Congratulations Clear Channel, you've killed Hartford Radio

[kms575]

Well done guys!!

92.5 - voicetracked morning show? What an insult.
95.7 - Less is more? What a JOKE!!!!! No presentation, it sounds positively awful.
104.1 - Good music, though they could use more newer stuff. Bad presentation, but no investment in the station. I hear it's being sold though.
105.9 - The one shining star. Good presentation, even though VT'd. Music is good, though I think their playlist has shrunk somewhat. Still fun to listen to though.

Guess they don't call it Cheap Channel for nothing!

 

[DToTheJ]

Would Bubba and Wendy Williams qualify as "accessories to the crime"?

 

[BRNout]

Would Bubba and Wendy Williams qualify as "accessories to the crime"?

Well, Wendy Williams' fingerprints were found all over the AK-47! The only question now is: did she act alone?

 

[WPPCProductions]

I agree on that one,Crap Channel Networks "CCN" for short,ok let me stop beating them up for a moment, ok ,on 105.9 , Is that Nick Michaels from The Deepend show, doing VT'd song intros on 105.9?

 

[Turntable]

Pretty soon, voicetracking will be the least of your concerns. Voice Synthesis is becoming very refined. Once that comes to fruition, they won't even have to pay a jock to track 4:1. Cheap Channel will be able to send the breaks and contest liners in text form to each of their stations, and you'll hear Dolly the DJ voicing your favorite live reads, and introducing your favorite songs. There'll be an 800 number to a call answering center in India where all your prayers will be answered.

I just wonder when they are going to develop robotic engineers to maintain the transmitters.

Cheap Channel, shame on you. You suck.

And FCC, Shame on you for deregulating radio and turning it into a piece of worthless crap.

-A

 

[Bongwater]

Pretty soon, voicetracking will be the least of your concerns. Voice Synthesis is becoming very refined. Once that comes to fruition, they won't even have to pay a jock to track 4:1. Cheap Channel will be able to send the breaks and contest liners in text form to each of their stations, and you'll hear Dolly the DJ voicing your favorite live reads, and introducing your favorite songs. There'll be an 800 number to a call answering center in India where all your prayers will be answered.

I just wonder when they are going to develop robotic engineers to maintain the transmitters.

Cheap Channel, shame on you. You suck.

And FCC, Shame on you for deregulating radio and turning it into a piece of worthless crap.

-A

CHEERS TO ALAN FOR TELLIN' IT LIKE IT IS!

Here's an example of how far AT&T has come:

http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php

 

[kms575]

Cheap Channel, shame on you. You suck.

And FCC, Shame on you for deregulating radio and turning it into a piece of worthless crap.

-A

Amen to that!!!
The "radio is a business" agrument is c**p. Yes, it's a business, but it's also a public service.

 

[justareporter]

Clear channel didn't kill Hartford radio. Clear channel killed radio.

 

[raptusregaliter]

Well done guys!!

92.5 - voicetracked morning show? What an insult.
95.7 - Less is more? What a JOKE!!!!! No presentation, it sounds positively awful.
104.1 - Good music, though they could use more newer stuff. Bad presentation, but no investment in the station. I hear it's being sold though.
105.9 - The one shining star. Good presentation, even though VT'd. Music is good, though I think their playlist has shrunk somewhat. Still fun to listen to though.

Guess they don't call it Cheap Channel for nothing!

Wow! Sounds exactly like what CC has done here in Atlanta! At least they don't discriminate--they ruin radio no matter the size of the market.

 

[Turntable]

Thanks for the big Kudo's on my opinion, but it's just an opinion.

In reality, Cheap Channel has only done what our government and the FCC have allowed it to do, which is rape and pillage thousands of jobs including Jocks, Engineers and production experts, and send the mom and pop stations that most of us cut our teeth on, dark-- ultimately turning the face of Broadcast radio into a wasteland of infomercials and crappy music presented by automated systems, all in the name of saving a buck or two.

I might also add, that Cheap Channel isn't the only culprit here-- just the most frequently cited example. Just take a look at the recent goings on at CBS nee Infinity, Cumulus, etc. Same shit different color.

Tsk, Tsk.

-A

 

[kms575]

Thanks for the big Kudo's on my opinion, but it's just an opinion.

In reality, Cheap Channel has only done what our government and the FCC have allowed it to do, which is rape and pillage thousands of jobs including Jocks, Engineers and production experts, and send the mom and pop stations that most of us cut our teeth on, dark-- ultimately turning the face of Broadcast radio into a wasteland of infomercials and crappy music presented by automated systems, all in the name of saving a buck or two.

I might also add, that Cheap Channel isn't the only culprit here-- just the most frequently cited example. Just take a look at the recent goings on at CBS nee Infinity, Cumulus, etc. Same shit different color.

Tsk, Tsk.

-A

Agreed. But, wouldn't you say it's CC that has done the most damage in this market? 'TIC still has some character to it, IMHO. I can't really comment on 100.5 hor Hot 93.7, the other CBS stations.

 

[Turntable]

Agreed. But, wouldn't you say it's CC that has done the most damage in this market? 'TIC still has some character to it, IMHO. I can't really comment on 100.5 hor Hot 93.7, the other CBS stations.

I dunno, probably. I was just trying to point out that Cheap Channel is not the only guilty party here, just probably the largest.

-A

 

[Ozman]

I have a feeling I am not gonna be able to get a job in the radio world at this point but I am not gonna give up trying because everyone I have talked to always tells me why are you not the Dj on the Radio back In CT or NYC? If only my friends, family and relatives realized how hard it is to become one and how bad the job market in radio is right now

 

[radiolives]

I thought Country 92.5 was live during the day including mornings. Just the over night was voice.

 

[Adam Rivers]

I have a feeling I am not gonna be able to get a job in the radio world at this point but I am not gonna give up trying because everyone I have talked to always tells me why are you not the Dj on the Radio back In CT or NYC? If only my friends, family and relatives realized how hard it is to become one and how bad the job market in radio is right now

That, and you have to have talent.

 

[cabradio]

I have a feeling I am not gonna be able to get a job in the radio world at this point but I am not gonna give up trying because everyone I have talked to always tells me why are you not the Dj on the Radio back In CT or NYC? If only my friends, family and relatives realized how hard it is to become one and how bad the job market in radio is right now

That, and you have to have talent.

PD's don't hire "talent" anymore Adam. They hire based on budget, and who is on the top of the resume pile based on that budget. That's why being persistent pays off. You don't have to be talented to get hired in todays radio world.

Since overnights on most stations are automated, the training ground is on week-ends, or nights (or...Broadcasting Schools...ugh). So you get a lot of people moving into positions they would not have been qualified for 10-15 years ago. Talent doesn't come into the equation, even for the large markets...

 

[cabradio]

And FCC, Shame on you for deregulating radio and turning it into a piece of worthless crap.

I've looked high and low to find out exactly who introduced the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and all I can find is that Congress passed it and [former] President Clinton signed it. Now...keep in mind that these are representatives of the people, elected BY the people to represent...the people. So, who's fault is it ultimately?

 

[Oldbones]

You don't have to be talented to get hired in todays radio world.

And haven't for a long time. Liner card radio's been around for a lot longer than Clear Channel.

I don't hear much compelling radio from the independent stations either.

 

[Turntable]

And FCC, Shame on you for deregulating radio and turning it into a piece of worthless crap.

I've looked high and low to find out exactly who introduced the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and all I can find is that Congress passed it and [former] President Clinton signed it. Now...keep in mind that these are representatives of the people, elected BY the people to represent...the people. So, who's fault is it ultimately?

I'd have to say, ultimately, the finger has to invariably point to government. Back in '96, and probably extending to '99, the fleeting saving grace was probably the fact that back then, most mom & pop operations couldn't afford automation systems. So they hired 24 year old guys like me to board-op the AM (that was back then. I feel like an old man now), to pipe the SAP channel of a TV into the board and insert TOH ID's and liners and read final scores. Then you trot it over to the FM side and play shitty music and read liner cards all night. After your shifts you're wasted so you crash out on the couch in the lobby till the PD and his barrage of daytimers march in. All of this at the bargain basement price of $5.50 per hour. The side benefits were that tou were on the radio, you got free coffee, and you got to talk to (dodge) all the walking jail cell teenage party girls who called you on the request line telling you how hot you were. Such a deal!

Now that automation software and powerful computers have become so easily available, you can't even enter the business by cutting your teeth as a board op. There simply isn't any need for them anymore. They cut out creativity ages ago, and 1996 they cut out the ability to use it and the need for it in one foul swoop. YAY!

-A

 

[cabradio]

I'd have to say, ultimately, the finger has to invariably point to government.

First, we have to understand that the way our Constitution is SUPPOSED to work, WE THE PEOPLE ARE THE GOVERNMENT (isn't that how the Constitution starts out? "We The People"...hmmm"). And we elect representatives to act in OUR BEST - COLLECTIVE -INTEREST. I don't mean to turn this into a political discussion, but the point needs to be understood that we have a responsibility to stay informed, and tell our representatives what WE THE PEOPLE want [just like we think radio stations have a responsibility to be local and keep us informed]. I was 26 in 1996, and had little political interest, but it doesn't seem the public [read: We the People] was truly aware of what was about to take place. And part of the problem is that several "acts" were bundled up into one big "act". The Telecommunications Act of 1996 also affected The Telephone Industry, and by the name of it alone, one wouldn't think to look for "Radio Consolidation" in it.

If people are truly interested in "SAVING" radio [or changing anything for that matter], they need to stop whining and complaining on a message board, and get politically involved. You might not win, but you'll have the satisfaction that you really tried. Politicians generally don't act with a conscience of good/bad or right/wrong, like we want them to. They act with two motivations: 1. what will get them re-elected and 2. with a squeaky wheel syndrome: "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

It's one thing to use the Internet to inform others of what is going on and share information like this, but if you are not part of the solution, you may as well be part of the problem. For the general public, it is easier to point fingers at someone else to take responsibility instead of taking action themselves. It's also easy to whine on a remote, anonymous message board that a very small fraction of the population see. To truly make a difference, why not take the energy you use here, and write a letter to your congressman to do something about it...to change it back. I admit I have not done this myself, yet...but I am not pointing fingers blaming someone else for something I should have been aware of.

Again, you might not get what you want, but you are doing something PROactive instead of REactive.

So, now think about the NAB, what was their position on the TC Act of 96? Were they looking out for the best interest of the Public like they say they are now: being opposed to the XM/Sirius merger? A topic for another thread maybe??