If you have ever visited an independent shop or dealer’s garage and heard faint sounds of a familiar local FM station playing, bet your self someone in that building HATES it. The choice in music is personal and can be the most important detail to the days productivity. I have found no other single object that exists in a shop that is more sensitive to altercation than the radio.
Most shops now have a wide spectrum of technicians ranging from late teens to late 60’s. Settling on a station that satisfies the whole rowdy group IS an impossibility. I am from St Louis Missouri and bias to the variety we have here. The rural areas of this beautiful country may have fewer options to contend with.
OLDIES – Rock and Classics – 1960-1990 (MOST COMMON)
Oldies rock seems to be the least intrusive on listeners with easy instrumentals and words everyone knows. However an oldies rock station is very repetitive, because there cannot be any new old hits. After about a four week period of this redundant commercial ridden rock opera, the technicians may need a change of pace. A brave soul will comb the FM band for something new, eventually landing on an alternative rock station.
ALTERNATIVE ROCK – Metal, Emo, Grunge, Punk, Party Hits – 1991-Current
Alternative Rock in a shop environment has a faster pace and is easily adopted after the oldies have played out. The rhythm of alternative rock generally keeps things moving in the shop. A station like this will play for as long as there isn’t TOO much heavy metal in succession, this will get the station changed to country music faster than the speed of sound.
Country – 1960 – Current
The twangy sounds of country music can be uplifting and widely accepted into most skilled trade environments. Soft melodies and a slower tempo allows for clarity of thought and attention to detail. This type of music is relatively inert and the least capable of causing an argument with fellow technicians, but will be changed none the less.
When the trend of “radio station retaliation” appears in a shop, you can bet its going to end on a Rap or Pop station before the radio magically breaks and works no longer.
The point is music is very personal to the listener, and can expose emotions of distaste towards others choice in melody. The internet now offers a wide variety of streaming music providers with an infinite combination of songs. Using abilities like “disliking” a song will ban it from playing indefinitely, and “liking” a song will ensure you will hear it more often. From this platform a group of individuals, who ever they are can come up with a playlist that will hopefully narrow the gap between background music fans. Or ignite a structure fire.
Is your work radio bickered over? What is the “Line in the Sand” for you?
Don Harbaugh
STL Diesel