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Auto-voice on the Track

G

gr8oldies

This may have been going on for awhile, but driving through Indy the other day I hear an automated female voice announcing title and artist of every song (heard the same thing on Cleveland's Mix 106.5 last weekend). This was even with a live 9or voicetracked) jock which sounded more than weird. Feeling like maybe I was hearing one of those reel to reel automated formats from the 70s.

While I'm at it...Oldies 101.9 sounded much better than I expected. I like the processing on WIBC..our local WHIO-FM (which sounds flat and down in the mud) should take notice.
 
Auto-voice is annoying, isn't it? Corporate radio at it's best. I called to complain and was told that I'd get used to it. I did. I quit listening.
 
Wow. I knew this day would arrive sooner or later. XM, FTW!
 
I actually thought it rather interesting... saves the jock from having to backsell so they can launch into whatever narrative they want. The voice itself leaves something to be desired, but the concept is fresh and I'm digging it. And, as far as I can tell, the autovoice is back selling every song, regardless of there being a jock talking or not (ie... I thought I caught it in the middle of a sweep of songs when the jock wasn't on the mic)... that's rather nice so you ALWAYS can know what the most recent song playing was.

My small opinion here... but to the lay person, sometimes rhythmic tracks are harder to identify anyway since they often have fast lyrics and the titles often have little to do with the song's lyrics (if there are any lyrics)... the auto-backselling insures any ole' person listening can at least be armed with info on what they just heard. If they're really old school, they'll guy buy the album... if they're a little old school, they'll look it up online... if they are "with it", they'll go download the track. Clever...
 
I always thought that a "sweep" would be no longer than two songs... maybe three... and that you would have a speed break in between so that you could properly forward and back announce the songs? FILO, First in, last out... 107.9 - the track - blah blah with blah blah - before that - blah blah and blah blah... blah blah coming up... but right now it's blah blah on 107.9 the track?

Maybe all of 5 seconds? And it more than likely could be done while the beginning of that next song is playing!

Maybe I'm stuck with the way they "used" to do radio. Seems more personable to me than a monotone voice at the end of each track.
 
I still appreciate the "old school"/personable approach, but I think for their niche or rhythmic music, it actually kinda works. Different... I didn't like it at first; but then again I didn't care for the top of the hour tone on WIBC the first time I heard it (I like it now though; I know EXACTLY what time it is when I'm driving in the car!)...
 
Auto announce sounds good for certain formats ... at least it breaks all of that rut digging speach away from the DJ. After a while it all becomes blather.

I like the times on a good AM talker. It works best on a station with a flexible clock, so the tone plays and then they drift into the news or whatever should have started at the toned hour. I would not want the tone on a talker playing "live" satellite news at the top of the hour.

The tone was there to set Western Union clocks ... designed to click to the exact second when the tone was received over the air. We have better ways of setting clocks now but the tone is still nostalgic.
 
I recently read an article about the music backsells. The article (sorry, not sure where I read it) said the back sells were called "tagging" and were there to identify music available for downloads. Not sure of the source of the download or if the station is being paid for this service.
 
I kinda like the autotagging. It's not a simulated voice, or at least it sounds human. She announces every song after it plays, before it is totally faded out. It's helped me remember what some of those actually are.
 
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