Where have all the qualified local radio D.J.'s gone?

A few months back I was listening to a popular radio station here in Charlotte and the host (whose return to the airwaves was given an incredible amount of fanfare that I still don't understand) began to report that he was hearing that R&B singer Bobby Brown had died.  Now he didn't say that the reports were confirmed, or he didn't even quote a news source, he was just talking about what he read on the internet and asked listeners to call in to the show and let him know what they had heard.  I was incensed!  I thought this was, at the very least, lazy and irresponsible, and I was embarrasd for this guy and the station who employs him.  Maybe I was wrong for thinking that anyone entrusted with such a large listening audience would care enough to have his facts straight before "reporting" this over the airwaves.

With the popularity of nationally syndicated radio shows that include Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey and the like, I'm noticing that you are hard pressed to find a good old fashioned local radio disc jockey, and it seems that the ones that are left are really just playing songs by request and coming up with inane contests so that people can win tickets to the latest show in town.  The other pet peeve I have here is that these d.j.'s tend to talk on endlessly about gossip and other foolishness.  Is this what they think we want? 

Maybe I'm the problem because I was spoiled having grown up in the era listening to New York legendary d.j., the late Frankie Crocker whose tag line was "if Frankie Crocker isn't on your radio, then your radio really isn't on".  Frankie Crocker was silky smooth and he had a way about him that captivated an audience, an audience whose intelligence he respected.  Every night at 8:00pm exactly (I've literally set my watch to this) he would sign off by playing the classic "Moody's Mood for Love", one of the greatest love songs of all time, which was probably his way of saying how much he loved the city that appreciated and loved him back.

While I respect the roles that nationally syndicated shows and their hosts play, and the good they do in communities across the country which include voter registration drives; health and wellness initiatives; and imploring people to action, I'd just like to see more local d.j.'s be proactive and responsible in honing their craft and respecting their listening audiences.  Don't leave it to the big boys to speak to and for your community, use your platform to invoke and enact change.  You have our attention so cherish and respect that.

So, that's Taraztake for today.  What are your thoughts?