B98.5 now voicetracking the workday

[jal41]

B98.5's Jordan Graye is on vacation this week. Kelly McCoy is filling in...on Memorex (or hard disk to be exact). The giveaway...no current temperature during the weather segment.

This is the first time B98.5 has done voicetracking during the workday (it is now a weekend staple). Usually, they have a part time fill in. Have they really become this cheap? (I know Clear Channel is amazing cheap, but I didn't know Cox is becoming this way. Is Clark Howard running Cox Radio now?)

B98.5 has Larry "Nighttrain" Lane on LIVE 12-5AM. Why not pull him to dayside to fill in? If you can be live overnight, why not during the day?

Before you know it, sister station WSB-AM will pull a CNN Headline News and go to Memorex for the latest news headlines (it could happen).

 

[gravelgertie]

I've always thought B98 sounded so generic that it didn't make much difference if they were live or voiced
tracked. I mean, what difference does it make when all you do is read liner cards?

 

[icstephen]

last I heard Clark Howard was mostly memorex also

 

[ck dexter haven]

That's true, about Clark. Big hush hush secret they don't want y'all and his adoring fans to know, but it's true. Just about totally VT'd.

 

[BIGSTICK]

I was giving them the benefit this weekend. They actually sounded pretty good, voicetracked or not.
Music was good.
Guess it is back to my IPOD and Satellite.

RADIO JUST SUCKS IN THIS HUGE MARKET.......................

 

[tcsnrayp]

How

That's true, about Clark. Big hush hush secret they don't want y'all and his adoring fans to know, but it's true. Just about totally VT'd.

How is it possible to VT a Talk show?

 

[livingfruitvirus]

How

That's true, about Clark. Big hush hush secret they don't want y'all and his adoring fans to know, but it's true. Just about totally VT'd.

How is it possible to VT a Talk show?

Bob Costas does it every week for Costas on the Radio. Handel on the Law is pre-recorded by demand of KFI, so WSB is always airing a week old show. Many public radio talk shows have done it. Why is it impossible?

 

[trusty]

How

That's true, about Clark. Big hush hush secret they don't want y'all and his adoring fans to know, but it's true. Just about totally VT'd.

How is it possible to VT a Talk show?

Bob Costas does it every week for Costas on the Radio. Handel on the Law is pre-recorded by demand of KFI, so WSB is always airing a week old show. Many public radio talk shows have done it. Why is it impossible?

Tell us the difference between "voice-tracking" and pre-recorded", and you'll see why it's impossible.

 

[SalesWeasel]

Listeners don't care one way or the other. Heck, they don't even know. And, frankly, do you honestly think people tune in to B98.5 for the personalities? It's background noise.

 

[icstephen]

well the way Clark does it is he speed records the show 1 or 2 days a week (just pounds the phones for 4 or 5 hours) then they cut the thing all togather in the computer. so yes he still takes calls but what is aired is all pre recorded (technically not VT but tape is tape...they are lying about being live either way) that being said I still love Clark and listen when ever possible (which isnt much these days unfortunatly)

 

[jal41]

Re: VT shows

well the way Clark does it is he speed records the show 1 or 2 days a week (just pounds the phones for 4 or 5 hours) then they cut the thing all togather in the computer. so yes he still takes calls but what is aired is all pre recorded (technically not VT but tape is tape...they are lying about being live either way) that being said I still love Clark and listen when ever possible (which isnt much these days unfortunatly)

I would supect that legal liability issues are a big reason for the show being prerecorded. If a company is badmouthed without being able to respond in a timely fashion, they could sue WSB, Cox, and Clark. Clark is very careful when a company is named on-air. There was a big stink involving him and Bank of America a while back where he asked listeners to pull all of their money out of Bank of America and close their accounts.

Prerecording calls makes since so they can be screened before they hit the air.

I was wondering what would happen if WSB-AM played prerecorded newscasts in lieu of live updates for large gobs of time. (This is similar to what CNN Headline News does on TV weekends with their jukebox cut-and-paste format, where stories are recorded one at a time to allow for stories to be changed out. This cut-and-paste is what is used in radio voicetracking). We know WGST has went to Fox Noise for it's overnight updates. But since it appears theat Cox is cutting more meat, would people complain if WSB-AM went to Memorex News?

 

[al_atl]

WSB-AM actually has done this. I believe it was back in the early/mid '90s. I remember it well. I always thought, one day they're going to get burned doing that. That day, well- night, happened when the tornado hit Dunwoody. Believe it or not, WGST was all over it with live coverage. WSB, for the first hour or two, was still running pre-recorded newscasts and weather forecasts saying "chance of thunderstorms." Huge embarassment. Even before that night I was of the opinion that if that was the best they could do or cared to do with that big 50-KW clear channel signal, they should surrender the licence to someone who actually gave a damn. Things have improved since then, I hope they don't forget that night and how they were caught with their pants down.

 

[WC]

So does Clark do only a couple of shows live a week, and just gets all of the phones needed for the other weekdays? So what happens to the folks that call the days he's not live?

 

[tcsnrayp]

I believe it was back in the early/mid '90s. I remember it well.

Let me get this straight: You "remember it well"... but can't remember WHEN it happened? Now THAT is funny. Hopefully you are not a journalist.

 

[al_atl]

Yup, I remember the event very well. I just don't remember the time. I remember tuning first to WSB for information and hearing the same recorded newscast and weather that aired the hour before...then more recorded programming. Then to WGST's very weak nighttime signal, but with live news/weather and coverage of the event. No, I'm not a journalist...but I've worked with probably hundreds over the past 30 years.

 

[Plum]

WSB AM has live news 24 hours a day 7 days a week and even though they could take the cheap way out since there is hardly any competition left, i know for a fact they will never voicetrack any live news updates

 

[tcsnrayp]

WSB AM has live news 24 hours a day 7 days a week and even though they could take the cheap way out since there is hardly any competition left, i know for a fact they will never voicetrack any live news updates

Thank you PLUM... now could you get your sister, PEACH, to reappear?

 

[Radio1360]

Before you know it, sister station WSB-AM will pull a CNN Headline News and go to Memorex for the latest news headlines (it could happen).

[/quote] If Headline News would drop all that inspid programing it has and go back to a punctual, round-the-clock format it had when Ted Turner was calling the shots, not Time-Warner (TV) and Westwood One (Radio). And drop the "ReBootz" (2:00-4:55am) overnight. Doesn't Atlanta get enough of hearing him during the day?!

 

[BIGSTICK]

WSB AM has live news 24 hours a day 7 days a week and even though they could take the cheap way out since there is hardly any competition left, i know for a fact they will never voicetrack any live news updates

Thank you PLUM... now could you get your sister, PEACH, to reappear?

WPCH IS RIGHT HERE IN MACON. Call letters and all. I wish Atlanta had this format.

Listen.

http://www.peach965.com/cc-common/streaming_new/index.html?refreshed=yes

 

[icstephen]

the way I understand it Clark mostly does it becouse he doesnt want to come in 5 days a week...thats why they used to have that woman on in the second half of the Clark howard show (becouse the traffic wouldent fit on a re-run show...that was before the recorded segments). Usually if you call in when they are not recording the show the phone will just ring...no one will awnser, I guess they figured that having the cunsumer action team (or whatever its called now) returning calls was a good solution. I seriously doubt if Clark will be on much longer, I think he is just tired and ready to move on...which really stinks...I have listened to Clark since the early 90's and will really miss him when he's gone.