Michael Jackson and Radio

This blog has had way too many opportunities to eulogize people lately. I will leave the job of summing up Michael Jackson's successes and scandals to everyone else. Let's look at the King of Pop's relationship with radio. From fronting the Jackson Five on Ed Sullivan to his "Thriller" videos on MTV, television showcased his dance moves. But it was his music on Top 40 radio - AM and then FM - that brought his music into our everyday lives for decades. Then the focus shifted from his talent and positive achievements to endless negative publicity. Whether the accusations and weird stories were true or not, the damage had been done. Radio abandoned Michael Jackson to the point where the only time you could hear his music was when "Thriller" came on for Halloween. He just wasn't the right image for many listeners, so programmers gradually took note the way they shut out Chris Brown after that rising star's assault allegations. However, Michael's story was more complicated. Here was a guy who has been called the greatest pop star of all time. Long after Michael Jackson was silenced on the radio, he would not go quietly into the night. He was planning a major tour making a million bucks per stop when he died at 50. Now broadcasters face a dilemma. How do we deal with a very public tragedy after years of absence from station playlists? People are talking about where they were when they got the tragic news, so how can you ignore this man and his music? Sure, his detractors will wonder why we pay any tribute to him now and his fans will criticize the fact that we waited until he died to play all his million selling hits again. He left an indelible mark on culture around the world, so give the man his due in his memory, even at a time when the bad publicity seemed to be outweighing his undeniable contributions.