They won't tell you this; they should.
You call a radio talk-show and want to ask a question or make a comment: if you sound old, good luck. At best, you may get on the air but your time will be seconds, if that. More than likely, you'll be ignored by the producer/call screener.
Then again, you call. You're a, say, younger white woman --in your 30's--and you sound "cute" (calling all demos) then you'll not only get on the show, you'll get on real quick and to the front of the line. Welcome to the real world and real, radio talk-show code of ethics. In reality, the real world.
It's not new, it's been going on for years only now you know the real deal. They (the show, the station) will pooh-pooh all this but they're lying. They know full well old voices are taboo. They also hate people that have accents. I'm not saying all accents are bad but they frown on that and they try to make it clean. To them, a clean, woman or young guy is a good caller. It translates better on the air. You think I'm full of it, you're in denial.
This is not an institutional thing but damn close. And you come here wanting the truth and I bring you that. It may not be sexy but it's no spin.
But all I hear calling into KGO agreeing with Pat and John and the Charles Franklins and Nikki's of the world are oldddddddddddddddddd sounding "folks".
ReplyDeleteRothman has the same group of callers and they are all pretty much older sounding people likehim
Delete...HEY, I resemble that remark ... (always loved that line, maybe from Rodney's LP ...)
ReplyDeleteRadio worships youth, what else is new?
ReplyDeleteKNBR hosts admit they no longer take on-air calls, they claim its technical. After all these months they can't figure it out?
ReplyDelete