I have been hearing a lot of AIR lately in the mornings. It started off as an educational experiment. I need to explore international music further and someone told me I should tune in to this show called Breakfree in the mornings.
To be very frank, a lot of people don't even consider AIR as a regular FM station. It's not as jazzy as the Mirchis and Fevers of the world. It doesn't have the stylish jocks (which by the way, I love) and no sweepers and no station imaging - and weird ads, even weirder sudden dead air gaps... so its old school radio, in many ways...but then again, it was totally serving my purpose: introduce and educate me about International artists! For eg: the habit of the jocks to mention which song you just heard and which song you will be hearing was excellent!
At the other end of the spectrum, as a jock, what I find extremely exciting about AIR is that fact the jocks can play the music the music they want to play! So it is in all manners - YOUR show. Your music, your talk, your time - and therefore you connect more with YOUR listeners.
The fact that everyday of the week has a new voice is also a very interesting idea that should be explored by stations slowly.. I know,consistency is what (we feel) keeps the listener happy. But then again, I have six-seven different personalities' flavor to enjoy over the week. Their tastes in music will be different and so will their style and content.
There must be reason why inspite of so many FM stations in the city AIR still ranks at No.3/4 in many weeks. I am not saying 'Breakfree' does it for them, but Breakfree is an example, a good show (in a very convoluted way :) and we can may be learn a thing or two here. (to begin with, how about letting your listener know what they are listening to :)
