And Now the News... Here's Bobby the Board Op

[TheBigA]

Today the young people of that age don't look at radio and radio hosts with the same reverence that we did. It's simply one of many forms of entertainment delivery. And to them, it's old school.

I think what really cheapened the whole thing was back in the 80s when just about anyone could buy a couple of Technics turntables, a mixer, a couple of Altec speakers, and call themselves a DJ. It ultimately led to a whole subculture in clubs that also hurt the live music scene for local bands. Then, computer editing software didn't help. Of course the last straw was internet radio, which meant that one didn't need a tower or transmitter to be heard. The broadcasting industry has been cheapened in the way karaoke and TV talent contests have cheapened the music business. Now, the public feels anyone can do it.

 

[Slant]

its pretty bad. Even in Philadelphia, at the number 1 talk station WPHT, they allow their news director Paul Perello (sp?) to host weekend infomercials. Paul has been in the market forever and the fact that WPHT and Metro (westwood one), who employs him as their News Director allows him to do infomercials is completely crazy. What ever happened to having credibility when doing news? You can be news reader and just rip stories off the AP but you still shouldn't be doing infomercials at the same time.

 

[TheBigA]

You can be news reader and just rip stories off the AP but you still shouldn't be doing infomercials at the same time.

Didn't Paul Harvey do his own commercials?

 

[gr8oldies]

Paul Harvey was in the category of commentator. This scuttled a possible jump to CBS; as Harvey would have had to become a CBS News employee and they were strict on news employees not doing spots

 

[Slant]

reading a commercial and doing an infomercial for a doctor is a little bit different

 

[NewsStud]

Paul Harvey was in the category of commentator. This scuttled a possible jump to CBS; as Harvey would have had to become a CBS News employee and they were strict on news employees not doing spots

Not necessarily. Paul Harvey could have been a "CBS Radio" Employee (or even a "Westwood One Employee") and do his thing.

You'll notice that Charles Osgood's "Osgood File" pieces end with "I'm Charles Osgood on the CBS Radio Network." Same goes for Dave Ross. Not sure if they read many commercials during their broadcasts... but it satisfies CBS News's need to keep commentary separate.

Even on ABC Radio Net, Harvey didn't call himself "Paul Harvey, ABC News."

 

[gr8oldies]

That was way before Westwood One when it was still the old guard CBS. My source is Paul Colford's unauthorized Rush Limbaugh biography released around 1992. He went into a lot of detail about how Ed McLaughlin kept Harvey at ABC

 

[Oldbones]

Even on ABC Radio Net, Harvey didn't call himself "Paul Harvey, ABC News."

Though he did begin his show by saying "this is Paul Harvey.........stand by for NEWS!"

 

[NewsStud]

Though he did begin his show by saying "this is Paul Harvey.........stand by for NEWS!"

Yes, but it wasn't "ABC News."

And if I recall, an announcer came on before and/or after to say "Paul Harvey News & Comment on the ABC Radio Network" or something to that effect.

 

[One Who Knows]

OK, I hate to burst the bubbles of some of you guys. And I don't disagree that there can be some pretty crappy operators out there who don't give a d--n. But...

In our news-talk shop, "Bobby The Board Op" doesn't work overnights. The overnight "board op" actually carries the title of "Producer"...and you don't get that job until you've spent a few months working in our local news department, proving to the powers that be that you can:

A.) Write news.
B.) Anchor news (And that means: knowing "female" doesn't rhyme with "tamale".)

The overnight producer writes his casts (including actualities), and follows a news format similar to our daytime and evening anchors.

Where do we get people like this? Promising students from a number of local college journalism programs, and even a local broadcasting college with a fully-acredited Associates Degree program. And, they are paid well over minimum wage.

Daytime? We have 2 Senior Producers who board-op, watch the wires as a backstop to the news anchors...they do web stuff, and public affairs programs. (Our station does some 6 hours of local PA programming every week.)

Yes...we have newby board ops, too. But they don't crack the mike unless we can trust them.

And, we have about 10-12 people, either part or full time assigned to our local news department.

Not all radio stations...or radio companies...are alike.

 

[Silkie]

Nice try. You gotta do better than that. Your credibility regarding your earlier postings may depend on it.

Back at you. I've been baited before. I don't post for credibility. If you don't believe me, I don't care. It's your life and your career you're wasting. I never needed approval of my bosses, and therefore I don't need your approval either, especially at this point in my life.

I, at least, have one. And no, I don't believe you. You do not indicate that you are even associated with this industry, so why should I? Perhaps if you didn't post so often, I wouldn't be questioning who you really are.

Big A seems reasonably knowledgeable to me. I can't answer for prolific posting.

 

[DaveBullard]

One Who Knows has it right.

When I was ND at WSYR/Syracuse, overnights were handled by news department employees. The station had gone through a period where overnight board ops would have to read the pre-prepared news but would often mess it up....and mess up as board ops. Like, being found asleep in their truck instead of being awake and behind the board.

So we made the position part of the news department. It proved to be easier to train news types to run a board than to train board ops to do news.

The position became our entry level post. If someone took weekday or weekend overnights, you knew they REALLY wanted to be in news.

We caught a lot of spot news with that arrangement and the audience -- small as it might have been -- appreciated it. And some terrific talent held that job.

(Though one 2am "breaking news" report, of a power outage that affected two homes in Liverpool, did sorta take the whole thing a little far....)

 

[TheBigA]

It proved to be easier to train news types to run a board than to train board ops to do news.

I like that quote. And news-types are in big supply just like board ops. The only issue is who they report to.

 

[gr8oldies]

Back in the days of reel-to-reel automation systems, many stations had board ops babysitting automation reels, writing and delivering news and commercial production. Automation sales people even went in to station owners pitching the idea of turning your jocks into newspeople.

 

[One Who Knows]

Back in the days of reel-to-reel automation systems, many stations had board ops babysitting automation reels, writing and delivering news and commercial production. Automation sales people even went in to station owners pitching the idea of turning your jocks into newspeople.

And actually, more jocks might extend their careers, or keep their jobs in certain circumstances, if they would learn to properly gather, write and anchor news.

Since to do news-talk correctly, for better or worse, takes a strong local news presence, a jock who could "fill a hole" on a daily or nightly radio news shift could be the reason to justify keeping that person on staff, because they can do more than one job. And it seems these days, the trick to getting past the bean counters, is to be as valuable to the station as you can be. This is one way to do it.

 

[TheBigA]

And actually, more jocks might extend their careers, or keep their jobs in certain circumstances, if they would learn to properly gather, write and anchor news.

Or expand their personalities as talk show hosts. One or the other...not both.

The area for growth in radio for this next decade will be in three areas: News, talk, and sports. Music formats are the ones dragging down radio revenues, and they will continue to do so as consumers find alternate ways to get music. I agree with Sean Ross's column about spot loads on music stations. They will continue to drop, and music stations will seek ways to economize music radio operations.