In 1959*, Lloyd Price released the song “Personality.”
It was about a girl and what made her special.
Here’s a sample:
‘Cause you got personality
Walk, with personality
Talk, with personality
Smile, with personality
Charm, with personality
Love, with personality
With the exception of a daypart or two, it’s what most radio lacks today – PERSONALITY.
Rewound Radio
Every Saturday, Rewound Radio, a streaming-only radio station features its “DJ Hall of Fame.” They are air checks of some of America’s best radio personalities, like Dan Ingram, Ron Lundy, Robert W. Morgan, Charlie Tuna, The Real Don Steele and so many more. While everyone of the personalities I just mentioned are now in radio heaven, their recorded radio shows sound as vibrant and exciting as ever. That’s why people from all over the globe dial in to hear them, and not just radio people, radio listeners who grew up with them.
People like me.
Techsurvey 2022
So, it wasn’t really a surprise when Fred Jacobs gave us a sneak preview of his latest research on why people listen to over-the-air (OTA) radio.
People today listen to OTA radio for the very same reason that they always have, to hear their favorite radio personality. The unfortunate thing is, the radio industry talks the talk, but doesn’t really walk the talk.
Radio’s ultimate strength as a medium is dependent
on the power and popularity of its personalities.
-Fred Jacobs
Club DJs
When I walk the boardwalks in New Jersey, Delaware or Maryland in the summertime, you can’t help but be very aware of how important it is for each club to have a popular DJ. Club DJs get people dancing, having fun and spending their money in that particular club for hours.
The longer club patrons stay, the more money club owners make.
The reality is the role of a Club DJ could be easily automated and the music would be non-stop, but it is the special magic a live personality delivers that makes all the difference. Great performers make people feel things. They deliver an emotional experience that can’t be duplicated by automation.
“People are always neglecting something they can do
in trying to do something they can’t do.”
-Edgar Watson Howe
Living in a VUCA World
The world today is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous; it’s a VUCA existence. Many businesses are told they must innovate or die.
In radio’s race to stay relevant, it tries to compete with streaming audio services, where at best it can only be second best when it plays on their terms. What OTA radio should be heavily investing in is the development and promotion of outstanding, compelling, relatable radio talent.
“Treat talent with respect.
They are the reason radio remains so important.”
-Lori Lewis
Family Feud
Sue & I love watching Family Feud with Steve Harvey. This TV game show debuted on ABC on July 12, 1976 with host Richard Dawson. It would be broadcast for nine years before the network pulled the plug, but would continue to air periodically over the following decades. The show has had six hosts, but only its original host and the current host have seen the show be an audience hit.
In fact, it was when Steve Harvey took over as host in 2010, that Family Feud was finally resuscitated. His hosting abilities with his stand-up comedy and radio background has the audience always wondering what he will say next and almost always producing laugh-out-loud moments on the game show. It also doesn’t hurt that Steve Harvey is as nice as he seems. Being genuine is always an asset in the media world.
I said there were six hosts of this show over the years, Richard Dawson was the first and Steve Harvey is the current host, but you probably can’t name the other four without looking it up on Google. And that’s my point.
Personalities are the difference maker.
Radio leaders talk a good game when it comes to telling us how important local talent is to the power of great radio, but it’s time they put their investment monies where their mouths are, by hiring and training the next generation of radio performers.
It’s time for the radio industry to focus on a change that matters.
DickTaylorBlog 
Great post, Dick. Your Family Feud comments hit close to home. In 1992 I was hosting a morning show on Q102 in Cincinnati. I had replaced a (nameless) personality who was a bit too intense for the company. Ray Combs (Cincinnati area native) auditioned for 2 weeks for a possible co-host position, and was a nice guy-but he didn’t fit either, however he did say something about how comedians would always drop “F” bombs when they knew their material wasn’t working.The lesson was that it was easier to be dirty than to be creative. We landed on a male/female hosting situation which worked out very well for awhile. Steve Harvey has done a great job with the show since, and it’s really a treat to see how he reacts. My “personality” training goes back to Johnny Carson whose tactic of letting everyone else (including Ed McMahon) be the “star” -while he was merely the catalyst to let them shine made him the ultimate TV host. Today, many “personalities” are on the “net”, podcasting a lot of content that even Howard wouldn’t touch these days. The fairly innocuous flavor of broadcast radio in 2022 is preferable to the CEO’s and GM’s because their already too busy days can’t be bothered by audience complaints. The truth is that the streaming sites have yet to fill all of the “buckets” that broadcast radio has over the years.(including being live, local, immediate, fun, entertaining). If it does, then towers and transmitters will be obsolete. Til then there’s time to fix it. You’ve definitely recognized one of the problems. It’s now up to the big guys in charge to get the message.
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Red Skeleton used to talk about how comedians who used dirty language were doing so because they weren’t creative.
Red wrote a comedy sketch, a piece of music, a poem, painted a picture and wrote a love letter to his wife every day, as I remember him telling me. Never heard a Red Skeleton song? You probably have, because he wrote music for Muzak.
Thanks for sharing your story Dave. I really enjoyed reading it.
-DT
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We were just chatting with a Massachusetts friend yesterday who did a funkly little local radio show in Western Mass back in the day …. he was telling how the police person who stopped him for speeding, ended up in a long conversation (and he with only a warning) because his name was recognized from the radio show …
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Bob Crane (Col Hogan from Hogan’s Heroes) was the popular morning DJ KNX radio in Los Angeles. He usually was running late for his morning show and one morning was stopped by a police officer for speeding. He wrote note to the officer “I’m a DJ at KNX.” The cop wrote back on the ticket, “I’m a police officer with the LA police department.”
So, I’m glad it worked for your friend, but it didn’t always.
What a great story. Thank You for sharing it.
-DT
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Red “Skeleton”…”Family Feud”…that reminds me of a survey question asked on the original “Feud”, one which has been a game show highlight reel staple ever since:
Richard Dawson >> “Name a real person who made a living scaring people”.
Contestant >> “Red ‘Skeleton’.”
Richard (looks to board) >> “The dreaded Red ‘Skeleton’.”
[buzzer / “X” on screen]
We must not forget that Red Skelton, of course, was a radio, as well as a movie, star before TV came along.
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Thank You for sharing that memory.
-DT
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It was being totally engaged with our service area. Absolutely!
-DT
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