Boyea – HOT plays songs that give us biggest audience

Hot 97 plays the music which would give them the biggest audience they can get.{{more}}

Managing director of the radio station Luke Boyea, at a press conference held by telecommunications company LIME on Wednesday, said merit determines which music is played.

Boyea said he has a responsibility to his audience and the radio station’s job is to get the biggest audience they can get.

“So, we are going to choose the songs that we think are going to give us the biggest audience.

“…It’s subjective. I accept that, but somebody has to make that judgement,” he said.

“When it works out in somebody’s favour, obviously they are happy, but if it doesn’t work, then they are upset,” Boyea added.

Boyea estimated that there are about 200 to 250 soca songs released each year for carnival, but “they can’t all get played.”

He also stated that the station receives thousands of songs from all over the world on a weekly basis, but only a handful of them are played.

“It’s a judgement call.

“I use Madzart as a good example. There was a year when Madzart had about three songs that were getting blazed on the radio. At least one of the three songs was played every hour and this went on for almost two months.

I never once got a call from Madzart telling me, man you playing me way too much. Give somebody else a chance.

Boyea said it is another thing when there is a year where that artiste does not have music which they think is in the top category.

Boyea stated that with meritocracy “sometimes people lose and it’s hard; it’s a bit cut-throat but…”

Since coming on stream in 2002, Hot 97 SVG has been rated the number one radio station, based on a national survey conducted annually among the local stations. (AA)