Request Monday at the Junction!

I hope you'll take the time to call or email in on Monday when we open the afternoon show to requests. For nearly two years, we've been calling Monday afternoons "Request Monday."

As you probably know if you're a regular listener to XM's Bluegrass Junction, my show airs weekday afternoons starting at 3:00 Eastern. I always dedicate each Monday to all requests--meaning that every song played is picked by folks who call or email in.

Our toll-free number, which we start answering at the beginning of the show, is 866-267-0375. The email address is bluegrassjunction@xmradio.com.

Sometimes I get asked why a request doesn't get played. There are several reasons:

1. The song isn't available to us. Although XM's library includes tens of thousands of bluegrass titles, we don't have everything. If the song's not there, we can't play it. Often, however, if you request a song that I know we ought to have, I'll obtain a copy of it and we'll play it on some future show.
2. We just don't have time. We get far more requests each week than the 50 or so slots we have to fill.
3. The artist has been played recently. Although a particular artist might just be your favorite of all time, he/she/they might not be liked as well by someone else. Therefore, we live by the time-honored radio rule of "artist separation," meaning that we always try to put some space between songs by the same artist. On special occasions, however, we may "feature" an artist and play two or more of their songs close together, but there normally is a reason for us doing so. Sometimes, on Mondays, I find that several folks will have requested the same artist, and I'll do a "twin-spin"--two songs by the same artist back-to-back.
4. The song doesn't fit the "flow" of the program. This is kind of hard to understand, but we have to take into account the fact that most listeners don't call in and only listen casually. Thus, if we're playing lots of slow songs together, or songs about a certain subject, or of a certain mood, or songs that sound the same, the program can get pretty dull in a hurry. My job is to try and make it sound interesting while playing your requests. It's a balancing act, and not every song "fits" in the order it is requested. Sometimes, folks will call and I won't play their request until two hours later (or not at all) because I'm looking for the right "spot" for it. On another occasion, a request might fit in as soon as it's called in. A lot of it has to do with plain old luck.

Thanks for your understanding, but more importantly, thanks for listening every week. I appreciate your requests!