Music Discussions

Something that has never made sense to me is why all doctors’ waiting rooms seem to tune in to the same genre of radio station. This phenomenon first sunk in last week while at my doctor’s office, but thinking back, I realized that all of the doctors – including general practitioners, dentists, and specialists – that I can remember going to over the last 30 years (in three different states on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line) seemed to play what amounts to the same station.

First of all, I just want to make clear that this is not a complaint or a call to change, mererly a curiosity. Every doctor’s office that I can remember being in piped in “Soft Rock”, “Light Rock”, “Lite Rock”, “Adult Contemporary”, or whatever the current name for it is. I do understand that “Thrash”, “Gangsta Rap”, or talk radio might offend some of the clientel. However, this reasoning does not explain why no one seems to play “Jazz”, “Country”, “Classic Rock”, or “Classical” even though these types of stations broadcast to the same listening area.

More often than not, my experience in other types of waiting rooms has been similar; there are a few notable exceptions though. Automobile service centers, for instance, seem as likely to play “Classic Rock” and talk radio as they are to play “Lite Rock”. Also, small local stores, especially in niche markets, are prone to play anything imaginable. For instance used music stores may play anything that they have in stock and a gaming store that I used to frequent played whatever the person working that shift wanted to hear. Sometimes you would walk in and hear industrial (specifically Skinny Puppy most of the time); at other times talk radio would be on.

If you can shed some light on why the medical field seems to enjoy “Adult Contemporary” so much, please post the details. I do not buy the “it soothes the patients” line as “Classical”, “Smooth Jazz”, or “Muzak” could potentially have the same effect.