Live radio or VT after 7pm thoughts

[Mido3737]

Love hear your views on your local or national station who is live or are VT after 7pm at night.

There is still a market for good on air talent for night time gig .Most stations with no vision will VT shows and don't realise that more cash can be made and have more brand awareness for your station .

Who live after 7pm and who is doing a good job love to know.

 

[ScottBurns]

For CHR stations, a live night show - with calls and a high-energy jock - builds station loyalty. Many listeners in the 18-34 age group still listen to the CHR stations with which they group up. Part of what connected them to their stations was listening to the nigh shows.

Unfortunately, however, the majority of responses to this thread will remind us that night shows make no money and are an unimportant daypart.

 

[TheBigA]

Most of the big CHR stations are live & local from 7 to midnight. Josh Martinez holds down the fort at Z-100. Listen to him sometime. That same shift is covered by EJ on KIIS in LA. Both stations are owned by iHeart. They have cheaper ways of covering the shift, but they make more money doing it this way. The target is younger than the daytime, and they play a more aggressive music mix for that demo.

There is a third option besides live or VT. It's syndication. Delilah is an example of that. She takes lots of calls from listeners, and plays songs that fit the conversation she was having with the callers. There are versions of Delilah in several other formats.

Of course when you talk about 7 to midnight, it's also an important shift on sports stations. If they have play-by-play, it's obviously live. If not, then they're live talking about all the games taking place at that time.

So as usual, it's hard to generalize what radio stations do.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Love hear your views on your local or national station who is live or are VT after 7pm at night.

There is still a market for good on air talent for night time gig .Most stations with no vision will VT shows and don't realise that more cash can be made and have more brand awareness for your station .

Who live after 7pm and who is doing a good job love to know.

No no and no, the reality is in many small markets, for a lot of stations... listeners start to drop off dramtically in numbers late at night, and there arent that many 24 hour businesses to advertise.

A LIVE jock doesnt automatically mean more revenue

I used to be on a country station 3pm to midnight.. live till 7, VT'd after that... i never gave out the phone number, on purpsoe. .after 7pm.. but every... single... morning.. id come in and have a ntoe from my boss about a voicemail or two left for me with a song request or shout out request.

It's about the connection with the listener.. they dont know if a jock is live or not live in many cases.. they dont think about or listen to radio liek we radio flks and geeks do.. and a fair amount of radio geeks/folks dont realize that

 

[gr8oldies]

I haven't listened to this show yet but they may be on to something for a live syndicated CHR show.

https://kqky.com/party-liveline/

 

[TheBigA]

I haven't listened to this show yet but they may be on to something for a live syndicated CHR show.

Yes! Mason Kelter was a young fan of the legendary John Garabedian. When Garabedian retired, he started a new show called Party LiveLine hosted by Mason Kelter. It has everything John's original House Party had, but hosted by someone who's in the demo. It's a great show, and demonstrates that there are lots of young people who love radio. If radio is going to continue and grow, it has to involve and promote people in Gen Z such as Mason and Zach Sang.'

Here's an interview with Mason from AllAccess:

Radio Industry News, New Music, Music Promotion, Radio Station Song Charts

All Access offers the latest radio industry news and music news, music promotions for record companies new music, radio station song charts, and much more. AllAccess.com has been serving the radio and music industry since 1995, always bringing you the highest quality content with...

www.allaccess.com

 

[b-turner]

Don't think VT is the same station to station. There are stations that do it right and some that don't. In fact, you might actually think a station is live when it's actually voice tracked.

I fail to see where having a 7 to Midnight jock live equals cash. I worked as the GM for an owner. When I took something to him I wanted to do his first question was "How does that make me money?" I really learned how to squirm on a chair. If you couldn't show how it increased income over and above the costs, it wasn't done.

So, how does a live jock make the station more money? What are you going to show to prove it works to show a loan officer whose neck is on the line if he approves your loan?

 

[TheBigA]

So, how does a live jock make the station more money?

Most of it ends up being non-broadcast revenue. Because clearly most advertisers are mainly interested in drive time.

But that means the DJ has to be more than just a board op. He has to be active with the demo, booking outside gigs and creating online content. Which is what night DJs did in the 1960s.

 

[Kelly A]

I fail to see where having a 7 to Midnight jock live equals cash.

You're right, it doesn't. Paying someone to man a live shift with no advertisers interested in that slot is a money loser. Nobody can afford losing money. Especially these days.

So, how does a live jock make the station more money? What are you going to show to prove it works to show a loan officer whose neck is on the line if he approves your loan?

Exactly. When it's you writing the checks every month, whole different ball game.

 

[kfbkfb]

One thing I don't understand about voice tracking - why bother - when I listened to WHB, I knew the names of some of the DJs, but I wanted to hear the music.

I seems to me it would be simpler to not use the voice tracking tech and have the DJ use their real (or stage) name nationwide.

Do radio ratings ask the listeners the name of the "local" DJ used during voice tracking?


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

Do radio ratings ask the listeners the name of the "local" DJ used during voice tracking?

The PPM doesn't ask listeners anything. It just seeks the encoded station signal.

 

[Mido3737]

For CHR stations, a live night show - with calls and a high-energy jock - builds station loyalty. Many listeners in the 18-34 age group still listen to the CHR stations with which they group up. Part of what connected them to their stations was listening to the nigh shows.

Unfortunately, however, the majority of responses to this thread will remind us that night shows make no money and are an unimportant daypart.

I hear you Scott but for any serious station owner who wants to nurture talent a night show is ideal opportunity to show what you can do Yes the audience numbers are not huge but good area for potential fill work when people are out sick or away on leave .

 

[Mido3737]

You're right, it doesn't. Paying someone to man a live shift with no advertisers interested in that slot is a money loser. Nobody can afford losing money. Especially these days.

Exactly. When it's you writing the checks every month, whole different ball game.

Well if that was the case why not got VT after the morning show and be done with it. The days of a jukebox on Fm are gone and VT took if u ain't live you will die .

 

[Mido3737]

I hear lots people not a fan of VT.But if it's done well can sound very slick.Problem is many get lazy just trot out robo jock liners .I would urge you all listen to Carolina classic hits it automated 24 7 and it's a one man band station with Rick freeman.time checks weather and great music info very slick would put lots Fm stations to shame

 

[TheBigA]

Yes the audience numbers are not huge but good area for potential fill work when people are out sick or away on leave .

Then how do you fill in for the night guy? Unless you make him do two shifts a day.

Well if that was the case why not got VT after the morning show and be done with it.

Some stations do exactly that, and they do extremely well. People don't plan their lives around the radio DJ.

 

[Mido3737]

Then how do you fill in for the night guy? Unless you make him do two shifts a day.



Some stations do exactly that, and they do extremely well. People don't plan their lives around the radio DJ.

End of the day if you want listeners you make it work.That means giving people a reason to listen once that is achieved it about growing the business .Radio pays peanuts but lots people have talent and would take a gig at promise of future work depending how well you can do the job lots passionate people out there.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio pays peanuts but lots people have talent and would take a gig at promise of future work depending how well you can do the job lots passionate people out there.

Have you been in a hiring position lately? People would rather not work at all than work for peanuts. I was at a restaurant that was short-handed waitresses. They tell me they can't find people willing to do the work.

 

[Mido3737]

Have you been in a hiring position lately? People would rather not work at all than work for peanuts. I was at a restaurant that was short-handed waitresses. They tell me they can't find people willing to do the work.

I have and we in undated with demos .Most stations bring in interns who if they have potential move to air shift .if they show promise paid work be offered.

 

[Mido3737]

I have and we in undated with demos .Most stations bring in interns who if they have potential move to air shift .if they show promise paid work be offered.

You make a valid point in retail .It not so much that pay peanuts it's dogs abuse from customers that I saw today .

 

[Kelly A]

Well if that was the case why not got VT after the morning show and be done with it. The days of a jukebox on FM are gone and VT took if u ain't live you will die .

Because advertisers want to reach a daytime audience?