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CBS Radio Weekend News Round Up really chopped up on WDEL

M

MikefromDelaware

I was listening to CBS radio's Weekend News Round Up today, it's a news magazine about the week in review. WILM used to air the program (taped earlier and rebroadcast later non-stop, which included network spot and PSA breaks).

WDEL now is the station in town to hear the CBS feeds and today would cut away from the Round Up for local weather, spots, etc, but whoever was the board op, needs way more practice at cutting away and getting back on to the program. They'd cut away while the CBS announcer was still talking. When they went back to CBS at the end of the spot break you caught the announcer in the middle of saying something. This happened repeatedly all the way through the broadcast. Generally speaking WDEL's sound is a top notch one, but they really sounded unprofessional during that program today. I realize that with practice makes perfect, so hopefully the board op noticed that they were cutting out early and do better next week.

The other thing I've noticed on WDEL on the weekends is during their local newscasts on the hour, the news anchor will say at the end of their 2 minute update, something like " up next news from CBS". They'd go into a spot break and then back to the satellite talker without ever going to the CBS hourly newscast. My guess is the newscast was pre-recorded and used earlier in the day when they actually did go to CBS, but apparently later in the day that is not the case, but the pre-recorded anchor continues to say it. This has been happening for a couple of weeks, apparently no one from the station listens on the weekend during the off times.
 
Thanks for listening Mike. Sounds like the timing was off on the computer. Although during the course of a typical Saturday we will have five or six people working at various times throughout the day (up to 10 on a football weekend), the CBS Weekend News Roundup is pre-recorded and automated. I'll get it cleaned up.
 
Let me preface this by saying that I am obviously going to defend our performance; but, Mike, with all due respect, I don't know what you're talking about.

I went back and listened to the CBS Weekend News Roundup (5p-6p on Saturday). Yes, the end of each segment was clipped by a fraction of a second; but all the rejoins were clean. I never heard us rejoin Dan Raviv in mid-sentence.

And CBS News played at the top of each hour that day too. I did not hear an hour where the CBS newscast did not play. I checked the previous Saturday too, and again did not find an hour where CBS did not play.

This is not to say that there aren't and won't be problems, but I'm not sure what you are talking about.
 
I was out in my car and may not have caught each break, but yes the cut outs I heard were clipped, and maybe the WDEL liner or spot, etc going back into CBS was clipped and being in traffic I didn't get it quite right thinking the CBS voice was talked over, but it didn't sound clean and smooth, but then again I was only half listening as I drove. If it's being done on a computer, that may be as tight as you can get it, as some local spots (at least when I worked at WILM) weren't all exactly 30 secs, so the human could fill in a couple of seconds if needed if the local avails came up short as you listened in cue to the network PSA before potting back up, etc. With the computer that sort of shortage may not be able to have the computer adjust to. I guess you'd know more about that than I would as we were doing all that manually when I was at WILM (French St. days).

As far as those weekend CBS newscasts, I don't remember the times, whether Sat or Sun last week or the week before I don't remember, but the anchor did promo going to CBS news, ran a spot then back to the satellite talk show with no CBS news jingle or news. Next time I hear it, I'll try to remember to note date/time; but I did hear it more than one time on different days.
 
Carl, today at 5:16pm during the CBS Weekend Roundup during the local spot break, the pre-recorded anchor gave the weather and then said coming up next is two way talk on WDEL, went to spot and then back to the CBS Roundup. I know I'm probably being picky, but CBS Roundup is not a two way talk show. Wouldn't it sound better to have a pre-recorded weather break for the Roundup with the anchor saying coming up next more CBS Radio Weekend Roundup on WDEL, etc. I realize that I'm probably the only person listening that would notice, but to me that is the difference between sounding tight vs sounding sloppy. Details matter. The computer cutout and rejoining of CBS was good and tight. The 5:30 pm break was tight and anchor did reference CBS news and did air CBS news update. Erica Regatti (sp) the anchor, again reference more two way talk coming up next. So that's twice. I realize that more often than not, that liner works as you mostly air talk shows, but during a shows like CBS news/commentary show doesn't fit. So my hearing isn't completely off.

Please don't be defensive, I'm not trying to give you a hard time. WDEL is a great station. I don't listen all the time, but I do listen weekday mornings to Peter and Mellany for a half hour (while getting ready for work) to find out weather/traffic and the local news), sometimes when I want political talk to Al and Rick, some of your pro-sports broadcasts (Phillies, Eagles, Westwood One national sportcasts), and the CBS Roundup on Saturday. As a former weekender broadcaster (both as a DJ, newsreporter, anchor, and talk show host) for over 30 years, I can't help, but notice those details. My guess is, IF and when you do listen to other stations, you probably notice similar details, it's an occupational hazard. I realize you don't really need or want an "arm chair expert" picking your station apart, as you probably have bigger fish to fry so I'll try to refrain from mentioning these things I notice in the future. However, I have enjoyed our discussions.
 
Mike,

I think you answered your own question - you're being picky. Those segments rotate over the course of several hours - during which there is one hour that is not "two-way conversation." However, "two-way conversation" is still part of WDEL's imaging. Most radio stations continue to use imaging lines even when they aren't being true to the imaging.

Speaking of details, the Saturday night anchor is Erica Guidetti.
 
I did realize that Chris Carl's first name is Chris, I just mistyped, but you're correct. When I re-read my memo before sending, I should have caught that.

Chris, yea it may have been being picky, but then again, not. If the news anchor was live rather than recorded, then they'd have said, up next more from CBS etc, rather than more two way talk as two way talk wasn't next and it wouldn't make sense for them to say that (imaging or not, you'd probably not want your live anchor to do that - you might have wanted them to say more from CBS coming up next, at 6pm we go back to the two way talk, etc,) so that is just an excuse you're using for not having a pre-recorded newscast for that hour with the Round Up. Is this error real important? Of course not, so in that sense yes it is being picky. Hey, as I said yesterday, I'm probably the only listener who noticed, so don't lose any sleep over it.

When I made the original comments last week I was doing it to let you know, as it takes away from the usual top notch sound that WDEL generally produces and I thought you'd want to know of the gliches (as you can't possibly be listening all the time - I assume that you do have a live outside of WDEL). I wasn't trying to offend you or make you defensive. As I also said yesterday, I realize that you've got more important things to do (bigger fish to fry) than to have to try to defend any problems one of us "arm chair experts" hear on WDEL, so I won't bother you with any further observations, so rest easy and be at peace.
 
Mike, I have to agree with you observations after hearing the CBS network news this morning at just after 7am.

The final news story was aborted midstream and the next element began running immediately. Sounded pretty bad. At about the same time, I believe, I also heard a spot start to run before the one preceeding it had finished.
 
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Mike, I have to agree with you observations after hearing the CBS network news this morning at just after 7am.

The final news story was aborted midstream and the next element began running immediately. Sounded pretty bad. At about the same time, I believe, I also heard a spot start to run before the one preceeding it had finished.

Thanks, 650AM. Well there is at least two of us, who have noticed those problems. I haven't listened to WDEL since December 20th (when I made my last observations) other than for part of the Eagles game Sunday when I had to leave the house during the game.
 
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