, it was another validation of his success. And yet I couldn't help but think that this would be the last star on the walk of fame for any radio talent.
There were days were a personality would entertain you between songs, and the talent and style ran the gamut. If they were good enough, you stayed listening to the station even if the song playing was not your favorite. But that style and theory left the business long ago. When the Telecommunications Act of 1996 went into effect, and the corporations began buying stations at a furious pace, they realized staff would have to be reduced to turn a profit. The most expensive staff at a station is the air talent...one of the two main reasons a person would listen to a station.
Of course, listeners would tune in for the music as well, but without the personality you're left with just a song. Said corporations would run study after study to find what songs were recognizable to play it safe. All the while, on-air talent had two choices: try to go elsewhere and suffer the same fate, or watch the actual talk time reduced to 30 seconds before an 8-10 minute ad break. "Stay tuned! I've got Van Morrison and Chicago coming up next!"
Time marches on, and now it's 2013. You have a generation who's had no need to listen to the radio to hear the songs they like...the airwaves cluttered with stations playing the same songs they did a decade ago just to keep those who remember radio (hint: 30+) around. It's the bed congress and the corporations made for themselves, a mattress of diminishing returns.
But what of the talent? The jocks? Some went into other forms of entertainment. Some went into production. Some, voice-overs. (The "celebrity voice" trend of ads makes it harder to find work) But many were there to salute Shotgun, exchange pleasantries, but really talk of the old days. Yes, I was successful, it really worked out. Thanks a lot. Now...well, I've got a few things I'm working on but...
It was Shotgun's day, though, and it was celebrated in his style. We dined on hot dogs and toasted a man who just wanted to play the hits. He's been doing it for decades...and instead of grandiose dreams of others (some realized, some not) he has an afternoon drive shift, a top floor apartment, frequent trips to Hawaii and a lifetime of memories. THAT is success in broadcasting by anyone's measure...and it's Solid Gold.
