When a Music Legend Dies, How Does Today’s Mostly Automated Radio React?

Aretha Franklin died on August 16, the latest music legend to leave the stage forever. Sadly such obits are appearing at a steady clip these days as aging musicians give way to cancer, heart attacks or years of alcohol and drug abuse. For terrestrial radio stations, properly honoring those artists with deep dives into their catalog poses a challenge, as does simply delivering the news.In the analog days, when someone died, you grabbed a stack of LPs and created a tribute on the spot. There was always a jock on the air since radio was live 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That’s not the case anymore as consolidation and technology have simultaneously shifted radio stations from live talent to automated and pooled content.