disc jockey

disc jockey
n.
a person who conducts a radio program of recorded music, esp. popular music, or one who plays recorded music for dancing at a disco, party, etc.

* * *

▪ radio personality
also spelled  disk jockey 

      person who conducts a program of recorded music on radio, on television, or at discotheques or other dance halls. Disc jockey programs became the economic base of many radio stations in the United States after World War II. The format generally involves one person, the disc jockey, introducing and playing phonograph records and chatting informally and usually extemporaneously in the intervals.

      The idea of the program originated in the 1930s, but its development was hampered by a Federal Communications Commission rule that required stations to identify recorded music frequently—so frequently, as it turned out, that the message tended to irritate and alienate the listener. The disc jockey was also restricted by musicians and artists whose phonograph labels bore the warning “Not Licensed for Radio Broadcast.” But the show's potential was revealed when Martin Block broadcast his Make Believe Ballroom on station WNEW in New York City as filler between news coverage of the closely followed trial of the kidnapper of the Charles A. Lindbergh baby. Upon the request of thousands of listeners, the makeshift show was retained by the station after the kidnap trial. In 1940 the Federal Communications Commission relaxed its rules, requiring that recorded material be identified only twice in an hour, and in the same year the courts ruled that the warning on record labels had no legal significance. From that time disc jockey shows became increasingly popular.

      The radio disc jockey's future was clouded again during World War II by industry wage disputes with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the American Federation of Musicians. At issue was the declining demand for live appearances of artists because of the popularity of disc jockeys and recorded music. In 1944 the disputes were settled, and wartime controls on vinylite and shellac, the materials from which phonograph records were made, were eased.

      By the 1950s listener loyalty to disc jockeys was so firmly established that the success of any record depended on the preferences of the disc jockey. To solicit their favour, record companies began to shower the disc jockeys with money, stocks, or gifts (commonly known as payola). This widespread practice of commercial bribery was given national exposure by a federal investigation in 1959. As a result, payola faded for a while, but in the mid-1980s new exposés revealed that the practice continued to exist in many quarters.

      The disc jockey format was never as popular on television as on radio, with the exception of a few dance shows.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Disc-Jockey — « DJ » redirige ici. Pour les autres significations, voir DJ (homonymie). Disc jockey (souvent abrégé en DJ, prononcé didjay[1]) est un anglicisme, qui désigne à l origine, une personn …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Disc-jockey — « DJ » redirige ici. Pour les autres significations, voir DJ (homonymie). Disc jockey (souvent abrégé en DJ, prononcé didjay[1]) est un anglicisme, qui désigne à l origine, une personn …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Disc Jockey — « DJ » redirige ici. Pour les autres significations, voir DJ (homonymie). Disc jockey (souvent abrégé en DJ, prononcé didjay[1]) est un anglicisme, qui désigne à l origine, une personn …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Disc jockey — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Disc Jockey Dj Disc jockey (Dj, deejay o pincha discos), es el profesional técnico encargado ya sea de ambientar y poner la música dentro de un establecimiento abierto o cerrado. También es el técnico profesional que …   Wikipedia Español

  • disc-jockey — (del inglés; pronunciamos disyoquey ) sustantivo masculino 1. Persona que se encarga de escoger y poner la música en la radio o en una discoteca: disc jockey de rap, el mejor disc jockey del dial. Sinónimo: pinchadiscos …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • disc-jockey — disc jo·ckey s.m. e f.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} chi nelle discoteche sceglie i brani musicali e ne ordina la sequenza (sigla DJ, dj) | chi conduce una trasmissione radiofonica o televisiva programmandone i brani musicali Sinonimi: dee jay.… …   Dizionario italiano

  • disc jockey — disc jock ey (d[i^]sk j[o^]k [y^]), n. a person who plays records or compact disks of recorded music; especially, a person who selects and plays recorded music for broadcast over the radio, often making comments about the music or other topics… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disc jockey — disc jockeys N COUNT A disc jockey is someone who plays and introduces pop records on the radio or at a disco. Syn: deejay, DJ (in AM, also use disk jockey) …   English dictionary

  • disc-jockey — /diskˈdʒɔki, ingl. ˈdɪskˌdʒHkɪ/ [loc. dell ingl. d America, propr. «fantino del disco» (V. jockey)] s. m. e f. inv. dee jay (ingl.) …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • disc jockey — [n] radio personality announcer, broadcaster, deejay*, dj*, pancake turner*, radio performer, shock jock*, video jockey, vj*; concept 348 …   New thesaurus

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”