Radio Station Requests

[Mac]

With Taylor's single coming out on 1/27, and the CD on 3/10, many people are probably thinking about how to get Taylor played on their local radio stations. Tappanga from Soul Thing has worked in radio for about 20 years and currently works at a station in Alabama. These are some suggestions she posted on Soul Thing.

Quote:I think the biggest thing to remember is that you want the request to be short and sweet. Don't call every day. Don't pester them. Don't go into a ten minute diatribe about how you've loved Taylor since he walked into the audition room. They don't care. The less you seem like a Taylor fan and more like a fan of their station, the more likely they are to play it. Be polite and quick. I would just say something like, "I was wondering if you can play What's Right Is Right by Taylor Hicks." If they say they don't have it, ask if the person knows if they will get it. If they say they'll "get it right on for you" (which every jock says to every call), don't call back in two hours pissed off because you haven't heard the song yet. Just wait for the next jock to come on air (airshifts are usually 5a-10a, 10a-3p, 3p-7p, 7p-mid, and mid-5a) and call back and request (your best luck will probably be with the overnight jock, if the station has one). Don't try "changing your voice" and calling back to request it again. That never fools anyone, and now they jock REALLY won't play it. And don't get several people in your house to all call. Most stations have caller ID now (mine does). Again, your request will go in the trash.

One new development you have to remember: If it's a Clear Channel station, don't be surprised if no one answers their request line. They just fired 10% of their company Tuesday, and even before that most airshifts around the country are voice tracked by someone in another city (for example, one jock in LA can record breaks for ten radio stations across the country in one day). Even if it's not a CC station, remember that the phone doesn't actually RING in a studio. To know it's ringing, the jock has to look down and see that the light on the phone is flashing (and it's not a super strobe light - it's the same little light you have on your office phone). So if it rings for ten minutes straight, don't be smart with the jock. That may have been his or her only break to go pee or grab a snack, or something else may be going on inside the building that's distracted the jock. Also understand that most stations have Action Plans, which are corporate guidelines of what they can play and what they can't. That means even if the phones are ringing off the hook for the song, unless the program director can convince the Action Team to allow it into the playlist, it's not going to be played.

Finally NEVER EVER EVER EVER call the business line of the radio station. Even if the jock tells you to call it and talk to someone else, they're just passing the buck. Don't do it. You'll just piss off the business office.

Your best bet, if you want to hear it at least once, is to call the overnight jock. They're usually bored and lonely and may be willing to hear your Taylor Love story, and they probably also want to break a hot new song to get the attention of the boss so they can move up to a better time slot.