The following text is the accompanying essay to my Masters graduation project from Spring 2020. The project examined the theory of parasocial interaction in rock music radio and WMMR’s Preston & Steve Show was the subject of the essay. The full podcast is embedded above using Soundcloud.
Abstract:
In this technology advanced-age, it is more important than ever for disc jockeys to be able to connect with their listeners and have an idea of what listeners want when they listen to the radio. Research has shown when disc jockeys establish themselves, they can develop a following amongst radio listeners. This project includes a podcast episode that explores how DJs find their sense of identity and their interactions with listeners. The concepts of identity and parasocial interaction through radio are analyzed through a series of interviews done with 4 of the 6 morning hosts from The Preston & Steve Show on active rock station 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia.
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………3
Literature Review/Applicable Theory…………………………………………………………..4
Importance of Research……………………………………………………………………………9
Site of Inquiry………………………………………………………………………………………..10
Methods………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Challenges/Opportunities…………………………………………………………………………14
Conclusion/Findings….……………………………………………………………………………14
Sources……………….….……………………………………………………………………………16
Introduction:
After I was laid off from my position as a newspaper page designer, I had to take a good look in the mirror and figure out where my career was headed. I had an “aha” moment about 2 months later when I was selected in a contest to become a radio disc jockey for a day with Radio 104.5, an alternative rock station based in Philadelphia. I had the chance to visit the station, sit in the studio alongside evening host Jammin’ Jessie and record myself introducing each of the songs which would air live later that evening. It was during this experience that I felt I really found my calling. I even developed a friendship with Jessie beyond just listening to her on the radio.
The aspect of radio that has always kept me listening are the disc jockeys themselves. In this digitally advanced age, there are many ways someone can listen to music but having that musical companion talking about music brings people closer to the music. This relationship between the listener and the disc jockey is an example of a parasocial relationship, which is defined as “the one way relationship between a media figure and the audience” (Quintero-Johnson/Patno-Woodley, 2016) . I will explore the nature of the parasocial relationship in a podcast called All Betts Are Off as I interview Preston Elliot, Nick Mcilwain, Marisa Magnatta and Casey Boy from The Preston & Steve Show on 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia. I will address each disc jockey with the name they use professionally. I aim to gain insight in how they craft their on-air personas and how they find ways to connect with their listeners while they are on the air, talking on social media and when they make public appearances on behalf of WMMR.
In this project, I use the term disc jockey or “DJ,” though there are many terms used in the industry including announcer, “jock,” presenter and personality. I look at their stories and use them to help inspire a new generation of people that share my passion for radio. In the literature review, I will look at past studies of radio and of the parasocial relationship between media figures and audiences. The literature review will consist of past studies on identity and parasocial interaction. I also explore how the parasocial relationship is affected by listeners interacting directly with DJs through meeting in person at appearances, social media and by phone.
The main idea in this project is that while there are so many ways people can listen to music, it becomes imperative for DJs to develop a strong identity and connection with their audience as they are essentially the force that keeps people listening to traditional radio David Crider defines identity as a category of practice that describes a fundamental aspect of a being (Crider, 2016). The Preston & Steve Show will serve as my site of inquiry.
Literature Review
History of Rock and Radio
Radio traces its roots back to the 1880s when German physicist Heinrich Hertz discovered that electricity can be transmitted in electromagnetic waves (FCC, 2003). The earliest radio usage began through military ships at sea. (FCC, 2003) The first Amateur (or HAM) radio was introduced in 1902. HAM radio utilized radio frequencies to help the spread of information for first responders. Licensing for HAM radio began in 1912 through the FCC (FCC, 2003).
In the 1930s, as the United States deals with the Great Depression, radio programming consisted of radio dramas, comedies, music, news and other forms of entertainment. The 1930s was also the period in which radios were introduced in cars for the first time. In 1931 over half of U.S. households owned at least one radio receiver and by the end of the 1930s, the number rose to over 80% (Hilmes, 2005). As people listened to the radio, it reminded them that they weren’t alone in their struggles. It gave them a sense of community. This period became known as the “Golden Age of Radio.” (Hilmes, 2005)
As televisions were invented and became more readily available, stars of the radio dramas moved to television to connect with a new growing audience. Radio programmers looked to disc jockeys with strong personalities, jingles, contests and a strong playlist of popular songs to try to reconnect with the audience (Hilmes, 2005). This format became known as the Top 40. Other formats would develop over the next several decades include country/western, urban and rock. Rock was broken into several categories including mainstream/active rock (hard rock/metal with a mix of classic and alternative) and alternative (less mainstream rock, more melodic sounding rock from the 90s through present day) (Hilmes, 2005).
In the present day, radio stations have an online presence to give the listeners the ability to stream stations online and bring in new listeners from outside the boundaries of on-air and those not near a radio to listen. Stations today compete with SiriusXM satellite radio and streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
According to a Nielson survey, during the current COVID-19 epidemic, 83% of consumers say “they’re listening to as much or more radio as they were during the pandemic” (Nielson, 2020). Radio in most developed nations was classified as an essential service because of its ability to deliver information in a timely manner (NIelson, 2020). Its ability to deliver information is helpful for keeping listeners connected to their community.
Despite its struggles, radio remains a viable medium
According to a 2018 study by Nielson, over 93% of Americans listen to the radio each week. This number is higher than television or an internet enabled device like a computer, tablet or smartphone (Nielson, 2018.) Radio becomes a strong companion when people go through their daily routines. When people listen to the radio, they are being joined by their favorite DJ and creating a relationship as if the distance between the listener and DJ is shrinking thanks to this unique one way interaction (Crider, 2016). Listeners may even be on a first-name basis with a few of these DJs, making it really seem like they are friends even though they may have never met them in person.
Social media has affected radio by creating a new avenue for stations to promote events and to get direct listener feedback. According to David Crider, professor of communication at SUNY Oswego, DJs can utilize the feedback they get from listeners to adjust their on-air performance. DJs regularly use social media while on the air and may use it as an additional platform to take song requests from listeners or to give on-air shoutouts (Crider, 2016). Social media helps to supplement their listening and add a new level of experience. Listeners use social media to connect with the DJs further and learn more about them. Radio stations want to strive to create a level of loyalty amongst the listeners so they will hold contests to further engage with the listeners (Crider, 2016).
The downside of the current state of radio is that in the name of slashing costs, companies like iHeartRadio (formerly Clear Channel) continue to lay off workers, have individual programming directors run multiple stations at the same time (Leight, 2020). In January 2020, iHeartRadio announced a large wave of layoffs that seemed to add a blow to local radio.(Leight, 2020)
Some radio stations have adopted the practice of voice tracking, where DJs no matter where they are in the country can broadcast in local markets through pre-recording their breaks, which are when the DJs come on to speak (Leight, 2020). When this happens, radio loses its sense of locality and that level of connection with the listener. When the DJs pre-record, it makes it harder for local breaking news to get reported on the air and listeners to speak with the disc jockeys in real-time by calling the station, texting or by social media. The sense of intimacy vanishes through the use of voice tracking..
Radio Stations Utilizing Parasocial Interaction to Advertise
Radio stations can utilize an on-air host’s experiences with certain brands as a way to advertise. Researchers Jessie Quintero Johnson and Paula Patnoe-Woodley utilized balance theory, which looked at the host’s influence and suggested that their endorsements on air and through social media could drive consumers to make new purchases. The study concluded that the stronger the parasocial relationship is between the host and listener, “the likelihood increases that the listener can recall a certain product or service. (Quintero Johnson/Patnoe-Woodley, 2016)
Studies on Radio and Identity
Nancy Morris, now-retired professor of media studies at Temple University published two studies that looked at identity and radio. The first study looked at stations in Scotland outsourcing commercial messages and station promos to try to appeal more to younger listeners. Most of the stations that Morris analyzed saw the British accent as “very straight and dignified and the American accent as more loose and informal” (Morris, 1999). Several stations that she researched at had varying opinions. Some saw the importance of the DJs using a local accent to make the listening audience feel closer to the DJs. Others felt the American accents provide something different to what they are used to hearing (Morris, 1999).
Morris has continued the concept of locality and community through the study, “Transmitting Identity: Radio in Barcelona.” She created a log of different community messages she heard on the station. Most messages were on-air shoutouts to local towns within the Barcelona metropolitan area (Morris, 2008). The stations give the weather forecast for the entire country, making these small communities feel like they were part of a large entity (Morris, 2008).
Applicable Theory
Parasocial Interaction
As disc jockeys look to create an on-air identity to connect with listeners, the response from the listeners cultivate a concept known as parasocial interaction. Parasocial interaction was a term coined in 1956 by sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl to describe the perceived intimacy between a media figure and the viewer/listener. For example, when the disc jockey is speaking to the listener directly, it can bring them closer together, despite the relationship being one-sided (Horton & Wohl, 1956).
Horton and Wohl discuss the role of the “persona” which is the identity put on by the performer (who in this case is the disc jockey). The persona provides a “continuing relationship with the listener” (Horton & Wohl, 1956). DJs have integrated themselves into the listener’s daily routine and the listener can always depend on hearing them at a certain time, whether it’s a daily radio show or even a podcast. The DJ’s character remains consistent which helps maintain the relationship with the listener. When the disc jockey opens up about themselves to the listeners, the listeners feel as though they’ve grown to know them personally. It’s almost as if the listener sees the disc jockey as a friend that provides them with a sense of comfort. Horton and Wohl also discuss the role of the audience. They say that the role of the audience is to create a sense of loyalty to the performer. The performer depends on their audience in order for them to achieve success. (Horton/Wohl, 1956)
Importance of Research for this Production
The research lays the foundation for the production. I hope my production expands on the research by getting the input by several prominent figures in Philadelphia radio. These figures can help relate this material to a wider audience due to the popularity of Preston & Steve. I thought it was important to provide some historical information on the history of radio. It’s a medium that has evolved over the years even with all the advances of technology. Stations like WMMR have adapted the mentality that a radio station should remain local with live DJs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This project is presented as a podcast because I wanted it to be audio based, just like radio. Podcasts trace their history back to the turn of the 21st century when software developers Dave Winer and Adam Curry created the “Real Simple Syndication” feed or RSS feed, which creates the ability to send content through a subscription based system on different media platforms (Sounder, 2019) Podcasts have become a very popular platform for consumption. According to a survey by Statista,they estimate that 32% of Americans listened to one audio podcast series within the past 30 days of completing the survey. (Statista, 2019).
Site of Inquiry
Since September 2019, I have been interning for The Preston & Steve Show on WMMR. Because of my direct connection, I knew it would be a great place to utilize for my research because the hosts on the show already know me. I wouldn’t have to send any cold emails or phone calls to try to secure an interview. Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison have been the morning hosts of WMMR since 2005. They previously worked on WDRE and Y100, two former alternative rock stations in Philadelphia. The other hosts of the show include producers Casey Boy, Nick MciIwain and traffic/news anchor Kathy Romano. [Text Wrapping Break] WMMR has been on the air in Philadelphia since 1968. It is one of the longest running active rock stations in North America. They broadcast out of One Bala Plaza in Bala Cynwyd, PA just outside of Philadelphia. The other full time hosts on WMMR include midday host Pierre Robert, afternoon drive host Jaxon, evening host Jacky Bam Bam and overnight host Brent Porche.
Methods
Pre-Production
Throughout Fall of 2019, I have workshopped several ideas related to this production. Since I am pursuing a career in radio, I wanted radio to be the theme. Since I had some experience in previous classes doing ethnographic/interview-based research, I knew I wanted to be able to talk to industry professionals. Upon receiving feedback from several classmates, I decided to look into how disc jockeys find their on-air identity. I took this idea into a test interview I did with Nancy, a now-retired professor of media studies at Temple University. I interviewed Nancy about her 2 published studies on radio, one of which measured the level of community in local radio in Barcelona, Spain. The other looked at disc jockeys looked at radio stations in Scotland outsourcing American voiceover artists to record station identifications. Towards the end of our conversation, Nancy told me that it was refreshing to have a conversation with someone who shares her passion for radio.
I told Nancy over the years, I felt like with each disc jockey I listen to, I would live vicariously through them. She said the “parasocial relationship” between DJs and listeners is such a fascinating concept that it may be something to look into for this production. I knew at that moment that I would center the theme around parasocial interaction, although I would still use identity because it is that identity that connects with listeners.
The next step in the process was to put together a list of potential interviewees. I assembled a list of disc jockeys that I’ve connected with over the years. First on the list was Amber Miller, the current program director and mid-day personality for Radio 104.5, an alternative rock station in Philadelphia owned by media conglomerate, iHeartRadio. I reached out to Miller in mid-December via social media and later through email and she was really into the topic and said she would look into participating pending permission from her supervisors. However a few days later, Miller reached out to me via email informing me her supervisors wouldn’t allow her to participate. Miller is very limited as far as who she can talk to outside of iHeartRadio, even if it’s a class project.
I wondered if other DJs at other stations would run into the issues. However, this proved to not be the case when I reached out to Marisa Magnatta, whom I report to as an intern for The Preston & Steve Show. Magnatta reassured me that no permissions would be needed. I set up interviews with Nick McIlwain, Preston Elliot, Marisa Magnatta and later with Casey Boy, upon recommendations from Magnatta. I also reached out to my Facebook friends to see if anyone would write a theme song for the podcast and received a response from Kara Koser, an aspiring singer-songwriter and a former classmate of mine during my undergraduate days at Temple. I also met up with her to discuss the project to help her find the inspiration.
Production
After I scheduled interviews with each of the hosts from Preston & Steve, I assembled a list of questions that explored how each disc jockey found their sense of identity in radio and their relationship with their listeners. Each interview was recorded using a Zoom H1 Handy Recorder with a built-in microphone. The interviews were recorded on site in the Preston & Steve on-air studio. Each interview lasted around 10 minutes, which gave me the idea to combine the interviews into 1 episode with 4 interview segments. I recorded the narration for the introduction, in between each interview soundbite and the closing in the recording booths at Temple University’s Tech Center. Nick, Preston, Marisa and Casey were chosen for the interviews because of our respective availabilities and because they provided enough content for my 40 minute target runtime. I am open to interviewing the other two hosts, Steve Morrison and Kathy Romano as a followup to this podcast episode should I decide to continue producing new episodes.
Post Production
After each segment was recorded, they were uploaded from the ZOOM H1 Handy Recorder then mixed using Adobe Audition. Each recorded narration and answer segment was imported into Audition then pieced together using the Multi-Track function. After each segment was put together, the first mix was submitted to my committee for feedback then later published using Soundcloud. If I decide to create more podcast episodes beyond my time at Temple University, I plan to use Anchor as my podcast aggregator so I can distribute it to all the major streaming platforms.
Challenges and Opportunities
I am very thankful that I had an early jump on this production and started brainstorming ideas back in early fall 2019 otherwise, I would’ve had a lot of trouble meeting deadlines. Securing the interviews was a relatively easy process and only presented a few challenges. As mentioned in the pre-production section, my first potential interviewee couldn’t get permission to be interviewed for the production. However, thanks to my internship with Preston & Steve, several of the hosts from the show were very happy to participate in this production. Nick, Preston, Marisa and Casey were very open and candid during their interviews which provided me great content for the podcast. Casey was probably the most candid as our interview went almost 15 minutes and the others clocked in around 10 minutes.
I am thankful I was able to finish recording the interviews and narration before the COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic. Temple University was closed as a precautionary measure and WMMR started to thin out most of the in-office staff and have employees and interns work from home.
Conclusion
My goal for this production was to extend the research on parasocial interaction to show how it has affected radio and give several relatable examples. Preston, Nick, Marisa and Casey provided me with some examples of their interactions with listeners and what the show does to connect with listeners. I also learned a lot about the history of how they found their radio identity. I also wanted to illustrate that the disc jockeys enjoy being recognized for the work they do. They welcome people greeting them when they see them out in public.
This podcast episode may not represent the opinions of all disc jockeys. I think interviewing DJs from the rest of the Beasley Media cluster from other clusters in Philadelphia like Entercom or iHeartRadio would be beneficial to get a better idea of the feelings about disc jockey and listener interaction. I also could look into getting a listener’s perspective on a future episode. However, I am pleased with this production and I hope I could build this into a podcast series at some point in the future.
Sources:
Crider, D. (2016). Performing personality: on-air radio identities in a changing media landscape. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Douglas, S. J. (2005). Listening in: radio and the American imagination. Minneapolis, MN: Univ. of Minnesota Press.FCC. (2003, December 21). A Short History of Radio: With an Inside Focus on Mobile Radio. Retrieved from https://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf
Hilmes, M. (2014). Only Connect: a Cultural History of Broadcasting in the United States. Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning
Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229. doi: 10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
Leight, E. (2020, February 7). ‘The Culling Has Begun’: Inside the iHeartMedia Layoffs. Retrieved from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/iheartmedia-mass-layoffs-937513/
Morris, N. (1999). US Voices on UK Radio. European Journal of Communication, 14(1), 37–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323199014001002
Morris, N. (2008). Transmitting identity: Radio in Barcelona. International Journal of Communication, 543-560.
Nielson. (2018, May 4). How America Listens: The American Audio Landscape. Retrieved from https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/how-america-listens-the-american-audio-landscape/
Nielson. (2020, March 26.). Radio is ‘Comfort Food’ As Media Consumption Rises Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved from https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/radio-is-comfort-food-as-media-consumption-rises-amid-covid-19-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR2OxMJ_SNWomx3oWRyakwA7qqjE-PWGA6UZ_dDSv4nClWGpM33vgWcqucI
Quintero Johnson, J. M., & Patnoe-Woodley, P. D. (2016, January 12). Exploring the Influence of Parasocial Relationships and … Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290509142_Exploring_the_Influence_of_Parasocial_Relationships_and_Experiences_on_Radio_Listeners_Consumer_Behaviors
Team Sounder. (2019, June 18). Everything You Need to Know About the History of Podcasts. Retrieved from https://medium.com/sounder-fm/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-history-of-podcasts-6af334f13a0e
Watson, A. (2019, August 23). Audio podcast consumption in the U.S. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/270365/audio-podcast-consumption-in-the-us/
Preston & Steve/WMMR logos on cover from WMMR.com
Podcast Theme Song By Kara Koser
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