The music I hear from "alternative" radio nowadays just makes me cringe. Do the music directors of these radio stations really think this is all we want to listen to? Do DJ's have to stick to the songs on the lists that are complied - what happens if they stray and play a non-playlist song? In the UK, playlists were complied for the whole purpose of selling the 45's/CD-Singles, here in the US it's a non-issue. It's just amazing from listening to about an hour of HFS, you hear the same songs even from standard bands, like U2/Nirvana/Beck/Jane's Addiction/ etc. - I mean it's not like they only wrote one to four popular songs in their lifetime. Anyway, gathering from my rant, you get the idea I purposely try to avoid listening to commercial radio.

Who decides Radio Playlists?

A monkey.

No, wait, an evil monkey.

No no, an evil, retarded monkey who gets money from record companies.

oh that completely explains it.
http://www.tekzoned.com/spank/

Many of the radio stations I've visited only have a finite amount of songs - not albums, but just individual songs - saved on their computer's mainframe. The DJ doesn't physically drop a CD in a player or put a slab of vinyl on the turntable - he just picks from the time-lengths of the songs in his databank that will fit in before the mandatory commercial breaks (which if you notice are always at the same time every hour). Therefore even if you call up and request a deep album cut or an old single - there's virtually no chance the radio station will have the music to play.

Some of it has to do with licensing rights - as I'd imagine it's cheaper to pay for individual tracks than it is to pay for full albums.

But you also have to understand - radio isn't there to bring you music. It's there to sell you stuff with ads. The music is the "filler" sandwiched between the so-called "meat" of the station - those jingles and catchphrases used to sell you sugar-water and new jogging shoes.

I'm glad someone else understands this

From what I'm hearing this summer I would guess Vanessa Carlton's and Avril Legine's mothers.

Lucifer.

Or if it's an NPR or classical station, or a rare independent station, Asmodeus. Lucifer is on his ass about it, though, and there may be a power struggle in Hell soon.

I think the answer to that is Clearchannel, I think they own all the radio stations in the US of A...

not all of them, infiniti brodcasting owns a few in the md area (but they suck also.)

Well my 2 cents is still on the program director. We have a section in our Sunday newspaper devoted to the "what's happening" in local radio every week. Mostly to discuss job changes or ratings and other behind the scenes stuff.

Some area stations have the same P.D., especially if the work for Clear Channel and Infinity.

These guys will listen to the songs and decide if it deserves airplay. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, such as:
1) Some songs are continuously played but never pan out and are quickly dropped
2) Some songs get national exposure and will immediatly get added to the playlist.

There is the illegal payola, but it's hard to get busted on that. As for gimmick promotions (such as calling in to vote for or against a song) the results are predetermined and are only meant to convince the listener that they have a voice on what gets played or not.

But in the end, it is up to the Program Director.