Radio Prank Gone Wrong

 In the radio biz, if the buzz is good, the listeners will come. But now a suicide that followed an Australian radio prank is forcing radio broadcasters to look in the mirror. The blame is widespread, Most of the industry people  are saying it's not the DJs' fault. But it does make radio as a whole look bad!!!!!

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha's apparent suicide after Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian fooled her into thinking they were Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles has triggered American station owners to take a new look at their policies concerning pranks and stunts, industry insiders say

Ok to be fair, there is no way they could have anticipated this.  Now station owners are reviewing policy and reminding their talent to toe the line when it comes to stunts and pranks. Some insiders said "The DJs should not blame themselves, as No one commits suicide over a prank." But seriously........ without their prank, she would probably be alive now. DJs cannot go claiming total innocence as long as there is a clear sequence of suicide and the prank call

What's the payoff for radio pranks? In a word, buzz. Pressure from programmers often forces talent to go to extremes to "make noise" in the market-  Get listeners talking. What about ratings? Are pranks a direct result of trying to win a ratings war? Probably..... But I guess DJs would devise pranks regardless- it's just fun to them!!!!

But like every medium these days, radio is changing. Will the Aussie DJ's scandal leave a permanent mark? Will your favorite morning DJs change their tune in the aftermath of the tragedy? Well I don't think radio pranks will ever go away as long as there are 'funny' morning shows. The Australian prank was a fluke ... though the hosts and their employers will probably think twice" in the future "and that's probably a good thing."

If radio ends up becoming more predictable as a result of the controversy, it will disappoint many broadcasters as well as listeners. It's radio's unpredictability, they say, that makes it great.