B102 IN THE BLACK HILLS

[NODAKER]

Jimbo - Had a friend from Belle Fourche just call me and tell me that, that station B102 just played the Vanilla Fudge version of "you keep me hanging on" - if that's the case - wow! did u hear it?
Guess you're right when you said that they aren't playing the normal "oldies" type format, don't think too many stations would play that version, usually it's the Supremes.

 

[jimbo]

Hi Nodaker, I didn't catch that listen but right now I am hearing "Addrisi Brothers - We've Got To Get It On Again" a number 25 hit from 1972, I love their playlist.

But me thinks the voicetracking is taking over. This morning I heard "JD", their morning guy, reading the weather right over the top and well into the vocals of "Feeling Stronger Everyday" saying that the Guess Who was coming up next. The current temp was given but I can't imagine that a live read would go over the top of a song like that.

I was bummed to hear that cockpit error and disappointed that the live and local element was missing.

 

[jimbo]

Yup - it's voicetracking. Just heard the weather and no current conditions. Crap. I still like the music but B102 is turning into another automated IPOD. I guess market number 274 can't support a live local station.

 

[OM]

Jimbo - Hello from B102,

I almost never post on radio boards but I just had to get involved and type a response and this will more than likely be the first and last time.

I greatly appreciate the fact that you like what we've deveolped here with B102 and also appreciate the fact that you seem to be at one time involved in radio. Thanks for the support but I just wanted to take a minute a relay the fact that in todays world of radio and a constant 24/7 live station is just not cost effective. Smaller staffs are running the operations and that means a lot of multi-tasking is going on, one individual doing other jobs within the organization, so YES you may hear some voicetracking, just like any other station in the Black Hills. What market can support a LIVE station, heck they voicetrack in LA, NY and Chicago, so it has nothing to do with market size.
We try to limit it but at times it's the only option and yes at times you may hear some glitches, no matter how perfect one tries to be [*EDIT]and it's out of our control if the mother board screws up.
You can critique all you like and you have an opinion something we all have - I don't take offense to any comment made because in the end I, along with my GM have to do what's right for our company but we also know what is important and that is being a service to the community and communities that we are broadcasting too. It's something we are doing are best to do and hopefully what will make us stand out from all the rest.
So react as you may but just because you don't hear the current time or temp doesn't mean it's the end of the world, just look at your watch or cellphone and wet your finger and stick it in the wind - but hopefully you and the rest will keep listening to the "GREATEST HITS OF ALL TIME - THE ALL NEW B102!"

PS...not trying to be [**EDIT] with the last comment, just being the radio smart*** that I am - take care.

feel free to email me at [email protected]

[*EDIT-profanity]
[**EDIT-offensive language]

 

[jimbo]

Hi Bobby,

Thanks for chiming in. I believe the overall tone of the posts on B102 was very favorable. There are comments in here from people in Denver wishing for a B102 in their neck of the woods. Your playlist is incredible and the variety is soooo refreshing.

I understand the economics of radio today. I was in radio for a few brief years in the late 70's and bailed out so I admire people who have kept the faith and made a career out of it. Thirty years ago Rapid City probably had 3 or 4 AM stations and everything on FM was automated or a simulcast. I know when I got my first gig in Grand Forks ND I was the only live voice overnight and making all of $550 a month. WOW!!! Everything else was automated or off air. Today there are many more signals, more variety and voicetracking is a fact of life.

It's just too bad that radio gives up the one thing that no other medium can match, that personal interaction with their audience. Small wonder that younger people are listening less and less, as more stations sound like IPODs the more people prefer their own IPODs.

BTW, some of the B102 sweepers seem to fall out in mono. They sound fine in stereo but on my desktop mono radio the voice "disappears". There's probably a technical term for it (phasing?) but it escapes me.

BTW II - want any week jocks???

All the best,
Jim

 

[OM]

Jimbo,

Curious how many IPODS tell you about event's going on in the hills or how much snow is on Terry Peak or about the Road construction going on - whether it's live or voicetracked you are still going to hear about that stuff. How many ipods are going to give you the interesting music facts about those long lost songs like "sky pilot" not many, the only thing you are missing during a VT'd shift is the current time and temp, I don't think that is being to "out of touch" with the listener but that's me.

I know about the sweeper issue, have a young whipper snapper of an I T whiz who likes to get creative which is cool but I also pointed out the fact that most of the "office" listeners have mono radios on their desks so the left channel drops out and he shouldn't be messin with their hearing, it's bad enough for us elder folks don't need to think we're going crazy and our left ear only is going deaf.

BTW gave the wrong email address it's [email protected].

Thanks for the input - no I'm gone

 

[jimbo]

Hi Bobby,

A well done voicetracking job can be just as entertaining as a live jock. But how many stations in Rapid City can tell me about breaking events in the Black Hills? Like a wildfire? I moved to the Black Hills in 2002 just a month before the Battle Creek fire near Keystone broke out on a Friday evening. Huge plumes of smoke visible in the sky. I flipped over to KOTA to see if they had any news about it. But after 6pm KOTA is on autopilot. The fire got bigger on Saturday and just out of curiousity I sampled station after station to see if anyone had news about it. Not a word on any radio station. I've learned since then that the Rapid City Journal web site is the place to go with their wildfire blog. Handy if you happen to be home when a fire breaks out.

When I lived in Dallas you could count on KRLD and their meteorologist Brad Barton to keep you informed when threatening weather broke out. Here in Rapid, it's Boris the robot from NOAA who breaks in if you happen to be listening at the right time. So in that one regard radio is training me not to count on it for breaking news.

You can write me off as an old dinosaur who appreciated live and local radio back in the Olden Days but I saw this article:

A new study from Edison Media Research examines the continuing decline in radio listening by 12-24 year-olds.

The findings show that TSL for 12-17 year-olds has fallen by 22 percent since 1993. It was at 65 quarter-hours per week in 1993 and now sits at 51 quarter-hours. Among 18-24 year-olds, the dropoff is even greater. There has been a 24 percent decline from 95 quarter-hours per week in 1993 to just 72 quarter-hours now.

Fewer young people expect radio to be an important part of their future lives.

http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=274456

The web site promises to have more info about the study and I'll be curious to if it discusses why listening has fallen off.

All the best and kind regards,
Jim

 

[MN Maniac]

Hi Bobby,

Just ignore the trolls, both here and on "that other board."

It's real easy to be an armchair PD who doesn't have to deal with the reality of staff and budget constraints. Sure, radio was great 20 years ago when everything was live and local. But that business model is simply not realistic anymore in most markets. One reason is the number of stations today vs 1986, especially in markets like Rapid City. More stations = a smaller piece of the pie for everyone. Yes, there are fewer owners, but each owner has the expenditures of multiple stations vs one standalone or one AM/FM combo.

To my knowledge, there is no other FM Oldies outlet in the market. It would have been cheap and easy for 101.9's owners to simply import the usual "Good Times and Great Oldies" satellite feed from Jones or Westwood One. Instead, they chose to make the investment in a largely live, local, UNIQUE presentation for Rapid City and the Hills. For this, Bobby & Co. are to be commended. Also, this is a locally-based operation. Not a national conglomerate, the likes of which are constantly complained about on here.

Let's try to be positive, rather than bash and knock each other down. Please?

Oh yeah...and if you're gonna play the Addrisi Brothers, don't forget "Slow Dancin (Don't Turn Me On." Sounded like heaven in the summer of '77!


Drew in Minnesota

 

[NODAKER]

what's going on down in the black hills.....unfortunately I'm moving out east but hopefully before I go I'll get one more trip down that way.

 

[jimbo]

You know if someone comments out loud that it's too bad that radio isn't live and local like it used to be then that person is a "troll". I guess calling someone a troll is positive MN Manic?

MN Maniac overlooks the fact that the overall tone of my posts about B102 are very positive. The playlist definitely has a big "Oh Wow" factor for me. I love the fact, as you said, it's a local presentation and not something imported from a bird. B102 has me listening to the radio again. And thankfully B102 doesn't seem to overprocess their audio in the manner of 92.3 (could that station squash their audio any flatter?)

It's just too bad that every station in Rapid City makes such extensive use of voicetracking. From my casual sampling I doubt any of the music stations are live on the weekends. So it's our automation system can beat your automation. I use Raduga on my Part 15 FM (Jimbo-FM: with all the range of a cordless phone on 91.7).

I totally understand the financial reality of radio today. There are definitely more stations on the air than 20 years ago and they offer a variety of formats that would not otherwise be available. But I also remember the main argument for all the recent consolidation of ownership was to lower the cost of operation. But if New York City stations are voicetracking then there's little hope for market #274.

If you're going to put a station on the air then excuuuuse me for being a "troll" by offering my overpriced 2 cents worth. I'm glad to see B102 has generated some interest. Nobody is bothering to comment about any other station in the Black Hills.