On 19 Aug 2004 14:29:43 GMT, BucketButt
wrote:

In those days a good jock knew the station's library intimately, knew the
audience nearly as well, and could find the right cut for any particular
moment; we even took requests! A mediocre jock knew most of the most
popular songs and artists, and seldom played anything else (except when
they heard another jock play something). A really bad jock had poor taste
in music (and little understanding of flow and tempo), played personal
favorites, and generally stunk up the station.

I guess that's the difference between being a DISK JOCKEY and an AIR
PERSONALITY.

To be honest (albeit blunt), most guys on the rock stations in 'those
days' were terrible as air personalities. Of course, there were
exceptions like Tom Donahue and B. Mitchell Reed (both of whom came
from a Top 40 background where they learned to be GREAT air performers
BEFORE they learned music).

IMHO, selecting music does not really take any talent. It takes
KNOWLEDGE and knowledge can be learned. You can't learn talent. You
either have it or you don't. How many Dan Ingram's, Robert W.
Morgan's, Dr. Don Rose's, etc. are there? Not too many as far as I
know.

Give me an air personality over a disk jockey ANY DAY! You can train
an air personality to pick music. You can't train someone with little
or no 'God-given' talent to be talented.

Just my .02.

J.J.