Most of today’s Radio programmers are notorious for not taking chances. Program Directors and Music Directors typically watch to see who else in the business is adding what song.
They eye the national charts in trade newspapers and magazines waiting for the majority to lay the path.
They would rather overplay hits until listeners are ready to puke than step out from the crowd and offer up something that just feels right - or is just fun. They would rather listen to the spin of a record rep than their own gut.
Then along comes a William Hung. Yes, he’s terrible. He’s so bad it’s funny - yet endearing in a bizarre way.
More astonishing: he’s selling CDs and his "Inspiration" from KOCH Records debuted on Billboard’s Album Chart at #34 the week the CD dropped!
The first week it was out, almost 40,000 people bought it!
My Gosh: he’s even getting airplay!
Hung is being interviewed by DJs and TV hosts, guesting on talk shows, making personal appearances, and generally having a whirwind career.
How could this be in the music and radio media which is normally so dominated by “known quantities”, research, and reserved decisions?
I have a theory: people like William Hung and are buying his CD because by choosing an alleged “loser”, they've sent a message which says, "You can’t tell me what is good and you certainly can’t tell me what I like."
To some programmers, his success - even if limited - is akin to Aural Anarchy.
Granted, the support for Hung might only be a small backlash against the seemingly-predictable choices Radio and the music industry affords listeners, but it still clearly points out that in the end, it’s the listeners who decide for themselves the breadth of their tastes, not the programmers.
And this is the lesson many programmers could do well to take under advisement: Hung's success proves that sometimes the established wisdom - or at least habits - miss the indiosyncratic anomolies which can make Radio more textured and enjoyable for the listener. And with today's competitive field - now including Internet streams and satellite radio - traditional terrestrial Radio needs every advantage it can get.
The things we don't expect are those that make life more fun. Radio programmers might be surpised at the results of what can happen when caution is forsaken for guts.
