Air Raves by Anthony Thansayan
TO my mind, there is no month sweeter than December. It’s when radio listeners can look forward to some of the year’s best programming.
But it can also be disappointing when glitches crop up or when the programming is thoughtless and lacks quality, something that listeners have had to put up with in recent years.
Rather than gripe about such episodes after the fact, this time around I thought I’d try to suggest what DJs should do to avoid some of the disappointments listeners have experienced before. So here’s my Christmas “hint” list, DJs! Readers, let me know if you agree or have suggestions to add.
Christmas carols
Don’t just put together a list of Christmas carols to play without any thought. Nothing is more annoying than an air jock that suddenly feels all Christmassy inside and starts playing one Yuletide track after another with no rhyme or reason. It’s important to set the mood first, to think of a theme and whether that theme suits the time of day or night for which the playlist is scheduled.
How about being a true Santa and showcasing most, if not all, of 2005’s Yuletide releases instead of making us wait – as we always do – a couple of years or more after the albums’ debuts to hear them?
Santa, methinks, much prefers a variety of holiday tunes so instead of just rap, R&B and rock, how about some jazz, country and even classical? Not forgetting, of course, those timeless classics performed by greats such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and others of their ilk.
Consider playing Christmas music now, instead of waiting till Dec 20 or the eve, please!
And, please, let’s not make a separation between “Jesus” songs and “Santa” songs. Why not play them ALL, and together?
New Year countdowns
First, let’s get ALL those studio time pips synchronised once and for all. It is embarrassing to hear midnight revellers screaming “Happy New Year” at different times in the night – even if only seconds apart, it just jars! More importantly, it is confusing for listeners at home who set their clocks according to the radio. There are many people I know to whom this is an important ritual. Come on, if Radio Australia, the BBC and the Voice of America can get their clocks perfectly synchronised even though they’re continents apart, surely Malaysian stations in the same country and state can get their acts together!
Can we have the DJs out in the field moving around instead of appearing as if they are stuck in one place at countdown events? They could do walkabouts and interview the man-in-the-street about the coming year, for instance, or how the year has been for them. Obviously, more work has to be done for these interviews, as DJs would probably have to speak to a dozen people before finding one or two with interesting quotes. But it could be done with more DJs out in the field, surely? Generally, how about putting some thought into New Year eve programming instead of merely ringing listeners up and asking them about their New Year wishes and what greetings they want to convey to others?
How about stations reviewing the year as it has experienced it through its programmes – share everything, the good, the bad, the ugly, the poignant. This could be presented either live, say as a two-hour special, or, better yet, pre-recorded so glitches can be edited out. Stations could re-present clips of interesting speeches that elicited a response from listeners, or recount notable events involving Malaysians as well as people around the world that made their marks this year.
In doing so, please do not forget to include the voices and views of vulnerable groups in our society, such as the disabled, elderly and children.
Well, DJs, what do you say? And do readers have suggestions to add to this “hint” list? Write in while there’s still time for the stations to work on your ideas!
Anthony Thanasayan, who was born disabled, is an avid radio listener. His work, training special dogs for the physically handicapped, has been featured on local and international radio. His dogs, he says, help him ‘stay in tune with life’. E-mail him at athanasayan@hotmail.com
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