Another Reason Voicetracking is the Pits

[downthedial]

Someone needs to tell the radio personalities who take to voicetracking their shows for holidays, vacations, etc. that if they're "tracking" the show the day before for a show the next morning, they need not give the temperature at the time of the tracking! Yesterday morning, I swear I heard a morning personality give the temperature at 7:10 a.m. as 99 degrees. It was danged hot yesterday morning, but not 99 degrees. I am often annoyed by the popularity of voicetracking, these days, but have accepted it as a common practice. I just wish the hosts who are tracking their shows would pay a little more attention to what they're saying. I feel they should make it somewhat "believeable" that they're live and/or give a darn.

On this day when we celebrate our freedom, it's a shame we must celebrate more and more voicetracking all the time. Oh well... there's my two cents worth. I'm off my soapbox and heading to the grill.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend, everyone.

 

[stan]

You'd think that the station was using Zararadio instead of the Prophet system when they voicetrack. Or maybe they are just inept.

 

[oaktree]

Both of these posts are so very very true. (And I DO voicetrack ... but never like the above example.) It takes work to do it right ... and to do it well. There is no excuse for it to be less than believable.  The problem is, management believes that 99 percent of the "non radio types" wouldn't know voicetracking from a trainwreck, so, they ... including the PD's in charge of "programming," don't either pay attention or just don't care.

The jock has to know better and to be involved, whether it's a "slam it and get it done in 30 minutes" or a more dedicated-for-$10-an-hour approach.  Either that, or it shouldn't be done, be it Zara or Prophet System. Embarrassing. Especially in a major market.

It's inexusable to screw up the business with poor voicetracking in any market, let alone a top 10 market.

Sad.

 

[Mac Daddy]

Yeah, I really have never heard a station that does voicetracking right. Its very obvious that they are not local when they can't pronounce a street name or a building that is in town. We have a country station where I live that is completly voicetracked, and one thing I always notice isthey always name the wrong song that is about to play. They will say "Here's Rascal Flatts, Summer Nights", when actually Garth Brooks or some other song will come on, Then Rascal Faltts would come on in like ten minutes or so.

 

[Jumper]

Ahh yes, more evidence as to why the radio industry is dying...

 

[downthedial]

I'm like most radio fans/employees in that I have moved around quite a bit in my lifetime. The voicetracking in Houston, however, with very few exceptions, is plain awful and the state of radio, as a result, is just plain sad. Even the so called "best" voicetrackers in Houston still screw it up.

Still, it only stands to reason that if you're not live, you don't need to give the temperature. Go figure. Not giving the time and not giving the temperature have collectively become the trademark way of knowing that DJs are not live. Making up a temperature -- to me, at least -- is not only belittling to the listener's intelligence, but also, in some regard, it is giving false information to the few people who still appreciate the product radio offers. DJs know that the average person realizes when the help is live and when they're not. It isn't news to the common listener than voice-tracking occurs and the common, non-radio insider (listener) isn't so dumb to believe a show IS live, when it's not. As far as the wrong artists or wrong songs being mentioned, that happens a lot here, too.

Even worse in the case of last Friday, the morning host informed the listeners on Thursday that she would be enjoying a long weekend and wouldn't be live on Friday. As much as I know that listeners don't generally remember the discussions that DJs share for longer than 20-45 minutes, when you say you won't be live, then it's obvious the Friday show is tracked; therefore, another reason that giving the temperature is insane!

I don't know. Maybe I'm just too old school in my ways of thinking for what radio is becoming now. I love this business, I miss live talent, I hate the thought of losing everything to all the other options available (iPods, satellite, etc.) and I am so, so sad when I hear more and more of radio's decline and the many ways of the decline. I miss the good old days when the help was live, the DJs and/or PDs had greater control of their own stations/shows and the ratings were high enough that they were like the Christmas numbers of this era, during a bad month.

Is there anyway we can go back to say.... 1976.... debut "Hotel California," as a new song, and live the last 30 years over again, only differently this time, with radio in better shape? One can always dream...... I know a lot of people on this board would be dreaming right along with me.

 

[TheBigA]

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but on-air mistakes are not only a function of voicetracking. Anyone who has ever worked in radio has those nightmare stories of introducing the wrong record, or reading the wrong weather forecast. Larry King has his famous story of ducking out of the station for some "afternoon delight," getting locked out of the station, and having dead air for hours until someone with a key showed up.

Yes there are mistakes being made with voicetracking. They shouldn't happen. But putting a live human in the room won't eliminate the mistakes. Because it was people who screwed up the voicetracking. Doing a voicetracked show isn't that hard. In fact, I'd say it's much easier than being there live. If someone screws it up, maybe they shouldn't be hired in the first place.

As for working on holidays, I did my share. Lots of Christmas Days at the station, lots of birthdays, lots of New Years Eves stuck in the studio wheil my friends were out having fun. Would I want to do it again? No. Am I glad theer is technology that saves me from working on holidays? Yes. Does it save money? Sure. But I don't care about whether or not it saves money. I just don't want to work any more holidays. I don't care how much they'd pay. I had a union gig once where I got double time & a half to do holidays. That's still not enough for the personal time I lost.

Look...there are a lot of people who simply shouldn't be working in radio. Their attitude sucks, their work ethic sucks, they should be selling insurance or digging ditches. I wouldn't want them as contractors on my house, or even emptying my toilet. They'd screw it up, and I'd have sewage in my basement. But they're working in radio, and you're hearing the results. But don't blame it on voicetracking. Blame it on some morons who simply can't do the easiest, most basic task. And by the way, when they screw up, and everyone knows it, they don't care.

 

[Mac Daddy]

Is there anyway we can go back to say.... 1976.... debut "Hotel California," as a new song, and live the last 30 years over again, only differently this time, with radio in better shape? One can always dream...... I know a lot of people on this board would be dreaming right along with me.

Amen to that brother!

 

[oaktree]

No, there is no way to go back to 1976.  Ever again.

Tomorrow, now that the cow is out of the barn, the "reinvented" radio won't ever go back to "the way it was."  Why should it? Because jocks have a lust for the big money that now isn't a livable wage? And owners won't ever go back to that mold, not knowing where the ad market will be.  They don't pay out of the goodness of their hearts.  Cheap? Yes, many are, many have to be and all will be to keep a check on that old golden rule, "what comes in doesn't mean it has to go out."  And many will work, anyway, "just because." It's radio.  We've gotten lazy. We just don't give a damn at times.

Those who take jobs under that notion take them at their own peril.  Now, as for "livabe wage," well, good luck.  It's not a law to "have" to pay a certain wage.  I'd like to think that depends on talent and ability ... and not just experience, either.  "You're only as good as your last show," and I know, personally, several who got caught in that meat chopper.  It's not a good feeling. I know, it just happened to me. "You did a great great, I just can't pay you. Free is more important to me right now," I was told in between two medium metros.  The guy who replaced me ... agreed to do the gig for free. I didn't.  I lost.

I have to, however, agree with poster TheBigA on the point that "screw ups" by voicetrackers are no different than screw ups by live jocks.  

This goes back to what I originally said that "care" must come ... not just from the voicetracker to NOT do dumb things like say, "I won't be here LIVE tomorrow," (Duh!) but to the PD who doesn't care enough to monitor, the music director who's not doing the music log correctly and is already far from the phone to come back and fix it (I fix mine by phone, remotely, if need be, as well as jump on immediate changes like in the death of Michael Jackson,) and it also goes up to the GM who will complain to the sales guy about what he heard, but then says, "I can't b**ch, I don't pay much to have it voicetracked so, live with it."  And, some do.

In my own market in California on the 4th of July, a station here for a large group was doing a "fee" remote covering a fireworks show for a few thousand people.  A two hour remote. too.  The music came from the studio and was jockless. Cut ins every 15 minutes, but nothing else. When it came time for the fireworks "show" ... the station's "internet connection failed," (at that time?) and I heard, on the number one country station in the market, these words, "Uh, due to technical issues, we've lost our internet feed and can't play any music for the fireworks show."  So, what did they do? They played the SOUND of fireworks exploding and the crowd going "Oooh, Aaaah!" for 22 minutes.  Uninterrupted.

The "jock" ... who happens to be the PD, came back after the event an apologized for the "technical issues" again and again.

He then signed off.  The problem is ... no one was back at the studio.  The automation just sat there.  No one from the other stations in the cluster were there, either.  ALL the stations were on auto pilot.  The PD, apparently, couldn't find a SOUL around to go put the station on the air ... the MAIN EAS STATION in the market, incidentally.

The station FINALLY came back on at 10:40 p.m. ... 40 minutes after the remote from hell.  Up to that time, that station had merely been voice tracked with liners, bumpers,promos and 4 cut ins from a remote an hour.  Until the end ... when it was then shown that nobody was "home," and someone finally ame in, nervously, 45 minutes later. 

And we couldn't plan better?  Couldn't run a backup music file with the fireworks music on it live from the studio? Did anyone try the Internet connection before the remote? No ... no one wanted to pay for a "free" remote ... and they got what they didn't pay for.

And I complained, as a listener, and I work IN the market.  A sham farce to have to listen to because no one was prepared, no one planned and they gave it away for free ... and didn't realize how embarrassing it was before several thousand people.

For what ... $20 for a board op to make sure it worked?   Wow ...

Will the PD do anything about it? Probably not.  He needs the gig. So, who does HE complain to?

But, it's not just voicetrackers.  It goes back all the way to the top. 

Next time, please don't say you won't be there "live" ... most of your listeners don't know or care.  They just listen. Lie to them and just make sure your voicetracking is working correctly ... or, don't do it at all. $10 an hour ... or not. It will always come back to being "your fault," if you don't care enough to do it well ... and right. 

Thanks ....

 

[downthedial]

AMEN, oaktree, to everything you said, and especially your last point. Your last point regarding the mention the day before, regarding the taking of the 3-day weekend and then, messing up the VT, is my point exactly. The listeners don't know and they don't care, but even as much as they don't know or care, when the temperature is 99 degrees at 7:10, they do take notice (or maybe not).

I guess I always held myself to a high standard while a part of the radio business, even when I failed to reach it. I wasn't afraid to admit mistakes, even if they cost me a job. I treated the job as a career and not just a paycheck. The last time I was axed, I was axed for someone with less experience who moved onward and into the private sector, within a year. Still, I actually gave a damn about the info I gave, despite knowing the listeners didn't care about the info or wouldn't remember.

I guess that's my problem now that I am just a listener, grateful to have loved this business in its heyday and saddened to see its state of decline, now: I still see myself taking the time to make damned sure I got the facts straight, whether those facts were remembered, 15 minutes later or not, and cringing when I consider the lazy approach today. Not giving a damn sometimes is normal; not giving a damn -- most of the time -- tells me someone is in it for their own glory and does not respect the era of radio that we built and corporate is slowly, but surely, destroying.

That said, however, I also realize the only ones who are ever even annoyed by any of this at all are those, like me, who were in the business, left the business when it was still somewhat "viable," and are frustrated when we hear such daftness coming from those still in the business, today.

I also agree that no one in radio's "food chain" is immune to the "blame game." The blame for things like this goes from the highest ranks of management, all the way to the bottom -- and it should.

Do you think it is merely a matter of $8 flunkies who don't care or a matter of the PDs are so bogged down with other roles -- airshifts and the like -- that there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do it right?

 

[Thelonious Monkey]

Will the PD do anything about it? Probably not. He needs the gig. So, who does HE complain to?

Maybe they should do what a PD is supposed to do.... something. Spend time with the person doing it and help them get better. Just because you (as a PD) get stuck with a junk option doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make it the best that you can... it's just laziness. THAT (in my opinion) is as bad as any "corporate" (I hate when people use that word as an excuse to not be better in this business) junk tossed at them. A good PD should always try to make the station better.

TM

 

[TheBigA]

I agree, TM. It's not about ownership or even management. It's about each one of us taking responsibility for what we do, taking pride in our work, and not doing it for the money or even the praise from management, but rather for the listeners. THEY are why we do it. If you voicetrack a show that becomes dated because of circumstances, your own personal pride should cause you to go back to work and update the show for the audience. Not wait until the boss calls you in. I'm talking about personal responsibility. That's what's missing from radio...dedication. Everyone wants a paycheck, an 8 hour job, and praise from the boss. Very few are focusing on the listeners. I understand that it's hard to be dedicated when no one seems to appreciate what you do. But the listeners notice people who care, and those who don't. My suggestion is to focus on them, and not the inside politics of the station.

 

[aunti-terrestrial]

I agree, TM. It's not about ownership or even management. It's about each one of us taking responsibility for what we do, taking pride in our work, and not doing it for the money or even the praise from management, but rather for the listeners. THEY are why we do it. If you voicetrack a show that becomes dated because of circumstances, your own personal pride should cause you to go back to work and update the show for the audience. Not wait until the boss calls you in. I'm talking about personal responsibility. That's what's missing from radio...dedication. Everyone wants a paycheck, an 8 hour job, and praise from the boss. Very few are focusing on the listeners. I understand that it's hard to be dedicated when no one seems to appreciate what you do. But the listeners notice people who care, and those who don't. My suggestion is to focus on them, and not the inside politics of the station.

This doesn't jibe with your previous post, Big A. In fact:

As for working on holidays, I did my share. Lots of Christmas Days at the station, lots of birthdays, lots of New Years Eves stuck in the studio wheil my friends were out having fun. Would I want to do it again? No. Am I glad theer is technology that saves me from working on holidays? Yes. Does it save money? Sure. But I don't care about whether or not it saves money. I just don't want to work any more holidays. I don't care how much they'd pay. I had a union gig once where I got double time & a half to do holidays. That's still not enough for the personal time I lost.

...brings us directly to THIS:

Look...there are a lot of people who simply shouldn't be working in radio. Their attitude sucks, their work ethic sucks, they should be selling insurance or digging ditches. I wouldn't want them as contractors on my house, or even emptying my toilet. They'd screw it up, and I'd have sewage in my basement. But they're working in radio, and you're hearing the results. But don't blame it on voicetracking. Blame it on some morons who simply can't do the easiest, most basic task. And by the way, when they screw up, and everyone knows it, they don't care.

You can't have it both ways. Either there's not enough money in the world to make you go back to work on a holiday, or you're filled with pride for the product you turned in. I'm willing to hazard a guess as to which is most consistent with the personality you've shown us on these boards.

 

[iused2bsomebody]

Anybody ever thought that maybe the reason the talent drops the ball is to show managment how much voice tracking sucks?

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

Anybody ever thought that maybe the reason the talent drops the ball is to show managment how much voice tracking sucks?

When talented people are lucky just to keep their job?
No.

 

[TheBigA]

You can't have it both ways. Either there's not enough money in the world to make you go back to work on a holiday, or you're filled with pride for the product you turned in. I'm willing to hazard a guess as to which is most consistent with the personality you've shown us on these boards.

I don't understand how it's a one or the other thing. Because I haven't worked a holiday in years, and I take a lot of pride in my work.

 

[oaktree]

Anybody ever thought that maybe the reason the talent drops the ball is to show managment how much voice tracking sucks?

Anybody THAT stupid to think they are "proving a point to management" should be FIRED immediately and, I would guess, his career would be stilted.

Your "job" is to work with and/or "for" the "Man" AND an audience. Do it responsibly or not at all.

Voice tracking doesn't have to suck. Only people who do it wrong and don't care suck. If you don't like voictracking and I can certainly understand why ... go find another job. And a better attitude. You must not work in radio.

 

[FilioScotia]

Anybody ever thought that maybe the reason the talent drops the ball is to show managment how much voice tracking sucks?

Your signature iused2bsomebody tells me everything I need to know about you. Anybody in radio with that kind of attitude deserves to be spoken of in past tense. Now we know why you used be somebody. Then again, I doubt you have ever worked in radio.

Every person who has ever worked in this business has worked for stupid owners, stupid managers and stupid PD's. We've all been there and done that. But every one of us also knew that no matter how dumb our managers and formats were, we were hired and paid to get in there and do our best with it. When we got so tired of it we couldn't stand it anymore we would get another job and move on. Over my 40 plus years in radio I have quit several jobs under those circumstances.

If you don't like what you're paid to do, quit and go somewhere else.

Anybody who would deliberately do a shoddy job just to prove a point deserves to be fired on the spot and kicked out on his or her ass.

And please do the rest of us a favor. Don't tell anybody you worked in radio. You're an embarrassment to real radio people.

 

[piggy]

Anybody ever thought that maybe the reason the talent drops the ball is to show managment how much voice tracking sucks?

That's the radio equivalent of saying you'll hold your breath until mom lets you have cookies for dinner.

Works about as well, too.

 

[oaktree]

Sorry, but this, uh, "professional" who "used2besomebody" would have tossed his cookies out back of any station I ever managed with that kind of approach and attitude.

And we wonder why listeners feel that "radio sucks" in increasing numbers. Sorry, guy, but the other posters got it right. You don't HAVE to like it. You don't even HAVE to do it. There are plenty of "real" radio people, too many without jobs and with families to feed, who would -- even temporarily -- do the best they could at a job just to get in the door.

Again, I apologize, but multiply this post by a few hundred and you'll see why radio -- even in the Houston/Galveston market -- is hurting. Maybe it's a "troll" just to p**s people off.