FM does not stand for Facial Marketing

On a recent drive between Dallas and San Antonio on I-35, I noticed a disturbing trend that seems to be gaining in popularity (or perhaps just in unavoidability): radio stations placing billboard advertisements along the highway that feature giant photos of their DJs. And when I say giant photos, I'm not just being redundant; I'm talkin' larger-than-the-already-large-billboard-they're-on photos. One DJ's massive, cratered forehead loomed over the road like a piece of the space shuttle, threatening to break loose at any moment. As tragic as that might have been, isn't it more disastrous for radio stations to let people see what their DJs actually look like? With few exceptions (such as Kidd Kraddick in the Morning), these are people who have probably heard the phrase "you have a face for radio" more than once in their lives. Not that there's anything wrong with being ugly (it's always worked for me), but you'd think that radio executives would want the appearance of their most popular DJs to remain a creation of the listener's mind's eye. The "hard rock" stations, for example, that employ female DJs who are meant to sound like 900 number operators don't want people to know if they look like Unabrow from Dodgeball. You're supposed to be able to imagine the person behind that voice as however you think they would look. Granted, this is probably less important for the middle-aged male DJs who most frequently grace the access road, but it certainly can't help their ratings to have Volkswagon-sized teeth on display. Radio causes enough auto accidents as it is; must we also be scared into the HOV lane?