Radio Hall of Fame Voting

[blackhole]

Question: It used to be vote early and vote often....as many times as you like. Now it is saying you may vote only once?? Any reason why??

That's a great question, and I'm glad you asked.

I am so happy you liked the question, but what is the answer?? 

[BossRadioDJ]

I am so happy you liked the question, but what is the answer?? 

Precisely.

[1069_KIFR]

BossRadioDJ,
You hit that question squarely on the nose! Your answer was right to the point without being too wordy! Great Job!

[blackhole]

Clearly I am missing something. Oh Well!

[DeadAudicy]

Clearly I am missing something. Oh Well!

Fleetwood Mac. Then Play On.

[JLT]

> ...I'm surprised that the BARHOF has let this nomination slip by for so long.

Just a quick comment on this -- and I'm not directing it at John personally.

<snip>

Since Ben Fong-Torres mentioned the Hall of Fame balloting in last Sunday's "Radio Waves," I have been receiving a ton of messages, nearly all of which question my sanity for denying one or another deserving candidate his or her rightful place in BARHOF.

Consider the challenge here:

1: Everybody (everybody!!!) on the current list of nominees deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

2: There are more than 100 nominees on the current ballot. How many should get in this year? Ten? Twenty? Thirty?

<snippage of succeeding talking points>

6: Let's say you've worked in Bay Area radio, for example, since 1970. You've worked at a variety of jobs -- production, sales, management, etc. -- but you've never been a "star" on the air. You have run a radio station as a general manager, served as a program director, the people you work with love you, and you're respected -- revered! -- within the industry. But Joe Listener has no idea who you are. You deserve to be in the Hall of Fame ... but what are the criteria?

I'll save bullet points 7 through 23 for some other time.

DJ

I didn't think you were, and am not taking it personally. I'm sorry I haven't responded sooner.

All the points you raised in your post are valid and excellently stated. I don't think it's my place to decide how many people have to qualify, or when  their mark, or for how long. I was merely stating that, in my humble opinion, Laura Ellen should have been on this list, and I explained why. The rest is in the hands of the voters and those who determine the number or inductees each year.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she wasn't on the list, given the hundreds of people who deserved to be there. I'm sure that they've also had an enormous impact on radio in the Bay Area. But I hope in time that people will remember her contribution and honor her for it. Her experience pretty much epitomizes your sixth point.

And it's true that most listeners don't know who many (if not most) of the current nominees are. That's one of the drawbacks of a popular-vote system. Perhaps capsule summaries of their contributions might not be out of order, particularly for those who worked off-mike.

--JLT

[JimDunbarNYC]

Where's Richard Gossett's name on the list?

[djmimi]

Dang, that's rough.  There are a lot of names that I'd vote for - and a couple of people who I wouldn't mind seeing.   Folks like Dana Jang, Thom O'Hair, Big Daddy Donahue, Bonnie Simmons, Big Rick Stuart, Ben Fong-Torres (And he's almost mr. radio!)

[djmimi]

I agree with BossRadioDJ tho'  -  more people deserve to be placed in there.  They should do it like the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, put in a bunch of people, not just ONE -  with those odds, a guy will always win.  Women deserve some recognition too!

[DavidKaye]

6: Let's say you've worked in Bay Area radio, for example, since 1970. You've worked at a variety of jobs -- production, sales, management, etc. -- but you've never been a "star" on the air. You have run a radio station as a general manager, served as a program director, the people you work with love you, and you're respected -- revered! -- within the industry. But Joe Listener has no idea who you are. You deserve to be in the Hall of Fame ... but what are the criteria?

Perhaps a better model might be the Oscars and the Emmys, wherein people who work in the industry vote on the worthiness of their peers.