I think much of what occurs in the US these days in driven by one thing that can be summed up in three little letters - ROI

ROI stands for "Return on Investment". In most circles, it is strictly monetary return on monetary investment. This is undoubtedly the easiest to measure; if you keep your books well, you know how many dollars you put out and you know how many dollars you get back. The idea in this day and age is to maximize your ROI. And if you don't, you're a chump. Many people would have you believe that every decision you make should be made on the basis of maximum return for minimum investment.

As it applies to Radio, this means identifying and targeting a demographic group and playing only those songs that you know will appeal to the largest percentage of that demographic group. Run commercials that focus on that group's needs, desires, wants, etc.

Personally, I think it's a sick and boring way to live a life. But, as bleak as they try to make the landscape, bursts of color still pop out. You get some DJ who just won't play the game. Or you get some goofy movie makers (like the Coens) who dredge up old tunes that blast the demographic research of the "experts" all to hell. Long live chaos!

Of course, I'll never be rich; at least in the monetary sense. Oh, well.

I remain,
BART