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Commercial stutters on Sat network feeds

G

Groove1670

Guest
Listening to syndicated shows on several stations in the Mobile Al market, I noticed when the first network spot starts it will play about a half second of that spot and start again. It happens on several breaks during the day, and sounds sloppy. I am surprised that programming or engineering doesn't notice or fix this. is this a receiver glitch? Has anyone hear this in other markets.
 
I have never personally noticed this, but you're hearing regional commercials -- syndicators who send a different commercial to Alabama than to Illinois.

What I have noticed is an extremely poor audio quality on the regional commercials. Sounds like a 12 kbps MP3.
 
This is the same commercial (I don't hear any local tags or references) , Is the receiver not muting the commercial fast enough from the feed.



I know if a local break is short, you get the last word word of net break sometimes, and in small markets that lovely 30 seconds of silence (oops break too short moment ;D)
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
I have never personally noticed this, but you're hearing regional commercials -- syndicators who send a different commercial to Alabama than to Illinois.

What I have noticed is an extremely poor audio quality on the regional commercials. Sounds like a 12 kbps MP3.
Click to expand...

I have noticed the poor sound quality when regional spots play from my XDS. The syndicators should really do something about that. I tend to notice that they are hot & clipped. Not very pleasing to hear.
 
I've noticed this. I believe that the downlink spot starts before the receiver starts playing back the local copy.

I also hear the extreme data compression on the network spots. I'm guessing that the networks deployed the XDS systems, then realized later that they didn't have enough space to accommodate the regional spot loads they were pushing out to them, and have started compressing the living daylights out of them. Never mind that most agencies deliver 128K MP3's (or worse) now. So 128K MP3 > 64 or 32K MP? on the XDS = bonus "underwater effects".

It's truly sad where broadcast audio has gone. It seems few are left at networks and at stations who know what good audio is, and fewer who care. The ESPN station I take care of has better audio on remotes than ESPN Radio has on many of it's primary programs. My board ops screw up less than the producers of some of the national sports teams broadcasts (re: NFL / MLB). It's not hard, and costs little more than "cheap and dirty" - it just takes people who know and give a damn.
 
I've noticed this. I believe that the downlink spot starts before the receiver starts playing back the local copy.
Click to expand...

I am glad someone else has noticed this. It is not limited to one station.


On another note: Unless you carry some syndicated show(s) or talk, sports., I see no need to carry a full time satellite music service. With playback technology almost perfect, (music on drive, VT) why run something that is subject to sunfade, Sat outages, not to mention additional commercial inventory, and clunky network rejoins/ local break windows.
 
I certainly agree with "cutting the cord" on sat music programming these days. Most are either partially or mainly V-T'ed these days. Why bother? Get a good automation and try to get locals that care to V-T if you're having to do it on the cheap. For markets that the local business community will support their local station, there still is no subsitute for really having live jocks, news, and community involvement during waking hours.
 
Back on subject, the audio quality on many things going over broadcast these days has regressed a lot in recent years. My guess is that a lot of that is because the corporate task-masters keep forcing more and more on less people, many of who really are not even passionate about their job because of poor pay (the good guys already have left for better jobs elsewhere).
 
Indeed, I think music and local liners and commercial breaks and ID jingles should stay local. I would love to see more locally originated content. And more networks willing to have voicetracks available by satellite a la Dial Global to whatever automation package you wish to run.
 
OKCRadioGuy said:
My guess is that a lot of that is because the corporate task-masters keep forcing more and more on less people, many of who really are not even passionate about their job because of poor pay (the good guys already have left for better jobs elsewhere).
Click to expand...

While I'm sure that is a factor, from my perspective, it's more that the talent pool is drying up and being refilled with people/kids who:

A. Don't know what good audio sounds like.
B. Think MP3 128K is the pinnacle of audio technology.
C. Open MP3 file. Make changes. Save as MP3 file. Repeat... (There's nothing wrong with that, right? It's digital!)
D. VU meter? What's that?
E. Have a work ethic of "just do enough to get to 5PM, collect a check, and next week I'll be a manager!". And frequently the case fresh out of school...
F. All of the above.

It's truly sad, but quality has become a lost concept - in most areas of American business and life.
 
VoiceOfReason said:
OKCRadioGuy said:
My guess is that a lot of that is because the corporate task-masters keep forcing more and more on less people, many of who really are not even passionate about their job because of poor pay (the good guys already have left for better jobs elsewhere). 
Click to expand...

While I'm sure that is a factor, from my perspective, it's more that the talent pool is drying up and being refilled with people/kids who:

A.  Don't know what good audio sounds like.
B.  Think MP3 128K is the pinnacle of audio technology.
C.  Open MP3 file.  Make changes.  Save as MP3 file.  Repeat...  (There's nothing wrong with that, right?  It's digital!)
D.  VU meter? What's that?
E.  Have a work ethic of "just do enough to get to 5PM, collect a check, and next week I'll be a manager!".  And frequently the case fresh out of school...
F.  All of the above.

It's truly sad, but quality has become a lost concept - in most areas of American business and life.
Click to expand...

You are so right.  A little background on me.

1.  I have been in radio since I was 14 (39 now).  Started out with 2 Gates Turntables and 2 Cart Machines.
2.  Worked my way up to become PD of two stations.
3.  Went to college for CIS.
4.  Have been working in the same company since I was 19.

I put in our first computer automation.  A Digilink with a wall of Pioneer 6 Disc PDM players.  Later, we became an early music on hard drive test station, due to the constant failures of the Pioneers.

Down the road we upgraded to Audiovault (now running 10.10/Flex).

I still Program 2 stations (Urban & CHR).  I am also the IT Manager, in charge of Audiovault, Visual Traffic, & Streaming. I have taught everyone from the beginning what a .wav is.  It took me months to make people understand that mp3 isn't better and it is in fact worse.

All of our audio (save the emailed commercials from agencies) is linear from direct in house rips and some .wav TM purchases.

It is very hard and fatiguing to educate the 'new' kids that come in.  My two studios are all digital.  It was a task to teach them that red on digital is different than red on VU.

I fear for plants like mine, when the older people move on.  Hopefully some of what I have taught the young ones will filter down. Unfortunately, they just want to do things quick and sloppy. Not caring about the final master/mixdown, etc...
 
Amen Chris,

I feel the same way. I got peeved when the heads were out of alignment on our cart or reel machines. I would take one of our engineers over to a stereo/mono radio, flip the switch, let them hear the difference, and said fix it. It was crude but worked (without alignment tapes or equipment).

I also talked management at the first station I worked at to purchase stereo cart machines. Everyone else had mono (on FM).

All of our CD library is converted to .WAV for our station, and no MP3 files are allowed.
 
I've heard this on feeds from DG MAX receivers, as well as the DG Wegener iPump receivers. On the MAX, look at the audio LED for the channel in question. If it's flashing green, it's live audio, if it's flashing yellow, it's local audio from the receivers HDD. If things don't line up, you hear what you heard. Sometimes it is at the beginning, sometimes it is a double ending. Obviously there's nothing the station engineer can do about that, as the automation hasn't even been "kicked" yet.
 
If they would put a hlaf-second of silence before and after the spotset on both the live feed and the HDD feed, then this issue would go away.
 
YOU TOO??

Omg I thought it's my LNB going dead..!! I just ordered a new one..!! Needed it anyways, though, it's been cutting out when the sun warms it up in the mornings.
 
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