e C e n t r a l Go elsewhere ----------------------- News Business Market Watch Sports Lifestyle Entertainment Technology Education Mind Our English Columnists Photos Video Clips Last 7 Days 30-Day Archive RSS Mobile Edition What's Hot Write to Us ----------------------- MyStar AllMalaysia.info Global Malaysians Kuali.com Citizen's Blog Podcast ----------------------- Classifieds Motoring Property Jobs ----------------------- AudioFile CloveTWO Maritime Youth2 Horoscope Comics Directory Site Map The Web News Classifieds Stock
Tv & Radio > News & Features Sunday February 25, 2007
Where was the action?
Music is the life’s breath of most radio stations. So how come none made much of a very special music event?
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN
SO there I was, two weeks ago, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. My nicely sharpened pencil in one hand, my trusty notebook in the other, I listened with bated breath, hoping for a miracle to happen on radio as I tuned in at 6.30am to the mother of all global musical events, the 49th Grammy Awards broadcast live out of Los Angeles.
And it all turned into a big disappointment. Hence my déjà vu?. No airplay of nominated tracks. No profiles on the singers. And hardly any talk about the occasion, even!
While Malaysians who were lucky enough to have satellite TV and be home at 9am on the day got to watch the dazzling show on the small screen, those of us who were out and about and dependent on radio were let down by FM station programmers who obviously had not thought about playing up the prestigious event on morning radio.
Which is very strange, really, when you think about it: isn’t music the major part of the content from almost all of our English FM broadcasters?
Our radio stations are always telling listeners that we can’t go wrong if we stay tuned to them, especially when it comes to music. They’re always promising to keep loyal listeners updated on all the latest and hottest tracks.
But here was a choice musical occasion (and it doesn’t get any bigger or more hot or hip than the Grammys, guys!) and our radio stations failed to make is special for listeners.
Fly Fm’s popular tagline is “It’s all about the music”. However, on Grammys morning, the Big Bang Breakfast Show’s Phat Fabes and Ben only made light mention of the awards ceremony.
Hitz.fm’s Morning Crew announcers, J.J. and Rudy, weren’t much better. They seemed more interested in delving into the weekend football results rather than, say, giving a quarterly (nay, minute-by-minute, I say!) countdown to awards time.
Having said that, though, not everything was completely lost – not for me, personally, anyway! My favourite country music trio, The Dixie Chicks, made a triumphant comeback and grabbed major honours.
Hitz.fm rose to the occasion later in the day by presenting a one-hour special of Grammys highlights for listeners on the road home from work. The review, presented by announcer J. Lo, was aired at 5pm and included a selection of the award-winning songs. J. Lo also featured audio clips from the winning artistes.
The broadcaster was the only radio station to feature something about the Grammys during the popular “drive time” hour. While I very much appreciate Hitz.fm’s flexibility in shelving its regular programming to make way for this special, I thought the station could’ve gone further by extending its programming to three hours instead of sticking to the usual hour-long slot. Those who couldn’t get home on time to catch the encore on TV would have appreciated it greatly, I’m sure.
Despite living in the cyber age, Anthony Thanasayan insists that radio still provides a unique window on the world. When he isn’t scanning bandwidths, he trains service dogs for disabled people through his organisation, Petpositive (Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association).
Ads by Google
Lelong Malaysia Auction
Phone, accessories, mp3, mp4, pda prepaid, fax, printer, pager
www.lelong.com.my
Malaysia My Second Home
Early Retirement in Paradise! Learn More About This Great Program
www.12RetireInMalaysia.com
Times Online Travel
Read other people's stories of Malaysia.
yourworld.timesonline.co.uk
Source:
Sponsored Links
ESPN Radio
Gatlinburg Radio Stations
Nantucket Radio Stations
Gatlinburg Music
Country Top 40
Internet FM
Streaming Media
Nantucket Entertainment
Clubbing Songs
Hip Hop Station
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ - Privacy Statement - Terms of Use - Write to Us - Site Map - Advertise with Us
Copyright © 1995-2007 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
Managed by I.Star.
MoviesMusicVideoTV & RadioSound & StagePhoto GalleryEvents
