All Access reports: Another Round Of Layoffs At Clear Channel

[TheBigA]

Premium Choice isn't live. The music files are on the local station's hard drive, and the voice tracks are sent by satellite.

Depends on the format. Also, not aware that tracks are sent "by satellite." Some use Prophet Systems for workparts, which CC stations have used for about 20 years.

 

[Groove1670]

Blather is still blather, even when it's local.

Been creating blather for the last 20 years or so. Stations very profitable, and the community took ownership of them.


Segments, short but sweet, very topical locally, it does work.

 

[TheBigA]

Segments, short but sweet, very topical locally, it does work.

As car companies often say: Your milage may differ.

 

[bossbill]

Isn't Premium Choice similar to what Waitt Networks had with their Storq automation? Basically, music on local hard drive, some more generic local liners on the hard drive, some day and time specific local liners downloading just before real time? Waitt was purchased by Dial Global, and that is why DG can offer their "premium" product. You pay based on how many almost real time liners you need per hour.

 

[jh]

Isn't Premium Choice similar to what Waitt Networks had with their Storq automation? Basically, music on local hard drive, some more generic local liners on the hard drive, some day and time specific local liners downloading just before real time? Waitt was purchased by Dial Global, and that is why DG can offer their "premium" product. You pay based on how many almost real time liners you need per hour.

It's essentially the same... except the Premium Choice announcers don't do anything local, not even magic calls or IDs.

However, the Premium Choice music logs are often used by live/local announcers, by voice-tracked local announcers, or by out-of-market "local" voicetrackers.

Dial Global has added a couple of Spanish formats and maybe some others using the Storq system. I have a feeling that will be the future of satellite formats rather than coming in live on the satellite. It does make it easier on the local station... no PSAs to fill spot breaks, spots don't have to be exactly :30, insert bulletins after next event, etc.

 

[TomT]

Maybe--but may also mean more work by someone/somewhere (if not at the local station) in order to impose some sort of continuity.

Satellite is produced and sent out. Local computer just responds with liners, traffic system fills the breaks every night with a new log.

If you are inserting voice tracks into music on hard drive it transfers the production work to the local station, or to a "local" producer at a computer who must then dump the tracks into the air computer in some logical sequence.

 

[jh]

Maybe--but may also mean more work by someone/somewhere (if not at the local station) in order to impose some sort of continuity.

Satellite is produced and sent out. Local computer just responds with liners, traffic system fills the breaks every night with a new log.

If you are inserting voice tracks into music on hard drive it transfers the production work to the local station, or to a "local" producer at a computer who must then dump the tracks into the air computer in some logical sequence.

If you are replacing the generic voicetracks with local ones, then it is more work. If you are running the tracks supplied by the network, it isn't. Dial-Global sends out a log with the music, liners, legal IDs, network spots, and all of the voice tracks. On the hour, that log is merged with the local log containing the local spot breaks. (It's merged each hour, rather than once a day at midnight, like some systems merge the traffic log with the music log.) No one has to manually dump any tracks into anything at the local station.

 

[SaltyDog]

The thing about PC is it's live, just not local.

As a listener, I care less about local than I do live. When my ESPN affiliate goes to the crappy local show, I listen on my phone app to the syndicated show which is much better. I have to believe that the "it's gotta be local" posts are self-serving since that preserves more jobs.

 

[bigrobmjca]

Has anyone heard "Real Country" satellite programming from CM?

 

[Nostalgia]

Has anyone heard "Real Country" satellite programming from CM?

Yes, we considered it for our station but was hoping for more "classic country". Didnt really turn me on but may work for you depending on what you are looking for and whatever other country stations can be heard in your market. Rumor had it that CM was looking to do a classic country format but was dropped for lack of interest.