Friday, November 27, 2009

Delilah Disallusionment

An acquaintance of mine writes on her Facebook:

"I was listening to Delilah the other night and this lady was talking about her divorce & how she had these incredible girlfriends that were there for her through the whole dreadful process. She asked Delilah to pick a song for those she was most thankful for ... Delilah chose to play 'Mele Kalikmaka' ... I would be ticked!"


Let's face it. Cost-cutting programming like "Delilah" can fall horrifically short on its mission to convince listeners that the show is live and local. In this case, Delilah's local music-insert system (a strong point P.D.'s might say) backfired terribly in context of the programming.

A bit scarier to consider: "Delilah" is one of syndicated radio's better-implemented shows. So many others are much, much worse. Yet, the show's execution is excellent, and it pulls a loyal audience base.

Another friend:

"My wife and I were listening in the car one night, and a woman called in talking about how happy/grateful she was about her upcoming 60th wedding anniversary and how much she loves her husband, and asked for a song. Delilah picked 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' by Neil Diamond, which conveys pretty much the exact opposite emotions."

In the end, the lack of local investment will one day end with a lack of local listeners.

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