Music on special interest stations

Where do you think music fits in on special interest programming?

Special Interest, I guess, means the same thing as Community programming. Feel free to object!

How important is music to community programming? If the community is very broad, the music will be wallpaper to many listeners. Wallpaper is a part of general listening radio, cos it's on all day and you need some breaks. But when you're tuning in once a week for an hour, how much do you want to hear music?

Music can be great on such programmes. "Nostalgia" music can really help define your commununity. But if you are a "special interest" community, chances are you're a small community. And nostalgia for one person might be meaningless for someone just a few years older.

Some nostalgia that works goes back to childhood. As an example, the Ray Darcy Show this morning opened with Caroll Spinney – aka the vocie of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street. That's been on TV for nearly 30 years, so it clicks with a lot of people.

Thoughts? Comment me!