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another Boortz whopper

E

evnlee

Guest
on today's show and on his webpage, he is complaining about a 'hit piece' on him in the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/us/20radio.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

where the author accuses Boortz of using bumper music for a cheap shot: "A few moments later, as a transition to a commercial break, Mr. Boortz paused to play a snippet of a pop song from the 1980's. His choice? "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar."

Boortz response is that 'the bad computer picked that bumper automatically, not me or Royal ( his producer )"

http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html

I'm sorry, but that's a load. It may be true that the system in place picks music randomly, but I know that ( if he chooses ) Boortz and co. can pick any bumper music they like at any time. Now, it may be that this incident was a mistake, but Boortz shouldn't use as his defense ' I did not do it, because I cant ' when anyone who has listened to his show knows better. How many times have you heard 'givin the dog a bone' when he talks about fat women, or 'smoke on the water' when he is railing against hippies or smokers( bad examples, but you get the drift) ? I mean, c'mon. ::)

Boortz is mad and wants a correction: IMHO, he should correct his excuses first. At least, in the interest of discussion and full disclosure, he should have said ' I could have played that spot, but this time, it wasn't me'. I'm a fan~ not trying to slam him, but I cringe when I hear lame excuses like this. It's almost as bad as Imus.
 
I have used that computer and inhis defence there is a couple of carts that are just boortz bump's and it has a bunch of songs that rotate in them. Not that I want to defend him, but it is nice to see someone get his goat for a change ;D
 
evnlee said:
on today's show and on his webpage, he is complaining about a 'hit piece' on him in the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/us/20radio.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

where the author accuses Boortz of using bumper music for a cheap shot: "A few moments later, as a transition to a commercial break, Mr. Boortz paused to play a snippet of a pop song from the 1980's. His choice? "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar."

Boortz response is that 'the bad computer picked that bumper automatically, not me or Royal ( his producer )"

http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html

I'm sorry, but that's a load. It may be true that the system in place picks music randomly, but I know that ( if he chooses ) Boortz and co. can pick any bumper music they like at any time. Now, it may be that this incident was a mistake, but Boortz shouldn't use as his defense ' I did not do it, because I cant ' when anyone who has listened to his show knows better. How many times have you heard 'givin the dog a bone' when he talks about fat women, or 'smoke on the water' when he is railing against hippies or smokers( bad examples, but you get the drift) ? I mean, c'mon. ::)

Boortz is mad and wants a correction: IMHO, he should correct his excuses first. At least, in the interest of discussion and full disclosure, he should have said ' I could have played that spot, but this time, it wasn't me'. I'm a fan~ not trying to slam him, but I cringe when I hear lame excuses like this. It's almost as bad as Imus.
Click to expand...
Either you have no board experience, or you havent worked since we phased out the records and reel-to-reels.

This is called a ROTATING CART. Whether you're working with Scott, Maestro, Audio Vault, Nexgen (Prophet), or countless other programs, there absolutely ARE generically labeled selections on your screens. Come to think of it, the old plastic audio carts (they looked like an 8-track) could also rotate a number of cuts, and you didnt know what you were getting next, unless you were counting.

So sure, you can punch up any specific file you want, but most producers find it easier to let the system evenly rotate their talk beds and bump outs, hence the use of the ROTATING CART. I have 20 of them on a "hotpad" in front of me right now.

Bortz doesnt owe you or anyone else an apology or explanation. I understand its hip & trendy & cool to lean left, but if I were you, I would secretly read his books. He's brilliant and speaks truth.
 
Steve and ItsTime are exactly right. Yes, there is sometimes coordination with bumper music and the topic, but I'm betting Benatar was just the next thing in the Maestro rotation and either Royal or NetDog just pushed play. Simple as that. Not to mention, that's a really nitpicky thing to complain over, isn't it? Does *everybody* know that song without playing the hook? It's not like Boortz said something heinous.

And since when do hosts pick their bumper music anyway? Isn't that the producer/ board op's job? That shows ignorance on the part of the NYT columnist. (And what, do you want Boortz to be like "Handel on the Law" and only have 5 rotating bumps?)

Evnlee, I normally like your posts. You stubbed your toe on this one, pal.
 
Often times bumper music is selected by the programming people, a consultant, or is sometimes purchased as part of a bumper music "package" by syndicated programming sources. I don't know who does the actual selections for Boortz, but it could be any of these people. In any event, I completely agree with the "rotating cart" theory here. It is the way most talk stations (conservative or liberal) work.

The writer of the article is dead wrong.
 
In addition to the previous posts about rotating carts, most of the time no one pays ANY attention to the specific cut that comes up. It's just bumper music. Only Morning Edition and ATC has someone who takes the time to make the bumper music relate to the content.
 
To say that, definitely, it was a rotating cart is real ignorant.

The only one that really knows is the producer. I can play anything I want in my system right now. Rotating, or not.

That's the only truth.
 
its time w (your name) said:
Either you have no board experience, or you havent worked since we phased out the records and reel-to-reels.

This is called a ROTATING CART. Whether you're working with Scott, Maestro, Audio Vault, Nexgen (Prophet), or countless other programs, there absolutely ARE generically labeled selections on your screens. Come to think of it, the old plastic audio carts (they looked like an 8-track) could also rotate a number of cuts, and you didnt know what you were getting next, unless you were counting.

So sure, you can punch up any specific file you want, but most producers find it easier to let the system evenly rotate their talk beds and bump outs, hence the use of the ROTATING CART. I have 20 of them on a "hotpad" in front of me right now.

Bortz doesnt owe you or anyone else an apology or explanation. I understand its hip & trendy & cool to lean left, but if I were you, I would secretly read his books. He's brilliant and speaks truth.
Click to expand...

you missed the point. I'm a FAN, okay? That's how I know Royal has 'pulled up' insensitive bumpers in the past..I don't have a problem with him doing it, just don't go on the air and complain that 'it can't be done' because it most definitely can. If you take him at his word, this time it was just a freak coincidence.

I was always taught to 'punch in' your bumpers and not to go to the rotator unless you needed it for fill,emergencies, or the like. So if ( for example ) there is a horrendous story about how a dog is tortured and burned , you don't hit the random 'rotator' hotbutton and end up bumping to break with 'Atomic Dog'. OK?

I've read his books, but I find they are mostly just regurgitations of his daily webpage. I still buy, em though. And, you are right~ Boortz doesn't owe anyone an apology or explanation, but if he's going to get 'nit-picky' about demanding corrections from the NY Slimes, he should be as upfront and honest about his operation. C'mon, now. He talked about Bill Cambell for years and always went to break with 'he's in the jailhouse now' because there is a line in the lyrics that goes 'Bill Cambell....loved to Gamble'....

Or, I guess that just 'happened' to pop up in the rotator every time our esteemed former Mayor was a hot topic ;)
 
Well, having just looked at the article, and Boortz's notes, I threw them into MS Word, and had a quick count:


NYT: 109 words, in only three sentences, thrown in like a footnote at the very end of a short, almost-nothing of an "article."

Boortz: 1084 words - literally 10 times as many - in sentences too numerous to bother counting, throwing everything at the wall short of black helicopters, and howling as if this were the greatest injustice since before the Civil Rights movement. ::)


Mr. Boortz doth protest too much, methinks. That, and with the ample credit he has given Royal for being the "world's best board op," and picking topically appropos bumpers before, that's just a little too good of a coincidecne.


I second the BS call.

-A-
 
If they claim the rotator means they couldn't control what came up they are not telling the truth. All of the hard drive music systems do have a "rotating cart" feature... but you also have to assign the individual cuts with a reference number. That means you can call up any individual title (or bumper in this case).

The point should be that this show did not think about prepping the bumper music for an extremely sensative topic.

They should have known better.

Kind of like Imus.

Also--Bootrz has a weird voice.
 
evnlee said:
on today's show and on his webpage, he is complaining about a 'hit piece' on him in the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/us/20radio.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

where the author accuses Boortz of using bumper music for a cheap shot: "A few moments later, as a transition to a commercial break, Mr. Boortz paused to play a snippet of a pop song from the 1980's. His choice? "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar."

Boortz response is that 'the bad computer picked that bumper automatically, not me or Royal ( his producer )"

http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html

I'm sorry, but that's a load. It may be true that the system in place picks music randomly, but I know that ( if he chooses ) Boortz and co. can pick any bumper music they like at any time. Now, it may be that this incident was a mistake, but Boortz shouldn't use as his defense ' I did not do it, because I cant ' when anyone who has listened to his show knows better. How many times have you heard 'givin the dog a bone' when he talks about fat women, or 'smoke on the water' when he is railing against hippies or smokers( bad examples, but you get the drift) ? I mean, c'mon. ::)

Boortz is mad and wants a correction: IMHO, he should correct his excuses first. At least, in the interest of discussion and full disclosure, he should have said ' I could have played that spot, but this time, it wasn't me'. I'm a fan~ not trying to slam him, but I cringe when I hear lame excuses like this. It's almost as bad as Imus.
Click to expand...

When discussed on air last Thursday (or maybe it was Friday), he did state at one point the music could be selected but was almost always random.
 
First off....This idea that Boortz is mad about an article in the NY Times is just stupid. This is free marketing for the show. Many people who read the Times...(all 100 of them or so) will listen to Bootz just to see who he is and what the big deal is. Many of them have never listened, many will become new full time listeners because they will agree with him, and he knows it. The NY Times and countless other publications could care less about bumper music. They have a problem with his words. He is not a leftist, he has a mic and millions of listeners. That's why there are attacks against Neal Boortz. Not one person is forced to listen to this show. If you don't like the content or the bumper music or whatever...don't listen. Boortz is not the only radio show on the air. Having said that...It is 2007...there is no reason whatsoever why a broadcaster should be in a position where he or she pushes a button or clicks a mouse and has no idea what they are about to hear. If Royal is using rotators for the show, he should know what is rotating and what is up next. He was most likely very busy and not paying attention. I would not have allowed that music to rotate during that time. Anyone who has ever really done live radio knows there are times when it is crazy in the control room and things can happen. I hope the NY Times and others continue to write about Boortz. I agree with Boortz and the more people who hear him the better as far as I'm concerned, but no one should be forced to make the decision to listen or not.
 
wannabepd said:
Not one person is forced to listen to this show.
Click to expand...

The Pig Farmer has to! ;)

How much you wanna bet there is a meeting about using the 'rotator' bumpers in the future?

Honestly, this show has 5 million listeners. That means you cannot use the 'easy' button. If it's happened once, it will happen again. I don't think the people @ Cox are that stupid, I would expect them to institute some sort of decree that the producers of predominantly 'talk' oriented shows pay more attention to what they are bumping in/out with....It doesn't cost a thing except sweat.

According to his site, he does not want an 'urban legend' ( like Ross and Wilson) attached to him..But he's the one fanning the flames and making this a bigger story then if he ignored the NYT in the first place!

Besides, he's already got his 'urban legend'. It's called the 'di-hydrogen monoxide' scare. ;)
 
Sgeirk said:
To say that, definitely, it was a rotating cart is real ignorant.
Click to expand...
HAHAHAHA! Can I help you with that boomerang?

Attention Conservative hosts: Effective today, in order to avoid offending the sensitive people, you will all be required to bump in & out with only "Girl from Impanema." This will be excepted in the event something tragic happens in Impanema, or to any girls.

I've helped you all I can.
 
I think y'all are hanging up on the wrong thing. Bumper music, I could care less. If they want to nuke the issue, they can always buy a bumper music package from Jones/TM.

the BIG thing that stuck out was the OTHER thing he talked about on his website yesterday, something that set a story straight, the Ross & Wilson story.

I am not an Atlanta native, but this is my second time living here. My wife is a native (born & bred) and told me that the story was true, but now it is not???

THAT should be the point for discussion, how ugly rumors get started and continue YEARS later....
 
WSB uses MAESTRO and it has "Cart Express", which is a series of hot buttons, with one generic label for each button. So, Royal could of pushed a hot button labeled "Bumper Music" and he wouldn't of known what was coming next. Yes, there is a way to change what was next to play in the rotation, however, do you think Royal has enough to do to keep Boortz on time, along with keeping WSB on time as well to check what is coming next in the bumper music? Besides, MAESTRO has sooo many bugs, if he changed it with seconds before it was to be played, he may have locked the computer up...

Chances are that he wasn't paying attention to the story, played the bumper music as he always does without relizing that the music that came up was something that some would take offense to.

When Boortz asks Royal to play certain music, it take Royal a few seconds to pull the requested song up.

To say Boortz and/or Royal planned this is silly. I do have to agree that the brass at Cox/Jones Radio will probibly have them find a better system when playing bumper music.
 
The Ross & Wilson story is not true. Somewhere on a radio website, I read a quote from Brian Wilson himself saying Z93 was dayparted, and "Another One Bites the Dust" was not allowed to be played in the morning. The reason Ross & Wilson left Z93 was to go to WABC.
 
jonblaze said:
WSB uses MAESTRO and it has "Cart Express", which is a series of hot buttons, with one generic label for each button. So, Royal could of pushed a hot button labeled "Bumper Music" and he wouldn't of known what was coming next. Yes, there is a way to change what was next to play in the rotation, however, do you think Royal has enough to do to keep Boortz on time, along with keeping WSB on time as well to check what is coming next in the bumper music? Besides, MAESTRO has sooo many bugs, if he changed it with seconds before it was to be played, he may have locked the computer up...

Chances are that he wasn't paying attention to the story, played the bumper music as he always does without relizing that the music that came up was something that some would take offense to.

When Boortz asks Royal to play certain music, it take Royal a few seconds to pull the requested song up.

To say Boortz and/or Royal planned this is silly. I do have to agree that the brass at Cox/Jones Radio will probibly have them find a better system when playing bumper music.
Click to expand...
Ding! Thank you! Im using Maestro right now, and looking at my "cart express," which is exactly as you describe. (believe it or not, I actually like Maestro--- you just gotta know when to "double-punch" on short carts to avoid the jaws of the automation monster)

So there. On to the next conspiracy theory. "Ummm, Rosie, fire can melt metals, even steel. Ask a blacksmith.... or a steelworker." I realize that being an actress/comedienne is somehow equivalent to engineering knowledge.
 
evnlee said:
Besides, he's already got his 'urban legend'. It's called the 'di-hydrogen monoxide' scare. ;)
Click to expand...

What about cat chasing from an airplane? ;D
 
I'm guessing by some of the lame suggestions and ideas that I read on this board that most of the posters have never been in radio, in a radio station. The "rotating cart" is a fact. These days we don't use real "carts," it's all digtal. Boortz and Royal are smart enough not to use any bumber by choice that would be over the line in a sensitive matter like the Virginia Tech shootings.
 
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