Charlotte Talent

[Dirty Diana]

I can honestly say that Charlotte has the weakest group of talent on the air right now than I have ever heard. Beyond a couple of talented Morning Shows that have proven their merit, the rest of the day sounds like college radio talent. I wouldn't hire half of them to do part time on a station 10 years ago. I guess you PAY for what you get. LOL

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I can honestly say that Charlotte has the weakest group of talent on the air right now than I have ever heard. Beyond a couple of talented Morning Shows that have proven their merit, the rest of the day sounds like college radio talent. I wouldn't hire half of them to do part time on a station 10 years ago. I guess you PAY for what you get. LOL

In my opinion this post is not constructive and seems to only incite flaming from others.

Instead I would like to offer the following comment. My last stint on the air was at K-104.7 from 2005-2007. I did weekends and vacation fill. There isn't a single shift that I couldn't have done better. Instead I gave them just what they wanted, read the card, play the music, collect the check. I did what the people paying me told me to do. Was it good radio? In my opinion it wasn't. The truth is with voice tracking you don't have to be very good. You can recut until it's right. No awkward funny moments to cover up that turn out to be funnier than a planned bit, no real growth.

I won't throw stones at the people working on the air. It's easy to sit on the sidelines and point. Try being on the inside, there isn't much attention paid to the ever shrinking air staff. I assure you there is nothing funny about it at all.

 

[TheStoker]

Diana.....your observations are right on target, but it is everywhere!! We will continue to see this with radios overall slide. How much great talent has been turned out to pasture.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I will place the blame for talent's demise squarely on the the listeners who say wheat they don't like about radio is the jocks talk too much. I've heard it many times.

 

[jtudor]

I will place the blame for talent's demise squarely on the the listeners who say wheat they don't like about radio is the jocks talk too much. I've heard it many times.

Emerging from self imposed exile here, hoping I don't get slammed again.

That is the exact problem that keeps me from listening any more than I do, I hate jukebox radio. If all radio is going to give me is music and commercials, I would much rather listen to CD's where I can pick my own music and have NO commercials.

I much prefer a talented personality, along with information and music.

I think that a lot of those public comments come from those who listen to some of the blabbermouth jocks who never really have anything to say, but just want to hear their voices.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I will place the blame for talent's demise squarely on the the listeners who say wheat they don't like about radio is the jocks talk too much. I've heard it many times.

Emerging from self imposed exile here, hoping I don't get slammed again.

That is the exact problem that keeps me from listening any more than I do, I hate jukebox radio. If all radio is going to give me is music and commercials, I would much rather listen to CD's where I can pick my own music and have NO commercials.

I much prefer a talented personality, along with information and music.

I think that a lot of those public comments come from those who listen to some of the blabbermouth jocks who never really have anything to say, but just want to hear their voices.

I saw this post some time ago and was not going to comment but after thinking about it, well I just can't let it go. Talent is subjective, you may not care what a jock has to say or dismiss it as uninteresting but someone else might be interested.

For example someone could get on the air and make a joke about the bad coffee at the station or maybe what they had for lunch. This is something that many of us can relate to but others wouldn't care about. It might even spark a bit about the best place to have lunch or maybe the worst coffee you ever had. Now this is something that can't be done if the show is voice tracked!

People listening to the radio today have very short attention spans and most only want to hear the music. Those people probably wouldn't bother posting here either. They are the majority and what you hear on the radio now is what the majority wants.

 

[Moonshine]

I agree with many of the post on talent however I might point out that voice tracking by a guy/girl in a city a thousand or more miles away is extremely difficult. The sun is shining where they are and it's raining in the VT city. There is no passion for the station, the staff, nor the city. Cost cutting factors like VT are most helpful to many stations and groups but it also cuts the listener short. Many stations in the area use VT jocks for the bulk of their broadcast day and it appears to be showing. The Ride for example does not, as far as I know, have one live person 24/7! This is true of many stations all over the country who have very few "live" pople outside morning drive.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The Ride for example does not, as far as I know, have one live person 24/7!

Really? They sure fake it well.

Now that's a station that isn't predictable, musically. I don't generally care for obscure music, but they get a lot of priase.

 

[vchimpanzee]

People listening to the radio today have very short attention spans and most only want to hear the music. Those people probably wouldn't bother posting here either. They are the majority and what you hear on the radio now is what the majority wants.

That's the way I feel. But I enjoy coming here to complain and read what others have said.

Jeff Rollins has just the right mix of talk and music. I've gotten adjusted to those three-minute commercial breaks and six-minute news breaks. I miss Wes Jones on my country station in the afternoons. Mainly because I like hearing what the song was and who did it.

Ken Conrad also did music and talk right, on WAVO. Great music, but I liked the information too. Most of all I liked knowing who did what. A station that plays lots of unfamiliar music (or unfamiliar versions of songs we know) without telling you who did it isn't doing us any favors if the station goes away and we don't know how to get the music.

I'm too lazy and cheap to buy CDs, though the car I had only had radio. The one I have now has a cassette player, at least.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Good thread with noteworthy comments. Voicetracking is an art. Some people do it well, most don't. Local voicetracking can sound topical and relatable. It's been my experience that you get out of it what you put into it. Out-of-market voicetrackers face a big challenge just to get paid "an extra hundred a week" or "keep their jobs" to VT a station 800 miles away.

About five years ago, the theory was voicetracking in the smaller markets would be done by major market performers in the larger markets and the smaller market stations would sound major market. Nice theory. Most of that went by the wayside in less than a year.

A friend worked for CapStar years ago and voicetracked six AC stations from Austin, day in and day out. By the third station, he was spent. Come Thursday, he was out of gas. He also had a production shift for the six stations and did imaging for two. These days, you're just as likely to hear voice tracking in large and major markets done by a person in East Bumnuts, Iowa. Not knocking East Bumnuts or the talent, but every talent has his/her limitations.

I voicetracked a local weekend slot for a few years in addition to my live midday show and did as much local, topical stuff as the format allowed. Because of budget cuts and my former company's stock sucking fumes at about 6 cents a share, I was given a one way pass to the beach in January and my former midday slot was voicetracked.

Since I've been out, it's lost 34% of the target demo and the station's ratings have crashed. In August, the station changed format to Classic Hits. Smart move on their part. The station will do well. I'm still on the beach, but these days, I listen to radio "like a civilian." My cume is all over the place, including my former station (it was a business decision, nothing personal) but my TSL usually goes to my local NPR stations. I also give the CD player in the car and my MP3 player a workout.

As Bruce Hornsby sang, "That's just the way it is..."

 

[rockchicktx]

I can honestly say that Charlotte has the weakest group of talent on the air right now than I have ever heard. Beyond a couple of talented Morning Shows that have proven their merit, the rest of the day sounds like college radio talent. I wouldn't hire half of them to do part time on a station 10 years ago. I guess you PAY for what you get. LOL

Charlotte isn't the problem. The hierchy running the stations into the ground is the problem. Right now with the job market being what it is.......there are TONS of jocks out there looking for work. BUT...alot of them won't touch a CC or CBS owned property because that's who laid them off to start with.

Also, there's a very "small town" outlook in Charlotte still. Those that didn't grow or adapt after the city exploded in the early 90s. They still run outdated jingles and have outdated jocks. IE - why should Kiss try harder when Beat sounds just as bad...why would SOC try harder when KAT is just as mediocre?

This is one market that doesn't have a "Great" radio station in the town.

Plus...even with all the jocks out there unemployed....uh, there's just not alot of talent left!

 

[Kent Dorsey]

I don't mean to hijack the thread here... but I do a 3 hour oldies show on a small AM every other Sunday. It's like having a neat hobby and fills my need to be involved in radio again after being out for 22 years.
But you know what I miss? The equipment, the equipment we use now stinks...
I miss cart machines. Now I know I am probably in the minority here, but I didn't mind loading carts and watching for cues. I HATE this %$*& computer. 30 years ago I could have slipped into the production room and dubbed off 60 seconds of Ramsey Lewis' "Wade in the Water" and used it as a music bed for the class reunions part of the show... but now? we have less capability to do things like that. I do have two cd players that we use to play the oldies from, but everything else comes off that *&$# computer. I have 12 promos that Robert Murphy did for our oldies show, and I just play them off the cd so I have control over which one airs. I use Steely Dan's "FM" Reprise for the class reunion show, but have to play it off cd, which means during the commercial break I am loading cd's again so I can go directly into music after "FM"...
I have noticed that the jocks that use the music off of the hard drive are less likely (if likely at all) to talk over the intro of a song. Since we are doing an oldies show I hit the intro on almost all songs I am going into.
So, for what it's worth...it's not as much fun as it was in the 70's with the carts, jingles, and even turntables.
I bought a Rockwell Audio Rack board last year, and I have 4 Russco turntables, maybe I'll invite you all over next year and see who can hit the weather forecast over "Moonlight Feels Right"....

 

[BIG APE]

I don't mean to hijack the thread here... but I do a 3 hour oldies show on a small AM every other Sunday. It's like having a neat hobby and fills my need to be involved in radio again after being out for 22 years.
But you know what I miss? The equipment, the equipment we use now stinks...
I miss cart machines. Now I know I am probably in the minority here, but I didn't mind loading carts and watching for cues. I HATE this %$*& computer. 30 years ago I could have slipped into the production room and dubbed off 60 seconds of Ramsey Lewis' "Wade in the Water" and used it as a music bed for the class reunions part of the show... but now? we have less capability to do things like that. I do have two cd players that we use to play the oldies from, but everything else comes off that *&$# computer. I have 12 promos that Robert Murphy did for our oldies show, and I just play them off the cd so I have control over which one airs. I use Steely Dan's "FM" Reprise for the class reunion show, but have to play it off cd, which means during the commercial break I am loading cd's again so I can go directly into music after "FM"...
I have noticed that the jocks that use the music off of the hard drive are less likely (if likely at all) to talk over the intro of a song. Since we are doing an oldies show I hit the intro on almost all songs I am going into.
So, for what it's worth...it's not as much fun as it was in the 70's with the carts, jingles, and even turntables.
I bought a Rockwell Audio Rack board last year, and I have 4 Russco turntables, maybe I'll invite you all over next year and see who can hit the weather forecast over "Moonlight Feels Right"....

I'll be there! big ape

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Lets face it video didn't kill the radio star computers did!

I share your pain. There were times when the mighty K's audio vault ran off and did something I didn't want it to do! Yes it was my fault most of the time till I got used to the way the thing worked. There were also times when the mouse slipped and made an oops!

Funny how we could run without voice tracks all evening and it was no big deal but man move one commercial to the next set because I panicked did something dumb on the audio vault and wow got a nasty note about not moving spots around.

Music, the filler to get you from one spot set to the next.

Taylor's note today said that one of the big station owners stock went up quite a bit and things are looking better. Good for them! They were quick to add that didn't mean they were going to increase staff, not that I would expect them to. They have learned how to do radio cheaper.

 

[rknight]

It's all about cutting costs and saving a buck now. The industry is in shambles. When will corporate realize that localization and personality are the key to good radio? Anyone on here remember how great radio in the 70's was?

 

[Al Timiter]

CBS Radio posted an ad on it's corporate website for a mid-day air talent in Charlotte at WNKS. Salary? >25k. Sad. Pitiful. Real.

 

[BIG APE]

CBS Radio posted an ad on it's corporate website for a mid-day air talent in Charlotte at WNKS. Salary? >25k. Sad. Pitiful. Real.

Hey, I'm retired..I'll come out for that..Better than SS..Right..Mike..woops..you not as old as me..barely BIGAPE

 

[Mike Sheridan]

CBS Radio posted an ad on it's corporate website for a mid-day air talent in Charlotte at WNKS. Salary? >25k. Sad. Pitiful. Real.

Hey, I'm retired..I'll come out for that..Better than SS..Right..Mike..woops..you not as old as me..barely BIGAPE

Wow great money...in 1981 maybe. You can have this one Ape, all yours big guy! Wages like that are below the poverty line.

I still have about 10 years before SS.

 

[nuffsaid]

I hear ya on voice tracking and the wages being paid today, not only in Charlotte but most cities around the country. There are a ton of very talented vetrans out there that could and would wake up Charlotte but far to many stations are not looking for talented people. Think they would prefer to have some seaoned button pushers to advance their stations into the money demos. The Ride most likely has more live talent than most of Charlotte's major competitors. Speaking of the ride, does anybody reallly listen to that station? Ratings have been all over the place over the past year or so. Seems to me they have a fairly good Summer book and thaat is about it. Is it signal problems, marketing problems, or programmng problems?

 

[wncc]

I hear ya on voice tracking and the wages being paid today, not only in Charlotte but most cities around the country. There are a ton of very talented vetrans out there that could and would wake up Charlotte but far to many stations are not looking for talented people. Think they would prefer to have some seaoned button pushers to advance their stations into the money demos. The Ride most likely has more live talent than most of Charlotte's major competitors. Speaking of the ride, does anybody reallly listen to that station? Ratings have been all over the place over the past year or so. Seems to me they have a fairly good Summer book and thaat is about it. Is it signal problems, marketing problems, or programmng problems?

The Ride is 100% voice tracked, and signal issues aren't a problem. Marketing is non-existant, but the station is paid for, so the ratings don't really matter.