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LONDON — Radio began moving into the realms of digital music and automation in the 1980s; the shift is almost complete. Despite this, a significant part of the listenership likely imagines presenters sitting between two turntables playing tracks from vinyl albums. And to an extent, albeit small, that is not too far from what is happening at some stations today.
This does not mean the turntable has made a triumphant return to radio. Still, many stations — from national groups to regional, city and town broadcasters to small local FM and internet services — use the older technology alongside its computer-based successors, giving 33 rpm discs a spin. Radio’s promotion of the venerable 12-inch record format mirrors a 17-year revival for vinyl, with both new releases and rereleases continuing to sell more copies yearly.
This year, what was initially reported to be a 33% drop in sales was later corrected and revealed as a 6.2% increase.
Vinyl now sells at a premium price, but many music lovers’ affection for it, combined with their belief that it sounds “warmer” than digital formats, has not diminished. Radio stations and presenters have capitalized on this by highlighting vinyl on regular programs or dedicating whole days to it.
Stand-out days
In the United Kingdom, Greatest Hits Radio did the latter by holding a Vinyl Revival during parent group Bauer Media Audio’s Cash for Kids Day on May 2. Presenters Ken Bruce, Richard Allinson and Simon Mayo dug into their memories of working with turntables to bring their listeners a wide selection of well-known songs and album tracks.
“We are constantly looking at new ways to present the greatest hits to our audience, and Vinyl Revival was the perfect way to evoke nostalgia and create a standout day from the norm for Cash for Kids,” says Greatest Hits Radio’s content director, Andy Ashton. “Our studios and desks these days are state of the art and 100% digital, so there was a little bit of work to get the Technics SL-1200 Series decks to play nicely,” Ashton continues. “But it was nothing more than a few extra leads and some testing. And we had fun finding the right coins to balance on the stylus to get the arm’s weight just right. It was also lovely to see some nerves in the presenters as they waited to see if they could readjust to using turntables and vinyl. After a few minutes, they were fine and really enjoyed the whole process.”
Another charity event, this time in the U.S., based on 33 rpm discs is Vinylthon, which was held on April 20 and 21. Organized by the College Radio Foundation, which arranges scholarships to nurture the next generation of broadcasters, Vinylthon brings together more than 250 college radio stations nationwide and generally promotes the older music format. The first day of this year’s event fell on Record Store Day, which stations worldwide also celebrate by dusting down their turntable and vinyl.
Vinyl is part of our lives
Among those stations is BBC Radio 6 Music, for which Jamz Supernova presents an all-vinyl show. The Radios 1, 2 and 6 Music studios are part of the BBC’s Popular Music Hub and were expanded recently with four new on-air facilities. This installation, carried out by specialist systems integrator IPE, has enabled Radio 2 to move back into Broadcasting House after 18 years at the adjacent Wogan House. Each studio features Technics turntables, Pioneer DJ decks connecting to DHD digital mixing desks via an AoIP network and PMC monitor loudspeakers. IPE’s senior project engineer, Ben Relf, comments that the BBC Popular Music installations are, as far as he is aware, the only ones the company has carried out that have called for turntables.
A BBC spokesperson explains that studios for Radio 2 and 6 Music “have always had turntables available for vinyl.” Eight studios used by the BBC’s music networks at London’s Broadcasting House offer a pair of turntables and CDJs (compact disc jockey music players), which “ensures we have the right number of facilities available for all program-making needs.” The spokesperson adds that these “offer all formats for playing music that a DJ would expect to find in a well-equipped club and are available to be used as and when required. For example, when a show features a club DJ playing a mix for broadcast or because the audio is unavailable in any other format.” Such provision extends to BBC Radio at MediaCity in Salford, which includes a portable DJ console among its equipment offering.
Several Radio 2 and 6 Music presenters are taking advantage of this technical freedom of choice and regularly playing music from vinyl albums. These include Dermot O’Leary, host of Radio 2’s Saturday breakfast show, who plays a vinyl track each week and then takes that further for National Album Day each year by mainly playing old-style LPs. His Radio 2 colleague Jo Whiley, who presents the weekday evening show, picks a different album as her Vinyl Revival each week and reads out messages from listeners who share their memories of the track played each night. Over on 6 Music, approximately 30% of Gilles Peterson’s selection of soul, hip-hop, house, Afro, Latin, electronica and jazz comes from vinyl each Saturday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Vinyl has long been collectible, but now, more than ever, it is a luxury item. That does not appear to have dimmed its appeal, though; radio ensures it remains a part of our lives.
The author trained as a radio journalist and worked for British Forces Broadcasting Services Radio as a technical operator, producer and presenter before moving into magazine writing during the late 1980s. He recently returned to radio through his involvement in an online station where he lives on the south coast of England.
