Radio Jockeys are a significant on-air phenomenon and these no-longer-faceless entities have collected formidable fan bases for themselves over the years. They ride the radio airwaves into our homes, cars, phones and music systems as we get out for a workout, jog or walk each day. Some of us love radio jockeys; others among us have rather less appreciation for the average Indian RJ:
They interrupt the music
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When I’m driving I want to listen to music, not long winded ads and that interminable RJ prattle. Sure advertising is a necessary evil but should those ad breaks and prattle be the main program with the music made to fit in here and there?
They speak way too much
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OK so you’ve told us who wrote, composed and sang the song for which movie. Enough information? I think so. I really don’t need to know why the RJ heard this song for the first time or why it has special significance for them.
Some think they can sing
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I have zero tolerance for off key singing. It makes my hair stand up on end. When RJs decide they want to introduce a song in a ‘unique’ way many of us feel obliged to change the station.
The accents
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Born and brought up in India, many of these RJs develop an inexplicably confused sounding accent that seems to be born in Jhoomritalaiya but with American aspirations. Some also try to deepen their voice artificially to sound… were they aiming for ‘sexy sounding’?
The trivia, the competitions, the call-ins
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There are people who enjoy confessing their love via the medium of radio and those who derive vicarious enjoyment from these. There are those who enjoy participating in contests and knowing about the winners. And then there are those of us who like none of the above.
All that optimism!
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Sometimes we want to wallow in our misery don’t we? Some mornings we wish to keep company only with melancholy. So then, we really don’t want to hear that remorselessly upbeat, effervescent, overly optimistic, bubbly voice telling us what a wonderful day it is today do we?
Call that a sense of humour?
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Some may really be funny but others make rather poor jokes and then laugh uproariously at their own non-funny gags. They play ‘pranks’ and then expect us to find them funny simply because the poor unsuspecting souls at the receiving end are aggravated enough to burst into a flurry of expletives.
We could do their job!
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Now some of us are simply jealous of the fame and renown some of these radio jockeys enjoy for seemingly no talent. “I have the gift of the gab”, “I could do that job with my eyes closed”, and “why don’t I enjoy the kind of fame and easy money these guys make”. And that is it in a nutshell, I dislike radio jockeys because I think I should have been one. I think I could do that job. Better.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
