radio shows like mix tapes

They're similar in process, but I think the context is different. Mix tapes tend to be targetted for one person or a very few: either you, or your closest friends. Radio shows imply a sizeable audience that you don't know, which further implies you make your musical selections hoping to poke and stab at the pleasure centers of many... whereas mix tapes hope to fully enthrall a small number.

If that makes sense..

Of course, it's entirely possible for a mix to fully qualify as both a good mix tape and a good radio show. But I'd be slightly bothered if all mix tapes were considered interchangeable with radio shows.. even if they were free-form/free-musical-choice college radio shows.

i kept wanting to reply to this saying 'no, because...' and all my reasons fell down. both radio shows and mix tapes can have either jarringly abrupt or seamlessly smooth transitions, so long as they work. noone will listen to your radio show or your mixtape if it's too predictable and/or too all-over-the-place stylistically. mix tapes and radio shows have gotten me laid in equal amounts. so i can't think of a big difference.

in my experience in radio, the audience/medium doesn't really affect what i'm doing at all, because the bastards hate what i play and only want to hear the van pelt or les savy fav. with a mixtape, i'm more likely to try to cram genres in haphazardly, but i still try to look for things that play off of each other in some way. plus with a mixtape, i'm aiming to impress one specific person; on the radio i'm inflicting my musical 'vision' on the world.

After 16 years Djing for College/Non commerical radio I'd have to say that the audience really doesn't have any effect on what I'm going to play. Is radio like a mix tape-sometimes yes sometimes no. I guess what I do now is go in and play songs by bands I like and respect while trying to think about how it all flows together in a way that makes people think- What the fuck is going on here?!?! I like to keep em' guessing

Well it depends whether the hour long radio show is going out live, or assembled in advance. If it's live, then it's obviously not the same as making a mix tape.

Supreme example of mix tape radio: Blue Jam

i've been a long timer student radio dj and so tapes of shows of mine have emerged and have been used as mix tapes

if you get the flow of your show right you provide continuity/comprehension as well as jarring surprises which can be worked into the more meta level "flow" which mean listeners will stay with you, although i sometimes have to warn them to keep listening for something around the corner

several younger people i know assisted doing shows (the show's called "context free radio") and they interpreted this as an excuse to be more "spontaneous" (actually lazy, take the show for granted, heavy amp thuggery when boiled down) which often resulted in massive continuity and comprehension problems -- these kids had no respect for an audience member who might actually bother listening through their predictable jam -- i know these same kids wouldn't listen to someone else's similarly predictable jam -- don't let young enthusiatic musos near the radio unless they have a plan, a scheme -- otherwise let them sort out their own gigs -- musos i thought were friends have nevertheless completely screwed too many of my shows, just by insulting the listener, and usually as these "friends" nevertheless persue some self-serving purpose

but there are very few music fans that are prepared to take college radio seriously these days because _it_is_ usually very predictable

all the same if you get a radio show don't let others screw it up