Author’s notes…
Before each chapter there is a playlist for the fictional college radio station that the novel is set in. I created all of these from memory of songs that was played back in 1999-2000. I incorporated them with the novel to give a sense of setting. You completist types could listen to the playlists as you go through the novel. I wouldn’t recommend it though. There was far too much Limp Bizkit and Korn being played in 1999 for my taste now. Exact dates of release for the songs on the playlist are fudged, so if you see a song that was released in 1997 in a category for new music, good for you. That being said, these playlists are pretty close to the types of music played on college radio back then. Each page of a playlist mean one hour of radio. Take note that the playlists are by no means necessary for understanding the novel and can be skipped. However, they are pretty easy to read and could make it a better experience, so try something new for once huh? Here is a sample of the first half of the first playlist with a breakdown after to understand it:
1. Look for who is the DJ(s): Each of the DJs in New Rock have small clues to their personality by what they write in the blank lines, but don’t read that much into it.
2. The music is broken up into different categories at a radio station. At the college radio station I worked at, WVUA, we had five main categories of music rotation:
a. (P) Power- More mainstream songs from mainstream bands that are new. These songs were roughly played 20-30 times a week
b. (H) Heavy – New songs from a more traditional college band. Local bands with a following pop up here as well. These songs were played 20-30 times a week.
c. (M) Medium – Popular songs that have been out for a few months, could be mainstream or underground, or they are songs not popular enough to warrant more plays. These songs got 10-15 plays a week
d. (L) Light – Songs that were almost cycled out of rotation; they could be up to a year old or not popular enough to warrant more plays. Light rotation meant 1-5 plays a week
e. (G) Gold – Gold songs are the ‘goldie oldies’ equivalent in college radio, which is any song that is at least five years or older
3. DJ choices are songs picked by the on-air DJ or requests from listeners taken over the phone.
4. PSAs are public service announcements. PSAs were required by the FCC as part of the station’s commitment to serve the public over the airwaves. Over the four years I spent at the radio station, we probably only did about ten different announcements, and they were all pretty stupid. This was done intentionally because we were dumb college kids and thought announcing UFO hotlines and Babies in Buckets was more entertaining than blood drives and cheerleader car washes.
5. Spots are basically advertisements in the not-for-profit world. This is actually the most effective training for someone that wants to make any real money in radio. If you can sell the hot mess that is college radio, you could sell anything to anyone. Shout out Mike and Haley!
6. Promos are promotional spots for shows at the fictional radio station the book is set in. They are based on some of the shows that I worked with and on when I was a DJ in college.
Happy reading…
Ryan Herrin