A Pulse 87 Morning Show Idea...Expanding a "Neighborhood"

[TonySantiago]

As I prepare to head down to Miami for the dance music "Winter Music Conference", there was an idea that came to mind regarding local radio that made TOTAL sense!

I did read in the Daily News around the time of Pulse's Birthday Bash Numero Uno about a possible morning show happening. Ever since the "Star and Buc Wild" show ended in October, Pulse has been filling the timeslot with music, including an "87 at 7" slot with no commercial interruptions. If the concern of Star's morning show was that it never fit the "brand" of what Pulse was doing, then (unless a morning show is already set) here is the PERFECT idea. And you don't have to look far for it. Syndicating "Vic Latino's Neighborhood" show from Party 101.5/105.3 over to Pulse 87!

This actually makes sense for the following reasons:

1. Vic Latino is already a well established brand name in the dance music community. He "fits" the audience.
2. People remember Vic from 'KTU.
3. Musically, for the most part, its the same style!
4. With the exception of that small area where Pulse and Party can both be received (with Party's 101.5 frequency) a show like this wouldn't be a question about competition.
5. Vic's show can remain LOCAL! If anything, you're just hitting out further west to an audience that is pretty "dead on" similar. It's not as if you are marketing the show to two radically different markets.

All that it would require on Pulse's end is to have a board op sit in the studio to make sure that Party's signal gets punched through as well as making sure that "local avail" ads run through (It could be set up where Pulse would have a local avail "window" during each hour to run their local spots.

Financials would have to be discussed, of course, but this idea makes complete sense.

Negatives? Unless you guys could find something I was hard pressed to think up one negative! It is actually a win-win for both Party and Pulse!

But if Pulse is going with someone for a morning show down the road, then there ya go. Perhaps I came up with this thought a bit too late then.

 

[NoMoreLurking]

Two words: OH NO!

Pleeeease don't ruin Pulse 87 with a "morning show." Right now they're a great alternative to all the yak that's on in the AM, and it's probably what they can afford, too. Pulse 87's jocks don't know when to shut up, especially during the mix shows, when they think they have to inject personality into the strangest places in the flow! (That means you, Andre the Gay Dog!) A morning show would just be that lack of discipline taken to an extreme.

Please, Pulse, spare us that misery and let the music speak for itself. We have watches that tell us the time, and we have zillions of sources for news and weather. I think Pulse is doing just fine in AM drive, especially given their resources. The worst they could do is put on a low-paid jock and expect "humor" and "entertainment" out of them (like they've done with the rest of the day). I don't know about you, but for me it's the music that makes me strain to hear the weak signal on 87.7 - I don't do it for the captivating personalities.

 

[TonySantiago]

Two words: OH NO!

Pleeeease don't ruin Pulse 87 with a "morning show." Right now they're a great alternative to all the yak that's on in the AM, and it's probably what they can afford, too. Pulse 87's jocks don't know when to shut up, especially during the mix shows, when they think they have to inject personality into the strangest places in the flow! (That means you, Andre the *** Dog!) A morning show would just be that lack of discipline taken to an extreme.

Please, Pulse, spare us that misery and let the music speak for itself. We have watches that tell us the time, and we have zillions of sources for news and weather. I think Pulse is doing just fine in AM drive, especially given their resources. The worst they could do is put on a low-paid jock and expect "humor" and "entertainment" out of them (like they've done with the rest of the day). I don't know about you, but for me it's the music that makes me strain to hear the weak signal on 87.7 - I don't do it for the captivating personalities.

I hear ya NML.

Yeah, the music does matter, no doubt. But radio, being the industry that it is, wants to have that "franchise" morning show. It took some time but I grew into listening and liking the Star & Buc Wild show. And when you consider all of the morning shows on New York Radio (Paul "Cubby" Bryant, Z Morning Zoo, Big Boy's Neighbourhood), like them or not, it showcases the "brand" of the format that they are doing.

So instead of getting someone that may not be known or has a small following, get someone that is PROVEN. That's why I say syndicate Vic Latino's show. We KNOW him. He KNOWS dance. He could still do the show out of Party 105's studios. It would cost Pulse 87 very little money in terms of their own staff overhead.

Just an idea.

 

[DanceDiva3]

It does seem like a no-brainer. I had gotten mixed up with Victor in the past but The Vic Latino from Ktu? The name itself people know well and it would be great! Good idea, Tony. I have been able to listen to it, and it would totally work!

 

[nd2023]

They can just stick an antenna on top of That Big Blue Building, point it east to get Party 101.5's signal, send the Party 105 feed to the Pulse studio. Then a board op sends that feed to the air, while splicing in local commercials when Party 105 plays commercials, or sell ads on both stations and split the revenue. Pulse and Party only compete with each other for 5 miles. Vic Latino can be back in New York City without complaining of the 75 mile commute.

 

[TonySantiago]

They can just stick an antenna on top of That Big Blue Building, point it east to get Party 101.5's signal, send the Party 105 feed to the Pulse studio. Then a board op sends that feed to the air, while splicing in local commercials when Party 105 plays commercials, or sell ads on both stations and split the revenue. Pulse and Party only compete with each other for 5 miles. Vic Latino can be back in New York City without complaining of the 75 mile commute.

Even easier than that, just send Party's transmission to Pulse 87 via fiber optic over a landline.

That's how K-104 in Poughkeepsie was able to simulcast their signal onto 107.1 in Westchester for a bit. And I'm sure that's how Party does it with their signal simulcast on 101.5. Gosh, where's Scott Fybush when you need him!

 

[neo11]

101.5 is supposed to be a translator, so it should be rebroadcasting 105.3's over-the-air signal. If they're using a fiber-optic line instead, I think that would be against FCC regulations.

As for 107.1 when it was K107, I don't know if they were using a fiber-optic line or not, but I recall the audio sounded bad...very muddy, like a low-bitrate internet stream.

 

[fybush]

Even easier than that, just send Party's transmission to Pulse 87 via fiber optic over a landline.

That's how K-104 in Poughkeepsie was able to simulcast their signal onto 107.1 in Westchester for a bit. And I'm sure that's how Party does it with their signal simulcast on 101.5. Gosh, where's Scott Fybush when you need him!

You rang?

Yes, there are lots of ways to get audio from point A to point B cleanly and inexpensively these days. I think there are some discussions on that very topic over on the engineering boards, in fact.

And there's nothing technical stopping Pulse from doing just what Tony suggests, if they so desire.

The 101.5/105.3 situation is a little different...because 101.5 is a commercial-band translator, it's supposed to be receiving 105.3 directly over the air, as another poster mentioned. In the real world, that requirement is sometimes ignored. (I have no direct knowledge of the details of the 101.5/105.3 setup, mind you.)

 

[nd2023]

Wait till a tropo or e-skip opening, and if Party 101.5 is translating a different station, then you know it's receiving 105.3 over the air.

 

[nyc_eng]

They can just stick an antenna on top of That Big Blue Building, point it east to get Party 101.5's signal, send the Party 105 feed to the Pulse studio. Then a board op sends that feed to the air, while splicing in local commercials when Party 105 plays commercials, or sell ads on both stations and split the revenue. Pulse and Party only compete with each other for 5 miles. Vic Latino can be back in New York City without complaining of the 75 mile commute.

there are lots of easier and more effective ways to syndicate a radio show then an FM tuner, and your scenario doesn't take into account that the signal would have to get from the Citicorp building back to the Pulse 87 studios in Brooklyn for commercial insertion and control- over a backhaul that doesnt exist.

Even easier than that, just send Party's transmission to Pulse 87 via fiber optic over a landline.

That's how K-104 in Poughkeepsie was able to simulcast their signal onto 107.1 in Westchester for a bit. And I'm sure that's how Party does it with their signal simulcast on 101.5. Gosh, where's Scott Fybush when you need him!

Not quite- but getting warmer....

IF such a thing were ever to happen, the programming from LI would likely be sent via IP or ISDN to pulse (along with automation closures to fire local breaks, liners, etc). Frankly, I don't think it'll ever happen.

 

[nd2023]

I think the cost of an ISDN from Ronkonkoma to Brooklyn would be more in a year than the cost of a good FM tuner (it will be overloaded by WNYZ and the Empire signals), yagi antenna and a microwave feed to send the audio to Brooklyn. It might be possible to receive Party 101.5 in Brooklyn, but it's not reliable as the top of the Citicorp building.
WLIR used to do that when it had a 92.7/107.1 simulcast. It had an FM tuner at the 107.1 transmitter site that received and rebroadcasted 92.7. That didn't work out the first summer when 107.1 ended up simulcasting WOBM, which is almost the same direction as 92.7 WLIR was from 107.1. Long Island has tropo nearly every summer day. Simulcasting over the air would work for Pulse 87 with an antenna pointed east to 101.5. The nearest 101.5's that will interfere are southwest and north of New York, 101.5 in Providence would rarely, if ever be a problem.
If Vic really wanted to be on New York radio, he could offer cash-strapped Mega Media his morning show and possibly pay for the transportation of audio, in exchange for some ad revenue. But that hasn't happened in months.

They can just stick an antenna on top of That Big Blue Building, point it east to get Party 101.5's signal, send the Party 105 feed to the Pulse studio. Then a board op sends that feed to the air, while splicing in local commercials when Party 105 plays commercials, or sell ads on both stations and split the revenue. Pulse and Party only compete with each other for 5 miles. Vic Latino can be back in New York City without complaining of the 75 mile commute.

there are lots of easier and more effective ways to syndicate a radio show then an FM tuner, and your scenario doesn't take into account that the signal would have to get from the Citicorp building back to the Pulse 87 studios in Brooklyn for commercial insertion and control- over a backhaul that doesnt exist.

Even easier than that, just send Party's transmission to Pulse 87 via fiber optic over a landline.

That's how K-104 in Poughkeepsie was able to simulcast their signal onto 107.1 in Westchester for a bit. And I'm sure that's how Party does it with their signal simulcast on 101.5. Gosh, where's Scott Fybush when you need him!

Not quite- but getting warmer....

IF such a thing were ever to happen, the programming from LI would likely be sent via IP or ISDN to pulse (along with automation closures to fire local breaks, liners, etc). Frankly, I don't think it'll ever happen.

 

[Dancerev889]

They can just stick an antenna on top of That Big Blue Building, point it east to get Party 101.5's signal, send the Party 105 feed to the Pulse studio. Then a board op sends that feed to the air, while splicing in local commercials when Party 105 plays commercials, or sell ads on both stations and split the revenue. Pulse and Party only compete with each other for 5 miles. Vic Latino can be back in New York City without complaining of the 75 mile commute.

Youre kidding right? First off Party 105 is using a delay. Pulse would need the pre delay audio so it would sink up. The producers at both stations need to talk. Second. You are going to take compressed audio off an antenna and put through Pulse's audio chain? It will sound bad. It has to be sent in real timeThey are going to have to use ISDN, an STL, or satellite feed. the problem with getting an STL is if a frequency is available. If you Pulse was going to do this they have to put the cost factors in place,

 

[TonySantiago]

Youre kidding right? First off Party 105 is using a delay. Pulse would need the pre delay audio so it would sink up. The producers at both stations need to talk. Second. You are going to take compressed audio off an antenna and put through Pulse's audio chain? It will sound bad. It has to be sent in real timeThey are going to have to use ISDN, an STL, or satellite feed. the problem with getting an STL is if a frequency is available. If you Pulse was going to do this they have to put the cost factors in place,

I suppose the bigger question....would it be cheaper to go this route? Or hire someone new right off the bat.

 

[Dancerev889]

Youre kidding right? First off Party 105 is using a delay. Pulse would need the pre delay audio so it would sink up. The producers at both stations need to talk. Second. You are going to take compressed audio off an antenna and put through Pulse's audio chain? It will sound bad. It has to be sent in real timeThey are going to have to use ISDN, an STL, or satellite feed. the problem with getting an STL is if a frequency is available. If you Pulse was going to do this they have to put the cost factors in place,

I suppose the bigger question....would it be cheaper to go this route? Or hire someone new right off the bat.

Of course its cheaper to go this route. Its called out sourcing and you do not have to pay for benefits

 

[TonySantiago]

I suppose the bigger question....would it be cheaper to go this route? Or hire someone new right off the bat.

Of course its cheaper to go this route. Its called out sourcing and you do not have to pay for benefits

So I've figured. Then there ya go. Put Vic's morning show on Pulse 87.

 

[nyc_eng]

I think the cost of an ISDN from Ronkonkoma to Brooklyn would be more in a year than the cost of a good FM tuner (it will be overloaded by WNYZ and the Empire signals), yagi antenna and a microwave feed to send the audio to Brooklyn. It might be possible to receive Party 101.5 in Brooklyn, but it's not reliable as the top of the Citicorp building.
WLIR used to do that when it had a 92.7/107.1 simulcast. It had an FM tuner at the 107.1 transmitter site that received and rebroadcasted 92.7. That didn't work out the first summer when 107.1 ended up simulcasting WOBM, which is almost the same direction as 92.7 WLIR was from 107.1. Long Island has tropo nearly every summer day. Simulcasting over the air would work for Pulse 87 with an antenna pointed east to 101.5. The nearest 101.5's that will interfere are southwest and north of New York, 101.5 in Providence would rarely, if ever be a problem.
If Vic really wanted to be on New York radio, he could offer cash-strapped Mega Media his morning show and possibly pay for the transportation of audio, in exchange for some ad revenue. But that hasn't happened in months.

You are correct, it would probably cost about $500/mth reoccurring for an ISDN or T1 between the stations, about $150 or so for an IP link; however that is the PROPER way to do things. with many things in life, the cheapest is not usually the best or sometimes the correct way to do things. An off-air feed would not include any of the automation closures to trigger different stopsets on pulse and party (why would a company buying local time on eastern LI want to pay double so people in north jersey could hear their spot?). Simulcasting stations is a completely different thing then SYNDICATING a show. Many translators are fed off-air, though for the reasons you mentioned it's not the recommended method, nor the best sounding because of the FM noise floor on the receiving end.

 

[david.markman]

what a stupid idea. Vic Latino and that clown he works for??? cmon, Pulse 87 don't do it....BIG MISTAKE

 

[TonySantiago]

what a stupid idea. Vic Latino and that clown he works for??? cmon, Pulse 87 don't do it....BIG MISTAKE

Okay....I guess I'll throw is out there....

Who do you want??? Saying no one won't work because love them or hate em, stations would want that "brand" morning show.

 

[david.markman]

do you really consider Vi Latino a Brand?

 

[TonySantiago]

do you really consider Vi Latino a Brand?

I don't know about Vi, but Vic Latino is a "brand".

He was like that since the days of 'KTU and 95.3 Party in Orlando. You know, I just threw the idea out there. The chances of this happening is about the same as snow in Puerto Rico and I do know that. Yet, the idea of this did sound intriguing....like it or not.