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No doubt you’ve called a radio station at one time or another and requested a song. The DJ on the other end probably said, “Okay, we’ll see what we can do.”

You then you thought to yourself, “Well...that sounds...er...positive.”

And you wait. And wait. And wait some more until either your drive to work is done and you have to leave the car or you have to leave the streaming audio on your PC because it’s lunchtime.

And you didn’t hear your song.

First of all: it’s not you. It’s nothing personal. Most people don’t hear their request.

That’s because Radio - at least terrestrial radio - long ago moved away from listener requests and opts to program by research: auditorium tests (large groups who are asked their opinion), focus groups (small groups who are asked their opinion), and music scheduling software (designed to rotate everyone’s opinion throughout the day).

And once this process is completed, a station’s “library” of music is established. It’s not too different from the way we elect a president: music isn’t chosen by “popular vote” - an “electoral college” of listeners makes the final choices.

That’s how music that is not "new" (former "hits", older songs, etc.) is dealt with.

So, what about new music? How do radio stations decide what gets played? Well, that’s a little different. It’s usually a combination of:

1. Checking trade magazines to see what other similar radio stations are playing and how often
2. Listening to pitches by record promoters
3. Factoring in if the band already has had a hit or if they’re unknown
4. Asking local music shops what people are buying
5. Relying on their gut-feelings on how the band will be received by listeners and if it fits into the station’s music format
6. Occasionally having opinion surveys at their websites listeners can respond to Program and Music Directors perceive that putting new music on-the-air is more of a gamble then playing any of the “library” of music the station rotates on a regular basis. Hence, they agonize over when to “add” a song to their current playlist because the last thing they want is to give listeners any opportunity to tune out because of an unfamiliar tune they may not like.

The rule many programmers live by is: "I'd rather play something familiar that 'tests' well than play something unfamiliar."

That’s why we so often wind up hearing the same songs played over and over again and probably more often than we care to. It’s one of the big complaints listeners usually voice about the current “state” of terrestrial radio.

This could help to explain, in part, why satellite radio is growing steadily, online streams have become legitimate sources of “new radio", and some listeners just prefer to hear their own music “library” on an iPod or other audio device.

Although radio stations have good intent – and do want to please their listeners - some critics say the whole process of deciding music has devolved into a set of sterile research methods accompanied by Program and Music Directors who are unwilling to act on their “gut” feelings and instincts.

So, when you wonder why a favorite radio station doesn’t ever get to your request or why it seems radio stations play the same songs over and over again it shouldn’t surprise you anymore.