Ordinarily, one of the biggest rules for an announcer at any commercial radio station is that you never denigrate any music you play on-air. I was surprised, in the early '90s, to hear an album rock DJ say on the air, "That's the latest from (a well-known vocal group)--and I hated it." Although the song he'd played was a far cry from the band's best work, it was surprising to hear him dismiss it so bluntly. I sympathized, though. Although I've enjoyed the majority of the music I've played on the air, I would sometimes play a grating tune because it was on the playlist and/or because I knew listeners would expect to hear it. I never panned any song I played on the air, but I sometimes thought, "This is (or was) a big seller? People are moved by this? What do listeners hear in this?"
During a music meeting at a station that had decided to stop using consultants, the powers that be encouraged the air staff to submit suggestions on what music to add to the station's rotation. One announcer said there were certain songs we shouldn't be playing and started reading off a list of songs that she thought shouldn't be on the playlist.
One of the station's higher-ups clarified, "That's not really the kind of feedback we're looking for. If you're a model, you don't say, 'I'm not going to wear green...'"
As much as I enjoy a great deal of music, I've had to remind myself as an announcer that my tastes are not everyone's tastes. If you work in radio, you'll inevitably play songs that you can't stand. When that has happened, I've reminded myself, "This isn't a great song, but some listeners like it, for whatever reason. This is the agenda I'm paid to carry out."
