[Z]

Originally Posted by Jack_

Well I don't disagree with that, but Radio 1's position as a career make or breaker is due to its popularity, it isn't ascribed to them. If people didn't listen, then a commercial station like Capital would probably take on that role, so it's not as if it's a position they have just been handed, it has somewhat been earned over generations.

I don't know what they're really supposed to do though, Radio 1 like to have a balance of new and upcoming artists and your traditional pop acts that are identifiable to listeners, if you keep the artists you've broken then you leave less space for newer ones that are up and coming. It's a balancing act, trying to get a range of tracks that listeners will immediately identify with, breaking new artists, and continuing to support ones that they've recently introduced. Inevitably some artists are going to suffer, but that's just the way the industry works. It's fast paced, it changes from year to year, one minute you may be the next big thing and the next you aren't. That works the same in TV and celebrity culture too, I think it's a media-wide problem.

I would much rather have a varied playlist than the five songs on repeat every hour that Radio 1's commercial equivalents offer. Now that's dire.

I completely disagree with that entire post. Radio 1 abuses its position; it's precisely because Radio 1 has abused that position that stations like Capital have gained in popularity and have become a cooler alternative to Radio 1 because people are sick of Radio 1's manipulation of the charts. Radio 1 hammers the same handful of songs on its A List so I don't even know what you're saying in your final paragraph there; it's just as guilty of that as all the other stations out there but as the industry's leading radio station, Radio 1 can dictate how the others behave. If Radio 1 is playing a song, then other stations will play that too so as to not be out of the loop. If Radio 1 isn't playing a song then it's rare that that song will get rotations on other stations and even rarer for it to be a success. Recent example of that is Neon Jungle - Braveheart. Completely ignored by Radio 1 but still managed to hit the top 10 due to online promotion and plays from other stations.

Radio 1 gives all acts a shelf life. There is a reason there haven't been any musical legends in our era, and that's because Radio 1 won't let it happen. There is no Elton John or Kate Bush from the 90s-10s. Everything has become throwaway. You're right, it's a problem across all media, but Radio 1 has more power than most to change that. Robbie Williams was completely excluded by Radio 1 yet he still managed to find success due to his loyal fanbase. Shouldn't Radio 1 be playing what the public want to hear (i.e. an artist they've loved for two decades) instead of trying to make a one hit wonder happen? It's such a corrupt station.