Lazy shortcuts that sound bad to listeners

[radiofan2023]

Just wondering which lazy shortcuts bother you all as radio or podcast listeners?

For me, it’s someone holding their phone up to a microphone to play audio of something, rather than using a patch cable into the board, or inserting the sound clip afterwards if it’s on a podcast. Also, someone telling a cohost to look something up rather than looking it up themselves, as though the cohost is working for them.

 

[TheBigA]

For me, it’s someone holding their phone up to a microphone to play audio of something, rather than using a patch cable into the board,

Have you tried to hook a cable to an iPhone? You can't. This is why they do it.

For this reason, we have installed a bluetooth receiver in our studio. But this requires the user to enable bluetooth in his phone. That often takes additional time. Meanwhile, the listeners have to wait for it to be set up.

Also, someone telling a cohost to look something up rather than looking it up themselves, as though the cohost is working for them.

If a host has someone else available, then this is perfectly fine. The co-host or the producer are there to assist. If the host does it himself, then you have dead air while he looks. That sounds bad to listeners.

Typically in a show, there is one person who is designated the primary host, and the other people are co-hosts. But the primary host drives the car and the others are there for support.

 

[radiofan2023]

Have you tried to hook a cable to an iPhone? You can't. This is why they do it.

For this reason, we have installed a bluetooth receiver in our studio. But this requires the user to enable bluetooth in his phone.

A bluetooth receiver is a great idea, & for iPhones there are 3.5mm to Lightning cable adapters that could be wired in to a board. I have hooked a cable from a board to an iPhone.

I should mention that the podcast I listen to that constantly does this, could add in the audio clip later to replace the crummy ”phone held up to mic” audio, but they don’t.

 

[TheBigA]

A bluetooth receiver is a great idea, & for iPhones there are 3.5mm to Lightning cable adapters that could be wired in to a board.

That takes time and having the right cable, plus having a person available to connect it. Once again, easier and quicker to hold the phone to the mic. Not my first choice in the situation, but there are reasons why it's done. The host is busy hosting, and can't be distracted with technical issues.

As for podcasts, typically they're done on the very cheap. I've seen podcast setups that are basically a mic into a recorder and nothing more. These days, everybody thinks they're a podcaster. So you end up with a lot of awful audio. Once again, there's a reason why real radio costs money. People doing podcasts usually have no knowledge or experience in the technical side.

 

[Larry]

Extended station jingle/logo music for 10? 20? seconds near top of hour leading into national newscast at top of hour on an all news station. Anchor can always repeat temperature or tomorrow’s forecast quickly.

 

[kevtronics]

An otherwise excellent local station in my area has top-of-hour network news, and rather than backtiming the music properly, they start a song at :58 or :59 and then bail out at TOH. They used to play an instrumental as the last track every hour to make an early fade less obvious, but since they switched from Oldies to (mostly) AC, there are very few instrumentals compatible with their playlist now.

 

[davideduardo]

An otherwise excellent local station in my area has top-of-hour network news, and rather than backtiming the music properly, they start a song at :58 or :59 and then bail out at TOH. They used to play an instrumental as the last track every hour to make an early fade less obvious, but since they switched from Oldies to (mostly) AC, there are very few instrumentals compatible with their playlist now.

As if starting the newscast at precisely the top of the hour makes any difference today!

Nearly every system today can record a feed and play it later... whether that is a few minutes or much longer.

 

[vchimpanzee]

An otherwise excellent local station in my area has top-of-hour network news, and rather than backtiming the music properly, they start a song at :58 or :59 and then bail out at TOH. They used to play an instrumental as the last track every hour to make an early fade less obvious, but since they switched from Oldies to (mostly) AC, there are very few instrumentals compatible with their playlist now.

That happened on WAVO, which was standards, in Charlotte. You'd think they'd come up with something else besides playing the first few seconds of a good song and then having the station ID and news on the hour.

I once heard this happen on Stardust, but I thought stations that didn't have their own network news used an ABC News newscast that came with the format. I never once heard a Stardust affiliate not have news on the hour, but America's Best Music, if the automation messed up, went right on playing music.

 

[vchimpanzee]

As if starting the newscast at precisely the top of the hour makes any difference today!

Nearly every system today can record a feed and play it later... whether that is a few minutes or much longer.

WBRF Galax VA did that although now they don't have news at all. I would look at the clock in the car and it was not precisely the top of the hour.

 

[Kelly A]

So getting back to the OP; would something you would consider a shortcut, cause you to never, ever, ever listen to that show/podcast again? Logic would argue, of course not. Same goes with radio stations. Even after punching away due to hearing a song or artist one wouldn't care for, doesn't mean they won't listen again later in the hour, day, or week.

Just like radio, listening to whatever isn't a binary choice. The whole idea that one has a favorite radio station, exclusive podcast, stream, whatever, is not an assumption based in reality.

 

[radiofan2023]

So getting back to the OP; would something you would consider a shortcut, cause you to never, ever, ever listen to that show/podcast again? Logic would argue, of course not. Same goes with radio stations. Even after punching away due to hearing a song or artist one wouldn't care for, doesn't mean they won't listen again later in the hour, day, or week.

Just like radio, listening to whatever isn't a binary choice. The whole idea that one has a favorite radio station, exclusive podcast, stream, whatever, is not an assumption based in reality.

Never said I’d stop listening to a show/podcast that did these things, I’m just mentioning stuff that bothers me when I hear it.

 

[wadio]

Have you tried to hook a cable to an iPhone? You can't. This is why they do it.

Then get an Android phone.

 

[Kelly A]

Then get an Android phone.

Android phone=

 

[Kelly A]

Never said I’d stop listening to a show/podcast that did these things, I’m just mentioning stuff that bothers me when I hear it.

But it would bother you so much that you feel compelled to bring it up here?

 

[TheBigA]

I’m just mentioning stuff that bothers me when I hear it.

Just because it bothers you doesn't mean it's wrong. I think we can all come up with examples of that in our families.

I've tried to explain to you why those things happen. They may be annoying, but there's a reason.

 

[wadio]

Android phone=

Apple =

 

[radiofan2023]

Just because it bothers you doesn't mean it's wrong. I think we can all come up with examples of that in our families.

I've tried to explain to you why those things happen. They may be annoying, but there's a reason.

There‘s a way to play clips that‘s more professional and sounds better by using a cable wired into one of the board channels to plug into a phone, which I know stations can do because I‘ve been at a station that did it that way.

As for the cohost, they should be able to fill time while the person looks up whatever info it is, and vice versa.

I said these things are annoying, I didn’t say anything about them being wrong.

 

[TheBigA]

There‘s a way to play clips that‘s more professional and sounds better by using a cable wired into one of the board channels, which I know stations can do because I‘ve been at a station that did it that way.

As for the cohost, they should be able to fill time while the person looks up whatever info it is.

Those are both very specific things that you're talking about. In my case, I can think of many times I've been forced to hold the phone to the mic, and many times I've had the luxury of time to do post production. Same with the host asking the co-host to look something up. It depends on staffing that day and if someone volunteers to do the research. In my personal case, I will usually vote for getting the best quality if that's at all possible.

There is no one way of doing things in radio. In a way, that's part of the charm. I've worked in union shops where there are very strict work rules about how things are done and who does what. I've also worked in places where you go with the flow. In the podcast world, there usually aren't any rules. So if that's mainly what you listen to, you're going to get what you get.

 

[Kelly A]

There‘s a way to play clips that‘s more professional and sounds better by using a cable wired into one of the board channels to plug into a phone, which I know stations can do because I‘ve been at a station that did it that way.

Sometimes you don't have the time nor luxury to set up a way of tapping a cell phone, especially when an unexpected, but important call comes your way. I still don't see what running and gunning by having to hold a cell phone up to a mic for something unexpected is such a sin. Big deal. Ever since the pandemic, audiences are much more forgiving by using virtual or consumer ways of doing an interview or getting audio.

As for the cohost, they should be able to fill time while the person looks up whatever info it is, and vice versa.

Oh yes, I'm sure that's in their job description.

I said these things are annoying, I didn’t say anything about them being wrong.

So it's okay to do, but annoying? Doesn't make sense.

 

[TheBigA]

Sometimes you don't have the time nor luxury to set up a way of tapping a cell phone, especially when an unexpected, but important call comes your way.

Which may be why I'm turned off by calling this 'lazy shortcuts.' There was a similar thread about 'crutch phrases.' When you're in the heat of the moment, live on the air, you don't always have the time to even think about what you're doing. It's all instinct. To have instinct then branded as being lazy is an insult. It's easy for people in the armchair to become judgmental. I do it to. But I know why I do what I do, and it's not laziness. It's about reacting to a situation as best as you can at the time. Afterwards, there's time for post-mortems and woulda, coulda, shoulda.