Clear Channel Shakeup

[TheBigA]

Hate to break the myth you believe to be true, but back in the old days, they were also faking it, because they were born and raised in Idaho or Maryland, not Big D.

I don't agree. Up until the late 1980s / early 1990s, you KNEW almost all Dallas area jocks were local. They got out locally and did remotes, etc. VT'ing changed all that.

My point is they weren't FROM Dallas. They moved there from other places, and didn't know all the local customs and culture.

What changed was the area jocks got clauses in their contracts that they didn't have to do remotes any more. So the station sent stunt boys or promotion people instead. Why have local jocks if they refuse to make personal appearances?

 

[Slambang]

I tell ya, it used to be that you could trust to hear an on-air personality from your own town, who knew about the local color (HS Rivalries, Who was playing at a club/hall, how it was to drive in the city, ect..). Now in the CC VT era, they can fake it while sitting at home in san diego..

Hate to break the myth you believe to be true, but back in the old days, they were also faking it, because they were born and raised in Idaho or Maryland, not Big D.

You watch the Weather Channel, and their casters talk about Dallas as though they live there. Then they slide over and talk about Phoenix, and they live there too. It doesn't matter if they know the high school rivalries. I bet the old guys at WRR know them too. Does that mean people will sit through classical music to hear the announcers talk about local stuff?

Big A, I dont think your getting the point I or others are making. Sure, there's always been jocks who came in from out of town, that's a given in the business. What I referring to is that they ACTUALLY TOOK THE TIME to learn about the market before they jumped in the chair, not to mention do a remote here and there and promoted the station. Most of the VT jocks dont even make market appearances or do anything outside of making a paycheck. Thats the problem with CC, they put style in front of substance and its gotten them where they are today. In a way, I laugh and give em a "told ya so"..In another, I feel bad for the "real" local talent (on-air, board ops, office folks) who've been cut.

Now, if you dont have any other smart or witty comebacks, I have a show to prep for...

 

[nomansland91]

You are missing the point. The jocks were from "other" cities...but physically working in Dallas. Yeah...they were live in studio...but they were transplants from other markets.

 

[TheBigA]

What I referring to is that they ACTUALLY TOOK THE TIME to learn about the market before they jumped in the chair, not to mention do a remote here and there and promoted the station.

I think you have a vivid imagination. I was in radio at the time. They didn't learn about the markets. Quite often, they didn't register their cars or register to vote. They were in Dallas to work, get a paycheck, on their way to the next market.

As I said, as talent got older, they had their contracts written so they didn;t have to do remotes.

Most of the VT jocks dont even make market appearances or do anything outside of making a paycheck.

They'd love to, but that business dried up a while ago.

Hey, maybe I'm wrong. If so, why is Kiss kicking everyone else's butts?

 

[greencougar7]

KInda funny. I worked in other markets, and I arrived in DFW 33 years ago. I took the time to learn the history of the area, went to remotes to meet the listeners,I had them call on the phones, and I actually played requests. I learned how Ft. Worth is different than Dallas and vice-versa. I prepped my show,and i cared who my listeners were. I did well then. Radio has changed. The stations used to inform and entertain. You may argue they do that now,but not on a caring local level, that's where radio made its fatal move. losing touch with its audience. It started to rely on market firms from out his listening area to give it feedback with its sterilized one size fit all surveys and "spun" them to give an accurate image. Others looked on and decided to follow , and cut corners to show a profit and in the pursuit cut the very artery that fed quality to its station and thus the deterioration began. Like grapes left on a vine, they bloom, they bear fruit, they wither, shrivel and die.
Change happens yes, but responsible change is a must and the responsibility is how to serve the listener and listen to them. Not an out of town researcher. No you go face to face and hear what they have to say gather the results and search for a sure way to win. Not the lazy approach that has been conducted for the last ten years. Its finally caught up to radio ,recession or no recession. The numbe spinners, the breakdown masquerade artists will differ, no surprise, thats how they make their living. Even vultures preyed on dead remains.

 

[MikeShannon914]

I worked with quite a few jocks who clamored for those remotes...the chance to work 2 hours and stick $300 CASH in their wallets/purses, paid up front at the remote? Well worth sacrificing a very short timeframe on a weekday evening or a Saturday. Of course, the era I speak of is the last five years...perhaps some of those jocks were socking away all the savings they could, in anticipation of the trainwreck we're seeing/hearing right now.

 

[TheBigA]

I prepped my show,and i cared who my listeners were.

You know, it's funny...no one ever sent out a memo saying DJs shouldn't prep for their shows. In fact, companies build in paid prep time into DJ schedules. They subscribe to paid prep services, and provide them free to all employees. No one ever told DJs not to care. In fact, I can show you memos that were sent to out-of-market VTers to learn how to pronounce local streets, read local papers and familiarize yourself with your market. All this was done, and the workers chose to ignore it. DJs weren't discouraged from doing remotes. The DJs themselves made sure their talent contracts didn't require them to participate. There was a growing disconnect between well-paid radio talent and their listeners. The talent would talk about their recent vacations to Mexico, while the listeners sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Some of these well-paid DJs would no longer buy their own groceries, sending staffers to do their personal work, so they wouldn't have to face listeners. I'm not kidding. I see these contracts, and I know how these DJs work. There's a part of me that thinks the layoffs were a good thing. Maybe some of these former local celebrities will learn how to pump their own gas again.

I worked with quite a few jocks who clamored for those remotes.

Did any of them host morning shows? I doubt it.

 

[scrtr84]

You are missing the point. The jocks were from "other" cities...but physically working in Dallas. Yeah...they were live in studio...but they were transplants from other markets.

Who cares where they were FROM? The point is, the took the time and effort to get to know the market they worked in. They met listeners at remotes, talked to listeners who called in, etc. THAT is what mattered the most. Today, this practice is just about gone, thanks to VT'ing.

 

[TheBigA]

The point is, the took the time and effort to get to know the market they worked in. They met listeners at remotes, talked to listeners who called in, etc. THAT is what mattered the most. Today, this practice is just about gone, thanks to VT'ing.

No. Today the practice is gone due to lazy DJs who don't do what they're supposed to do.

VT-ing has been done for over 15 years. It was once done well, when people who did it cared. Now it's not.

 

[scrtr84]

The point is, the took the time and effort to get to know the market they worked in. They met listeners at remotes, talked to listeners who called in, etc. THAT is what mattered the most. Today, this practice is just about gone, thanks to VT'ing.

No. Today the practice is gone due to lazy DJs who don't do what they're supposed to do.

No, it's gone because the local DJ's have been eliminated. That's not a jock fault, that's corporate radio's fault.

 

[TheBigA]

No, it's gone because the local DJ's have been eliminated. That's not a jock fault, that's corporate radio's fault.

No, it is the job of an VT talent to learn the market they're working in. It's in their job description. It's the jock's fault. And if they're to lazy to learn about another market, it really doesn't matter what city they're in.

 

[MikeShannon914]

1. Yes, one of the jocks who wanted remotes was indeed the morning guy. Looking at the big picture in his case, he was planning to leave radio and go back to school...so I'm sure the cash-in-hand was attractive. Hal Jay, for example, does plenty of remotes, but they're normally within his own show.

2. One problem I hear about today is that VT'ing is TOO perfect. Jocks stop and start the recorder, redo sections of their audio, fix every little flub...to the point that it sound unnatural. They probably edit out their own breaths.

There are still some folks who take pride in their work, and for many, it's DESPITE who they work for. Some take it as a personal reflection of their talents, no matter what else (or who else) is doing what at their station or network. However, I know the guys/gals who do it for the ABC Radio Networks generally do a first-class job. Now if I was VT'ing for Clear Channel, for example, my attitude might be pretty soured, knowing my services will eventually not be needed, regardless of my abilities.

 

[scrtr84]

No, it's gone because the local DJ's have been eliminated. That's not a jock fault, that's corporate radio's fault.

No, it is the job of an VT talent to learn the market they're working in. It's in their job description. It's the jock's fault. And if they're to lazy to learn about another market, it really doesn't matter what city they're in.

Except a lot of the VT'ers are heard in numerous places. Example, a VT jock in Nevada, might actually be on a dozen different markets, because he can VT his comments then upload them to whatever stations he is on. This reminds me of the time a former co-worker toured a local station about 10 years ago, and was all so inspired by the fact that a jock in a completely different market, could be heard locally. Her glorious commentary made me sick to my stomach, and like many others, I knew this was going to be the beginning of the end for local jocks.

What's the point of a VT jock making sure he knows the pronunciations of street names and local happenings, yet VT's his show a thousand miles away? There's no room for listener interaction with that model. Look at Kidd Kraddick for example. He may do his show locally, but he's gotta keep local topics limited, due to the fact he's syndicated.

VT killed what made radio matter the most, especially in major markets. We're on a point of no return...

 

[TheBigA]

Except a lot of the VT'ers are heard in numerous places.

That depends on the format. But typically for CC, a VT show is designed for a specific market. Especially if we're talking about a market above #75 and a format like country or CHR. It's also typically done within the same region.

VT killed what made radio matter the most, especially in major markets. We're on a point of no return...

A point could be made that DJs themselves killed what made radio matter, which was original content, like live music, drama, and variety. Once radio replaced original content with pre-recorded music, it didn't matter who was doing the introductions or where he was. I had a chance to speak with a lot of people who were part of the Golden Age of Radio, and their comments about DJs were very similar to comments I read today about VT.

 

[TheBigA]

One problem I hear about today is that VT'ing is TOO perfect. Jocks stop and start the recorder, redo sections of their audio, fix every little flub...to the point that it sound unnatural.

I agree. There's an art to it, and it is covered in seminars around the country, if the jock takes the time to attend.

 

[scrtr84]

Except a lot of the VT'ers are heard in numerous places.

That depends on the format. But typically for CC, a VT show is designed for a specific market. Especially if we're talking about a market above #75 and a format like country or CHR. It's also typically done within the same region.

There is no reason to VT a market specific jock. As Mike pointed out, too much time is being spent on perfecting what will air. LIVE is better, because it shows that yes even us radio folks are human. I still chuckle every time I think about the little blooper Bass made on KEOM last year. Ya know, the "Babe with Styx" introduction. That'd never happen if Bass had been VT'ing, and we would have missed the fun.

 

[TheBigA]

There is no reason to VT a market specific jock.

Yet CC does it in several major markets. I know two people who do it. One of them does it for strictly personal reasons. They also do local remotes in their VT city. But these are exceptionally dedicated jocks with years of experience.

LIVE is better, because it shows that yes even us radio folks are human.

If that's the reason, it's not good enough. I picked up smoking because I needed something to do while waiting for the record to end. Not a good habit to pick up. Wouldn't have happened if I wasn't live.

 

[johnqdoe]

There is no reason to VT a market specific jock.

Yet CC does it in several major markets. I know two people who do it. One of them does it for strictly personal reasons. They also do local remotes in their VT city. But these are exceptionally dedicated jocks with years of experience.

LIVE is better, because it shows that yes even us radio folks are human.

If that's the reason, it's not good enough. I picked up smoking because I needed something to do while waiting for the record to end. Not a good habit to pick up. Wouldn't have happened if I wasn't live.

just google "big rig radio". KEGL is a paycheck to this guy. I'm sure he's a good dude...but he's a company boy and can make good $$$$ throwin the vts down. The bottom line is that the big companies DO NOT CARE. We can scream it from the rafters....but it wont change unless they totally lose their ass and have to keep sellin.

 

[TheBigA]

just google "big rig radio". KEGL is a paycheck to this guy.

Nothing wrong with getting a paycheck. If he was forced to do it for no add'l money, you'd have a point.

Listen, in this world, we all use each other. All employers, big or small, want something out of their workers, and vice versa. The goal is to get something out of it. If you're a DJ, you want two things: A regular paycheck and an audience for what you do. This guy is in DJ heaven. Hoo ray for him.

 

[nomansland91]

Big Rig sounds great on Eagle. He makes it a point to know what is going on in town and he also makes it a point to appear at Eagle events. I would say that he is one of the great examples of voicetracking.