Changes in Imaging!

[Hart]

Emmett, that kindof reminds me of what KBCO Denver does. Last time I listened, they do have "the" station voice. They might have a male and female but I don't recall. Anyway, they have lots of bugs with different voices. IIRC, it started when they would get artist id's from in studio guests, but the elected to just use the voices saying "KBCO" without the rest of recorded line. Now they have all kinds of different accents, age ranges, etc. It's great for reinforcing their World Class Rock branding, gives the station name in less than two seconds, and doesn't annoy the listener. I've recommended this style approach to several stations I've either voiced or consulted with/for... especially stations on a tight budget.

 

[bobbybooey]

I work with a guy who REALLY wants to use a bunch of different voices, rather than having a "signature voice". And this is exactly what TV does. They match the voice to the promo and use a large variety of styles to make everything exciting. It's an odd theory for radio, but I'd love to hear it in action....I think he might be onto something!

That philosophy especially makes sense when you consider the fact that listeners consider a station's imaging to be commercials... that's right, in the ears of your audience:

imaging = commercials

They may sound bigger or be funnier than most commercials on your station, but they're still commercials to most listeners.

 

[VODood]

I work with a guy who REALLY wants to use a bunch of different voices, rather than having a "signature voice". And this is exactly what TV does. They match the voice to the promo and use a large variety of styles to make everything exciting. It's an odd theory for radio, but I'd love to hear it in action....I think he might be onto something!

Emmett

Networks have the budget. Individual stations do not. Not even the big companies. All stations are different, formats, etc. Cant be done on a large scale for radio.

Local TV, in smaller markets, use one voice.

 

[Emmett1057]

There are quite a voice talents out there that would be happy to sell one page at a time. His idea would be to just get a single page of generics from several different people and build from those. There are also several talents in-house that could easily do some promo work. He has said that he'd like to start by barrowing work from people in-house. Even production work. Just for the sake of getting different styles going. From that angle, I don't see any reason that it couldn't work, except that the boss has vitoed the idea.

Of course, in the end, there would still be two primary voices handling the majority of stuff...But it would at least sound like it had a little spice to it.

Emmett

 

[BobSacamano]

"There are quite a voice talents out there that would be happy to sell one page at a time."

Speaking as someone who is just getting started in imaging, I'm one of those who would be happy to do "a page at a time"..problem is what to charge?..I have a pretty good handle on what to charge retainer-wise, but I'm not at all sure about a by-the-page rate based on market size..

 

[Hart]

I wouldn't do it on buyout. You lock yourself out of that market pretty much forever - for one page. I suppose I'd think about doing something like this on limited scale where it's contracted and only good for one year or 6 months or something unless they pay again.

Take your monthly retainer fee, figure out a fair rate for just one page and then multiply that number by some undetermined factor to work out what's fair for one page of material that gets used and abused for 12 months. Just a thought.

 

[VODood]

I wouldn't do it on buyout. You lock yourself out of that market pretty much forever - for one page. I suppose I'd think about doing something like this on limited scale where it's contracted and only good for one year or 6 months or something unless they pay again.

Take your monthly retainer fee, figure out a fair rate for just one page and then multiply that number by some undetermined factor to work out what's fair for one page of material that gets used and abused for 12 months. Just a thought.

Or make it clear the buyout is not market exclusive. And/or if another comes knocking willing to do a contract/retainer that the buyout work is no longer useable.

 

[jefflaurence]

Well it's been a few weeks since I got a few new clients who want to do a more "conversational" read. Two of them have upped the energy already, but have retained the casual delivery..It's been interesting. I like the big read..I like Charlie, and Don and back in the day..one of the VERY best was Gary Gears! You want to hear a pipeset? Find a few of his sweepers..It'll impress you.

Nationally Cip is one of my favorites..He can bend it!

The bottom line is learn to "read to sell" No matter if we are selling a radio station, cars, diet systems, hair restoration, or insurance..or voicing a person's answering machine (which one of my station's is actually awarding as a prize in a contest..brilliant!)

 

[jimmyfish]

Kind of funny that radio is trying to sound....un-radio, like a person listening to an ipod. Fact of the matter is radio will never be as good as their ipod because no matter how hard we try, we can't play everybody's favorite songs all the time! People are not comig to radio for the music alone (un educated guess, I am not a consultant). Sometimes imaging is the only thing that gives a station it's own flavor. if the imaging is quick and ENTERTAINING then what is the problem? I am not talking about entertaining for a radio guy, but local, topical and with a clear message and reason for being there. I know that is easier said than done.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Blasphemy

People are not coming to radio for the music alone... Sometimes imaging is the only thing that gives a station it's own flavor... I am not talking about entertaining for a radio guy, but local, topical and with a clear message and reason for being there.

OK, at the risk of needing asbestos drawers, let me add this perspective...

It seems that programmers are beginning to rely on imaging to convey relatability and local flavor to their radio station instead of leaving that to live and/or local jocks. On a lot of stations, the "voice guy/gal" gets more airtime than the local jock - and the local jock has numerous positioning elements that must be incorporated in the few breaks that they have.

It seems to me that too many stations are being "Hi-JACKed". Radio needs to be more than "canned SPAM" if it's going to survive. GOOD live and local jocks are radios best hope for survival. Imaging adds the spice, but shouldn't BE the meat-and-potato(e)s.

 

[chadd]

Re: Blasphemy

OK, at the risk of needing asbestos drawers, let me add this perspective...

It seems that programmers are beginning to rely on imaging to convey relatability and local flavor to their radio station instead of leaving that to live and/or local jocks. On a lot of stations, the "voice guy/gal" gets more airtime than the local jock - and the local jock has numerous positioning elements that must be incorporated in the few breaks that they have.

It seems to me that too many stations are being "Hi-JACKed". Radio needs to be more than "canned SPAM" if it's going to survive. GOOD live and local jocks are radios best hope for survival. Imaging adds the spice, but shouldn't BE the meat-and-potato(e)s.

I tried not to get in on this, but I... can't... help... myself!

As a long-time Active/Alt imaging dood, I've seen the prod go from simple swooshes and some ill-placed movie byte to beatmixed rave-style to skit-based to barely there. "Clutter-busting". We've burnt listeners on this whole "imaging" thing for so long, the strengths do now lie in other factors. Which... sucks. Cause, well, prod is my job and stuff.

Programming has to give the station back to the listeners with intense *calculated* caller interaction, proof of musical spontineity (sp? dammit), and connection to cool stuff. The production can't be the only answer to correct presentation of stationality. Sure, it's well written and definitely has a place, but some of it... breathe deeply... has to be left up to the unproduced. The... TALENT.

So, you're doing the On-Demand show, the Last Letter Game, have a caller every other tune, great inspiring jocks, all-the-while your finger on the research pulse, and are giving away free gas and mortgage payments. Still not moving the needle? You are really in trouble.