UGH…

About the Author

Chris Mills

Editor-in-Chief at Demencha Magazine LLC and Demencha.com. Send music and event submissions to chris@demencha.com.

One Comment

1. 

   KOOL DJ R.E.B.E.L. (2 years ago)

   What up, Chris? In the hopes of generating some thoughtful discussion on the subject, I’ve reposted my comments on the Pitch below. I don’t see this purely as a local problem or I may not have commented. Thanks for the link. It got me thinking.

   Peace,

   Krisna

   –

   Hey folks,

   This is a very interesting conversation. Admittedly, I haven’t read the entire string of comments as there are a lot, but I’ve read enough to get a basic sense of what’s at stake and the general fault lines in how people are seeing this issue.

   At the risk of being marginalized for the tardiness of my comment, I’d like to introduce a couple of factors and broaden the conversation about radio and the community in general.

   First, I think the critique of KPRS says nothing exceptional about this particular radio station, as Reach rightfully points out. The standardization of radio and its playlists is a global phenomenon. While Sku shows us there are exceptions to the rule in terms of musical content, KPRS reflects a general pattern of the monopolization of ALL aspects society, not just radio. It is the same in New Orleans and here in Austin where I live now. Whether I turn on the radio or walk into a restaurant or a bookstore, I see the same shit here as I do in every other city. This has everything to do with the increasing control that capitalism generally exercises over our lives.

   Second, the particular set of artists that get play reflects no one-to-one relationship with how hard artists work. I think ALL of us can admit that we do not nor have ever lived in a meritocracy. An MC can work hard her entire life and never have the privilege of being played on the radio, even if they have all the talent in the world. This doesn’t mean that those artists don’t work hard, but let’s be real. Where people are at in life bears no direct reflection on how much they have put into it. Those crackers on Wall Street are just the beginning. Straight nepotism.

   Third, radio is a decaying institution. It has been superseded by other more open-source and democratic means of dissemination. It seems that, in a sense, we are about ten years late on this discussion. I’m actually surprised that this conversation is still taking place on these terms. Because this tightening grip over how radio is run is in direct proportion to the democratization of certain web-based media. They are losing control and are trying to reassert it, like the Hip-Hop Media Labs folks mention in their response to the arrest of DJ Drama over two years ago.

   At bottom the critique of radio is a critique over who should control it, its corporate benefactors or the larger community it claims to represent? Now, mind you, I realize there may be a little bit of ego attached to the desire to hear local artists if you are one yourself, but I think there’s a deeper political content that’s been generally missed here. Davey D, who most of you have probably heard of, has made a valid point on his blog that while black radio claims to represent the black community, not a god damn thing was said about the mass actions against the Oakland police by this community after the cops murdered Oscar Grant.

   In Honduras, the State has taken control of all radio in order to stifle the mass movement that is taking place there against the coup. The interesting thing about this is that the control is being flexed through private ownership, not through direct state takeover. This has already happened here. For working class Hondurans, this has made manifest the need to seize the radio along with their workplaces, schools, and communities. We have to ask, is the problem of radio independent of other problems of control in society?

   Furthermore, it isn’t just local artists, or conservative hip-hop backpackers who have grown tired of corporate radio. It has a mass character, even if folks still listen to it, as I do. Strategically speaking, I can’t see that meeting with local radio personalities will doing anything at all to change what, ultimately, has to come from the behest of the community. There has to be actual ORGANIZING around this question, a challenge for power. Although, I imagine that while most folks see this question as valid, there are other more pressing questions that should take priority, such as police brutality, gentrification, unemployment, etc. Not much can be done about radio that hasn’t been done with other forms of media. It seems to me that what Honduras shows us is that the control over radio will have to come during an advanced stage of mass struggle, a stage we are definitely not in.

   That’s my two cents.

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