One of the challenges of programming a radio station is not just playing what sounds great to the staff, but playing what the audience wants to hear.

Now working our way through our second year of all-80s programming, a few questions have come to mind about what YOU want to hear on BlackLight Radio. The number of listeners around the world show me we’re generally doing a good job, but I know there’s always room for improvement.

For example, do you listen for the ballads, the uptempo songs, or a mix? Do you prefer more ballads to uptempo hits, or more uptempo hits to ballads?

Here’s a micro-detail which has kept me awake nights: on the front page, when a song is playing, do you prefer to see the album cover, or would you rather see the 7″ single picture sleeve if it’s available?

I’ve been trying to decide what, if any, DJ content should go on the station. Certainly 80s DJs were a big part of the 80s radio experience! I can’t hope to personally duplicate the great sound of legends like Rick Dees & Scott Shannon, but I could certainly throw in my wit & wisdom during a daily shift of a few hours.

Another option would be having me throw in quick facts about the artist or the song right before it plays, all day.

Do you even want the artist and title announced, or are you happy with just seeing the info in your player or on the webpage? What would you like to be hearing from a DJ on BlackLight Radio (if anything)?

It became clear while our streaming server was down that you DO like the tight segues between the songs, and the news, and perhaps some of the other bits we throw in. Is there anything else you’d like to hear added to BlackLight Radio?

Pandora tries to guess what you want to hear next; I don’t want to guess. Leave your comments below, and together we can build a better BlackLight!

(Oh… and thanks for telling your friends about us, linking to us on Facebook & Twitter, and emailing our link to your contacts. Word of mouth is the BEST advertising we can get. Thank you for helping others join our party!)